Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000-2005
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
The early Intrigues and W bodies are notorious for front end rattles and 174,000 of the 1999-2001 were recalled for dim or flickering headlights, always a comforting thought. I know the GP of 1997-2003 has weak hi-beams/headlights... Many of the W bodies I have driven, the headlights aren't that powerfull, esp. the hi beams... one complaint of mine. I will be shortly upgrading my 2002 GTP to HID aftermarket lighting, but it won't be cheap. My safety is worth it.
Why doesn't the new GTP offer HID lighting? yet the maxima has been for years now....??
Check out W body rack and pinion lockup problems of 1997 and newer...http://www.yfiles.com/GM-Steering-Problem-part2.htm I have never experience this... just happened to see it.
After extensive driving, the GTP is a competent handler but not as good as the commercial sugges... "Wider is Better" the Intrigue has a wider track. The GTP track is only 1/2 an inch wider then the accord.
Good car otherwise
04GTPWS6, what kind of drag racing? A pulley will add 30-40 horse alone on the '97-03 geneartion GTP. Not sure on the mods for the Series 3 3800 yet, though probably similar. My 2002 is tuned to around 300 horse and the 1/4 in the low 14's. Yeah, my modded 2002 GTP has LESS Torque steer then the STOCK Maxima/I35/V6 Altima, which if you ever drove them, have HORRENDOUS torque steer almost to the point of being dangerous in certain driving situations... IE wet pavement. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>&- gt;>>>>>>
I may not be doing any drag racing because of the crowds at Fontana. Because of the summer heat they race out there at night. Only problem is that you need to be in line at about 11 am or so you can get a run card. Kinda defeats the purpose of the night racing.
And yes I drove both a Max and Altima immediately after driving the Grand Prix and also couldn't believe the torque steer. If it was just at full throttle that would be one thing, but the car pulled the other direction when you lifted. Way too much work. I don't remember the old Max (with 255 hp) behaving this badly. What happened?
Funny, I seem to recall my 04 GTP having leather not cloth.
True, GM went to sleep for about 25 years or so, but I think they've got some of the passion back again. I was trying to drive all the cars over the weekend and still couldn't wait until I got home to get the 63 out of the garage. I don't know what there is about it but I sure like driving that one the most
I may disagree with some aspects of the design (hard low back seat and difficulty with rearward vision), but I have no issues at with the car. I remember the day not too long ago when you'd return to the dealer, after having your new GM car for a couple of months, with a list two pages long with issues. With the last 8 that I've had in the last ten years the list has been getting real short and now down to nothing.
That's a pretty neat sampling of cars you have(or have had). Must be interesting going from a DTS to a GTP, but if I guess that also says something about the new GP. I'm still leaning toward an 04 CTS with the 3.6 liter engine, but haven't ruled the GP out completely. Did you lease your GP? If so, when your lease is up in a few years and if your ready to move back up to a Cadillac, the next generation STS should be out. I'm looking forward to seeing what it will offer. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>&- gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The 04 Grand Prix is my 50th car so I've been around the block a few time, literally and figuratively.
It was easy to make the change from the DTS to the GP as I think the new grand prix is a better built car. Things are changing quickly at GM. I will probably do a STSv to replace this car a few years from now because I still much prefer to listen to a V8 versus a V6. I would have done a CTS if the new engine would have been out now. The current Opel V6 doesn't thrill me all that much
The oil burning issue really burned me on that car. 2 quarts a month. someone has told me that the early Aurora and Caddy Northstar V8's burned oil at higher mileage? something to do with the limp home feature if you ran out of coolant? But supposedly the oil burnign was fixed by 1998? I wonder if any one can shed any light on that topic? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>&- gt;>>>>>
All four of my Northstar Cadillacs used oil at the rate of 1500-1700 miles per quart. My 2000 DTS uses just as much as my 93 STS did. Never got any worse though, but it's been my only GM cars ever that used oil. Hell, my 63 Grand Prix doesn't use a drop
Maybe. I just love the solid feel of the car and I'm always amazed how well it corners. Like you say, the Intrigue is just as wide as the GP. I really liked our old 98 SE though, it served us well and we planned on keeping it for a long time. 2+ perfect years it served us, nothing but oil and gas. Too bad it had such a short life.
Cladding: 1997-2003 was much better(less) than many and less than my 2001 Yukon Denali. It doesn't bother me like a Grand Am or a Mitsubishi Eclipse..
Cars get better every decade: Those old enough to have driven or owned original 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 00 vehicles know this is a fact.
the 60's was a great decade and into the 70's you could actually repair most of them yourself. And we were young enough to enjoy spending weekends and evenings repairing or maintaining. Brakes every 25-30k, shocks every 30-50k, water pump every 50k, a tranny or engine rebuild at 75-100k... if you got to a 100k with a 60's or 70's vehicle without a rebuild you had all the stars aligned.(no matter what make)
The 80's were a real mixed bag and the foreign models such as Honda and Toyota got their overall quality levels much better than the domestic brands; even the early Audis were very trouble prone... trouble in the 80's was too many electronics were introduced that the average back yard mechanic couldn't diagnose/repair. The 90's saw a resurgence in most auto manufacturers with reliability gaps being closed by the end of the decade and a renewed interest in making "personal" driving machines verses cookie cutter cars. (Although the domestic mfrs in my opinion now take more styling flare/innovation than the Japanese)
I think this decade will see a lot more exciting vehicles....
I've lived through these decades, driving a hand me down 55 International pu to a 2003 GT....with 14 assorted domestic and foreign vehicles in between.
I do think that Toyota and Honda still share a slight reliability edge over the domestics, and all studies still confirm it. The perception edge they have with the public is far greater.
Cladding? My 98 GTP had it, it didn't bother me, and I loved the fact that after a couple of years and 77,000 miles (and more importantly, many parking lots), it didn't have a single door ding.
As for the back seat, try riding 25-30 miles in an 04 back seat. You may need someone to help you out. It is much lower and has virtually no support, especially in the back rest. I think this is so the seat can go down and become a flat floor. I can't and won't do that to my business clients, so GM lost a sale here. I think they are banking that more sales will be generated from those who are WOWwed by the flat floor feature than lost to people like me. They are probably right, too.
Just as they think they will make more money by selling more leather seats due to the uglycloth (TM acknowledged), than than they lose due to car sales lost due to it.
As others have pointed out, we Edmunds posters are not typical of the world at large.
Oh well, it nudged me toward a Mazda6, which may well happen shortly!
reg : LOL. You have a different definition of cladding but if a strip on the side is cladding to you then yes, the GP had it like lots of other cars.
I have a 1958 Chevy Impala Convertible at home, so I know what you mean. Right now I'm going through a tranny leak, it has the cast iron 2 spd auto mated to the 348 4bbl V8, while driving and even parked, no leaks, but after parking it in the garage and going to use it 1 week later for a cruise night, big red puddle? I had the engine/tranny redone on it in 1999. Otherwise pretty good shape, blue with a white top. Thankgod I have power steering, but only manual brakes... after getting out of the impala, the brakes on my new cars feel so easy to push/powerfull. Nice ride, but I know what you mean about the 1963.
Dindak, The 1997-2003 GP coupe was Pontiacs best looker in their lineup, my opinion of course, and had virtually no cladding. In fact I think it was tastefully done, unlike the UGLY Grand AM ribbed cladding 1/2 way up the door, which they are finally getting rid of. If you look at the Accord coupe, there is no strip at all, very easy to ding in a parking lot.
Regfootball, where is the cladding?
04gtpws6, any idea when you get your car?
I had a guy come up to me yesterday to check out my car at the A&P parking lot. He had a 00 GP and was quite impressed with the new. He said his lease was up in 2 months so he would likely upgrade to an 04 given what he saw.
The only major negative I have on the 2004 GTP is that there is NO COUPE... otherwise I would buy one in the future, but otherwise sadly I will look elsewhere next time. I love my coupes,. Everyone from 1962-1989 was a coupe only. The sedan didn't start up until 1989 or 1990.
Where as with my 2001 i30t knowbody comments... probably too dull.. ha...
the 1997-2003 GP have the worst High-Beams I have ever used, near useless. The regular beams aren't that great either. I know alot of people that have complained about them.
Dindak, how are the headlights on your intrigue? I know they had a big Intrigue recall for dull or flickering headlamps for 174,000 cars a while back. The W body seems to have weak headlamps.
The best ones are the HID in my 2001 I30t.. the best regular headlights I have ever had.
I am getting HID retrofitted to my 2002 GTP shortly.
I think they are banking that more sales will be generated from those who are WOWwed by the flat floor feature than lost to people like me. They are probably right, too.>>>>>>>>>>>
Yep, that's one of the things that appealed to me. I virtually never carry people in my back seat, but this sure would have come in handy when I was restoring my 63 for hauling around bumpers and windshield etc. without having to buy a SUV.
04gtpws6, any idea when you get your car?>>>>>>>>>>>>
Almost two months ago. Mine was built in the first couple weeks of production.
Headlights on the new GP look much better than the ones on the old model. My brother in laws 01 GTP look really dull, he is planning on having them replaced with xenon things I think.
On the GT there was a molding rub strip about halfway up the height of the door, and a slab of cladding attached to the lower part of the door, about 6 inches high or so, and roughly in line with the ground efx on the fenders in front and behind it. Its small, but techinically still classifies as cladding. Ground effects in most cases is just below the door as a sill piece, if a car has it at all. With the exception of Pontiac, very few makers have cladding (plastic on the doors). As an example, a Saab 9-3 vector has the sill skirts but no plastic on the door and still has a rub strip.
My 89 SHO had cladding, my 99 does not, it has the sill pieces only.
That being said, I liked the SHO concept and considered one, but NO coupe and never cared for the 1996 and newer Tarus, too many ovals and it was nearly $5k more then the GTP and had less performance, so that is why I bought the GTP. I think the SHO was cancelled after 1999 for lack of sales.
And why is it that GM always gets picked on for cladding and not the Japanese models? Have you ever seen a Subaru? How about a Mitsubishi? And it seems like every SUV has some degree of cladding, but only GM models get mentioned in reviews as excessive, cheap or distasteful. It is certainly a double standard.
Carguy : Actually a lot of previous generation 626s had major transmission issues. There used to be a lady in my office that had one. It was a nightmare. that said, I think Mazdas are about the same as GMs, average or maybe slightly above.
The new Toyota 4 Runner is covered in cladding also, never see it mentioned as bad. GM slaps it on an Avalanche and it's a crime. I know what you mean.
Back to the GP: I'm not saying it's a disaster. What I am saying is that GM had yet another opportunity to introduce something that would give the Camcords a run for their money, and instead introduced an overpriced, one-dimensional car that has an interior questionable enough to keep people away. Another GM misstep.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Some of us like performance in our cars, and the GTP beats the Camaccord hands down in every Perf category. If that is one dimensional, then so be it. Yeah the interior/reliabilitycould be better, but every car has its drawbacks... Toyota has the sludge problem on its 3.0L V6 engines that knowone happens to mention?? Honda had tranny problems on it's V6 engines, that it why it went to the 5spd auto tranny in '02 or '03? That doesn't get mentioned too often. Ask my friend about the problems he has had with his '01 Accord.. alot... I have yet to see the pefect all around car. the V6 Camry is underpowered.. everyone else is going to 240hp, except them at 200. No car is perfect. Buy what you like
I like it, Canadians get tuition reciprocity
yes the GP did have cladding although it was not offensive as it was on the Bonneville and Grand Am.
and sunfire
and aztek
........
um, yeah, and 6000....LeMans, the whole Fiero was cladded I guess, The Montana's got that stuff, what's it called? CLADDING. Did the firebird have it?
So you see, while the GP was not bad it had to bear the legacy of the other Pontiac products.
that and cheap interior plastics, man I'll tell you, there may be a lot good about Pontiac that's gotten way overshadowed by those those things alone. The zits and the bad hair just disguise the really hot looking gal underneath the frumpy clothes.
i.e., if your sister is really freaking ugly, the boys might think there is something wrong with you too.
Hey, the reviews for the new GP have been pretty good overall. Not glowing, but its been hard for them to say, put it at the bottom of a comparison test like its GM cousin in the small car Edmunds sedan test.
What is absolutely a gut buster is how Pontiac PRODUCES a good looking contemporary decladded car finally (GTO) and all the idiots come out of the woodwork and lambast it for not being retro or trailer park. Come on man, the Monaro can sit side by side with an M3 and look just as hot on the Daytona strip, and all the ungratefuls whine and moan. 350hp and a hot bod and good interior and moaning because it doesn't look like some 35 year old relic.
AND YET, these same folks might make apologies for the look of the new GRAND PRIX or grand am or Bonneville. WHAT'S the deal?
question-why is the exterior plastic on pontiacs nicer than the interior? hmmmmm.....
The Fiero was meant to be a plastic body panel car, not a "cladded" car. Also, Fiero development didn't go to waste, as some say. It led to the Saturn's use of plastic panels.
Also, don't "guess", come up with real information. The Deawoo made LeMans never had cladding and the 6000 really only had a wide strip, no bigger than an '83 Camry's side trim.
They don't need to hose it down with cladding, but they could have sported it up a little more.
ab348 : How is the GP over priced now? A very well equipped GT2 comes in well below an Accord at MSRP. GTP is more yes, but it will also blow away an Accord in terms of performance.
:-(
It's about time to get rid of UAW to deflate the costs and improve the quality if the two remaining American companies want to stay in business...
:-(
I mention this fact because value has been crucial in my decision-making for the last 4 cars I bought. That and the more powerful engines typically found in American cars. Now I see those advantages going and I'm having a hard time to cope with it.
I do favor domestic brands for everything I get, but when overall quality and main features don't meet my requirements, I'd be incentivizing economic inefficiency, and that's worse for the overall economy than giving my business to a foreign brand.
AB348 , I love the looks of the Avalanche and the 4 Runner. I think the cladding works on rugged trucks both from a usefull and cosmetic standpoint.
;-)
My difficulty coping with these prices is exactly because I dread the Accord. The previous one was digestible, but the current one is the Aztek of sedans, only with a finer fit and finish inside!
:-D
In my area, in upper Bergen county, NJ near the GW bridge a fully loaded Accord V6 with navigation is the same MSRP or higher then a fully loaded GTP Comp G. Around here the Honda dealers were actually writing in their own prices higher then MSRP on the new Coupes.
I would argue that any car equipped with uglycloth is probably too expensive at virtually any price, but when one factors in the typical GM resale numbers and the rest of the interior issues you have to cut one heckuva deal to make a new GP a wise buy.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Ab348, According to running various numbers through www.kbb.com, A loaded GTP almost holds its value as well as a loaded V6 Accord. From 1997 through 2002. Stats... In 1997... with 50k miles...The Accord is $12k and the GTP is $11k. Pretty close to me. Furthermore, a 1991 GP or accord loaded with 100k miles, Accord is $5k and the GP is worth $4.5k, again, very close. The GP hangs right with the Accord in resale. It depends on how the car was taken care of.
Remember, All new cars depreciate and lose money as soon as you drive them off the lot and continue to depreciate! Some faster then others... It depends on the condition, mileage and trimline of the car.
For those wondering about the new 3.6L V-6 I found a short article I posted on the Caddy CTS vs. Grand Prix board. (My guess it it won't trickle into the GP until several years and a redesign out)
As for cladding it works better on some vehicles than others I personally think the new Avalanche minus cladding and the "refreshed" Aztec were much improved with the reduction. I almost went for an Aztec because of the versatility and camping option. I just couldn't get over the "looks" (even with less cladding), and wanted a stronger engine.(ended up with a Denali)
gunit : The GP definitely depreciates more from list than the Accord. That said, these 0% finance deals are hurting re-sale on the GPs.
ab348 : GT1 is the equivalent of an SE. SE stickered at C$26K and change with a 3.1L. The 04 is at $27K. 04 is not up much and the 3.8L is standard now. GT2 gets you alloys, ABS/Trac and a few other goodies for $3K more (equivilant to the old GT).
Furthermore, I got almost 45% of my money back when I sold my 1997 GTP coupe with 58k miles in 2002. I think that is pretty good, esp for a GP. Of course that was privately, mine was in mint condition. All new cars after 5yrs you are going to lose 50% of the original value regardless. Even more depending on how much interest you paid on the loan.
I get 14 in town and about 24 on the highway, but mine is modded to around 300 horse and I have a slightly heavy foot.
I test drove the New Max and I get I35 loaners for my infiniti when it's in for service... the torque steer is horrendous on those cars, worst in class. G35 is nice, but is not as roomy as the GP/Max and I don't care for RWD in the snow. Buy what you like, my 2 cents.
;-)