Faults:

The low fuel light stays on, regardless of how much gas is actually in the tank.

The fuel gage itself also does not read right. When the car is being driven it doesn't show how much fuel is actually being used, until the car is turned off and started again.

I owned the car for barely three weeks when the three fuel injectors and the fuel pump needed to be replaced.

General Comments:

The fact that there aren't any cup holders in the front seat is a bummer.

The front seats themselves are very comfortable and adjust fairly easily.

I like the look of the car, it just looks like a fast vehicle. Having the door handles on the side of the windows also increases the visual appeal.

The driver controls are very accessible to the driver. They're easy to see without having to fumble around the steering wheel and guess which one is right.

This car really sticks to the road and handles turns well... much better than my previous car which ended up upside down in the ditch.

I drive this car mainly on weekends to get back and forth from campus, and it works pretty well. The gas mileage is great and it doesn't get real picky about maintenance.

Faults:

The rear calipers were locked when I initially purchased the vehicle. The dealer fixed them at no cost.

The odometer has never worked. (Therefore, the values listed in the mileage fields are inaccurate! It's probably closer to 110,000/122,000.)

The tape deck makes an EXTREMELY obnoxious hissing noise.

The transmission has been slipping, at least to a certain extent, for about a year. However, the problem has recently been getting worse. Due to the age and overall value of the car (as well as the fact that I'm going to be getting rid of it in about two months), I don't think that spending $1800 on transmission work would be in my best interest at the present time. However, I have been changing the transmission fluid every four months or so, which seems to temporarily alleviate the problem at least.

The suspension is pretty much worn out. However, I refuse to have any work done on it, for the reasons stated above.

The rear calipers have just failed again, approximately 10 months after I initially had them repaired. Gee, now no one would ever expect THAT to happen to a late model W-body GM car. *smirk*

The rotors are worn, as are the pads.

A coolant line exploded about six months ago, which was actually a relatively easy (albeit messy) repair.

There was a short-circuit in the anti-theft system that prevented the car from being started for 90 minute periods of time. This repair was easy, as all that I needed to do was disable the anti-theft system.

Four warning lights are lit up on the panel. The "low fuel" and "coolant" lights are on due to a short circuit on the panel, the "check engine soon" light is on as the result of a loose connector on the knock sensor, and the brake light is on as the result of... I bet you can't guess why the brake light is on! ;)

If I were to have the brakes repaired now, I would be charged $1,300, the suspension would be a $1,200 repair, and the transmission would be a $1,800 repair.

General Comments:

First off, I have to admit that I'm probably not the best person in the world to give advice about this particular car. Well, actually, I'm not the worse either, but considering the condition that this car was in when I initially purchased it, I would read the other reviews before coming to a final conclusion. I say this because I have NO idea how well the previous owners treated this vehicle.

That being said, STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM LATE-80s/EARLY-90s GM W-BODY CARS AS POSSIBLE!!! If you work on cars for a living, or have owned a W-body car (Grand Prix, Regal, Lumina, or Cutlass Supreme) for any extended period of time, you are probably well aware of the fact that there was a class action lawsuit directly related to the faulty rear calipers on these cars. Well, let me be the first to tell you that THIS LAWSUIT WAS 100% JUSTIFIED! The calipers have failed three times that I am aware of: once for the previous owner, and twice for me. Fortunately I wasn't on the highway when they locked up, because I would have probably ended up going into the back of a semi.

I should note that my sister has a 1988 Buick Regal, and has had no problems with her brakes whatsoever, so it's more a matter of looking for the good apple in the bunch than blaming an entire product line. Don't be discouraged from purchasing a W-body vehicle solely as a result of what I have said, just take it to a mechanic and have him look at it before you buy it! Who knows? You may find an excellent deal, while at the same time saving yourself a lot of time and money down the road.

As you have already read, I have had A LOT of problems with this vehicle. However, I'm not going to be sour about it and blame GM. I could easily say "wah wah wah, it's all the manufacturer's fault", but that would be a cop-out because, in all likelihood, the previous owner ran this car into the ground and then ditched it. Furthermore, I would feel silly complaining about the problems that I have had with an 11-year old car that I bought as a winter beater and paid $900 for. Aside from the BRAKES OF DOOM, any complaints would be unwarranted.

Besides, my previous car, a 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, was a gem. As a result, it would be impossible for me to lay the blame solely on GM, as I am well aware that they have the ability to build decent automobiles.

So, in summation, this car was total crap. However, I blame the negligence of the previous owner for any problems that I have had (again, with the exception of the faulty calipers). As far as buying another GM product -- I would in a heartbeat.