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http://www.thegrid.net/thedrivetrainpage/gm125.htm
They tried to take my front license plate holder on my car at the dealership. I got home and could not find it, should have checked at the dealership. Then they gave me one off a Bonneville and insisted that it was for my car. Finally I got it corrected and got the right one. I wish MA did not requite two plates. The front looks much nicer with the cover on. I keep mine in hopes that it might change like it did once before.
Whenever is rains, there's a leak from under the dash that drips right into passenger side floor. Have been told (by Pontiac,for 45 bucks) there's a "trap" that gets full of leaves and road junk and needs to be cleaned out.
Does anyone know where the alleged "trap" is located? \ thanks for the help
1. Three sheets of glass fixed due to scratches
2. Leak in trunk from the wiring harness of dirver's side taillight.
3. Light assembly of drivers taillight replaced due to short from leak.
4. New interior door panel for left passenger, material coming off of the old one.
5. New cornering lamp, due to destruction when bulb fell out,from the road boogies.
6. Driver's and right passengers doors adjusted for wind noise.
7. New tire jack to replace the rusted one from the leak in trunk.
8. New interior carpet to replace old one that shrunk and pulled out from under the plastic pieces.
The following items were repaired at my cost:
1. New nose from hit and run accident. $580
2. Repaint rear bumper from another hit and run accident. $120
3. Replace burnout foglamp. $12.00
As you can see the maintanace of this car is low,excluding the body damage from idiots. I really love this car and am willing to forgive GM for the little oppsies since the body styling is in it's first year. My fianee's cousin bought an Intrepid in it's first year and returned it under the lemon law. I will have to see how it goes from here.
Thank you.
Does anyone know what the problem might be. I'm probably taking it to the dealer tomorrow..but sometimes, the advice here is much better than dealer.
Would appreciate any feedback.
Thanks
http://members.access1.net/sferrante/Lemon/Lemon.html
It has many of the links that I used to find other people with my problems and what they did or went through as well as the NHTSA's website where I found information on Technical Service Bulletins.
Please let me know if you would like for me to give you any information regarding my lemon law case or the procedures I went through.
Susan
On the flip side, bad rear visibility - hard to back up in cramped garage. Small rear seats - unconvenient for family with kids. And low seat make it not so easy to get in/out for older people with rusted joints and less flexible back.
All of this is concerning with 3.4l V-6; the 2.4l 4-cylinder engine is too weak for my taste.
Concerning the problems with brake rotors:
The Pontiac Grand Am, its tween Olds Alero and Chevy Malibu are sharing the same "platform" and all of them had somewhat weak brake rotors prone to warping.
Not sure about the later modifications - probably GM improved the rotors - but the cars build in 97, 98 and, probably, early 99, often have this problem. Not every car, of course. Judging by the poll of subscribers printed in Consumer Record, I believe, some 10 to 15 percent of owners encountered this problem. Not majority, but more often than for an average car.
I believe this problem is already accounted for in the price of the cars, both new and especially the used ones. I'd suggest simply to add $300 to $500 to the price of Grand Am when comparing to a competing make and model. Probably after this you will still prefer Grand Am. In this case you can just save the money in a bank account as an insurance for warped rotors.
Beyond the brakes, the car has been perfect. It's a GT with the Ram Air V6 so it has plenty of get-up-and-go, even when passing on a 2 lane highway. I have only had to take my car in for one thing that was not scheduled maintenance. That was a $300 ding in my fender caused by someone opening the door of his Suburban Assault Vehicle into my front fender and putting a major dent in it. And that really had nothing to do with my car being a Grand Am.
I'd say go for the '99 Grand Am. It's been a great car for me. Just make sure that all of the TSBs have been addressed for the car, especially if you buy it from a dealer.
I absolutely love to drive this car. The steering wheel controls for cruise control and the radio have spoiled me rotten. My problem will be when I get my next car, how do I top the Grand Am?
In this case, why not buying extended warranty? I think that bumper-to-bumper for 100,000 miles and 7 years (10 years including the manufacturer warranty) would cost about $1200 to $1600. Substantially less than the $5000 at risk.
BTW, it is a good idea to compare the warranty prices for GrandAm and Nissan (or other Japan cars). Probably the difference is not so high.
I think that for the first 10 years or 100,000 miles the problems with reliability, if any, would be is not so much with money as with time and headaches...
Thank You,
Azure
I currently own a 1999 Grand Am GT1, which is very similar to the 2000. I have been very happy with my car overall. It has good acceleration in all reasonable conditions (from a stoplight, up a freeway on-ramp, passing on the highway) and it handles fine for every day driving with a few hard corners thrown in now and again.
What it will not do is out-accelerate real performance cars. It'll beat the suburban assault vehicles and minivans off the line but a V8 camaro/mustang will leave you far behind. And even some of the "sport compact" cars will edge out the Grand Am in a 0-60 run by half a second or more. It will definitely out corner the grocery getters but won't handle the twisties like a Porche. To top it all off, it has a very comfortable ride for daily driving. If that's your definition of "semi-sporty" then the Grand Am is the car for you.
I can fit 2 reasonable sized adults in my back seat for short to medium trips. When no one is in my back seat, I can fit my 191cm skis cross ways through the pass through in the trunk. Both of these you won't be able to do in a smaller "sport compact" car. Depending on my driving, I average over 20 MPG in mixed city/highway driving. (That you will be able to do in a compact car.) Considering that the sporty versions of the compact cars cost as much or more than the Grand Am, I'd say that it definitely gives you more bang for your buck.
If you're not 100% sold on the Grand Am looks, take a look at the Oldsmobile Alero. It is virtually identical to the Grand Am once you get past the accessories and under the sheet metal. It has similar numbers for acceleration and cornering but the appearance is a little different and appeals to some people more than the lines of the Grand Am.
HTH,
Obiwan
Thank You for replying to my message. I love the way the Grand Am looks, and I haven't test driven it yet (soon). It would be perfect for me actually, I don't want a overly sporty car like the mustang. Although a V8 would be nice, but once you add all the goodies to that, the price is too high. That is mainly why I am looking into the grand am, I've looked at the Camero, mustang, all those other sporties, and I think I'll have to wait. I hate the way the Alero looks, to grandma-ish. It sounds like the GT1 would be a good buy. I was mainly concerned about paint chipping, road noise etc. that I have heard about=). I think my heart is pretty set on the 2000 GT1 though, now if I can haggle a dealer for a good price!.
Thank You,
Azure
I spent months comparing the Grand Am GT with other brands and models. The best "bang for the buck" is exactly what I got. The options, features and performance I got for the price I paid is phenomenal. And so far, the first 15,000 miles have been almost hassle free. Except for adjustmemts to the hood latch and door inserts, the car has had no troubles at all. And I get about 24 mpg with mixed driving.
I may not outrun a Porsche, but I can beat many sporty cars and other vehicles that people paid a LOT more money for!
I agree that the Mustang and Camaro would cost you more. Not only in initial cost but in insurance as well. But the added bonus with the Grand Am is that the back seat is usable by real people. I have tried out the back seats of both Mustangs and Camaros (and Firebirds too) and I have to say that it isn't much more than a small shelf to put things on. You can't really fit full sized adults in the back of one of those cars.
One thing I would say is that you should take the Grand Am for a test drive before really getting excited about having one. There have been people who thought the Grand Am was a fancy sports car when it's really just a sporty mid-sized family car. Go out to a dealer and take a random GT for a spin just to get the feel of it. Then go home and sit on you impression for a while. Then go back and try out a different GT. Go home again. Then go try out some other cars in the class (including a Grand Am SE with the V6) to compare your experiences with. If you still like the GT1, go back and give it one last test drive on the day you are ready to buy.
But, and this is the most important thing, don't get too enamored of a particular car on the lot. Remember that the Grand Am is produced in high quantity and there are many out there to choose from. Set the highest price you will pay before you go to buy and stick to it. If the dealer won't match your price, walk away. Remember that the end of the 2000 model year is coming up quickly. As the 2001 models start to arrive, you can get some good deals on the 2000 models, especially if you live in a large urban area with more than one dealer nearby.
Good luck on your purchase,
Obiwan
http://www.gmbuypower.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+COM.gm.BuyPower.applications.entry.VehicleBrowseCriteria.VehicleBrowseCriteria?DefltModlYrNbr=2000