2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT1 from North America - Comments

Headlights bounce up and down while driving at night. It is very annoying to see my beams dancing on the road no matter how smooth the roadway is.

Paint finish very cheap for a $30,000 car. "Grand Prix" badge peeling off after two car washes.

Plastic interior trim squeaks in the dash and the rear door panels. Why?

Toe-in alignment out after 3 days of ownership. Again, why?

The only attribute is the engine power and the handling improvements for 2004.

So, from a "Driver's" point of view, the car is "Fuel for the soul" as Pontiac claims in their ads.

For the average person, the seats are not as comfortable as the previous generation, and you will find yourself trying to look over the dash. Raising the seat won't help as you quickly run out of headroom if you are over 5'9". It's really a problem if you have the sunroof, which to me opens too short and ruins the car's lines when open.

The "Drive by wire" is a great idea that does not work well at low speeds. The car has a tendency to jerk. You can't feather the throttle smoothly.

The transmission shifts too frequently, which tells me that trans overhauls will be sooner than expected in a car that for the price should have reliabilty written all over it.

Back in January 2004, I traded in a 1995 Grand Prix GTP with the 3.4 twin cam engine, and bought a used 1998 Grand Prix GT (3.8 old school engine) with 57,000 miles on it for $7,000. The car is loaded with Heads-up, auto climate, overhead console, leather seating areas, trac, realtime info center, high power 9 speaker CD system, etc.

Dealer calls me 4 months later and asks if I want to get a 2004 model. I like the new styling and power, so I get a GT2 for $32,000 which includes taxes, financing, etc. Here is where Pontiac got it wrong:

No auto climate, no overhead console because of the sunroof. The info center is now limited to only warning you about a problem instead of constantly showing you Oil Life, distance to empty, real time MPG, fuel used like my 1998 does. No heads-up display unless you order and pay more. Sure, the GTP comes with these things, but for a higher purchase price, higher insurance premiums, and fuel costs. Sorry, a Pontiac is not worth that much.

Third day of ownership, the front wheels went out of alignment. The dealer "fixed it" and the steering wheel was now off center 1" to the right from being 1" off to the left. After two car washes with the car being pulled through, the steering wheel set itself to center.

I bought a black GT2 that had water spots in the finish. The dealer sent the car out to get detailed, but the finish was never as good as an import in black. It was later determined that the paint was never properly sprayed and the "water spots" were imperfections in the paint. At this point, I was not happy with my car.

The door panels on my car squeaked while driving. Drove me nuts. The plastic dash would squeak sometimes too.

The last straw for me was the headlights dancing up and down while driving and the constant plastic parts in the interior squeaking, along with the realization that I was spending $32K for a car that should be well executed versus spending $7K for a car that was just as smooth, loaded, and has a 3 year extended warranty that I did not pay for the 2004.

I took the 2004 back to the dealer, and got my 1998 with all the toys, lower insurance, lower payments, a more comfortable ride, and peace of mind.

The 2004 GT1 and GT2 are not worth what dealers want for them now. I don't know about the GTP Comp G. Too many imports out there to consider before Grand Prixs. The 3.4 twin cam was a better high performance engine than the 3.8 Gen 2 or maybe the Gen 3. But it had reliability problems that GM could have fixed and kept in the Pontiac line-up.

I have a 04 Black GT1 since March 04.

I have the same problem...

-Headlights bounce up and down while driving at night.

-The rear driver door panels on my car squeaked while driving.

-Steering wheel is off center 1" to the left.

And since I have this car ( 3 months ) the gas price ( 87 octane ) has increase of 30%. This car cost between $10 to $11CDN for each 100Km or 62 miles average 23MPG US.

I own a GT2 and it is loaded with leather, CD changer, heads up display, Xm radio, and a sun roof and I only payed 18,500 on the road. I haven't had any the of the problems that were listed either. I really love my Pontiac it has been a good car.

I bought a 2004 GT2 in June, 04. I have 1,500 miles on it, and have had no problems. I didn't get the HUD nor XM radio, but got everything else. I love the way it rides and handles. Wife loves it, too. My only complaint is the blind spots when backing. Otherwise, it's great. Still own my 1995 Bonneville SSE, 85,000 miles, so thought the GT2 would be a good buy, as well. Got it for $21,500.

To the Original Poster - So if I understand your post correctly you took back your 2004 Grand Prix and got back your 1998 Grand Prix.

Did you have to pay lots of money to the dealer to unwind the deal?? Did it cost you through the nose to get out of that deal??

I just purchased a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix. I find that it is a very reliable car. My only complaint is the lack of space in the back seat, but I don't ride back there so it's not much of a problem for me. Out of about 5 stars, I'd give it a 4 1/2.

I bought a 2004 GTP Comp G -- love the car, and have had no real problems except the passenger seat squeaks (from the seat track).

Every once in a while I get a charging failure message with the defrost on full, the heated seats and the rear defroster on. I also get a weird whine from the tranny when I first back it out of the driveway.

The car has 120 000 kms -- paid 12 000 with a 3 year extended powertrain warranty -- but I do love smoking Mustangs and Camaros in the Stoplight Wars!!

I have owned my 04 Grand Prix GT since November 2004. After reading the few comments on this page, I have to say this car is the biggest piece of junk I have ever purchased. The only reason I have kept this car is because it is nearly paid off and in this economy, I cannot bear another cycle of car payments.

Since I have owned this car I have had the oddest things occur, from the gauges not working properly and "faking you out" by informing me your tires or oil is low when no such thing is occurring, to suddenly being out of gas when the gas gauge just registed 1/8 tank.

There is a strange banging and popping noise in the suspension that no one can figure out - it sounds like the wheels are going to pop off when turning.

The car doesn't behave like it's fuel injected and will take several times to start if it ever will unless you give it gas.

The passenger side leaks from where we don't know, the floor but not the seat is always wet if not garaged during a rain.

The car runs very hot and I am today having to have the water pump replaced, hoping and praying it solves the problem. There is presently a class action lawsuit for 1995 - 2004 GM vehicles due to the Dex Cool system in these cars that seem to cause endless problems.

At one point my battery was running down so we replaced it. After putting in the new battery, the same problems existed. Took it to a mechanic who informed us that it was something to do with the charging system and the car did not like in town driving at speeds of under 40 mph and to take it out on the highway and run it for a while to charge the battery back up. (shaking my head)

Bottom line is the 2004 Grand Prix is NOT a reliable car by any means and I will never buy another GM product because of this car specifically. Do a little Internet research before purchasing a Grand Prix, and you'll see many complaints just like mine that seem to never be resolved.