1998 Pontiac Grand Am Consumer Reviews

Great car

Written by: Raden on 08/19/2008

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr GT Coupe

Review

I bought the car a little over a year now and owning a 93 Grand-Am before this I knew what I was getting my self in to. This car has the 3100 V6 auto. Great pick up. Fuel econ was better then expected. Again and problems were expected including Power windows (GM cant seem to build power windows) and front brakes suck. Better to upgrade with slotted/drilled rotors or face premature rotor ware and constant garage time.

Favorite Features

Great pick up, paint looks brand new, ( if taken care of) fuel econ of this car is great for the high gas prices!

Suggested Improvements

Don't use the front cup holder for anything. If you forget it there and shift to park your container explodes from being crushed up against the a/c controls!

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True love until 103,000 miles

Written by: noram on 04/07/2008

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 4 Dr SE Sedan

Review

Bought new, this has been a wonderful vehicle until now. Other than brakes and a water pump there was no repair work done until 84k when the intake manifold had a coolant leak requiring a new gasket. Last week this same problem was detected at 103k. After paying my $1000+ bill I decided to start thinking about a new car. Not a Pontiac. I've seen this same issue on elsewhere for this same vehicle, same engine for as many as 3 times on a vehicle. Poor engine design? whatever the problem is people have tried to get Pontiac to make good on it to no avail. Class action suits were mentioned. And American car companies are wondering why people don't buy American? I really want to but I can't

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

Cup holder holding an actual cup prevents you from putting in gear.

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Couldnt ask for better so far

Written by: yomama4 on 02/05/2008

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr GT Coupe

Review

Owned this car for 10 years now, bought it brand new, and it still runs awesome, going to give it to my neice for her first car. Only real problems I noticed over the years were the brakes wear easy, the radio volume changes sometimes...weird, and the ac clutch rattles like crazy. overall good though.

Favorite Features

CD, moonroof

Suggested Improvements

Bigger interior, more cup holders

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It's just as good as Honda or Toyota

Written by: Rob on 12/29/2007

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 4 Dr GT Sedan

Review

This is my first car and I love it. I did do some window shopping at the Camry or Accord, but those cars are fairly bland. The Grand Am, especially in GT form, can get you anywhere you need. Read any review and you will likely see "piece of crap" and "unreliable" associated with this car. This is not the case. Treat it like gold, and it will last. Since Feb 2007 i have had only two problems. The EGR valve and an exhaust manifold leak. The car runs like a dream and the 3100 V6 is as fast as a V6 powered camry or accord, but for far less money. The car is safe, too, with dual airbags and ABS. I strongly recommend getting one fairly well equipped with the CD player, power equipment, etc.

Favorite Features

The 3.1L V6, sport suspension, power everything, the AM/FM Cassette/CD sound system and the sunroof, but my all time favorite would be the sporty styling, that beats the camry or accord in any way.

Suggested Improvements

I dont really have much to say in this category, except the rattles from the interior, but that does nothing to bother me.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Still runs

Written by: mememe on 08/27/2007

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 4 Dr SE Sedan

Review

Bought it in 2001 with 17k miles on it. The 6-cylinder engine gives it decent speed pickup. There is no rust except on the underside, which is pretty good after this many years for Minnesota. It had never stalled on me. The numbers of problems I've run into keeps growing though, even though I don't drive it much. Power windows dying a slow and painful death, one of the fog lights going out periodically due to bad wiring, the cd player display malfunctioning and it wouldn't play cds for about a year (I was about to have it replaced when it magically started working again), fan/ac giving off a high pitch noise, and the all-to-common leak problem.

Favorite Features

Traction control system. Automatic lights on. 4 cylinders might be ok for some people, but I like it better with V6/automatic.

Suggested Improvements

I'd like more reliable motors for the power windows, a fix for the leak plague, improved fuel economy.

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Car is ok for gas mileage.

Written by: katie on 07/21/2007

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr GT Coupe

Review

I got my Grand Am when I was almost 17 years old. I am now 21 and have had all the known Pontiac problems, like the coolant leaks, trunk release latch breaking, window motor going and the seals in the engine going. I have put numerous rotors and pads on this car because GM did not make brakes big enough. I also had the usual car probs like tires and belts and so on, but the car is very zippy, and compared to the pickup I drove recently, gets great gas mileage. It also has nice styling. All used cars have problems, and either way I guess I would recommend this car.

Favorite Features

Sunroof, and the big front windows in 2dr coupe.

Suggested Improvements

Fix that engine problem! And revise the radiators and hose assembly. Seats could be bigger.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Love my car

Written by: Wendy on 11/28/2006

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr SE Coupe

Review

I bought my car used with 32,000 miles on it. I have put on a little over 40,000 in the past four years and have had NO problems with my car. It has been perfect in the snow, perfect in wet weather, nice and cool in the summer. I have only had to replace a few things, but I have a wonderful mechanic who takes good care of the car; I haven't needed any expensive work done. I love this car and were it not for an expanding family, I would never sell it. Two-doors aren't very car-seat friendly!

Favorite Features

Extra Traction Control... I have never once gotten stuck in our bad winters. Best feature ever.

Suggested Improvements

The bucket seat is way to low for me- I can't reach ticket windows, drive-throughs, etc. Raise up the seat so smaller people can see!

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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A Maintenance Nightmare

Written by: Speedracer1021 on 10/30/2006

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr GT Coupe

Review

Bought this car after wrecking my 97 Civic. Have only had car for a few months and it has put me down 3 times. Already replaced broken motor mount that caused car to "growl" when accelerating, bad alternator that drained battery and left me stranded in the middle of nowhere, temp sensor and thermostat because car kept overheating, front shocks b/c car started squeaking and bouncing over even the smallest bumps, keyless remote, front brake rotors and brake pads. Right now I am having numerous electrical problems with the car. I really like the car, but I have to get rid of it because I can't afford the maintenance. Wouldn't recommend buying one unless you have the money to maintain it.

Favorite Features

Sporty good looks, good acceleration and fuel economy with V-6, nice sound system, decent ride.

Suggested Improvements

Better build quality and reliability. Lower maintenance costs (repairs are very costly), and who designed the braking system on this car. It seems like I am having constant brake problems.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Loved this car.

Written by: NYCGirl on 08/26/2006

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr SE Coupe

Review

I really did love this car. I purchased the 1998 SE Coupe in 2001 with 28k on it. Drove it from NYC to Florida, to Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland (love the roadtrips), and never had a problem save normal wear and tear. The engine was ridiculously fast (and it was cherry red.. yes, I got many speeding tickets), and it STUCK to the road. I hated to get rid of it, because it was still in excellent condition, but I couldn't afford to park it in Manhattan anymore ($400 a month.. ouch). Really do love this car, though.

Favorite Features

The engine was ridiculous. Totally unexpected. Faster than you'd think. Handled great. Sticks to the road. Great pick-up.

Suggested Improvements

Mm. Let's face it -- the design is typical Pontiac of that era. Rental car looks.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Good Little Car

Written by: Good Little Car on 08/04/2006

Vehicle

1998 Pontiac Grand Am 2 Dr SE Coupe

Review

Bought the car with only 1200 miles on it, and was always a great car. Always got me where I needed to go, never left me stranded. The AC always blows cold, and I have never had to do any major maintence besides brakes, and fluids. The engine is fast, and gets great fuel economy. But, one day we took it up town, went in the store, came out, and would not start. Car had 242,000 miles on it by then. Was a great car, and we were expecting it to go. Guy at the shop said the engine was blown, and we had the option to crush it, or rebuild it. We crushed it, and now own a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser.

Favorite Features

Moon Roof, Quick Engine, Stereo, and Interior Design.

Suggested Improvements

Interior could be built of better plastice, and cup holders could be more convienient.

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