Faults:

Intake Manifold Gasket 105,000

New Plugs and Wires 105,000

New Radiator 110,000

Front Brake Pads and Rotors 110,000

Water Pump 105,000

New Wheel Hubs 115,000

New Struts 115,000

New Drive Shafts 115,000

Camshaft Sensor 155,000

New Coil Packs 155,000.

General Comments:

A very good design which has poor execution and reliability. I don't understand why GM can't do better than this. Attractive design, good driving characteristics, roomy, fun to drive, economical and utilitarian. Poor quality components.

This is the 2nd Montana we've owned. The first (2000) we bought new and kept for 3 years (55k miles). We had no real problems.

In a budget crunch I bought a 1999 for $6,000 off EBay (High Mileage, $105,000). Overall, I'm happy. I paid so little for the van that the $3,000 in repairs have been worth it (we've put 50,000 miles on the van).

On the good side, the van has never left us stranded. On the bad side, there have been a lot of repairs. I have a lot of experience working on cars and have been able to identify most of the problems pretty readily.

This car's motor is challenging to work on. It's shoehorned into the engine compartment so that even routine maintenance is challenging. For instance, to change the rear three spark plugs, you must take the two front engine mounts apart and use a ratcheting strap to rotate the engine forward. Even then, they're very difficult to get to. With practice, it gets easier to work on, but you'll need a mechanic who has experience with these vans. Otherwise, the mechanic will likely become frustrated and not do a very good job.

Faults:

My head gasket blew at around 70,000 miles.

It is also leaking oil.

It has a power steering column leak.

It shifts very rough, and I believe the transmission is going.

General Comments:

I drove my Buick into the ground, very hard, but I still over $9000 on this Pontiac Montana, and I worry that the car will not make it to the duration of my loan. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have bought just about anything else, especially if it was Japanese.

Faults:

Transmission needs replaced, air bag light stays on, brake problems, leaking oil from manifold gasket.

General Comments:

Was a nice van when I bought it. now I dislike it due to problems and cost to fix them. now there are too many problems to list. I thought it was just my bad luck with cars, but after reading other reviews, I now know it is the van. these vans are too expensive to replace parts on.

Faults:

Cooling -- replaced manifold gasket before 40k. Had problems with low coolant; now just add coolant. Last 10k miles had coolant smell from A/C vents.

Brakes replaced at 78,000 miles and then again at 88,000. Probably repair shop failure.

Had to replace spark plugs/wires at 65,000.

Check engine light always coming on & off.

Both double-cup holders have broken.

General Comments:

This van has all the comforts you could ever want... great seats, dual A/C, good sight lines.

I love the styling and the ride. When this van is working it is a wonderful van.

My wife has simply lost trust in the van's realability. Feels like every-other-month we'll be treated to a $500-600 repair.

Since we have 90,000 miles and nobody seems to keep this van that long, we are looking to replace it.