1998 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.8 from North America

Summary:

A true 4 door sports car!

Faults:

Water pump went on previous owner at 80k miles. Having problems with wheel bearings and trans. currently.

General Comments:

The car is all in all awesome. Just don't understand why Pontiac would design there wheel bearings the way they do. $500 per wheel. Have to replace entire sealed wheel hub assembly instead of the $25 part in it which is bad. Also trans is starting to hesitate a bit when accelerating up hills while in overdrive. Gonna try a full tune up first. Also needs shocks. For a 6 year old car, I really can't complain. Considering I only paid $2500 for it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th March, 2004

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 3.8 super charger from North America

Summary:

A medium to high performance zipper

Faults:

The supercharger belt just came off one day - didn't break. Had that adjusted and replaced. Other than that, it has been an outstanding buy.

General Comments:

The GTP will flat out fly. Raced a buddy on stock night at the drag strip - he has a Mustang Bullett - smoked him.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st March, 2004

14th Nov 2006, 11:14

0-60 times don't play into it nearly as much as you might think buddy. Just because a car can get the drop on another car off the line (not talking specifics here), doesn't mean the "slower" car can't play catch up and win. And yes, driver error accounts for at least 50% of losses, probably more. Especially with a rear-wheel drive car like a mustang.

That being said, I'm a GTP owner. Yes, they are fast. Yes, they can beat many a mustang, and with mods they can take on MUCH more challenging cars. I'm not obsessed with beating mustangs - hell, I don't even race more than once or twice a year. But, mustangs aren't nearly as "quick" as thier owners would care to believe. The same could be said about GTPs I suppose, or any other car for that matter, but 0-60 times really don't seal the deal. There are alot of other factors that play into it, and the fact is that mustang GTs really just aren't that fast. Hate to break it to you. They aren't slow by any stretch, but they aren't then end-all be-all of speed.

23rd Jan 2007, 12:36

Both being stock, a GTP will drop a bomb on a GT Mustang 99-05, and would probably lose a close contest with a bullet.

7th Apr 2007, 23:36

Spend 30 dollar's on a smaller supercharge pulley and new belt, and well sorry mustang.

16th Aug 2007, 13:39

Have you been on Myspace? With the right upgrades, I've seen a GTP walk all over a Dodge Viper so I'm sure a GTP can outrun a Mustang all day long.

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8 series 2 from North America

Summary:

A great family sport sedan

Faults:

I need to replace my rear main oil seal and front main seal also.

I just had to replace mt transmission seal at a cost of $106.00.

My driver seat is worn, but the comfort is still better then my mustang.

I also need to replace my shocks.

General Comments:

I love my car, there is no replacing this vehicle.

The performance is still top notch for the high miles!

For the price this IS a bargain! I would buy another!

Love the styling of this car, its just great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd January, 2004

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L from North America

Summary:

Decent

Faults:

I have had the driver-side Power window switch replaced at 60,000.warranty.

Pulley for Serpentine belt replaced.

Water Pump at 79K.warranty.

Rack & pinion factory recall.

Both Headlight Caps replaced.

CD/radio clock: display has gone out. Fade to black.

General Comments:

I think the car is decent even with the problems. No car is perfect. And it handles well, nice power. Good looker.

I was afraid of American made cars. Last car 1992 Camry over 300,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th November, 2003

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged from North America

Summary:

Great performance and fun to drive; lots of car for the money

Faults:

Initially the car was near flawless except the trunk lid would open when I was driving. This was fixed by the dealer.

Around 60,000 miles one of the headlight lenses fell out requiring a new $200 headlight. This appeared to be an adhesive failure though the dealer said this was a fluke and they had not seen this problem before.

Around 62,000 miles the other headlight lens fell out. Same story with dealer.

74,000 the lower door panel on the passenger side popped from a broken clip. No, I didn’t hit anything; it just broke on its own. $85 repair.

75,000 miles, transmission began surging. (This felt like when you are driving and turn the cruise control off and get that little surge.) The first repair shop said it was the plugs and wires. This was $400 and didn’t fix the problem.

Took the car to a transmission shop and was told they couldn’t find anything wrong with it and thought it needed to go somewhere with sophisticated electronic diagnostic equipment and referred me on. There was a software upgrade for the transmission, but they also discovered that when the transmission was serviced as indicated in the manual, they apparently didn’t change out the filter and the fluid was very dirty and had more than the normal amount of metal in it. This was a $600 repair.

The car started running slightly hotter than usual so I took it back to the diagnostic place. They said the battery was rusted out and the coolant needed replacing with something other than that corrosive red stuff that came in it. Apparently this is a big job because together they wanted almost $1,000 to do it. I had my husband replace the battery and we simply added the same coolant and that seemed to fix the heating problem.

After all this I decided it was time to trade the car and since I drive through a rather nasty construction zone on the way to work I knew it needed an alignment. When I picked it up from the alignment shop and drove a few block, made a right turn and it felt like someone was jerking the wheel to the left…hard. I turned around and took it back and found the rack and pinion had broken. Lucky me. This was a $500 repair.

General Comments:

This was a nice car for the money and was maintained and serviced according to the Mfrs. schedule except that I changed the oil every 3,000 miles.

I would sell or trade these cars at 50,000 mile. When they go south on you, they go quickly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th September, 2003

22nd Jan 2004, 11:20

The headlight problem is not a fluke; it is problematic for this design. My wife has a 1998 SE with 76000 miles. We purchased it used in 1999 with 23000 miles on it. Overall the car has been good to us for the past 4 years, other than the 2 headlight replacements ($80 each - we replaced just the headlamp assembly, not the entire set including the directional). Now there is an oil leak in the intake manifold - a $700 repair that I am attempting myself. This seems to also be the norm for the 3.1 liter engine. We plan to keep the car for a few more years. I drive a 1991 Honda Prelude that has more than double the mileage and it far more reliable (I bought it new 13 years ago). We will consider a Honda Accord for her next car because of the extreme reliability I have experienced with it.

6th Apr 2004, 22:21

Sounds like you have been taken for a RIDE! The dollars you mentioned are very excessive for the parts and labor! Contact your nearest labor department and show them the receipts and they will probably help you get some of your money back.

The best way to save money on services is to make friends with good mechanics. I've made two good reliable mechanics and they give me an excellent service for half the price they would charge a regular customer.

Small talk with the mechanics while servicing your vehicle is the key to making friends with them. Always, say how much you appreciate their work and getting it done on time. Go back to the same mechanic (if he/she is good) for your regular easy maintenance so they will get to know you.

Good luck!

10th Jul 2005, 18:48

I can't say this often enough; read reviews and service comments on the internet before and during ownership. It could save you a lot of money and headaches.

20th Aug 2006, 19:21

I just happen to be on my third headlight. I'm going to try some after-market headlights and see how that goes.