30th Nov 2005, 20:01

Thank you. I was just about to buy a '97 Grand Am, but thanks to all the comments I have read, I will now look for something reliable. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and it gets very cold here in the winter. I am a single mom and I have two children so I will not be able to afford fixing a car every two weeks or so. Thanks to all of you for the comments.

1st Aug 2006, 13:44

The Grand Am, like most cars either is wonderful or rubbish. It is more a testament to the poor and variable manufacturing techniques in place than anything else. I have known some people who have never had a problem and others who have nothing good to say.

The brakes are weighted far too heavily on the front. This is not a driver issue as littleitalianone thinks, but a design issue. You will easily go through 2-3 front brakes before you replace (if ever) a back set.

The bearings are these horrible, expensive multi-unit things that need to be replaced in entirety. What ever happened to a bearing being just a bearing?

Window switches are lousy and wear out far too quickly. There is no need for that to happen, just penny saving bad design. All the small motors in the car are crap, windows, seats etc etc. Probably one bad shop, manufacturing them all as the lowest bidder.

The AC works brilliantly right up until it stops working, then everything gets hot. The engine seems to run hotter and you could cook an egg in the vent grills.

Overall the vehicle has been good and I have enjoyed it. That said I would still be very hesitant to buy a GM product again.

17th Aug 2006, 12:15

I was very happy to be introduced to this site for obvious reasons. I own a 1997 Pontiac Grand AM SE. I will be making the final payment on it next month and now my problems have begun. Brought the car used. I have had to replace the brakes twice, a new heater coil, and radiator. Just the other day while driving all of the dash board gauges went dead, therefore I can't tell how fast I'm going or when I need gas. The gas light stays on now and the ABS light. Its in the shop right now and I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting to see how much its going to cost me. Fuses were checked, they all seem to be working. I am one to get regular oil changes and thought I was doing all the right things. Oh I failed to mention that the knob to turn on the AC and heat broke of year's ago, something insignificant, and the speakers for the radio aren't working properly. Sometimes I have to keep turning the knob so the volume can come up, and if I hit a bump to hard it won't play at all. If anyone has the answer to why the dashboard gauges aren't working, please add it to the comments made. Thank-you.

8th Dec 2006, 13:08

Yes, I've had some of these typical grand am problems myself on my 97 GA GT, but amazingly enough my car has 340,000 miles on it, I know hard to believe, but it does, I do all my own work and still has the original engine and transmission, and I don't even change my fluids regularly, I love my grand am and would buy another one tomorrow, thanks, ron.

16th Apr 2007, 02:07

I have a 97 Pontiac GrandAm with 120,000 miles on it and my instrument panel just went out. The fuses are all good. Does anyone have any idea what how to fix it?

10th Jun 2007, 07:56

Well I've had my 97 grand am gt since new. The car itself is alright. I've had my share of problems with it, but I haven't met an owner of any car that didn't have problems somewhere along the line. Like every good 97 Pontiac Grand Am the radio knob stopped working properly many many years ago. I need new breaks at least once every 2 years, more often once a year (I don't even put more than 15,000 on it a year.) As I was driving home last night my battery light came on, and as I suspect it is time for a new alternator again. This would make the 3rd replacement alternator in about 5 years. 2 in two years. Hey at least it warned me the last 2 times. The first time it went, I didn't even get a warning light. Just as I was at a gas station filling up before a long trip. Header gasket went, driver side window motor is shot, paint peeled of the side mirrors & CD player no longer works (that's OK I have Sirius anyway. I currently have 102,836 miles on the car. It ran like a champ for the first 4-5 years before the problems started. It has performed well over the past 10 years, but I think Pontiac and I will be parting ways when I decide to purchase a new car.

9th Aug 2007, 20:29

We bought our 97 Grand Am 2 years ago for $2,500. We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of it. My husband just uses it mainly to drive back and forth to work. I have read the other comments and wondered if anyone had an answer to the instrument panel problem. Ours went out 2 days ago. Oh, we also have the radio knob problem and the power windows don't work, but we can live with that. Also, sometimes when you turn the car off, the key will not come out of the ignition for about 30 minutes. That is pretty aggravating! But the worst thing right now is not knowing how fast you are going or how much gas you have! Somebody HELP!! And for the record, this is the first and last Pontiac we will ever have!

17th Sep 2007, 15:07

I just bought a 97 grand am today acutally, (2,500) and the ABS light is on and the cold air doesn't work...

I'm just hoping I got a nicer one than the rest of you..

<3.

23rd Sep 2007, 13:43

I bought a 97 Pontiac Grand Am for my daughter in April. The girl I bought it from had the steering column all apart because her boyfriend tried to fix it. She said it would start, but then the Anti-Theft light would come on and then the car would shut off. Anyway, paid $450 for the car because my boyfriend is a mechanic so figured he could fix whatever was wrong with it. Over the summer I bought a new steering column (had to get keys made), brakes, tires, pvc valve, fuel filter, changed the oil and filter, etc. My daughter drove it to school and back 1 week and then went to start it yesterday and none of the dash lights will come on. It will start and run for about 3 seconds and then shuts right back off. We've checked all the fuses. I called Auto Zone and they said since the Check Engine light won't come on their diagnostic tool can't figure out what's wrong. HELP!!