Faults:
The day I got it the battery died and the window came off track.
The battery died numerous times no one truly knows why.
The Window came off track. A piece of the track had broken. $50 to fix it.
At 133,892 miles the car began pulling to the right. A belt had separated from the right front tire. The tires were rotated and the problem was solved. It cost $75 with a discount.
The oil began to leak around 136,000 miles. It was close to $40 with a discount.
At 136,617 miles the starter went out and the freeze plug went bad. The starter replacement was $48 with discount. Freeze plug replacement will be over $300 with labor.
General Comments:
I've always loved Pontiacs. They are sporty yet aren't extremely expensive. I was super excited to get my 1991 Grand am in the summer of 2004. But the day I got it should have been a good indicator of what was to come. The day I got it the battery died and the window came off track. A quick jump and 3 hours of personal labor fixed both of those problems.
The window then came off track about a month later and had to be professionally put back on the track. A piece of the track was broken and had to be replaced.
It ran good through the Ohio winter until the pot holes came. The tire was separating from the belt and caused it to pull to the right. Rotating the front tires solved the problem.
The oil began to leak. The pressure gauge needed to be replaced. That was about $50 bucks with a discount.
At 136,617 miles the starter had to be replaced. That was $48 dollars not including labor and towing. While the starter was being replaced an anti freeze leak was found. That's when the bad freeze plug was discovered. Unfortunately it will be too costly to repair it so I am forced to get another car.
Although I have had plenty of problems with my Grand am I would gladly buy another one. In fact I'm now looking at 1999-2000 models right now! So I would say if you're looking at a 91 be prepared to put a lot of money in to repairs.
It's a good car and they handle great. But repairs are definitely a problem (or at least it was with mine)!
20th May 2005, 12:38
Have you read the reviews of 1999-2000 Pontiac Grand Ams? They're not much better than your 1991. Good luck, I hope you stumble on a good one. My friend used to have a 1999 one. It gave her so much headaches that she sold it and bought an old Honda with twice the kilometers and no problems.