Styling, options, acceleration (205 lb-ft. of torque baby!), stereo (Monsoon, I'm drenched in audio bliss), rims (even if they are fake), leather, price vs. value.

Brakes, blower motor (went after 3,000 miles), passenger seat release (back of seat) falls off all the time.

This is a fantastic car for the newly out of college 20-something who's looking to buy a new car that offers both luxury and performance for a great value. I have had a great deal of fun whilst driving this vehicle around. The acceleration is good, if not the greatest for a car of this size and weight. The handling is equally good considering it's on Goodyear tires. The stereo absolutely kicks when I turn it up and it's got a great bass response for being all stock.

The only items I can complain about are the blower motor (mine failed at roughly 3,000 miles); and the brakes. They feel much too soft and inadequate for a car this size and weight. The rims are also somewhat of a dissapointment as the "Chrome Tech" rims are nothing more than pieces of plastic epoxied onto the factory aluminum rims.

All in all, this car is a blast to drive and I've never had any complaints from the ladies either. Everyone seems to love this car.

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1991 Plymouth Sundance America, 1996 Dodge Neon Expresso, 1998 Dodge Neon R/T, 1996 Saturn SC1, 1996 Chrysler Cirrus, 2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE

Overall, OK car. Looks nice. Good pick up with the V-6. Good handling with the low profile wide tires.

BRAKES!!!!! I have had the front rotors replaced three times (I only have 28000 miles on it). Door panels bubbled, and the plastic housing on the mirrors is dull. Low trade in value (could be that dealers know about the brake problem). I tried to trade and was offered 2K less than I owe.

I hear that the brakes have been re-done on the 2001. I would recommend a Grand Am if this is true.

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1995 Grand Am. I didn't have as many problems with the old model.

This car has a great ride, its smooth, and it packs plenty of power for a 2.4L engine. The transmission is smooth and you are through the gears and up to 60 in no time at all. Even though there arent many Pontiacs with a manual transmission, this one is very smooth and the clutch is nice and soft. Plus its sleek body and spoiler gives it the looks of a sports car at the cost of a regular car. Plus there is plenty of space to pack at least 3 friends along for the ride.

The seats are mildly uncomfortable but nothing too bad, I love this car!

I have been driving this car for six months and I abslolutly love it.

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Compared to the Chevy that i was driving this GT model has twice the power with half the problems!

gas mileage, cupholers, spacious (both inside and in truck), insurance costs.

small engine, 3 speed automatic (wish it were a 4 spd.), and all problems mentioned.

All I have to say is **** this car (not all of yours, just mine). I read thru all of these posts and I am shocked that no one has had anywhere NEAR the problems that I've had with mine. I swear that everyone on the assembly line for my particular car was drunk off their A$$. I'll start at the beginning. (By the way, I have the 2.3L Quad 4 SOHC engine)

1st day: Paid $1700 cash for a beautiful red 93 grand am se w/ 100,534 miles on it. It had it all - Spoiler, Alloy rims, Power everything, excellent sound system, flawless paint, Tach. I was truly impressed. Well I couldn't tak eit home 'cuz it had loose plugs - no big deal, got a loner and picked it up the next day. A/C does not work, needs recharging, refrigerant not available, need upgrade ($300)

2nd day: Brakes locked up constantly, had to have them fixed, covered under warranty.

1 month: head gasket blew, warped cylinder head, need new hoses, $832 and 3 weeks driving a P.O.S. Ford escort station wagon, covered under warranty by a nosehair.

The night I got it back: Alternator died, refused to start, stuck across town from home. Fixed the next day ($120)

2 months: Slammed right front wheel into curb after sliding on ice (ABS works for poo), destroyed wheel bearing (approx. $200), could not drive more than 35 mph for risk of tearing up axle. -- No big deal, it was my fault, should have been driving slower.

3 months: New brakes (forgot price).

4 months: flasher burnt out, could use hazards but not directionals (????), replaced for free.

5 months: Driving uphill, heard HUGE bang under car, thought I ran over something so I looked in my mirror as I slowed down and heard it again. Pulled into parking like with a lot of noise, looked under the car and a metal bar as thick as my wrist was snapped in half (lower control arm - $80) - don't have a CLUE how.

7 months: start begins to make noise, mechanic says that the starter drive is failing. Same wheel bearing starts acting up, is a fluke, just replaced 3 mos. ago. Need ANOTHER one. (not covered under warranty, another $200)

8 months: ABS fails intermittently, gages go nuts constantly (would say I'm going 55 when I turned on A/C, all lights dim when pressing brakes, etc.) then mysteriously vanishes.

9 months: Replaced starter after it got really bad ($100), now 10% of the time it won't start at all, have to crawl under car and whack starter with hammer.

Overall, this car is nickel and diming me to death, I'm going to school and working part-time and can't afford it. It's really pissing me off. Every month something fails, you could set a clock by it. And to top it all off the dash rattles like it's full of mice.

And to anyone who's wondering why I got the car so cheap it's because my father owns a car dealership and sold it to me at half of wholesale.

I know Grand Ams are good cars, I know people who have them and have had no serious probs., I just think I got a TRUE lemon and I rate MY car accordingly.

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At this rate I prefer a bike.

She has good take off. When you hit the gas I don't push it to the floor other wise it burns out major league. Only thing that has happened to it is the previous owner used it for hunting. So I had to replace the radiator because it was beat up.

On the valve cover seals It leaks. So after Using replacements twice I went and got something else. Then after a while the bottom window seals rot. This lets water down to the bottom of the doors causing some rust to occur.

I would recomend it. Most people think the tech 4 is weak but for as much as I have done rodding it and all it is in realitivly could shape. Like I said the valve cover seals are weak though. Body wise It has some good styling. I would watch though for rotting bottom window seals. This problem can eventually lead ot some major rust problems. Interior wise it is fair watch for ussuall spills and tears with age.

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Well versus newer I would have to say anything close to the miles on my car has been perty bad.

I love the body, perderably the GT model. I love the power of the engines that are avilable. The interior is fantastic, I love the dash assembly, the bucket seats, and how comfortable it is. The Grand Am also has more options that make it so great.

They really should of made a V6 come with a standard 5-Speed. I am not a big fan of the newer line up of cars, ever since '96, there is hardly any differnce between the GT and the SE. Getting lazy? Isn't it the point to be able to see the diffence? The horse power on the newer ons is WAY TO LOW! Come one now! I am a hardcore Grand Am fanatic, I despise the Grand Prix, why does the Prix get so power? Just not right.

The Grand Am is the car that never loses its good looks. I mean look at the other Pontiacs, they take from the Grand Am's smooth lines and details. I will always be a fan of the '92 thru '95 years, but never really appreciate the other years. Just for the laziness of the company, and bad design of a fantasic car.

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Grand Prix (bla)
Olds Achiva
Buick Skylark
Other...
Viper (just kidding)

Looks okay from a distance, seems to have some power if you punch it just right.

See below.

This car is not recommended for anyone. I don't know much about the inner workings of cars, so please bear with me. Basically, this is my first car and my parents paid for most of it and demanded that it be an American car and preferably a GM. I test drove four cars (Cavalier, Saturn, Sunfire, and Grand Am). The Cavalier felt cheap and not in the same class as the Grand Am, the Saturn was just plain ugly, and the Sunfire was noisy and slggish, so I decided on the Grand Am. I didn't really like it that much to begin with, but I felt that it was better than the others for a similar amount of money, and it was GM like my parents wanted. I tried to talk them into a Civic or something along those lines, but they wanted me to get an American car. Anyway, the car has been nothing but trouble. I don't drive it hard, I've had it in for all of the very expensive service recommended by the dealer, I have used only quality gasoline, and I have basically babied it (as it is my first car). Anyway, the car is just crap. The starter has gone twice, which worries me when I'm far away from home. The brakes have been replaced twice, and the first time was within the first 6,000 miles (I was told that I was abusing the car, which isn't true as I babied it from the start). The windows don't seal properly, and there's nothing the dealer can do about it according to them (when it rains or snows, the driver and passenger get wet). The trunk release has never worked properly. The theft system light is almost always on, and the dealer cannot figure out why. The door panels no longer attach properly to the doors. The rear seat is extremely tiny, and the seat itself wiggles. The front seats seem comfortable for about fifteen minutes, and then you begin to feel the metal frame through the bottom with your butt (and I'm rather light and slim). The front two seats have loosened, and I'm constantly tightening the four nuts that hold the seats down. The stock windshield wipers and BF Goodrich tires were garbage. The parking brake does NOTHING except turn off the automatic headlamps. The car is very, very loud. The screws holding the trim panels for the dash have loosened. Lots of things rattle and make noise. The ABS brakes seem exceptionally poor, as I skid through even the lightest snow. The brakes really bother me, as I feel unsafe in the car during harsh Buffalo winters. This combined with the poor crash test results I have seen really worry me. The car just generally feels cheap. I don't think that this car should be falling apart after only 47,000 miles. I have friends who have Camrys from the early 90's, newer Civics, and one with a Galant who have had no problems like I have. This car is not recommended. Save your money, and look foreign. I want to buy an American car out of principle, but I don't know if I'll be able to in the future after this experience. If you really need to have an American mid-size/economy car, then look elsewhere - maybe Chrysler, I don't know, but do not get a Grand Am. Too many headaches, too much money and aggravation spent on repairs. Oh, also, the dealer (Jim Ball) does not care about his customers. When I bought the car, they raved about their service and everything. Supposedly they're the highest rated Pontiac dealer in NY. However, when I go in there now and complain about rattling, etc., they say they fixed it when it doesn't seem like they did a thing. Also, they've made no effort to help me out with telling me what is covered by warranty. I got this car when I was in high school, and didn't have much money to spend on new brakes and starters, but they couldn't have cared less. I had to figure out what should have been covered by warranty and then argue that to them. I went to GM with some of my complaints, and they sent me a form letter apologizing along with a coupon for some better financing on my next GM vehicle. Yeah right! Not a chance. Bottom line - stay far, far away from Grand Ams and Jim Ball Pontiac.

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Test drove a Chevy Cavalier, Saturn SC2, and Pontiac Sunfire.

I bought this car in May of '98 and it now has 101000 miles on it. I can't complain about it at all. I haven't had nearly the problems that I read about on review pages. It has been a relatively low maintenance car.

The wheel speed sensor went out at about 98000 miles (covered under warranty). The driver side seat springs have gone out, but what do you expect after a 250 lbs man has been sitting in it for 101000 miles. Changing the front brake rotors doesn't look like an easy do it yourself project, had a mechanic do it. The power steering pump is leaking after 101000 miles.

I would recommend the Grand Am to anyone. I changed the brakes twice. First time just the pads at about 40000 miles. Second time changed the rotors and the pads about 40000 miles later. I have not had to take this car to the dealer for anything except the wheel speed sensor. I have changed the oil every three thousande miles or so and have not had any problems. I have heard that American cars usually don't last much past the 100000 miles mark. But I don't think that is the case with the '99 Grand Am. It also has a very simple design that makes it easy for do it yourselfers. Love that the oil filter can be changed without crawling under the car.

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I had an '85 Honda Accord prior to this Grand Am and comparatively they both are low maintenance cars.

Really good acceleration, good braking, really good looking except when its sitting next to a newer model.

None that I know of so far

I would recommend this car to most any teenager, no one older than 25 or so though. Nice sporty looking car at a good price. I was looking for a 94 Thunderbird to begin with but they didnt come around this area very often. But I liked the looks of it and having tinted windows already helped it cause to get it off the lot. Test driving it was a dream as it handled well, braked hard, accelerates well, turns sharp. Gas milage seem to be alright so far, but i havent been driving it much due to the weather around here. My recommendation, if you are lookin at one like this, buy it

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1994 Grand Prix, 1995 Monte Carlo, 1998 Mercury Mystique

The 3.3L V6 absolutely rules all other sedans/sport sedans out there. It accelerates well in speeds below 60mph, and for this kind of power/speed, it gets decent milage. It corners like none other, and has a sporty look. The automatic transmission shifts quick, too. For a car that had 90,000 miles on it when I bought it, it's been pretty reliable - no major mechanical issues known to date.

The transmission is only a 3-speed, which really slows it down in speeds upwards of 65mph. Also, the rear brakes are drum-brakes, not disc-brakes. I have not had any major mechanical problems with it, although I did have to replace the alternator and the rear-right brake drum, and an air-cleaner hose. The manual windows fall out of alignment. The cupholders could be a little more stable, and the dash seems to rattle & squeek a bit.

I bought it for about $6,000 11 months ago, although Kelly Blue Book rated it at $7,200, given the miles and all. It had 90,000 miles on it, which explains some of the minor issues that happened with it (alternator, drum, etc). Overall, I have had more fun driving this car than any other. The engine is a real stud for 7-years and 90,000 miles - I've added about a pint of coolant to it & changed the oil once. No leaks, bad design issues, etc. One quick note - it has a rally-pack on the suspension, which makes for excellent cornering and handling but also makes for a bit of a bumpy ride on some bad-condition streets. If you'd rather have a floating-in-mid-air feeling while you drive, get a Lumina or a Reagle.

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I've also driven a '93 Camry, a '95 Lumina and a 2000 Buick Reagle. Among all, the Grand Am was the lightest and handled the best. It has more power than both the Camry and the Lumina, and was also more reliable as far as major mechanical problems than the Camry and the Lumina.