2000 Pontiac Montana Base review from North America
"Nice van except for gasket problem"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Brakes
Tires
Intake/Head Gasket.
General comments?
I was impressed with the Montana when I first saw them. I especially like the plastic mouldings around the vehicle. I was lucky enough to pick up a lease back with only 21K, and believed I had a vehicle that would last me 10 years. Then I woke up from my dream! I had no idea there was a problem with the intake gaskets. It came as a shock when I realized that my van too, was starting to use too much coolant, and my fears were confirmed when our GM dealer tested it. After paying $1400 cdn it was still using coolant and the dealer said the head gasket was leaking. The job was $2300 cdn, but because there was some dispute over whether this was the original problem, they deducted the initial $1400 and we paid the rest. 4 months later now, and it is still using too much coolant. Soon after getting fixed, we went on vacation, and it started jerking as soon as we hit the highway. After returning I changed the 3 coil packs, and discovered plugs 5 and 2 were switched around on one of them.
Recommended reviews
| Maintenance nightmare |
|
| Not worth a tank of gas |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2000 |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.4L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 21000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 60000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Taurus |
| Date of Entry | 29th August, 2006 |