1976 Pontiac LeMans from North America
Summary:
We thought our 1976 LeMans was a good looking car that performed poorly
Faults:
Going up a moderately steep hill caused the LeMans’ engine to overheat and fill the car’s interior with an overwhelmingly nauseating odor. A mechanic said Pontiac put a small Chevy transmission in the LeMans rather than one that could handle the weight of a larger, heavier car like the LeMans. I know nothing about mechanics, so I can neither confirm nor deny the mechanic’s statement as true. All I do know for a fact is the car was brand new when we purchased it and overheated easily from day one, even though we followed Pontiac’s maintenance schedule religiously.
General Comments:
We always took excellent care of our car and followed the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule to a T, but it made no difference in the car’s performance. The mechanic suggested we buy a new transmission, which we felt was outrageous, since it was brand new. After two years we replaced our Pontiac with a new Honda Civic which never overheated in the 15 years we owned it.
We were completely disillusioned with our troublesome Pontiac and never once considered buying another one.
After we bought a Honda, we no longer had mechanical/ performance problems, so we stuck with Honda from then on.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 16th June, 2024
15th Jun 2010, 18:01
I have had hundreds of cars in my day, but the 1976 LeMans sport coupe was the best overall car I have owned, I stupidly let it slip out of my hands & have been looking for one in similar good condition. It is one of those cars that you don't understand how good they are until you own one!! To this day I almost break my neck when I see one going!!