By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
> road noise you hear. Has anyone taken their's
> to Ziebart or something like it to get
> underbody coating?
Might help a bit, but most of the noise is coming from the tires. I replaced mine with Michelin XGT-H4 tires. Also, Goodyear RS-As will quieten the ride considerably, at least on the 15" wheels, which is what I have. Dig around on this list and you'll read my posts about my '99 GrandAm SE's road noise.
The point someone else made about wind noise through the mirrors is a good one also. Those fancy mounts may be stylish, but the hole in the middle doesn't help regarding noise.
TC
Your point about the wheel well is right on, and what I was implying before. This is not a well designed car when it comes to noise suppression. They either skipped body insulation, or it just never occured to them. Hence my previous inquiry about Ziebart.
V6.
Front-wheel drive, great handling.
Very precise steering (some friends claim it's too sensitive.
Many "nice-touch" conviences: Steering wheel mounted cruise and radio controls; power-everything; auto-dimming interior lamps; Auto-exterior lamps; remote trunk release; good gas mileage; auto-door locks for safety; standard passive alarm system; remote keyless entry; very roomy back seat on 4-door sedan.
There has nothing ever really been wrong with my GA. My only gripes: the interior feels cheap when compared to Japanese cars I have owned. The plastics are inferior, the switches are flimsier, Delco radios are notorious for being space hogs (1.5 DIN size), and other little minor details.
Then there is the road noise. It's not BAD, but it ain't quiet. But then again, this is not meant to be a luxury sedan, it's a good combination of a practical, yet driver's car. The V6 has great pickup.
I drive 145 miles a DAY on less than optimal roads in NY/NJ, the car holds up.
I wouldn't buy this car again only because I've changed since I bought it originally. I can afford more. But for the money I originally paid (<$20k new) it's a great value.
TC
P.S. What would I get instead? I just did, a brand new Lexus RX300. About double the cost though ;-)
Gosh, yes. This has been a thoroughly enjoyable car for me. The only regret I have is that I was too impatient and purchased the SE rather than the GT due to the fact that the GTs were not on the market at the time.
Obviously, there are other excellent vehicles in the same price, performance, and comfort range. Much of your choice would come from loyalty and familiarity with the car company and with the local dealer.
Don't let the door latches/handles/truck-latch reports scare you. These have been minor issues and haven't been reported that much by folks in this list. The console latch government recall puzzled me. I looked at it before, and looked at it afterwards. I couldn't tell, feel, or hear any difference.
Explore the other car lists and read the complaints and praise. You'll find every vehicle has its share. Even the Impala list is posting worrisome complaints about steering shafts needing replacements, and bizarre noises in the front end. But, I would speculate those incidents are actually rare for that fine car. However, lists like these tend to elevate the issue due to the fact that most people will post only the bad, not the good.
Finally, the competency of the dealer means a lot, but then, that is true for any vehicle.
I dunno, I just have no regrets. This has been a great car. Maybe when it flips over to 50,000 miles it'll morph into a GT, or better yet, a new sport turbocharged Bonneville. ;>)
"Would the Grand Am owners recommend my buying a '96 Grand Am? There are a number of messages on road noise and that is not great on a trip. Have a Bonneville now and that is quiet but dying. Any advise??"
My mom drives a '96 Grand Am SE. Overall, its been a good car...I'm the one responsible for keeping it up and I can't recall any problems with it other than the general maintenance and replacement of worn parts. She only has about 55k on hers, but she is rough on it...she is getting older and tends to run up on curbs, etc....trim pieces are holding together well. It does have one very loud rattle coming from somewhere in the dash. The front seats are especially uncomfortable...they have no support whatsoever. Hers gets a lot better gas mileage than my '99. The interior FEELS more cramped than my '99 too. I must not pay much attention to road noise as I don't recall it being something that stands out in her car.
Not sure if that helps....if I could offer you the suggestion, if you can afford it, look into the purchase of a used '99 Grand Am vs. the previous generation...it would probably be money well spent.
Would You Do It Again?
"I have heard complaints of road and tire noise, faulty trunk latches, faulty door locks, etc. For all you owners of 99-01 Grand Ams, if you could go buy your new car all over again, would you still get the Grand Am, and if not, what would you get instead and why"
Yes, I would buy my '99 GA SE, sedan again without hesitation. I've been one of the ones to post my problems with latches and locks, etc...but I love my car. I know there are a million of them on the road...but my GA really has character. Believe it or not, the problems I have had with it have been minor...and all of the problems I have had addressed by the dealer have been repaired @ no charge to me. Some of the problems like my phantom electrical bug in the dash that causes my gas gauge to fly between E & F are annoying sometimes...but it doesn't take away of how I feel about the car, which is a strong affection for it...warts and all.
> switching to Michelin XGT tires but I
> really don't want to spend any money on
> new tires especially since I've only got
> 2600 miles on the factory BFGs. Is there
> anyone out there experiencing the same
> steering/pulling problem with their new
> GA?
My SE had a horrifically twitch front end. Ditto with your experience. Got rid of the BFG with only 1800 miles on them, I think, by finding someone who needed some and bought them for me.
Replaced them with GoodYear RS-As and the difference was immediate. The car cornered amazingly well, was quiet, and the twitchy front end was solid straight.
I put nearly 45k, I think, on the Goodyears. Reading tire advice messages at the Impala site convinced me to try the XGT-H4 Michelin Pilots. The difference over the Goodyears was just as profound as Goodyears were over the BFG tires.
So, that has been my experience. As usual, your experience may vary from mine.
> to install the shock absorbers! Is this really
> how this car rides, or do I have a possible
> problem???
I'd check the tire pressure. The GT has a bit stiffer ride than the SE, for example, but the ride is not harsh, and certainly not jarring.
If the air pressure is correct, and the ride is not equal to that of the GT you had a test ride in, I would go to the dealer and tell them something is wrong.
As others have posted, there have been minor problems with the Grand Ams. I've had it back to the dealer 3 times in 18 months to fix little things under warranty. But I haven't shelled out a dime for this work.
As far as the jarring and wandering ride, this must be related to the tires. I've heard a ton of complaints about the SE model tires. The GT tires are first rate, and the car turns on a dime, while keeping straight lines at highway speed.
I never owned a pre-1999 Grand Am, as they have never tickled my fancy. I think they are much more cramped for space, as I've rode in a friend's 95 GA a few times. They really made a much better car with the latest remodelling. That is not to say that the older Grand Ams are bad cars. Millions of people bought them, and they have served their owner's well.
AS for the strange noise coming from the front end, this is puzzling. You said it is only when the car is moving. A rubbing noise could be a belt, but that would make noise whenever the engine is running. Could it be a water pump or other pump? I'm only guessing at this point. Is it constant noise or only when the car shifts (shocks/struts)?
In general though, I find the car to be a complete joy to drive and own. I would like a little softer ride but gladly give that up for the more precise handling and tighter suspension. I don't have any problems with wind noise (no worse than any other car I've owned!). The car also seems to drive just fine, although I do have the nicer tires that come with the GT. As for all the people who hate the cladding, well, I say go for the GT, it's much more understated in that model. Daytime running lights, they don't bother me a bit. I wouldn't mind it if the interior were a little more comfortable and fitting. The seats in the GT are supposed to be a little better but they have very little support. I find that the handling actually out performs the seats. What I mean is, when I drive the car the way it can be driven, I have to grab hold of the door handle to keep from sliding out of my seat. Just a minor inconvenience though. I'd wholeheartedly recommend a Grand Am to anyone looking for a reasonably priced car with a ton of options that can't be found on cars costing thousands more.
I'm probably wrong in your case, but it can't hurt to inspect the tire treads closely. Also inspect the wheel wells, especially on the inner side of the wheels for pieces of "body" that might have come off partially.
TC
From my experience with older cars, I have searched out various noises in cars. The first thing that I would look at in your case is a build up of break dust in between your rotors and break calipers. Second, check and see if your break pads are getting low. Just because the outside pad has plenty of meat on it doesn't mean the inside does too. The inside break pad has a metal tab that will rub your rotor when it is worn enough. This is to tell you its time to replace them. Another thing to check is that the dust cover on the inner side of the rotor is not rubbing the rotor itself. This is a stamped piece of sheet metal that can easliy bent to the point that it rubs. Just bend it away. If your rotors are starting to go, you will be able to feel some 'steering wheel shake" on hard stops, proving that your rotors are warping.
Your rotors can be "turned" at most brake shops if in fact they are warped. If your car does need new brake pads, you could go by a floorjack, a variety of wrenches and new pads at an auto parts store and do it yourself for less than half the dealer is asking. Disc breaks pads are very easy to change.
For anyone considering buying one, I highly recommend it. Go test drive one. Of course, I might be a little biased since I work at a Pontiac dealership, but this is still a wonderful car for not a whole lot of money.
I am 6' tall and have no problems with leg room in my 4 door GT. And I've had plenty of leg room problems in other cars, especially compacts and mid-sized models. As a matter of fact, I move the power seat up many times when traveling and don't need all the leg room provided.
Anyone else have this situation?
Luggage Capacity Std/Max 14/14 cu.ft.14/14cu.ft.
EPA Passenger Volume 92.7 cu.ft./90.8 cu.ft.
EPA Cargo Volume 14.6 cu.ft./14.6 cu.ft.
Head Room F/R 38.3/37.2"/38.3/37.6"
Leg Room F/R 42.1/35.5"/42.1/35.5"
Hip Room F/R 52.4/49.3"/52.6/52.4"
Most tires that come with new cars are standard tires from the tire manufacturer. In some cases a car manufacturer will actually have the tire manufacturer make a custom version in some OEM applications.
Having said that, it is irresponsible for a tire dealer to give someone generic advice on tire inflation pressure. The Eagles that come on the GA are also used on HUNDREDS of other cars. Each car weighs a different amount (this affects the load on the tire). Each car has a different suspension set up (this affects the quality of the ride you feel and how the tire is "held" against the road surface).
While the tire can handle 40 psi, that doesn't mean that's the right set up for the GA. The car engineers take this into account when picking the pressure recommended.
Before someone yells out "hey, what about Ford and the Exploder", what happen in this case is that Ford Engineers made a tradeoff for ride quality and ended up risking the customers' lives. They were wrong to do it, but this is not the norm.
I wouldn't increase the pressure on the Eagles to 40 psi on the GA. While you will increase MPG and tire life, you will alter the handling/ride characteristics of the overall car. But don't take my word for it, someone go and do it and report back the results here. You need to really DRIVE the car to feel the difference. You will lose cornering capability and traction on the road. I don't think you'll like it, but I could be wrong.
FWIW,
TC
I've arrived at this 2-3 psi over, not by rules or suggestions but by monitoring the wear of the tire. Its easy to see with brand new tires. But you have to look at them every week and make sure the temperature (as in weather) hasn't change drastically (keep cold tire pressure constant).
I find this statement suspect because increasing the tire pressure usually "lifts" the tire off the road, hence lowering wear, but also lowering traction since less tire is contacting the road.
Then you said: "More pressure will make the tire stiffer but then only the center of the tread will be acting with the road."
Which I agree with. So which is it?
Tire pressure is something that should not be taken lightly since it can have adverse effects on the car's handling.
I also had first-hand experience with the tire pressure monitor on my 1999 GAGT. The warning light came on late at night and I couldn't tell that there was a problem. The low-profile tire makes it difficult to tell when pressure is low. As I kept driving, handling began to become somewhat sluggish. When I got home I noticed that one tire was about 15 psi low. I took it to the tire place and they plugged a hole from a nail. Thank goodness for the warning light, which gave me early notice of a tire problem.
Maybe I should have said 'optimum' contact and adding more pressure above 2-3 psi will (like you said) decrease the tire contact.
I just purchased a 2001 GA SE1 V6. I now have 45 miles on it and I have started to notice that the front end shakes when I apply the brakes ( like warped rotors). The dealer says that this is normal and it will go away after the brakes get worn in. Has anyone ever had this problem and is this really normal?
Needless to say I needed a new vehicle, so this weekend I purchased a 2000 Grand Am SE1 V6. I got a really good deal on it, final purchase price was $11,045. It has a lot of options on it, but it doesn't have keyless entry so I think I will be adding that myself in a few weeks.
I just wanted to say that even though I've only had the GA for two days, I really like it and think I will be happy with it. I hope I don't have too many problems with it.
Thank god you got the V6... I can't imagine this car with the 4 cylinder, heck , I can't imagine any mid size sedan with a 4 cylinder being fun to drive. The V6 is a blast.
Happy motoring!
TC
JD