1994 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1 V6 from North America

Summary:

Great Reliable First Car

Faults:

Serpentine belt, little to no ac, rusty fan (still don't understand this one) pwr locks not working, rattles.

General Comments:

Despite the minor problems I have faced with this car it has been a great investment. I bought it as my first car and I could not have picked a better car. It offers great handling, power and security. I feel safe while driving it. Being a teen I look for speed and the 3100 series V6 offers just that. It was very comfortable on a 13 hour trip a few weeks ago and every morning on my 45 minute ride to school / work. However, I expected to pay for minor repairs when buying the car for below the blue book value and instead was stuck with fairly hefty expenses. A rusty fan still lingers somewhere in my car and creates a loud scraping noise that attracts all the wrong attention while my door locks never worked. However! This being the case, I still love my grand am and I'm looking forward to purchasing a 2003 grand am in march. Perhaps I will look into the GT model instead.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th December, 2002

31st Dec 2002, 03:10

Your loud rusty fan could be one of three things. If it's a screeching sound, like metal on metal then it's a bearing. That can be located in one of the pulleys on your serpentine belt or perhaps one of your axles.

If you're absolutely sure that it's a fan then I doubt seriously that either of the two fans in your car would rust as they're made of plastic. The larger of the two is the one simply located behind the radiator, and I've had to replace it before. It's simply a small motor plugged into an electrical cord to provide it power from the battery. Then the actual fan and bracket are held on by four small bolts at the corner, try replacing that.

The other fan is the blower that blows how and cold air into your car interior. That went out for me and it sounded like a muffled tank. That's a dealer part and a dealer repair cause of what you have to get at and go through to replace it (you can't fix it).

Hope that helps.

Bello@Webtv.net.

4th Mar 2005, 21:56

If your power locks aren't working check and see if the lighter might be jammed. I had the same problem with my grand am. Removed the lighter and power locks worked again.

1994 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.3 liter/4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Economical, yet practical for a small family

Faults:

Car ran great with no major service needed until about 108000 miles.

Alternator went, replaced it along with alternator belt and battery.

Water pump stopped working causing car to overheat, replaced water pump, thermostat, among other small things.

Front struts are starting to wear.

General Comments:

This car has been a great little car with awesome fuel mileage, approximately 30-40 mpg.

Would very much consider buying another, actually looking for another right now as an extra vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th December, 2002

1994 Pontiac Grand Am SE Coupe 4 cylinder. Quad OHC from North America

Faults:

Turn Signal Switch Replaced

Air Conditioning Valve Replaced

Power window motor repaired

Power lock on passenger side broke.

General Comments:

My wife bought this car new. It has been very reliable. The Quad OHC engine is powerful, and has no faults after 72,000 miles.

The handling is not in the sports car class, but is respectable. The first set of tires lasted over 60,000 miles.

The interior has held up well.

Feels almost like a new car after 8 years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 17th November, 2002

1994 Pontiac Grand Am 16v GT Quad 4 High Output 180 HP from North America

Summary:

A fast car for the money

Faults:

The engine blew up right after I bought it. It's really hard to find a quad 4.

General Comments:

The Grand Am is a quick car for the money. The quad 4 is an excellent engine for about 50000 miles, then it goes to crap. I just had to put a new engine in and it cost me $1700, but now it runs like new. It is a lot faster than most 4 cylinders, so for a kids car it is incredible.

The car's stock tires are too skinny so I recommend that you put wider tires on it. It has 205/55/16, I'm going with 215/55/16.

I have changed the air intake to a performance intake, and it added about 3 HP and it also made the car sound better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th November, 2002