1994 Pontiac Grand Am GT 2.3 DOHC Quad 4 HO

Summary:

Fast car, if you can afford it

Faults:

Motor Blew about 2 weeks after I bought it.

Everything (well almost) was rebuilt.

-timing chain assembly

-water pump

-head

-head gasket

-1 piston

-crankshaft

-minor parts (some performance parts)

Alternator died.

Blower motor blew.

Vent fan needed replacing.

Crank sensor and ignition module blew.

Coil housing cracked and I replaced it myself from the junkyard.

General Comments:

After spending $3200 CDN on this car, the motor blew on me. Cost me 5500 to fix. Got new exhaust, new intake, new performance cam, and now has 210 hp and 175 lb/ft.

Insanely fast, if revved over 3000 rpm. Takes ANY V6 American cars out there.

Handles awesome, can take a yield at 70k.

The suspension is too rough, and jolts the car a lot.

After the motor rebuild, I've put 15000 k on it, and beat it 1/2 the time I drive it. No problems yet, still runs like a dream.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th May, 2005

5th May 2005, 12:45

What did you expect, buying a 10 year old car with high mileage and then beating the hell out of it? Of course it is going to break down!

1994 Pontiac Grand Am SE Quad 4

Summary:

A rip off lemon that looks decent and drives decent in a straight line

Faults:

Struts/suspension very noisy

Steering VERY Stiff feels like I have no power steering!

Engine sounds like a sewing machine

Leaks about a quart of oil a week

Exhaust noisy - $400+ to fix needs catalytic converter

Oil pan leaking would require engine to be removed to fix

Dash rattles and squeaks like a mouse

The car sounds like its going to fall apart going 10-15 MPH over any railroad tracks or slight bumps in road.

General Comments:

A mistake! My 91 prizm had 70,000 miles and drove much nicer than this 94 vehicle even though it did have a minor power steering leak. This grand am leaks about a quart of oil all the over the driveway. This car is a LEMON sure it drives OK in a straight line, but you'll build arm muscles trying to turn with the stiff squeaky steering. Maybe I got a bad one of the batch although many other reviews suggest otherwise, but now on I'm sticking with Toyota / Honda / Nissan, possibly even Ford. I'm NOT impressed with this GM vehicle, I hope for their sake their newer vehicles are built better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th April, 2005

18th Apr 2005, 19:45

I'm not normally a GM defender, but didn't you have this car looked at before you bought it? I find it odd that all of those problems could spring up simultaneously, within a couple thousand miles. Most cars will be in poor shape after 10 years if the original owner (s) neglect it, not just GM's.

24th Apr 2005, 02:16

I apologize to pontiac for this review I recently found out from a carfax report that my car had 103,000 miles listed on it in 2001 and now it has only 71,000 miles in the odometer! Wow, fraud really sucks!

2nd Oct 2008, 18:52

We have a Grand Am with the quad 4, and yes I was told not to get one because of what everyone said about them, but I bought one with 170 thousand on it, it was the best car I could ask for for being in high school. This car actually flew for a little 4 banger, it hit 110 mph without a problem.

Yes I did look it over really well before it was bought. Now I am proud to say my 18 year old sister is driving it still to this day, and I have been graduated for over a year now.

Now it has 195,000 on it, and the engine not made one tick or knock ever, even at -20F. It's been through 14 Maine winters, and all we have replaced so far since ownership is the gas tank.

Its interesting to know that it's the first computer engineered engine GM had; it runs and performs so well.