Faults:

Alternator (80,000 miles)

Coolant hose (115,000 miles)

Power steering hose (110,000 miles)

A/C compressor (105,000 miles)

Few other small parts that cost less than $50 each to fix.

General Comments:

Have owned the car since day one, and it is still in great shape 120,000 miles later (but I do take care of it very well, unlike some people that run their cars into the ground and get mad when something breaks)

The 4 cyl./5speed combo makes it faster then the V6 of the same year.

Faults:

I have to replace the upper Control arm.- That was my fault, I hit a curb in a ice storm.

I had to replace the Coil Cover and Water pump at 83K.

General Maintenance-Brakes, Plugs, Wires, Tires.

Radio knob has its own mind, I have the Audio controls on the steering wheel so it does not create a big problem.

Driver seat is starting to get uncomfortable.

I think EGR valve or sensor is giving out.- Easy Fix.

General Comments:

I am a mechanic in training and I am surprised by this car. I think it is a crap-shoot when getting these cars. Some of them can take a real beating mainly the 2.4L Twin cams are the most reliable. The 3100 SFI V6 aka 3.1L has poor reliability marks in all of GM's cars. The V6 has as much Horsepower as the 4 cylinder available in the car. The 2.4L can beat a lot of upgraded Civics and Focus's.

I have put 26,000 miles on this car since I bought it less than a year ago. Including 3 trips to Colorado. To be truly honest I BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THIS CAR! It takes the beatings and is ready for anything I can dish out. The reason it lasts is because of prevenative maintance.

This car is execellent off-roading and in the snow. I was told I would need a 4x4 to get to this party and my car made it just fine. I bottomed out a lot and messed up my suspension. My pal has an N-Body Malibu (Grand AM, Skylark, Malibu, Alero) which is pretty much the same car with the 3100 and his has had nothing, but problems and bad luck. He has put half the beating on his Malibu. I take out trash cans and refrigerators all the time with this car.

I Recently rear-ended my ex-gf (her fault she "brake checked" me) and totaled her car. She has a 94 Civic. Nothing, absolutely nothing happened to my car. So I am assuming Grand Ams are tough.

Faults:

Entire cooling system had to be replaced, passenger window motor, ac compressor, cat converter.

I have learned after the fact that the orange anti freeze (Dex Cool) required on this car is only meant to be mixed with distilled water, regular tap water added causes advanced corrosion.

There are many sites that talk of a class action lawsuit against GM, but I have yet to see it.

General Comments:

My Daughter bought this car on her own at 20 years old! I thought she had made a good decision after checking the car myself. It had low miles, good condition, one owner, great looks, and drives like a sports car.

Two weeks after the purchase it started loosing water.

And then the cooling system started breaking down, one component at a time. After replacing most of these parts myself and seeing the corrosion first hand, I searched the web for info on the antifreeze and found the culprit.