1989 Pontiac LeMans GSE review from North America
"A $500.00 sports car, WOW"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Head gasket blew at 77,000.
Seats are wearing bad.
Dashboard switches have needed replacing.
New muffler at 89,000.
General comments?
My Lemans came standard with a 2.0 liter single overhead cam 16 valve engine and a close ratio 5 speed transmission as well as a rally inspired suspension. This makes the car a blast to drive. It has great power and acceleration and handles like a sports car.
I blew a head gasket when the radiator fan quit, my fault I let it run hot trying to get home without a tow truck. The dashboard switches (I.E. headlights, heater fan, rear defrost etc...) are very cheaply made and tend to break on a regular basis, but at least their easy to replace.
Whats not easy is finding parts. I was told at the dealer that Pontiac had dropped this car from its parts catalog so now I'm down to searching the local salvage yards for spare parts. Since the car is a GSE edition this is a little hard because many of my parts have to come from a GSE car and there are not many of those around.
The car may say Pontiac Lemans on the deck lid, but it is actually a Daewoo Lanos. After owning this car I'm not sure if I would buy another Pontiac or not, but I would definitly buy another Daewoo.
Recommended reviews
| Cheap tin can |
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| I like the car, but, it needs a lot of T.L.C.!! (Tender Loving Care) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 1994 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 Manual |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 24382 miles |
| Most recent distance | 89887 miles |
| Previous car | Mercury Topaz |
| Date of Entry | 22nd June, 2003 |