Used 1998 Pontiac Grand Am Sedan Consumer Reviews
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Gauges
baybays4, 12/03/2011
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I have a 98 pontiac grand am while driving it ALL the gauges stopped working, turned it off and let it sit for a few weeks, started car let it run for about 30 minutes, and guages still not working.
Pontiac Grand Am
jessay123, 03/08/2012
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I baught my 98 Grand Am almost a year ago with 120k miles. The fitst couple of months were great. Then heater core went out, water pump, timing chain tenion thing, window motor, a rubber on the engine mount and now it's leaking either trans fluid or power steering fluid. Other than the reaccuring problems the car drives great. Also the pick up is pretty decent for a 4cyl.
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dudeman15926, 12/26/2010
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
Owned this car for about 2 years. Since I had it i had nothing but problems. I bought it with 93000 Miles. Although, for a 4 cylinder, this is a fast car :P but i had all sorts of problems with it. Heater Core, Thermostat, Power steering, window regulator broke, and a few others. This was only in the course of 2 years. The car wouldnt start unless i held down the gas and started it. My brother also had a 2001? grand am and also had SO many issues with it. This is not a good car. 2/2 grand ams sucked. dont get one.
decent
sean, 06/04/2009
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Bought the car about 4 yrs ago with only 20k... Ran fine for about 10k and a timing chain tensior went out. Had it replaced. But other than that this has been a wonderful car. Only think i notice is if you turn the heater on your smell coolant for a min then goes away. No leaks however.
Great car just needs taken care of right
amariscruz, 11/02/2010
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Love my car it's a 98' Grand Am GT. Handles like no other fuel economy is great. This car is good it just needs taken care of. Sounds like the guy above who had to replace all those things on his car a month after buying it had a leak in his radiator but kept trying to drive it like that thats why it messed up his head gasket. You"ll love to drive this car fast and fun
Can't wait to get rid of it!
ImpyTink, 11/08/2005
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've had problems with this car since I had it for only six months. It's always at the mechanics. I hate this car and I can't wait to lose it. I finally have a job that maybe I can lose it soon. Not reliable. Has left me stranded many times. I pray for it to get stolen.
My Favorite Car!
calmann, 02/27/2009
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Tough car! I have always taken care of it and it has done the same for me! Bought it with 57k on it and it now has 135k. For the money, the best car I've owned! I've spent 400 bucks on it besides reg maintenance. Been back and forth between coasts and would still trust it to go right now! Windows are slow, has a water leak in the interior. Has never been in a garage since I have owned it. I still beatrun it to work and don't ever have a problem! I would buy another in a minute. I have had people ask me to sell it more than a few times!IE. A note on my window after being in a store! Not selling! Gonna keep her till she drops!
It's just as good as Honda or Toyota
Rob, 12/29/2007
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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.
My Granny Am
Kayla M, 08/28/2009
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Since getting my Grand Am in 2004, it has been an overall great ride. Although it may not look sporty or "cool", it's reliability is pretty good. Thus far the fuel pump, and shifter are the only real problems I have had. In winter, it is pretty amazing, especially since I live in the country and do lots of highway driving. The car is fairly fuel efficient as well.
Mecanically sound GrandAm
Allen59, 08/21/2002
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
My wife drives this car daily... It gets about 27 MPG regardless of how you drive it in the city (I have a heavy foot) Interstate is 32 MPG And it has excellent pickup at all speeds (3.1 V-6) After over 3 and a half years we have put 50,000 miles on it and have never experienced a mecanical problem. This car handling is exceptional in turns with the Firestone 720's Very reliable car.
Unreliable
luminitam, 09/27/2002
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
New car was bought in 1998. Despite being very well maintained and with less than 26,000 on board, the car has experienced ongoing problems with the radio/cassette player, wiring and more recently, serious problems with defective ABS system and rear end motor, all which need replacing, costs exceeding $2,000.
NOT An Improvement
augidog, 12/20/2002
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
After having good luck with a previous Grand Am we bought another. The car is economical and reasonably dependable. Had more troubles with this one than the previous one. Breaks went bad quickly and had to replace everything even though we caught the wear before the pads were gone. Come on GM get it together. Radio went bad twice. Problems with sensors on the ABS and the engine at times would start to accelerate and just keep on accelerating. Turn it off and then on and everythings fine.
Best Eight Years Ever and Still Running Strong
jake0886, 05/08/2011
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I've owned my 1998 Grand Am SE 3.1L since 2003 and am still driving it today, for an amazing 8 years! I have all installed options as well. Best of all, I've had zero issues with it. Considering this was my first car during high school, that's quite a feat. Originally it had 48K miles and was a salvage title that cost me $2800 + $700 in parts to rebuild. It survived my pizza delivery days in high school, college days and 8 years later...I'm still driving it as it just won't die like many friends and family predict it would. Currently still running with zero issues at 178K. Best $3500 investment ever! I absolutely love this car and would gladly a new Pontiac if they still existed!
Dependable transportaion
Mr. Jones, 09/01/2003
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased new in May 98. delivered with zero defects. a couple of minor problems in first 5000 miles,(cruise control switch and a plugged injector) both fixed right the first time under warranty. No further problems until 40000 miles, fuel rail was leaking and replaced. Replaced front brake pads at 42000 miles (lot of city driving) but other than than no problems, a fun to drive car that give good fuel economy and good road handling. A strict maintenance schedule is adhered to and car is always kept in good mechanical condition.Nothing fancy but just good wife car.
a eulogy for my first car
It is dead, 09/18/2003
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought it with 75K, and things went well for the first year. Then had transmition problems. Had that rebuilt for $1000. Things went pretty well for the next couple years, just regular stuff (brakes, catalytic converter, sway bars)happening. Then the head gasket blew, warping the block. That happened out of the blue and at one of the most inopportune times. Had to find another quad four engine to put in it. This one sounded funny. It was in a collision, now it is dead. It was a fun first car to have. Interior was compfortable enough for two, more than that got tough. Decent for hauling stuff on road trips, the gas mileage was usually around 30.
wehatesit
sickofit, 10/30/2003
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
At first sight we loved it, after a year we hate it! The alternator went out twice, along with the battery. This will cause the motor to shut down sei zing your gaershift and ability to retrieve your keys.Fuel pump, fuel injector, abs sensors, four rotors with pads,swing arm all replaced. Trans mission also runs noisy in lower gears.Radio is going bad now and my side view mirror even fell of while washing the car one day! Overall pontiac made a loser when they put this hunk of metal together.
llllllllooooovvvvvveeeeee it!
ruby718, 01/01/2004
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Just recently my Grand Am was totaled. I am quite sad to see it go. It had 103,800 miles and was still as reliable as the day we got it. We never had a problem with it. We even had a trailer hitch put on and would tow a trail every summer vacation. Still no problems. I just hope I can find a car as reliable as that one! I hope to stick with Grand Am. The only con seat could be a little more comfortable and a little more leg room in back for the kids in car seats.
Poor Reliability
MiaW., 03/28/2004
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This car had a wonderful appearance and great reviews. However, I could not count on it to get me from point A to point B. I put as much money into fixing it over the 3 years I had it as I did buying it at 3 years old. I'd recommend to any one thinking about purchasing this car (unless you are a mechanic with nothing to do), be careful.
Great Car
adgirl402004, 08/24/2004
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I've been very happy with my Grand Am.
1998 pontiac grand am
Resstop, 10/17/2004
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Reliable, plenty of power, red exterior paint has faded in some areas, paint has oxidized badly in some areas.
Enigma
PONT98, 03/24/2005
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This car has only stranded me once and that was 6 mos after buying it for a shift interlock problem that cost 350 bucks. Aside from that I personally fixed the intake manifold leak the v6s are prone to that would have cost 550. The clear coat is coming off on the spoiler and one window frame. The seats are pretty rotten. Power is good and so is the tranny. Brakes need frequent replacement due to small size. The seat and paint might be my fault, but crappy plastic and intake manifold problems as well as the common front suspension creak are all normal issues with this car. By the way my car has 11200 miles on it and I have owned it for 5 years. I would not recommend this car. I am stuck w/it.
Engines bearings go bad
animalpals2, 09/30/2005
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
after 100,000 miles the engines main bearings go bad. they are very quick cars though. i'm a female and even dodge trucks can't keep up with me , hehehe overall its been very reliable to me i take care of the maintenance on the engine and the bearings still went. it's the only downfall in grand ams either the bearings go or the timing belt.
Reliable, economical car
Karen, 11/11/2005
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I've had this car since it was new and have never regretted the purchase. It has only required general maintenance and some tires, belts and hoses - which don't last forever. The only thing I don't like is the fact the engine runs hot when driving slow in heavy traffic - this car likes to keep moving.
performance of my 1998 grand am se
Karen Kirby, 12/03/2005
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I would have to say in the 3 years Iv'e had my car, it's been reliable. Brakes need to be replaced often. And it seems that some places have a problem getting the brakes to work correctly. almost exclusively the rear brakes. They tend to brake uneven, like your car is tilting. After having gone to about three different repair shops, the problem was finally resolved when they changed the rotors as well. Struts need to be reolaced, and power windows are going out, but I have never been stranded.
Still runs
mememe, 08/27/2007
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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.
Not a top choice
95Light, 06/17/2003
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I am still looking for the excitement that Pontiac talks so much about. The seats are awful and with the SE you are surrounded by hard plastic which doesn't aid in comfort. The engine (4 cyl type) does well and so do the brakes but the chassis lets these down. The transmission broke at 75K miles and the altenator died 1K miles after. All in all I should have bought the Honda or Toyota for a little more money. Very plain car.
A fun Ride!
Allen, 03/29/2016
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Where to start with this car? I owned a 1998 Pontiac grand AM GT V6. I bought the car in 2012 when I first turned 16 at 132,000 miles. I'll start with the good. The V6 engine in the car gets up and it is pretty loud for a nice vroom vroom feel. I drove this car hard during my whole 4 years of owning it and not once did the engine or transmission show any signs of wear. In the winter the car will start with no problems. I had co-workers with 05's and up whose cars would not budge at all in the cold weather, my Pontiac would turn on and be driving down the road about a minute later. Now electronics are obviously not going to be top notch in this car as it is a 1998. I came with a standard radio and a cassette player so at least you could use a cassette to MP3 player for music(I replaced the radio). Now the bad, keep in mind I did not get a carfax before I bought this car and the shady dealer I bought it from did not do any work before hand. The car was in the shop for quite a few minor fixes. I Probably spent around $2000 in repairs on the car. Ball bearings were bad but went to crap about 3 months after I bought the car $400, I had seal for the radiator bust that cost me $600 along with other radiator repairs...In the winter this car does horrible in the snow. Even with good tires and new brakes it is terrifying to drive in any type of snow, but if you drive careful as you should it will get you to your destination safely. The window motor on my driver side window went bad so it would only go down halfway. The passenger side window motor would not go down at all. I have read reviews before about he window motors on the make and model so I would be wary of those...Besides that I finally got into a new car this year in 2016 leaving my Pontiac with 180k miles. The Pontiac was still running and would probably still be running for another few years. I would recommend this car for a first car or for something reliable and fun.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
True love until 103,000 miles
noram, 04/08/2008
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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
Not too bad for the price.
Braves441, 03/31/2002
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Good car for the money. Has some quality issues, but it's a good starter car.
An Alright Car
Taylor, 01/11/2017
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought my '98 Pontiac Grand AM almost 2 years ago, with only 93,000 miles. An elderly woman owned it before me and her son took good care of it, but left it sitting for years, so it took several oil changes before it quit looking dirty. I'm not much of a car person, no one has ever showed me much about maintenance, but since I've had it, I've had the serpentine belt replaced, a brake pad, and had Freon put in it. That's about it. Maybe I've gotten lucky, but no major issues have occurred. Now, the A/C didn't work from the get go, but I didn't mind it until a really hot summer. The ABS light has stayed on since not long after getting the car...mechanics said it was just a sensor and turned it off, but it came back. Occasionally the battery light comes on, but I've never had a problem with it starting. The radio knob fell off, so it's kind of hard to adjust the volume without busting your eardrums. I WISH I had plain crank windows, because being a 19 year old car, the power windows barely work. The driver window luckily works the best out of all of them! Car is somewhat noisy, especially on highway. The headlights are great, super clear with no fog. AS OF 2017: I slid in a curve due to snow, and ran up on a short rock wall, and dented in a chain link fence. The body is TOUGH! Only scratches, a busted fog light, a dented plate holder, and I knocked the long plastic piece off that runs under my doors. (I just popped it the rest of the way off since it was dragging.) Underneath: I was told I broke the stabilizer/sway bar, and that the car needs to be aligned. (My brakes had also started to grab before the accident, so I'm having those looked at too.) I'm having it fully looked over to estimate the damage, but I honestly think (after research) that it will only amount to no more than $400, without any cosmetic stuff done. (I don't care, as long as I can drive it.) Insurance estimated WAY up there, actually more than the car is worth, mainly because of the scratches. Overall, she's a tough car. I hope to keep her, but I always am hoping to get a newer one, that's not so low to the ground.
- Safety
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Fun car to drive expensive to keep
carlover, 01/25/2005
1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Had this car for about a year when problems slowly started appearing. First was the notorious Coolant leak that GrandAMs commonly have.Next the igngition coils blew on 2 cylinders, all this needing about 1200$ to fix.As a poor student, this ate most of my savings. Car is extremely powerful.Just step on the gas pedal and all it asks you is what speed you want to run to. Interior is not well designed..esp the cup holders are awkward.The front cup holder cant be used when gear is in Park.Fuel economy is 15-16 mpg once you reach about 60k miles.ALl I can say is that dont buy the HorsePower you dont need.Go for a Toyota/Honda and keep maintenance minimum and get a good resale value.
Sensors
KJG517, 05/29/2003
1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
ABS sensor is always going and having problems. Brakes wore down very quickly. Still going strong however because I keep it up and dont let my cars die