1987 Pontiac Grand Am LE 2.5 4 cylinder from North America
Summary:
Junk
Faults:
Here is a list of problems that this car has had...
The engine block cracked and was replaced around 3000 miles.
The heater core went at 85,000 miles.
The driver side window stopped going down around 55,000 miles.
The oil, window washer fluid, and power steering fluid have leaked since almost new.
The high beams kept burning out.
The electrical system started to have problems around 60,000 miles and at times made the car unuseable.
The starter was replaced around 75,000 miles.
The coil pack for cylinders 2 and 4 were replaced at 80,000 miles.
Dome light stopped working at 30,000 miles.
Cassette player kept eating tapes.
Interior fell apart.
Body rusted with only 93,000 miles and 3 coats of wax a year!
Finish on the alloy wheels started to peel around 50,000 and look very bad.
Weather stripping fell apart.
General Comments:
This car was among the most unreliable I have even encountered. With only 93,000 miles on it (and it was the second engine) the car had to be junked.
The car jumped and jerked between gears, the body rusted through, the electronics were beyond what words could say as bad, the engine was weak, the brakes didn't do anything.
I would never buy another Pontiac or GM product for that matter. We bought a Honda and it is 100 times better.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 1st November, 2003
22nd Feb 2003, 08:43
I have a 1987 Pontiac Grand Am that I purchased in 1999.I have had the car for almost 4 years now and find it to be a very reliable vehicle. Best used car I've ever purchased.
I read your comments and found that I have had to have the same work done as you have at about the same mileage. My car was purchased with 138,000 miles and now has 176,000 miles. The exterior looks shabby because of the peeling paint, but GM had problems with all it's paint jobs around that time due to poor prep work and primer.
I have replaced the water pump at around 150,000,replaced the steering rack at about 165,000,heater core has been replaced twice (second time was my fault for not flushing the system).
Replacing the water pump wasn't too bad. Replacing the heater core was a pain because of the time involved removing the center console and related parts then replacing after changing out the core. The biggest pain was disconnecting the hoses from the core because you have to be under the car to do it (I don't like being under any vehicle).
I plan on rebuilding the engine sometime in the near future. I want to keep this car for as long as possible. Good dependable cars are hard to come by.
Thanks for reading my comments.