1991 Pontiac Sunbird LE review from North America
"Overall, fast and sporty, but a nightmare to maintain"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Coolant leaked at 195,000 km (tubing replaced).
Heater core broke soon after, expensive fix.
Torque converter would not disengage at stops, unplugged it (would've been fairly expensive, wasn't worth a fix).
Steering rack, power steering pump, and the entire exhaust system needed replacing at 220,000 km.
Crankshaft sensor died at 240,000 km.
Oxygen sensor broke apart at 250,000 km.
Finally, the timing chain slipped off and fatally damaged the engine (at 285,000km)
General comments?
Wow. Fast car, and pretty good looks for 1991, but not a month went by without problems with this car.
When the car was running well, this was the EXCEPTION. It seemed more normal for problems to be happening with it, it was so unreliable.
Parts weren't very expensive, but labour always was there, making the fixes fairly expensive still.
Finally, it died on my way out the driveway, and I'm not dropping anymore money on this piece of junk.
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| A quick little compact at a cheap price that will give most cars a run for their money |
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| 1990 - Sunbird SE 2.0 Non-turbo Good Car, Very High Maintenance Cost |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.1L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 192000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 286000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 25th October, 2001 |