1988 Pontiac Sunbird Reviews

Head gasket replacement at 160,000km.

Regular maintenance otherwise: (alternator, water pump, timing belts, brakes, exhaust, struts).

All front end parts are original and in good shape.

Very reliable and cheap to maintain!

Gas mileage is great!

In a very cold winter back in 1996 the head cracked and was replaced for $1200. Other than that it has never left me stranded or with out a ride... and I've had it since 1988. It needs some restoration work now... which we've started.

I love this car! I really can't say enough about it... obviously I'm the original owner and will probably pass it down to my children.

Its fast, its fun and after all these years I still LOVE it. I've driven it from Upstate NY to Florida and South Carolina with zero problems.

I had to replace a ball joint.

A swing arm.

Also various braking components.

A year and a half later a component that helps that brake pedal work (I cannot recall the actual part) needed repair.

I replaced the belts.

Replaced the ignition switch after the original ignition key broke in half inside.

Also the seal for the back window has always leaked since the purchase.

A shimmy occurs when going faster then 70mph.

My father bought the car for me for my graduation. It had Michigan rust problems and almost no brakes, but after putting $400 into it the car ran just like it was new.

It was purchased for $500, but well worth the money. Cars 6 years old seem to have more miles then my car did when we bought it.

Altogether this car has been amazing. Total cost of repairs have been estimated in the $1000 range, but it beats a car payment.

The car has never let me down, it even got me down to Kentucky, a 700 mile journey, without stopping, except for gas, with no problem.

I want this car to last me as long as it can. The fuel economy is better then anything I've been interested in buying as a replacement. I estimated over 40 mpg in my trip from Michigan to Kentucky.

It's an ugly, gray beast, but the ride is very smooth. I never want to replace it or sell it.

This car has been the best car I've ever owned, even with the repairs.

We've owed a 1979 Thunderbird, 2002 Trailblazer, 1989 Grand Marquis, S-10s, and Somonas, and currently a 2004 Vibe. This car has outlasted them all performance wise (except the Vibe, which we traded the Trailblazer in for).

Pontiac did wrong by discontinuing this vehicle.

Heater Core Failed.

Heater/AC fan vibrates badly.

Headlight lids raise when driving.

Seat fabric very worn.

To put it in a nutshell... Nothing.

The very few problems that have been stated above are nothing. The car was given to me, and had sat for several months prior to my acquisition. The battery had to be boosted, and it needed plugs.

Since then, It has made 2 trips to and from Texas (900 miles each way), exhibiting as much as 33 miles per gallon on what were bad plug wires. The little 2.0 liter in-line 4 is peppy and had little problem staying with a decked out 'Stang in the outskirts of Atlanta, where the speeds are like the American Autobahn. The car is not very attractive, especially when your previous car was a black Iroc T-Top, but all-in-all, I am overly pleased with it.

The Interior is not too bad, even for someone 6'7", such as myself.

The insurance is almost as cheap as my 58hp Sammy, and now with gas at $3 a gallon, it is a pleasure to go to the pumps.