2nd Mar 2005, 09:38

Oh and yes it was the intake gasket that went. I found out that MANY of the 3.4L V6's have a serious problem with that.

That is part of the reason I didn't buy GM this time. All of the GM vehicles I looked at had that engine (Buick Rendavous, Pontiac Montana, etc..)

7th May 2005, 21:41

My Grand Am is a 99 gt, approaching 100k miles.

Past problems: wheel bearings like mad, alternator, all fairly minor stuff.

The big one: a year ago (at 85k miles) the transmission self destructed with no warning. New transmission plus labor and core charge (core couldn't be salvaged) was quoted at 2,900 USD. Found a used transmission with 40k on it for 500, cost a little over 800 to have installed.

Today, we're replacing the throttle sensor, as well as the electronic shift sensor and oxygen sensors, placing an O2 simulator for the rear as we'll be throwing a cutoff and high flow converter on a borla exhaust. We're crossing our fingers at this point, as we noted some hesitation when she shifts. The hope is its with the O2 sensors. The fear is the torque converter which should have been replaced with the transmission.

In a few months we're installing a supercharger and nos kit on her. The only reason I mention this is that even after the sudden mysterious transmission problem, I still love this car. A lot of bang for the buck. 175hp factory, now we'll put almost 6k in performance upgrades: she'll be well over 300hp without touching the nos.

Comparing it to other late model vehicles... well they all have a lot of problems. Lord knows I've cursed that car on more than one occasion, but I hold on to her. Anyone who has driven one will tell you they're fast, and if taken care of, they handle great.

Another credit to this car: 3 months after I purchased it, I was rear ended by a Honda Accord. The Accord was totaled. My car was back on the road in 2 weeks.

I don't regret buying this car at all, in fact if I totaled it tonight, there's a good chance I'ld go right out and buy another one.