2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8 V6 from North America

Summary:

Overall, it is a fairly reliable car and reasonably comfortable to drive

Faults:

Car came with 4 snow tires.

Shortly after getting the car, the tires were wearing unevenly. It was badly out of alignment. The reason it was out of alignment was because it had a bad tie rod. This had to be replaced and 4 new tires purchased at 17,000 miles.

The check engine light comes on frequently. Sometimes it is because of the gas cap which does not fit tightly.

Now at 36,000 miles, I am experiencing front end problems again. I am hearing and feeling that clunking noise again. Looks like I will need to replace the tie rods or ball joint on the other side.

The car is too low to the ground. It is constantly scraping bottom when I pull into or out of driveways or parking lots.

When running wipers, defroster, heat, fan, and stereo at the same time, the load is sometimes too much and all will cut out for a short bit but come back on again.

The remote car starter failed at around 33,000 miles and had to replace a module.

General Comments:

Other than the problems stated above, the car is fairly decent. Both sides of the back seat and the front passenger side seat fold down which allows for a lot of space when transporting larger items. Great for ski trips.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th March, 2009

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8 Series V6 (3.8 Liters) from North America

Summary:

Comfort, sport and performance rolled into one refined car that is better than most imports

Faults:

Error: "Charging System Failure" displayed on DIC. Will have it checked; car has performed fine despite error appearing once 1,000 miles ago and not since. Under warranty.

General Comments:

A beautiful car that rivals imports with ease.

Leather interior with comfortable, ergonomic bucket seats.

Heads up Display is very cool and a safety feature.

Dual stage frontal airbags.

Side Head Curtain airbags for all occupants (except center of read seat obviously because they aren't up against a side of the car)

Steering wheel controls, key-less entry and remote start all add convenience.

Interior very well done with tons of room.

Extremely quiet V6 engine. On my '96 Grand Am GT (previous car) the 150-hp straight 4 cylinder engine got the exact same economy in a small car that this 200-hp v6 gets in a borderline fullsize 4-door car.

Car is extremely sporty and is very fun to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th September, 2008

13th Jul 2022, 11:07

"A beautiful car that rivals imports with ease".

LOL!!! You're kidding, right? Every import rival had side and curtain airbags and anti-lock brakes as standard and yet Pontiac shamelessly charged extra for anti-lock brakes and curtain airbags in the Grand Prix way into 2008, when its rivals were already incorporating stability control and reverse camera as standard as well.

No wonder Pontiac went out of business. They made cars with horrible interiors that fared poor to average at the IIHS crash tests, and yet had the audacity to charge extra for safety features. No wonder even the Obama administration told Bob Lutz that GM had to shut Pontiac down or GM wouldn't get the bailout money they needed. Pontiac was a mediocre brand in its final years.

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP V8 from North America

Summary:

Great car

Faults:

Absolutely nothing!

General Comments:

This is the finest Pontiac I have ever owned. Extremely fast, great handling and very comfortable. Absolutely no problems so far in the first 13 months of ownership.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th June, 2006

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP 5.3 V8 from North America

Summary:

This car is Awesome

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car so far its been perfect.

General Comments:

I love this car it is amazing to drive the power on it is amazing 303 hp lets you take charge of traffic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2005

13th Mar 2009, 08:01

I have a 2005 Grand Prix GXP, and while I like the car, I am a bit worried.

In the past few months I have had the front end replaced and the transmission replaced.

Fortunately all under warranty.

My concern is with 78000 km. on it, no way should a front end go or a tranny. I am not hard on the car at all, and I am concerned I have a lemon.

I usually never buy an extended warranty because I think they should be unnecessary. Fortunately this time I did get the extended warranty, and I am considering getting rid of it for fear of more issues.

Anyone aware of other circumstances such as these?

3rd Apr 2010, 07:42

Yep! Keep a credit card near by. This car will eat you alive. 4T65E-HD transmissions are notorious. Had about $2000 in trans work a few months ago.

Also had busted CV boot, front bearings, belt tensioner fell apart on the highway at 4AM, constant water leaks from the sunroof and or drains that dumped 2 inches of water onto the passenger floor. Also constant water damage/staining to the head liner.

Windshield cracks very easily; $500-700 quotes.

Front tires are crazy expensive, and my mufflers have the common rust through holes in them.

Oh, and no matter how hard I try, can only average 14-15mpg half city half highway. If I weren't $5000 upside down, I'd sell it to the junk yard in a flash.