CD Article: Pontiac Grand Am, 1999-2004

[CD_Editor]

         
Used Vehicle Review:


Given the Pontiac Grand Am's poor reliability record, Contributing Editor, Chris Chase doesn't recommend buying one.  There are other used cars with better reliability for about the same money, he says.
 
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[Altima1]

Only one word to describe this car  J U N K

[alienc]

I had a 1995 V-6 model.

The worst car I ever owned, I had it for 2.5 years and spent about $3000 repairing it.  I still owed money on it when I got rid of it.

Problem areas:

Rotor/Pads 3 times
Strut mounts (they were rusted and they caused the steering to bind)
2 set of front struts
Steering Rack (likely caused by the above problem)
2 set of Spark Plugs and wires
2 Ignition coils
2 alternators
Intake Manifold Gasket (I only had to replace this once)
Several AC Components (Compressor, all lines & Condensor)

The transmission and motor worked well and it was plenty powerful.  Just the cost of maintenance wasn't worth keeping it.

The way they wedged the motor under the hood caused it to run constantly hot and the cooling fan never turned off.  I think this heavy engine is also what contribued to the constant Strut and Brake replacement.

I stick to 4-cylinder cars now, alot easier to work on and not as hard on brake and suspension components.  I do miss the effortless torque though.

[Beetlejuice]

The '95 was a different animal from the '99.  I owned a '99 and ran it up to 242,000 km without too many issues.  Mind you, I couldn't wait to get rid of it to get into the Volkswagen. 

[Matthew]

My best friend sold his 1997 Plymouth Neon for a 2004 Grand Am GT.  He said it was the worst mistake he ever made.  On the neon he spent about $600 in 8 years of ownership replacing an A/C compressor (common problem on 1st Gen Neons), but that was about it, until he got rid of it with 201,000km on the clock. The Grand Am with only 70,000 kms has needed a new intake gasket, valve job, and it has a detonation issue in cold weather startup.  It knocks so badly.  Sounds like steel toe shoes spinning in a laundry drier!

I owned a Oldsmobile Alero, an infinitely superior car in every way.  The Alero other than motor and tranny is completely different.  The front subframe on the Alero is hydroformed Aluminum and much stiffer, which gave the Alero a ride and handling edge over the Grand Am.  I miss that car a lot from time to time, but my 2002 Prius gets me 4.6L-5.5L/100km on a consistent basis, so on that front I am still a winner!  My 2002 Neon hovers around 6.6L which is phenomenal for a car with 170,000.  Alero typically got around 7-8L/100km while my buddies Grand Am usually hovers around 11-12L/100km so I am told.

[FiestaTT]

Alero typically got around 7-8L/100km while my buddies Grand Am usually hovers around 11-12L/100km so I am told.

Did the Grand Am have a fuel line leak?

[Greg B.]

I owned a Oldsmobile Alero, an infinitely superior car in every way.  The Alero other than motor and tranny is completely different.  The front subframe on the Alero is hydroformed Aluminum and much stiffer, which gave the Alero a ride and handling edge over the Grand Am.  

Hate to tell you this but they are the same car, were built on the same assembly line, and are identical mechanically, structurally and chassis-wise. Only styling and trim differs.

[Careener]

Your friend's Grand Am has piston slap..quite common on that engine.
Has your dash warped on your Alero? Also do you have an extra shifter knob? My coworkers fell off and he can't source a new one.

[Winklovic]

Those Grand Ams are also ridiculously easy to steal.

[Honda Owner]

The Grand Am is one of the worst cars ever built. It was typical of GM cars of the era, ie it was designed to look good but fall apart one km and one second after the warranty was up. What is really ironic is they were not cheap when they were new.

As for the other poster's views on the Alero, they are the same car. The part numbers for all the mechanical components are identical.