1998 Pontiac Grand Prix Sport 6 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Pontiac Gran Prix is a comfortable piece of junk

Faults:

The heads up display was not calibrated with the speedometer thus two different speeds were displayed. The dealer shrugged this off for two years as unimportant.

The 1998 Gran Prix streams water in from the right front passenger side whenever it rains. The dealer was notified of this a year after purchase and ignored it like everything else. It floods every time it rains.

A low speed rear end hit ripped the drivers seat out of the floor. As usual, it took the dealership four or five tries and a year to put the seat back half correctly. It should not have ripped out in the first place with such a low speed impact.

I have used two sets of tires already and have them balanced and aligned frequently. Something is definitely wrong here.

The electronics viz. windows, seats etc are frequently in the shop for repair.

General Comments:

This is a comfortable car, but it is a piece of junk backed up by GM/Pontiac and dealership unscrupulous and disingenuous business practices.

The electronics problems, leaking and other technical problems are well known and documented by the manufacturer and Consumers Union. It is time for class action lawsuits.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th November, 2002

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8 V6 from North America

Summary:

Not the most reliable--A brake eater!!

Faults:

Car seems to eat brakes. I have had the pads replaced at 12,500 - 27,000 -41,000-52,000 you get the picture. Most of my driving is on the highway so there isn't much braking.

Both headlight lenses and 1 turn signal lens have fallen off. I was told that this is due to a poor adhesive sealant prior to the 2000 models. None were covered by warranty! Also, no recall even though the dealer says it is VERY common.

Belt tensioner pulley (flimsy plastic) broke causing the serpentine belt to come off (while on the highway I might add) at 50,000.

Water pump went at 55,000.

ABS and Trac light are now on for some unknown reason. Believe it may be a speed sensor on the fritz.

Blower motor was replaced at 45,000 and needs it again at 88,000 (chirping at low fan speed).

General Comments:

Overall a decent car with good acceleration and handling. Comfortable with average wind noise for a car in this price range.

Even though the 1998 is far superior in "bells and whistles" for reliability I would take my old 1989 Grand Prix (if you could get a new one) over the 1998.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th August, 2003

25th Mar 2004, 07:12

I have a 2000 Grand Prix and I had the same problems with my blower motor... it made a chirping sound between speeds 1 and 3. the dealership couldn't find a problem with it until it just quit working one morning. My motor was replaced around 50,000 miles... so you're not alone!

13th Apr 2009, 16:02

Blower motors’ going bad is a common fault with Pontiacs. I bought a new 2000GP/GT and had four blower motors replaced BEFORE it had 50,000 miles. GM paid for the first failure but refused to cover the next three. They flat out denied my claim of faulty parts. Transmission problems at 38,000 miles. And a new steering rack at 40,000 miles. Are you kidding me? Customer loyalty? This is the first and last Pontiac I'll buy.

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged 3.8 from North America

Summary:

What a P.O.S!

Faults:

What a piece junk... keep in mind I have only had it for a month!

Had to rebuild any form of suspension (bushings, tie rods, etc. too) and it still rides really bad.

Tranny rebuild has only 25K and seems to be close to death already.

Stereo and speakers called it quits which cost me $900 for just decent aftermarket stuff (8 speakers and head unit)

General Comments:

I bought this car because I do a ton of long distance highway driving, and figured it would be great for it considering the original owner sold it to me with full service records and it was in excellent condition especially for the miles. It seemed like the perfect long haul kinda car. WRONG. The gas mileage sucks (avg 16 MPG!), the car is super uncomfortable, and its power is useless because its front wheel drive. I went from loving this car to hating it within a week of owning it. The only thing its got going for it is its looks. Oh yeah, the headlights are dangerously dim too. I wanted to own an American vehicle for a change, but come on GM, get your sh*t together!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th November, 2004

24th Nov 2004, 15:11

This reviewer did not buy a new car, he bought an 8 year old used car with 138K miles on it.

And all of his complaints are for things he should have either detected on a pre-purchase inspection or at least anticipated on a car with that much mileage.

It is laughable that someone would buy a front-wheel drive car and then complain about it being front-wheel drive!