26th Feb 2003, 15:10

Well, it is nice to know that my Grand Am wasn't the only piece of garbage. Almost as soon as I took the car off the lot the trunk kept opening up. (the car was a 99). The dealer was determined that it was misaligned. A couple of rounds with the sledgehammer didn't fix the problem. It got to the point when I parked the car I had to take every thing out of the trunk and weigh it down with a cinder block.

When I moved to Massachusetts, smoke started to billow out from the heating vents, followed by flames. I could have cooked a steak inside the car. I took it to the dealership. My fuse box had caught on fire, followed by all of my relay switches. This repair took over three weeks. This car contributed to the most successful diet that I have ever been on. (The Grand Am should be the spokes car for Weight Watchers).

Moving on, the car had 30,000 miles on it. My 170,000 mile Honda Accord gave me less problems then this car. When the car reached 36,000 miles, the engine began tapping. Lord of the Dance couldn't produce tapping that the L4 produced in this car. I took it to my local Mr Goodwrench and he informed me that it was nothing serious. 1.5 months of thumbing and walking caused me to lose even more weight. At first, they thought it was the timing chain. The installation of a new one did not solve the problem. Then they were determined that it was the lifters. The lifters, which cost $42 dollars (@16) did not fix the car. Finally, the "friendly" Mr Goodwrench decided that the engine needed to be replaced. Pontiac ownership represented limited buying power, and that was my case. I then had to fight with the warranty people. In one month, I spent three hundred dollars just on phone calls to Michigan. Finally, they gave me a new motor after three weeks of arguing.

When I got my car back, I was so excited. Almost every major thing that could be fixed was brand new. Two days after having the car back the brake light came on. I took it back to the dealership and assumed my usual parking space that had been mine for the past 4 months. The rotors, pads, and shoes had to be replaced. Another 400 dollars. As soon as the problem was done I got rid of the car.

Pontiac cars should be equated with candy bars. They look nice on the outside, but nothing but pure junk on the inside. Children, save your money for the Accord or Camry. You're adults now and deserve meat and potatoes.

Tom.

26th Aug 2004, 19:31

My 2000 grand am se is a junk. Blown head gasket at 70.000 miles. Dealer want me to put in new motor at my cost. Brakes fixed three times. diver side window will not work. I will never buy a Grand am again. Russell Brown 770-383-9775.

30th Aug 2004, 21:22

I recently bought my 2k GA about 4-5 months ago. Upon inspection I noticed the car had already been in a front end accident. I replaced my brake pads 4 times in the last 3 months. The fourth time, my rotors had gone out. I replaced the rotors. Not even a month after replacing the rotors, I was in an accident. My brakes failed and I hit a brick post. Luckily I was going slow enough to not cause much damage.

This is a bad car. It's a nice look, and rides nice, but the brakes are a serious problem that, for some reason, GM is overlooking. Something should be done.