1993 Pontiac Grand Prix LE from North America - Comments

Rear brakes wear out abnormally fast.

Replaced the alternator 2 times.

Battery replaced once.

Break in the power pump line.

Considering the amount of driving I have put on this vehicle and the many years of reliable service this car has given me, I can honestly say this has been one of the best vehicles I have ever owned.

The 3.1 litre engine, while not a power house, provides plenty of juice on the highway.

Ride is comfortable and smooth, a great car for long drives.

My next vehicle is going to be the latest Grand Prix model.

I agree with everything this reviewer said. I would like to add that my own '93 Grand Prix LE, while a wonderfully reliable vehicle, has had similar problems. I am on my third alternator. I replace front brakes every year and rear brakes every two years. Of the two mufflers, one is replaced annually (so each muffler is good for two years, LOL). As I type this, my wonderfully compassionate (and inexpensive) mechanic is installing a rebuilt transmission in my car. It also failed emissions because it tends to run rich. The left rear door handle is broken (another problem of which I hear frequently). The wiring harness in the steering column SHOULD have been recalled, as it is known to fray and burn out; mine did (and is also being repaired this week).

Don't let this scare you away from this car; it is a great car, very roomy; and it IS reliable. It looks great too!! Side note; don't try to go cheap on tires, if you have the 16" wheel base, you'll find yourself replacing tires every year. Pay a bit more for the BF Goodrich or the Michelin tires; my BF Goodrich tires have been on the car two years now and have almost NO wear. In comparison; the cheapo tires I bought from Pep Boys (at not much less than what the BF Goodrich cost) lasted just over one year before having to be replaced.

I love my Grand Prix!! I had a minor accident (no I wasn't putting on make-up or on the cell phone) and it stopped almost on a dime, which is why it was only a minor accident. The suspension is great, when I am on a rather bumpy street or highway, I do not feel like I am doing a 1980's dance. The sound system is just fantastic! I am considering putting in a CD/stereo/cassette player, in place of my existing cassette/stereo player. I need to replace my brakes often because of the amount of driving I do, and I have had the alternator replaced 2 times. The battery went out, but I bought a Die Hard, and have had no problems since. My only complaint is the turn signals went out. I have to pull the lever towards me and hold it for the blinker to run when making left hand turns, and manually blink it to turn left. I will have that fixed this weekend. My air didn't work when I bought the car used 2 years ago, but I like riding with the windows down any way. I am considering having that fixed since I AM NEVER GOING TO GET RID OF THIS CAR UNTIL IT JUST UP AND DIES!! I LOVE my 93 LE Grand Prix!!

The '93 are great cars. I recently moved and bought one, had it for on year and it was the best car I ever owned in regards to comfort on long drives, looks, and body effects. The drivers seats are a bit hard, but a good car never the less. I had to replace the starter module, fix the oil pan and regular tune up; didn't realy have a problem because I did a full tune up and trany flush when I purchased it. At 240,000 clicks, I fig I should sell and buy a new one. biggest mistake I ever made. bought a '93 GP SE with HUD and center console computer read-out. Excellent looking vehicle with, but it's only downfall is the 3.4L bad apple it comes with. My love for the GP's force me to buy it out of province. Feel free to laugh, it's OK go ahead. On a 22 hour drive, the car stalled on me three times on the way home, got stuck in some small town in for a day. Finally made it home, car pass out of province inspection and died in the parking lot the day I went to pick it up. $600 later I drove it home. The following week had it stall on my while driving. Took it in to the "Stealership" to fix the stalling and rough idleing and $800 CAD, I'm good to go. Drove home in 15 minutes and almost creamed a parked BMW while parking---Stalled again (went to manual steering and manual braking). Went out of town, had the car towed 192 clicks (don't ask $$) to Stealership. Left it at stealership for two weeks, replaced; battery, alternator, and ECM = $700 CAD. Car drives great, now I've been told that the transmition is going, sometimes takes about two tries to put the car in gear at start up. and the HUD just quit working. This is my second GP, and I still love these cars, but I have learned a few important lesson; 1. Ask your mechanic AND go to the Stealerships for info. Aslo do your home work online from previous owners, best source of future problems because they have nothing to gain and will tell it like it is. Avoid any GP's with 3.4L engines, they are costly and problematic. Most importantlesson, learn from other peoples mistakes so you don't make the same ones. Ask the right questions, they will save you $$ in the future.

I agree with the opinion that the 93 GP looks great. As a recent buyer of the GP I am still developing my opinion of the mechanical greatness. I have the 3.4L and the comments I am hearing are not too positive. I am now replacing the alternator, oops, Alternator (s). The first one lasted 15 minutes. If anyone has similar experiences I would sure like to hear about it. Also interested in hearing about any experiences with the window motor replacement. That is the next job. Lastly, If anyone is interested in purchasing a (nearly) perfect, one owner, GP, let me know.

Signed - not too sure I'm a GP fan...

The alternator are the weakest part of the car. I have replaced one every 30,000-40,000 miles.

I agree with this reader I have a 93, Pontiac Grand Prix LE 4dr. It has over 150,000 miles on it and the engine still gets 19mpg around town. I bought my car for $900 at a gas station by my house the price was a bargain. When I bought the car I knew it had a lot of problems, but they were normal things that it needed like 4 reabuilt break calipers, rear leaf spring bushings, battery, 4 new struts, pasinger power window motor, turnsignal switch, and I had to fix the power mirror switch. After all that I'm only into this car for $1,600 and that's inclouding the purchase price of the car. (I did all the labor my self, these cars are very easy to work on). I bought the car because the engine is in very good shape, but it does leak a little oil out of the distibutor plug (Its common on the 2.8L and 3.1L V6 engines). The tranny was reabilt at 146,000.My car has ground afects and dual exhaust system that has a pretty nice sound. The car is painted a nice dark blue and the body is in very nice shape with some very small paint chips on the hood. The interior is in almost like new conditon and only has a small crack in the dash. The previous reader stated that he goes through mufflers twice a year. I don't know about that. The exhaust on mine is the factory original from 1993, these cars come with a stanless exhaust systems so they do last a long time how ever I had to replace the catalytic converter. Also these cars handle great if you have the 16 inch wheels. These cars have great high speed stability and can tackle on and off ramps at 55mph with good tires. If your looking for one of these cars I would recommend that you stay away from the STE turbo modles and Grand Prix's with the 3.4L engine. They are a pain to work on and parts for thouse engines are costly, stick with the 3.1L non turbo and you will be okay they have plenty get up and go and they go pretty good on the high way. As for the over heating problem these cars do run hot, but the temp gauge should never go past 226 deg. What I did was I instaled a product called water wetter it absorbs heat in the coolent and it DOES make the engine run cooler. Also note that these cars have bleed screws to let air out of the coolent system. One is placed on top of the thermostate cover and the other is mounted above the water pump. Read the manual for proper coolent system service. Air traped in the coolent system will make any engine over heat.

How much does replacing an alternator on a 1993 Grand Prix cost??

I've had mine for about 6.5 years with few major problems. The rear brakes tend to wear faster than normal and the calipers need regular maintenance-- I understand that there is a 60-40 load split between the front and back.

The only other problems of note is the turn signals seem to give trouble as of the last year or so (you have to hold them in to get them to flash-- help anyone?) and the rod connected to the driver's handle seems to bend every 4-5 years (again -- help anyone?).

Overall, with the mileage I have on the sucker and the repairs to date, I would give old faithful an A- rating.

--Saskatchewan, Canada.

Order an upgraded alternator from motorcityreman I did, got myself a 160amp version for only $50 more than one from the store and you don't even have to mail in ur core. alternator works great and I run too amps plus a 300watt computer with dual batteries separated by an isolator and the alternator and has worked great.

I bought my 93 grand prix (2dr) last November from a dealer in small town Sask. I drove it home (1.5 hours away) and not one problem that night. the next morning I get no more than 5 blocks away and it stalls, well after 5 minutes of cranking on it, it finally fires and I'm on my way... not I cannot go one cold day with out this thing dying one me, I've replaced the computer ($300 + $100 labor + other minor things=$400), the battery, which the dealership paid for it so that's a minor one, had the EGR valve cleaned, had the throttle body cleaned, had the ignition module replaced ($500), I'm getting my drivers side door handle replaced for the second time tomorrow. The locking mechanism locked up on the drivers side. My radio died, but the tape part still works (thank god) and seeing as how it was raining yesterday I discovered that the windshield is not sealed properly because I have water leaking into my car. any one wanna buy it?

I am a proud owner of the 1993 Grand Prix LE.

I've had several encounters with my ride. I had a problem with the idle. That was a sensor.

Another time it would not stay started, but when I let it sit for a couple of days it would start back up and I could drive it for about 1 hour and she would die out on me. I came to find out it was the ignition module.

Most of the problems with my GP were sensors.

Great car; paid for and love it.

Mr. T longshoremen.

My turn signals quit working on my 93 Grand Prix. I had to hold the lever or flash it manually. I took the steering wheel off by prying out the center cover with a small screw driver & removing the nut with channel locks, I found grease & burnt stuff on the contacts of the signal switch. I cleaned them with alcohol & scotch brite & got them working again. I think the grease came out of the steering wheel bearing.