Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000-2005

bic5

Ahhhh, the best time of the spring...sun roof open and tunes on!

'97 GP SE 3800
103,000 miles
major shop visits (unexpected):
45,000 miles replaced water pump (seizing and leaking)
failed NJ emission inspection at 96,000 miles (tune up required)

That's all folks!

streetracer

SP-4000

envoysle

Well, talk about late work! I'm taking delivery of my GTP tonight around 9-10PM.... It's the only time they have left! :-) I'm happy!

I'll keep you posted.

Ex-Envoysle!

envoysle

Well, the 40th Anniversary Limited Edition GTP is now in my driveway. What a nice car to look at and to drive. Very nice engine.

I have one question : Is it me or does the Bose Sound System not realy that good ? I find that it's missing alot on the base and the music sound like it's comming out of a tin can. I had better low-end radio than this Bose System. I have pushed the Base and Treble to the max. The radio on my 2000 GrandAM GT was better. Do i have to turn something ON to get the Bose to work ??? Stupid question, i know....

For now, the radio is the only let down of the GTP, the rest is purely perfect.

Thanks!

hammen2

..."No highs, no lows. Must be Bose." :-)

--Robert
(who has Bose in his Aurora and on his 20th Anniversary Mac :-)

yurakm

Congratulations!

scottm9

I'm thinking about getting a bra for my 98 GTP.
Just curious about the pro's and con's as I have never bought one. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

smily1

I own one for my 99. It fits very well. A word of caution: try to only use it on the highway since that is the only time it offers any protection. In town it will slowly collect dirt under the outside rim of the bra and you will start to see the bra lines. If you have bright colored paint you will notice paint fade except for under the bra if its left on for an extended period. Take off and clean often. Hope this helps.

streetracer

Does that have the 17inch wheels, twin duel exhusts, and heat extractors on the hood?

I have seem them, and they basically look like the SLP package, which is suppose to give you 260HP.

envoysle

It give you 16inch chrome wheels, twin dual exhaust and the special hood with heat extractors and a dark chery paint. But all this give the 40th GTP the same thing as a normal GTP : 240HP. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a 3700$ (CAN$) cosmetic option. But it look realy nice. 350KM on it so far and everything is running fine, i'm still amazed by the power of the engine.

I've had a bra on my 1996 Cavalier Z24 and did not like the end result. Even with carefull cleaning and removing from time to time, the red of the car was different where the bra was. And it's a pain, when you wash the car (you have to remove it) or when it rains, humidity stay traped in the bra and can promote rust.... Just my 2 cent... Never got a bra after this car...

smily1

"I have seem them, and they basically look like the SLP package, which is suppose to give you 260HP."

Yes, depending on the options you take, the SLP package can give you 260hp. I just spent less than $300 and boosted (no pun intended) my stock GTP HP to about 280hp and 310lbt. Kind of fun to break the tires loose at 40mph.

streetracer

I want to do get a smaller pulley, but too comfortable doing it myself. Does anyone know of any good shops that will order and install in NJ/NY/PA area?

What is warranty effective? Do you totally void powertrain warranty?

Has anyone ever actually had the dealer do mods to the car, like SLP stuff?

yurakm

http://www.slponline.com/installation_centers.asp

SLP' own center on your backyard. Disclaimer: I have no experience with them.

smily1

Changing my pulley scared the crap out of me until I actually did it myself. This was one of the easiest mods I have done.

Try this site:

http://www.clubgp.com/forum/

Im sure there are people in your area that can help or even lend you a puller for the job.

The dealer wont do mods for you. People generally take their mods off when getting a warranty repair. Some dealerships dont care and even welcome mods but if they can prove that the mod caused the failure or it just obvious then you will have to pay the bill.

If you do the pulley upgrade be sure to open up your intake...a drop in K&N at least. Havnt I seen you on the clubgp forum??

h1vc

Helping cousin sell her car and was wondering if anyone can tell me how much a 1991 LE Grand Prix with ac, power window, lock, casset, radio, 91000 miles, fair body, power steer, tilt wheel, cruise, 4 cylinder could go for. Thanks.

pinetted

Just go to the used car section of Edmunds and you can get a pretty good idea. I will usually research vehicles here and on KellyBlueBook.com. Edmunds tends to be on the low side, and Kelly on the high side, so somewhere in between is a safe bet.

h1vc

Thanks, already did that. Was hoping someone would have personal experience or something else.

envoysle

Well, with more than 1200km done with the GTP, I must say that i realy like this car. We had another late snow storm here and it was a joy to feel more stable on the road. The stock exhaust produce just the right amount of groan for me, no need to change to a Borla or SLP (even if it gives me 10 more HP). The Bose sound system is still the weak point of the car. IS IT POSSIBLE to install a subwoofer on this Bose system ? The Bose website say no.... Anyone here did that upgrade ?? Thanks...

smily1

You have to change that blower pulley to a 3.4" and open up the intake (at least a drop in K&N). The improved performance is outstanding (about 25hp). You can also hear the blower whine at WOT, which is rather addicting.

Sorry cant help with the stereo situation...dont have the Bose

dsm6

I changed the oil/filter on the wife's 99 GTP last weekend. Heh, who's the jerk engineer who decided to place the filter in such a pain-in-the-rear spot?

heng

If the GTP filter is in the same place as regular K motors (above the passenger side A arm) then after turning the wheel I don't have to get under the car.

A 99 GTP? Who has been changing the oil?

dsm6

Who has been changing the oil? Gee, you mean I shouldn't have waited 3 years to change it? ;-)

alan1964

Is there a major difference between the GP SE with the 16 inch wheels/tires and the GP GT? Thinking of buying a GP within a month.

lamronh49

My question before I bought my Regal was will it be cheaper to get 20 more hp & 30 more lb-ft of torque out of the 3.1 or make the Regal handle better? I think the 3.8 is essentially a superior engine but I'm not really up on the GM 3.1, 3.4, & 3.8 families. Comments from the gallery? LAMRON

heng

That would mean hot rod parts but are any available for the 3.1? I don't think so. That sounds like cams, intake manifolds, etc. I remember a cam and manifold combo would run $500 easy. Headers, port and polish, etc. come next.

Making the Regal handle better? That would be struts, strut tower braces and sway bars to start with. That sounds like a $ grand right there. But that's all bolt on stuff.

The motor mods need development to get the combination right.

smily1

There isn't much out there for the 3.1 engine. You can make a custom cold air intake and a custom exhaust system to boost a little more HP but not much. The SC 3.8 responds well to the various bolt on upgrades available for this motor. 325hp 3.8's are rather easy to make with mostly bolt-ons.

stans40

Does anyone know the exact month the the 2004 GP will be available?

ruski

February 30th

heng

Your head lamp lenses may fall out. The clear lenses are held to the reflector with a calk like material. They dry out and the lens is loose.

I lost one this week. While putting in the replacement ($80), I checked the other one. I was able to pull the lens off without much effort. I re-attached the lens with a silicone glue and put some on the new head lamp as well.

My GP is a '98 with ~50k miles on it. Check yours!

ruski

the lens separation was an issue with 98 GPs. I think it got addressed by Pontiac in later models.

streetracer

Thanks for sharing your experiences on pulley upgrade. You also confirmed my suspicions about must dealers being at best MOD neutral.

If I keep the GTP after it goes off lease, may have SLP in NJ give it the royal treatment.

I think the GTP is really an under-appreciated car, especially in terms of its cornering abilities. It is amazing stable, and after slapping a set of Dunlop SP3000s on it has awesome grip.

Has anyone put low profile summer ultra high performance ties on a GTP, and gotten skidpad numbers?

I think with my 225/55 all weather ultra high performance, my grip has easily improved ten percent - as measured my speed through various turns. So that would mean roughly .87-.88G on the skidpad, better than BMW 330 or even M3?

smily1

"If I keep the GTP after it goes off lease, may have SLP in NJ give it the royal treatment."

There are on line stores that sell everything that SLP can sell you and more for much less money than SLP will charge. If you are handy with a wrench then I highly reccommend this route. Otherwise SLP would be the next alternative. I even made my own cold air intake setup for under $20 where the SLP will run you $199.

Congrats on the dunlops. This is something I need to do, but alas, there is too much tread left on my RSA's.

pat

The Town Hall is about to take on a new look in an effort to make content more easily searchable and accessible.

Have you seen the Letter from the Town Hall Manager on the Town Hall Welcome page? If not, you might want to follow that link to have a look.

And hang on to your seats. Change is never easy - for any of us - but resolving the Search problems we've had will be worth the pain.

Pat
Sedans Host

bfdtpkt

For anyone considering the purchase of a new 2002 GTP..... DO IT! I picked mine up 3 months ago and its simply awesome! This from a 54 year old male with probably 20 new car purchases under my seat! I've owned 50's hotrods (54 Chevy v8), 60's supercars (GTO, 4-4-2, Mustang GT)70's MOPARS, 80's (Vette) and 90's rice burners plus a few "Crotch-Rockets" (Kawasaki 1200).... this GTP is the most comfortable, best handling, and when I do a few simple MODS like 3.5" pulley ($100.00) for the SuperCharger, straighten the exhaust bend ($80.00), K&N Cone filter ($80.00), transmission cooler and Cat-Back exhaust, it will increase to approximately
300hp. Oh, and for all you "naysayers" about warranty, I've discussed this with my Servic Mgr and he sez due to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, as long as all aftermarket MODS are properly working (after all, these MODS have been engineered for this specific car) the warranty will stay intact!
Happy Driving!

nomadusa

I took the GTP for a ride today, impressive. The salesman didn't know if the Radio can play MP3 disks. Fords/Nissans do. Does the GTP play MP3s?
and what can be done with the cheap plastic ashtray, can something else be put there?

Fully loaded 2002 sedan with sunroof, leather, 27005.78.
I think he can go down further. Any Ideas? THX

yurakm

go here,

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2002/pontiac/grandprix/gtp4drsedan38l6cylsc4a/prices.html

enter your zip code, and click on the button "Price with options". Looks as $26,050 is realistic.

The TMV price does not include GM rebates, currently up to $2500 - depending on financing.

sandesdriver

My 1998 Grand Prix is an excellent performer but I have been irritated by the messy congealing of the orange coolant. I had it replaced at 50K miles but it's doing it again. I was told recently by a 20 year radiator technician that GM is using this coolant so they can advertise a 100K mile life but before that it can plug up the cooling system causing a real problem. He advised me to have the system flushed, not just drained to avoid mixing the old with the new, and replace the coolant with the "normal" green stuff. I did just that without checking with GM since I have never received an intelligent answer from them. You might want to check it out yourself and possibly avoid some cooling problems.

heng

I changed my orange stuff at 50K also but it wasn't turning to jello yet. Now your 2nd batch also turned. How many miles on your 2nd batch?

I asked on the coolant topic if my 1st batch wasn't turning, what are my chances that the 2nd batch wouldn't turn?

BTW - since you have a '98 also, did you check your head lamp lenses? Mine fell off. (see my earlier post on this)

sandesdriver

I should have mentioned that the coolant was changed at 60K miles. It continued to congeal for the last 10K miles. Note that I'm in a hot desert climate which may have something to do with its performance.

My headlights are fine except for the anonymous jerk who knocked out one in a parking lot recently. If it costs almost $300 to replace it, rebuilding the car must cost 1/4 mil part by part (I think I read that somewhere).

gtinboston

Just bought a 2000 GT with factory sound & I'm looking to upgrade. Anyone have any sugestions for a great sound system that works well with this car?

dindak

The 2004 Grand Prix production will be going to Oshawa this fall for spring release. Full story..

http://www.autonews.com/

carjunk

My 97 Pontiac Grand Prix has 150 k miles. It gets 25 mpg on mostly highway driving. It seats 6, and has an integrated child seat as well as a 3.8 l engine.
Luckily I bought a longterm warranty. The transmission gave out at 92k miles, the alternator at 95k miles, but after the warranty expired, I have had to fix a leaking engine gasket and the heater core just went, almost poisoning me (smell of a dead bird in the car).

I am ready for a new car. I like the 6 pass seating (useful at a pinch), the engine and the integrated child seats, but can't get any other car like it now. Any ideas?
Thanks

gearrhead43

There is a new Pontiac Grand Prix Club for GP owners in the Southeastern US.

 The Southeastern Grand Prix Association (SEGPA)

 Our group was formed in February 2002. SEGPA is based in and around Atlanta, Georgia. We are open to all Pontiac Grand Prix owners and enthusiasts from 1962 to Present. Our members originate from many locations all over the Southeastern United States. Some events that SEGPA participates in are organized by the club's members, while others are given in support of local and national charities. This club will only be as good as its members. Your enthusiasm and participation are essential to ensuring an active organization. The purpose of the club is to provide an organization of enthusiatic Grand Prix owners to meet, exchange ideas, support, and above all, have a good time. SEGPA is run entirely by volunteers and membership is free but can only be obtained upon first registering on the website. Just go to the Join Club Page at http://www.segpa.org/join.shtml and fill out your information. It's that easy. Member benefits:

-Maintenance tips.

-Information on upgrades and accessories

-Appearance care tips

-Social Gatherings

-Car Shows

-Cruise nights

-Mod days (Members helping members)

-Road Trips

 On our website at www.segpa.org you will find additional information on our current members and events around the southeast. You'll also be able to subscribe to our online newsletter "Widetracking News". SEGPA Event notices are sent to you via e-mail, GP discussion forums, view articles and pictures on past events, links to other useful Grand Prix related websites on the Internet. Members also have available to them: Club specific polo shirts, business cards, Club Decals, Special discounts available periodically by our sponsors, and much more.

Sincerely,

David Wood

President

SEGPA

streetracer

I added a Bonnie SSEi to my growing fleet of Pontiacs. My mom is now using my GTP as her car, and the SSEi is my new daily driver. She needed a new car, and given my mileage/lease it was a financial wash compared to early turn or excess mileage fees.

I am curious if anyone has tried to install the SEEi's stabiltrak system in a Grand Prix.

My understanding is it is essentially a more sophisticated TCS/ABS computer, with additional sensors for yaw rate, steering angle, and lateral acceleration.

I would imagine the computer would be swapable, and the other parts possibly installable. The GTP G-Force features stabilitrak, along with other basically bolt on mods.

I am also serious considering changing the GTP rims and tires over to stock SEEi hardware. The SSEi corners and handles better than my GTP -even the grand prix has ultra high performance Dunlop SP3000s on it.

I guess it would even better just to put 19X10 on both cars with Goodyear Eagle F1 in 19X255X45R size:)

gtpguy

I currently rock a 2000 GTP with lots of mileage. anybody have experiences with high mialage 3800SC's???? I'm debating getting an extended warranty.

As far as the tires go, I just stuffed P245/45 18ZR AVON Z-Z1's (I think they are made by Cooper).. they are great!! road racing I easily keep up my buddy's 97 Lexus SC400 even though i payed just over 1/2 as much as he did... The only downsides are the ride is slightly more "harsh" and the Steering wheel is seems harder to turn when not moving. But the looks and proformance are worth it. Besides there's nothing like a Black GTP with 18" Chromes. ;-)

heng

can you give a side by side comparo of the rims and tires? What's on the GTP vs SSEi?

BTW i just put a set of performance friction carbon metallic pads on my GP. I'll let you know if there is any substantial difference in braking.

(it was the easiest pad changeout I ever did)

viet2

I saw the new GP. Good news is better interior, better front seat, bad new is the car is not very attractive.

montanafan

Please clarify. The 2003 Grand Prix is the same as the 1997-2002. Did you see the G-Force Concept Car? The G-Force reflects the styling direction of the 2004 Grand Prix. About 70% of the new car, according to Pontiac when it was unvailed at the Chicago Auto Show.

jpr9454

looking for a warranty company for my gran prix that covers all engine and trans seals without a inspection.....any ideas?

viet2

I saw the newly designed GP. At first glance it has the resemblance the Bonneville. The instrument panels is nicer, the interior is nicer then the current GP, but the new styling is just not as good IMO. And the car is larger with not much more room.