1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1 gazoline
Summary:
A mixed bag of mechanical problems
Faults:
Dashboard light went off and nobody was ever able to repair it... even the official agent.
Front brake disks had to be changed every 20'000 km.
Head gasket blew at 120'000 km and again at 170'000 km
Lost front left wheel on highway at 150'000 km (broken bolts)
Had to change alternator at 125'000 km.
General Comments:
This car is rather nice to drive on good roads, with enough power and a decent handling.
On Switzerland's narrow mountain roads, it is another story. This car hates bad roads (jumps and bangs) and the engine overheats quite fast (in summer).
On the positive side one can mention a reasonable fuel consumption.
On the other side I would say that this was the less reliable car I had in all my life.
I sold it for 300 U$ to a car exporter who intend to bring it to Irak. A good place for this piece of junk!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 19th July, 2004