22nd Jan 2015, 23:52

I agree, I had a 1989 Grand Am Coupe, and it was one of the best cars I have ever owned. Fast, good on gas, and very reliable. That car hit every state in the United States, and the only breakdown I ever had was the original alternator from the manufacturer.

I purchased it used on Craigslist for 300.00 from a guy who simply didn't like it due to age and looks in 2006. I originally just wanted a car that runs that I could park on streets and not worry about when going to and from work. After seeing how great the car ran and how good it was on gas, I decided to try my luck with it on a few short road trips. I was so impressed with this little car that it became my road trip warrior, and I eventually hit every state in this car.

I sold this car to a "friend" that was in need, and it was the biggest regret ever. He simply neglected this car, used it as a delivery vehicle, and didn't check any fluids in it for the time he had it. It died on him and wouldn't start one day, and he abandoned it on the streets of Chicago and left it for the city to take and dump in the pound. He eventually told me what he had done and it made me regret giving him that car even more. I decided to go check if by some chance the car was still where he said he had left it, and it was. Turned out the starter took a dump and I was able to get it started with a few taps with a hammer. While driving the car home, it was overheating, and I had no choice but to keep going due to the chance I might not get it started again with the bad starter on it. Made it home close to the red line; turns out there was no coolant in the reservoir, no oil on the dipstick; my "friend" was just driving this car and neglecting it.

After topping off the fluids and changing the starter, I noticed the coolant reservoir was blowing bubbles, which is an indication for a blown head gasket. Even though the head gasket was leaking, it still ran great for 6 more months until the leak worsened and I was forced to let it go in 2014.

I have been looking for another one since, and I finally found an 88 Grand Am Coupe a few weeks ago. This one is not in as great running condition as the previous 89 I had, but after the impression it left on me, I decided to buy this 88 anyway and put money into so I can have another highway warrior road trip vehicle for the next few years.

This car is awesome, and with that 2.3 quad 4 engine in that little frame, it's super fast and will surprise you. Living in Chicago during the winter will tell you if you have a good car or not... this car never left me down, and will pull through the snow as if it's a 4x4 Tahoe.