1990 Pontiac Grand Am Consumer Reviews

Ran good, but body was rustbucket

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2dr Coupe

Review

Bought one for $800 at a fairly shady lot. Had 111,000 miles on it, it started and got me to school everyday. It had the 4Tech engine in it (not the horrendous Quad), and I attribute that factor to how well it ran. Some frigid Illinois mornings (-15F), my car, amazingly, was the only one that would start. How it looked was a different story. Got it with no rust, no real dings or anything, but that first winter DESTROYED the body. Rust spreading like an infection on my car body, and glad to read in the reviews that mine wasn't the only one that had the rear shocks break up into the trunk. 2 1/2 years and 30,000 miles later, engine dies. Sold to junk yard for $35. (Trans was still good)
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Review

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2dr Coupe

Review

I owned this Pontiac for two years and put over 500,000 miles on it! The little car fell right apart around the engine though. I had the 2.3 DOHC 16 Valve oh she was a fast little girl! I just wish Pontiac would've built the body better. The rear shocks endded up coming up though the trunk. I paid $1,500 for it and drove it back and forth to college everyday. I'd say I got my money out of it.
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1990 Grand Am LE Coupe Quad 4

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am LE 2dr Coupe

Review

I've had this car for almost three years and the only thing that has gone wrong is the A/C compressor. It has over 140K miles on the original Quad 4. Most Quad motors aren't very reliable but this one has been perfect. Everyone thinks of the GA as a junk but it really is a solid car, you just have to take care of it. Don't beat the hell out of your car, ignore oil changes and expect it to run forever.
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Advice: Don't waste even little money!

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am LE 2dr Coupe

Review

Mechanical Quality: Blown engine at purchase. Alternator has been replaced 4 times. Check engine light came on causing all sorts of electrical problems (AC and Speedometer died and transmission ran at 1700 RPM at idle, but became normal after light went off). Replaced 3 sensors (O2; Coolant; TPS), EGR Valve and thermosthat. Replaced engine computer which fixed engine light problem. Shocks/Struts need to be replaced. Body/Interior Quality: Body rusts out rather quickly. Exterior paint job is terrible. Tire noise in city and highway driving is very loud and annoying. Feature/Accessory Quality: Heating takes a while to get warm. AC is cold, but needs more power to blow our more. Good Stereo!
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Runs Great !

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am LE 4dr Sedan

Review

Bought this car 1 year old at 10k mi., did regular maintenance on my own (oil, lube, filters, trans fluid, etc...), now has 129k and still running strong (Tech 4 engine) no major problems, just alternator, cooling fan and once the ECM went bad leaving the engine unable to start ($350 w/labor). This car has served me well, overall very dependable and easy maintenance to keep it running.
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Go Pontiac

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2dr Coupe

Review

This car is SWEET! Everyone in my family has owned Pontiacs before, and no one has ever had a single problem with them. There are 3 Grand Am's and one Grand Prix in my house right now, and all of them are different years and styles. I think that I love the 1990-1991 style the best! The car is fun to drive, and still looks like it just came off the showroom floor.
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Racer

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2dr Coupe

Review

My Oh so wonderful 1990 Grand Am SE 2 Door coupe is one of the fastest 4 cylinder cars on the road, Or at least it was. The performance of this car was unimaginable thanks to the custom quad turbo I had on it. The only problem was the quad 4 motor cant handle any type of stress. I found myself under the hood weekly working on the engine to keep it running. I would definately recomend this car for someone who doesnt care to much about comfort and likes to work on motors. As for my car its now in the junk heap after I blew the motor for the 6th time. Maybe a quad turbo is just to much for that engine,
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with a high preformance exuast system

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am LE 2dr Coupe

Review

I got the car in 2001 after I biffed it with my s-10. Of course, the body is all rusted out. The car has only let me down once when the starter when out after work one day. Other problems I had was I cracked the exuaust off behind the cadaylitic converter because I bottomed out while hiting the dips in Holdingford. I later took the cadalytic converter off and replaced it with a cherry bomb glasspack. It's relitivly fast and I had it doing 110. A good reliable vehicle, and I would recommend it to anyone. My heater also dosen't work and I have no time or ambission to fix. I don't care much anymore. I bought a 1996 Grand Prix.
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Great Car When Taken Care Of

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am LE 2dr Coupe

Review

I bought this car off of my parents who purchased it new in 1990. They had taken great care of it, and paid attention to every detail. I needed a good reliable car for college, and this was a great find. It looks and runs like brand new, has great power, and has never let me down. Good car if found in good condition.
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Rust machine

Vehicle

1990 Pontiac Grand Am LE 4dr Sedan

Review

Well what can I say, I bought this car from my brother-in-law, for a pittance $450. About what it was worth. I just needed transportation quickly. The body on these things rust out bad, rear, doors, trunk, roof. Horrid paint job. It leaked oil like a sieve. It was the most underpowered car I've driven, next to the 1989 Chevy Celebrity, which is heavier and uses the same engine. I beat the hell out of the thing, and had no need for major repairs for two and half years. Until now, the seals are shot and the cylinders are knocking and getting ready to seize up. I would avoid these dogs unless someone gives it to you.
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