General Comments:

Well most of the posts on this site are negative, but I will add a positive experience to the list.

A 2001 GT1 model, driven off the lot with 3 miles on it. Now has 52K...

Most of the problems are shared by all owners, and I have experienced most of the same ones also. If you know about them, you are less likely to be shocked when they happen, because most likely they will happen. This is due IMO to GM buying their manufactured parts from the lowest bidder, and these parts all fail prematurely.

1) Rotors; they are crap, short and sweet. When they warp after about 8 to 12K, replace them with aftermarkets, not GM. I had them replaced by the dealer as long as my warranty lasted, then went with Bendix and performance friction pads. $200.

2) Lower intake gasket leaks; if your coolant disappears, you may have this.. There is a new gasket for all 3400 engines. Mine was replaced under warranty at the end of 2002. Still holding up today.. This is a $800 repair at a dealer.

3) All the other small repairs in this section seem to not be unique to 90% of Grand Am's from 2000 on, so you may or may not have experienced them, but are quite common. I will group them.

A) Blower motor not working in 1-3 position; needs a 30 cent resistor, can be repaired by yourself.

B) Wet passenger side floor; leaky weather-stripping can be repaired for under $20.

C) Window regulators; nothing wrong with the motors in most cases. The problem is GM used plastic tabs that break after time, and the window falls into the door frame. It's not a real easy job, but can be done by owner. It is a $30 part.

D) Turn signals intermittent, or continue clicking; this is a faulty relay that is behind the hazard button, and can be replaced by the owner for under $20, part at dealer.

E) Creaky noise when slowly turning; this is the Goodyear RSA tire with raised ribs on the older tires. The newer ones don't have these ribs that apparently contact the rim and creak as the tire rubber is flexed. Live with it or replace with a different brand. $400-$1000 for ultra sport speed rated tires.

F) Not too common is the rack all of a sudden leaking and failing, but I have seen it. Unless you have the know how and tools, this is a dealer only job. $1000 at a dealer.

Hope this helps somebody and to sum up my ownership, I can say I was pleasantly surprised that after the initial problems that I had repaired under warranty, the car is holding up fine. Even Toyota/Nissan/Honda suffer with issues, maybe to a lesser degree, but they still do.

Would I buy another GM car? That remains to be seen, but for what I paid for this car for all the options the car came with (all of them), it is still a great car with excellent bang/buck value.

Faults:

I have been having a tapping noise. Some have said it's a valve tap. But I cannot afford to have it fixed is there something I can do to fix the noise myself to prolong my car life. No service engine light comes on. Just a tapping noise especially when the gas gets to 1/4 tank.

General Comments:

I love this car...

Faults:

Security light starts blinking, and the car will not start.

The car had the extended 100000 mile warranty and was in shop on a constant basis for the same problem. They replaced EVERYTHING under the sun.

Now car is out of warranty, and they are starting over with replacements WITH NO WARRANTY, problem was never fixed.

Hello Pontiac, you have a problem in the alarm system that will not let the car start. Can you say RECALL??? Read these reviews; obviously a PROBLEM.