Faults:

The rubber insulation on the rear spring came off, causing a scraping rattle and wearing out the spring.

The plastic seat belt guide on the driver's door has broken.

The light for the headlight control switch has burned out and there is no replacement available.

The brakes are mushy and very slow to respond.

The vacuum plumbing dry rotted and all the plastic hosing had to be replaced.

The headlights have milked over and are almost useless to see out of at night.

The master cylinder had to be replaced after the brakes failed at 98xxx miles. I still had some brakes, but not nearly enough.

General Comments:

This car was my first car when I turned 16, and I'm 24 and still driving it. It has a sport appearance package that consists of the SE grille and red striping along the body moulding, and it still looks contemporary.

This car sips gas. I get 27 miles per gallon driving in town and 31 miles per gallon on the highway.

The handling is very crisp and the car corners like a rear-drive car. It corners quicker than my girlfriend's '97 Monte Carlo Z-34--in some cases up to 15 mph quicker through the apex of the turn.

Despite the problems listed above, I have put less than $1500 worth of maintenance into this car, including tires, over eight years.

The seats show wear, but are still comfortable and look better than some 97+ model cars I've looked at.

The windshield wiper delay system is superior to any other car I've ever driven, and the controls are easy reach with your fingers without taking your hand off the wheel.

EDIT: I stumbled across this review 8 years after I wrote it. Sad to say, my Grand Prix was totalled in 2008, right after I finished grad school. Until the wreck that destroyed it, it never needed any major repairs. The transmission was a little iffy at times, but change of fluid / filter helped the car round out 230k or so miles without a rebuild. I'll forever miss my little red Grand Prix.

Faults:

Engine has fallen out of car on four separate occasions due to faulty cradle bolts. Repaired by G.M. as part of recall for faulty cradle bolts.

Rack and pinion has been changed once and needs to be changed again.

Have replaced the alternator and battery 3 times since purchase.

Engine leaks plenty of oil, especially around oil pan and valve covers.

Doors freeze closed often during winter.

Had a engine cradle reinforcement kit installed to stop "banging" on acceleration and deceleration.

Replaced transmission at 70,000 miles due to worn out overdrive gear.

General Comments:

Despite its many mechanical problems, this is one quick and excellent handling car. Corners at high speeds with serious grip and control unlike any other car I have owned.

Car is comfortable with excellent front seats and superior insulation for noise control.

Faults:

First my key igition got stuck and had to be replaced.

The battery has been changed twice in less than a year.

The power steering pump has been replaced because it was spraying out steering fluid when accelerating.

Right now my transmission is ready to go because the something called the "planetary chain" has too much slack on it.

The driver side window gets stuck, but easily fixed.

The trunk lock sometimes wouldn't work.

My low fuel light stays on all the time because of a short in the wiring somewhere.

General Comments:

Overall, the car performs well and for a car that is 10 years old, it runs like its brand new. I have had to do a lot of costly repairs, but that comes with having a car. The car is pretty quick and handles really well around sharp turns.

The only thing I don't like about the car is the fact that because it's a front-wheel drive car, its hard to fix and very costly because everything is all compact together.