Faults:

Engine has a hard time wanting to START. Check engine light and change oil light are constantly on.

General Comments:

Cute, sporty, easy to drive car.

Hard time getting the engine to start, always a new problem with the car while driving it more and more, sucks A LOT of gas.

Faults:

Oh boy, where to start...

I have had the car for 2 years this past September, and in that time I have put in 2 transmissions, which cost me 400 hundred both times, and that's cheap compared to some of the other quotes I got, and that's just because I knew the guy who did it. The original went out after having it flushed at a "name brand" service center, and of course it was not their fault.

I had to put a new alternator on it, along with a new battery. Came to find out it was neither of these things!

Most recently the water pump went out, and it cost me 404 to fix it, plus I bought a new pump, and took it to the mechanic another 50 something there.

In the last 2 days, my ABS light came on as well as my battery light. No tracking light... yet.

General Comments:

AND TO THOSE WHO HAVE REPORTED JUST THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR ISSUE: HERE IS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MINE...

My car would start and drive, and then cut off and both of these lights would come on and go off all the FREAKING time. On the front of my starter, there was a bolt either broken or missing (I didn't fix it, the guy who found it had recently worked on another car with the same problem). They put a new one on it, and I haven't had a problem until a few days ago when I had to get the water pump fixed. And now of course there is something else wrong with the darn thing, go figure.

I'll buy a KIA the next time they do that 2 for whatever; at least then when one breaks, I'll have another.

Faults:

The only major problem I have had is the internal housing unit needs to be replaced every so often. I've replaced it twice in the past 3 years. Cheap and easy fix. I'm female and did it myself.

There was this clicking noise coming on and off randomly, sounded like the blinkers. I took apart the steering column, cleaned the grease off of the points of contact, and it stopped.

There have been minor electrical problems: the cabin light chooses when it wants to work, and the stereo volume button doesn't turn down unless you pull out on it as you turn.

The driver seat has worn badly, I attribute that mostly to my rather large uncle, who previously owned it. All other seats are in good condition.

I've replaced the struts, rotors, calipers, brake pads, etc all a cheap fix, thank god for GM's.

General Comments:

I got this car after I crashed my first car, so this was really a learning car for me. GREAT to learn basic maintenance. Oil is easy to change, as long as you have a filter wrench. Brake system is really simple, and I could remove everything on my own if I needed to replace anything.

I've NEVER broken down in this car, and it has always been a cheap fix whenever I've heard a strange noise or found an issue with maintenance. I have never put more than $200 into this car at one time, and that was only once on rear struts.

I would definitely buy another Pontiac or even another Grand Am. Maybe I would go with an extended manufacturer's warranty, if at all possible for minor problems.