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Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000-2005
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Comments
"From Road & Track Oct'01
Black Stock Regal GNX S.C. 300-bhp
hood has a power dome...looks much like current grandprix??? With 18" Wheels...is this possible???
I think this car should be called GSX not GNX!!!
Here's what I don't understand...
Regal's sister car Grand Prix will become G8. A 5.7 V-8 @ 350-HP with VERSATRACK all wheel drive...WOW!!! With 19"(255/40ZR-19) tires...is this possible???
Why can't the next generation GN have this package???"
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So MY question becomes not "are my repairs likely to significantly exceed $950?" but "are my repairs covered by warranty which would occur in that 16 month period likely to significantly exceed $950?" Let's just say that I'm not prepared to pay $60/mo. on the off-chance that something bad is going to befall the car.
Besides, we can purchase the extended warranty at any time before the factory warranty expires (this probably applies in the States as well - you might want to check it out). So if the car turns out to be "questionable" two years from now, we can change our minds and extend the warranty (& risk a warranty price increase....)
Given some of the major complaints with the GTP with people who have owned them more than 3 years (alternator, window motors, steering rack) it will give me more peace of mind knowing I'll be covered in the event that happens to me.
I've owned a number of cars, both Japanese and Domestic, and *ALL* of them needed some sort of major repair during their lives. So the question is, do you want to bet that the repair is under the $1200 or so dollars an extended warranty will cost you? I'm not.
I only had 2 gripes.
1. The acceleration didnt really meet up to my expectations. It really seemed to lose steam up in the higher end but the low end grunt was great.
2. The brake pedal sits up too high. I had to lift my foot to get to the pedal. I am used to my integra where I can just shift my foot over to the brake.
There were a few other quirks that I attributed more to the high altitude (Lake Tahoe) then the car. The performance sucked driving through the mountains. The other problem I had was just unexplained stalling. Twice when I was just stopped the car just stalled without warning.
Other then the above the car was perfect. It was comfortable, quiet and it felt really solid. Once I got back home I actually started looking into getting a Grand Prix. They are very value priced and the resale is great.
However, after experiencing the delays and inconveniences of the 3-rd party warranty, my wife and I decided against buying it for our new car, 2000 Regal. Not only Warranty Gold, but any warranty. We even are discussing dropping the current one; did not do it mostly for lack of time...
""Warranty Gold" Claims" Sep 13, 2001 10:18am
Don't EVER buy the extended warranty from the dealer. = RIPOFF (>50% markup). Before your factory warranty expires (i.e. hopefully a couple of years down the road), you can buy an extended one from a (reputable) third-party warranty company, for still much less than what the dealer wants to charge up front. And, as someone said, you'll then have a couple of years of repair history to demonstrate how reliable your car is, and decide if you want to do it.
I got the warranty on the Aurora because it does have some chronic issues. Plus, being a luxury V-8, it has much more stuff on it/things to go wrong than most cars. Whether or not we get a warranty on my wife's new white 75th Anniversary GTP, we'll decide in a couple of years...
Hope this helps someone,
--Robert
Just a warning, if you notice this sporadic problem ... take it to the dealer right away before your warranty runs out.
Other than that, no problems! 'knock' 'knock'
1998 Grand Prix GTP
34,500 Miles ...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get it off?
The car's new but I haven't been able to wash it for 3 months due to back problems. I finally couldn't stand the dirt anymore and wen't on and washed it.
Any advice would be helpful. I'd hate to think the paint job in that area has been ruined.
(If anyone knows of any product to use, I'd rather find something in the store than ordering Zaino online.) I don't order online like I used to--find once I get started with online shopping, I start overdoing it and spending LOTS of money that way so have quit shopping online for the most part.
The dirt is a reddish orange color. After I washed it and it dried, it left an outline of where the dirt was splattered. I guess that would be the same as a patterned discoloration.
In the sunlight, try to figure out if there is any residue at all left on your finish (can you feel anything when you run your fingers across it?). If they're mineral deposits, they'll come off with something like a calcium/lime/rust remover. If it's something else, It could be that you might have to use a very fine rubbing compound. I used one on our old Minivan once and it worked like a charm - a year later (when we sold it), the spot still gleamed like the rest of the vehicle.
You might want to go to Edmunds' maintenance and repairs and see if there's a forum there where you'll find some hints or where you could post your plea.
The water company drilled these holes in the street where I live to get to a pipe and filled it with gravel until it settles. The gravel will start to wash away after a lot of rain and hence a hole with a muddy puddle. This has been about 6 to 8 weeks ago so I'm going to call them and see the status. I called once before for them to fill in the hole again and they filled it back with gravel. Now they need to fill it up with concrete/asphalt or whatever they use for a permanent solution. It's had plenty of time to settle.
Anyway, that's why the splatters came right back. I usually rinse the splatters off after I go somewhere and need to do that today.
Thanks for your help!
I wish there were some teenagers living in the neighbor that I could just pay to help me with my car right now but no such luck. These car wash places around town use brushes that are bad for the car.
I'll get it worked out though.
Thanks again!
My dad said he could hardly see it and that I was being really picky. Well, a car is new for only so long and his eyes aren't what they used to be.
I'm just glad the paint job hasn't been ruined! Next time I wash the car, I'll probably be in a better position to do a better job.
The races have mostly been on the highway, involving several "runs" per race between 50MPH and 100MPH+, including through sweepers and s-turns. I did race and win against an old style 5.0 from a stoplight, up to about 50MPH where we cut if off. Here is a list of cars I have raced and beat, once again usually for several "runs" on the highway.
Audi A4 (1.8T, 2.7)
Audi TT 2.7T
Audi A6 (4.2L) and A8 (4.2L)
BMW 318, 323, 325, 328, 330, 740
BMW E36 M3, Z3 M Roadster
Ford Mustang GT (4.6L SOHC)
Honda Prelude, Civic, S2000
Lexus GS400, SC400
Lincoln LS V8
Mercedes E430, CLK430, S500, SL500
Nissan 300ZX, Maxima, Altima
Porsche Boxter, 911 C2 (non-turbo)
Toyota Supra (NA and single turbo)
Any ideas? Could it be the switch to oxygenated fuel here in the northeast?
:^P
Previous trips were during warm weather. Tire pressure maintained.
;^)
I think they should call it the 4000SC Series I !!!
We put a LeBra on our 01 GPGT and I heard all kinds of stories about how the LeBra was really LeCrap. I admit it now. You have all been right. BUT, we still don't have any dings or rock chips on the front of the car. We have had it out now for 4 pretty good "roadies" and are still on the honeymoon. Most recently we got 30 mph going from central Illinois to Branson, MO (quite hilly). The average MPH dropped to around 25 once we got in Branson which has even worse hills to navigate, but overall we are still ecstatic about the car. We don't drive in town with the bra and now that the bug season is over with corn and soybeans harvested, we will probably lose the bra until planting season again.
You can put the car through highway sweepers/s-turns or weave in and out of light traffic at 100MPH+,which is where most of my hard driving occurs. However,it starts to understeer a little if taking 20MPH exit ramps at 40MPH+, or lags a little if tossing it suddenly side to side.
I am curious as to people's impressions of car's cornering and handling, especially in comparison to the BMW 330. I am especially interested in personal experience driving both car's hard on a variety roads, or racing one car with the other on such roads.
What you could probably do with your GTP is adding strut tower braces, thicker sway bars, and better tires. I think some people have turned their GTP into really good handlers this way.
I often think of cornering or handling in terms of road holding in hard high speed turns. You guys are talking more about agility, in terms of transitions or turn in. However, given GTP is a powerful FWDer, you can just use the torque to get turn in and pull it through the corner.
Plus once you get a some straight road, my experience is GTP will leave 330 far behind especially between 60 and 110, after 110 that damn computer limits rev/throttle finally shutting you down at 127MPH. However, I was still slowly pulling away from an M Roadster at 110 the other night.