1978 Pontiac Grand Prix 301 from North America
Summary:
I loved the car, but would never own another car with the 301
Faults:
At a little over 60,000 miles, the transmission went out. That was replaced, and within 5,000 miles, the engine went out. This process was repeated to the tune of 5 transmissions and 4 engines in a matter of 20,000 miles. I finally put a 400 engine and transmission in out of a 1973 Grand Prix, and then the rear end went out.
General Comments:
This was a beautiful car, and one which I have not seen the likes of, ever. It had a maroon color that I have not seen on any other Grand Prix's, even of the same year. It had a white interior with a white vinyl top. This, with a custom set of wheels, made it a gorgeous car that drew looks wherever it went. Unfortunately, this was usually on the back of a wrecker.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 1st January, 2010
2nd Jan 2010, 17:08
I had a '76 Grand Prix with the 400 engine and 400 turbo-hydramatic transmission and it was of course flawless. Never broke - in fact nothing on the car ever broke. Typical old GM.
A friend had a '77 with the 301 and it was both adequately powered and perfectly reliable. Also durable - last we heard of it the car had around 250,000 miles and going strong.
2nd Jan 2010, 14:05
I owned a 77 Grand Prix with the 301, it was a bit under-powered, but was also in a different body, which was much heavier than the 78. I never had a single problem, it ran smooth and very strong for a small engine in a large car. The 301 was the perfect V8 for the downsized 78 Grand Prix, especially with a four barrel carb., and the engine was built by Pontiac, who in my opinion made better V8s than any other GM division.