Loads of standard features. Excellent power. Very good instrumentation and ergonomics. Distinctive styling, inside and out. Good handling. Fun to drive. Large exterior mirrors. Lots of room for people and luggage. Very capable sound system with very good steering wheel controls. Very low maintenance requirements.

Lots of dark plastic makes the inside a little gloomy if you don't have a sunroof. Several quality control problem areas: both door panels have bubbled, radio volume knob doesn't turn the volume down reliably (but I use the steering mounted control), front rotors warp easily. A couple of rattles had to be chased out. Front two cup holders are useless, but the larger cupholder from the 2000 model fits the 1999 model and costs only $19. I've spent more time than I'd like at the dealer's service department.

I think the Grand Am GT is the most fun you can have in a car for under $35K. It's at least 95% of my wife's BMW 328i at less than half the price. It's nimble and quick, far more fun to drive than my ex-1995 Mustang GT, and almost as fast. Can't beat it for fun for the dollar.

The Grand Am is practical without being boring. I've enjoyed literally every drive I've made in this car during the 8 months and 12K miles I've owned it. I gave it 4 stars in my overall rating because of its quality control problems. Without these problems, it would be a solid 5. Even with the problems it's probably my second favorite cars of the 14 I've owned. Well done GM.

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Chevrolet Malibu - the Grand Am GT is much better equipped and has better ergonomics. Grand Am GT corners much better and has better all around performance.

Oldsmobile Alero - very similar cars. The Alero has more mainline styling inside and out. The Grand Am GT has better handling. Alero interior is brighter, but has smaller controls that are harder to use.

Good ride, handling, CD audio, 24hr roadside assistance, 100,000 mile rust warranty

4 cyl a little weak for my tastes but was looking for milage as I bought the car when gas prices in the Chicago burbs were in the $2 a gallon range.Side view mirrors stick out a bit too far but if you got a big garage(I don't)its no problem.

Bought the car using GM's Buypower.com(a major time and hassle saver for car buyers), so I was able to get the best price in my area..$16,000 with 1.9% financing for 60 months. After about 6 weeks and 1200 miles, no problems to report and I have to say that I'm happy not only with my purchase but extremely happy with GM's Buypower program and treatment recieved by the dealer I chose.

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89 Grand Am...a car so good to me(160,000 miles and still rolling) that I swore my next new one would have to be another Grand Am.

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Poorly engineered parts, not designed to be maintained easily

JUNK. Replaced the following parts just this year:

alternator - just died
head - cracked, found out that this is exteremly common with the 4 cylinder
exhaust - rusted away to nothing
Radiator - rotted out where the fan mounts onto it

Other issues
There is no way to change the oil filter without oil running all over the place because the filter is right above a frame cross member. The design of the brake calipers make this the most difficult car to change pads on that I have ever owned. The gray paint is chipping and peeling off on the roof and hood. The headlight lenses are made of plastic which has now been etched by road salt to the point that the headlights are next to useless.

This was my first and last Pontiac. In fact this is my last GM car. If you don't believe me about the problems this car has, talk to someone who goes to auto autions. They will tell you that the 4 cylinder pontiac should be avoided at all cost.

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audi 4000, subaru legacy wagon, Ford F150

It has enough hp to get moving and especially if you have a chip and a K&N Air filter

My Grand Am doesn't get the greatest gas mileage, I guess driving fast don't help. Also, the fornt bumper is all one piece of plastic, some lady backed in to me and just cracked a little piece of it and I had to buy a whole new one, which runs about $300.

I bought mine used fully loaded for 5000 dollars. I really like my automobile but I'd rather have a widetrack grand prix supercharged,but that is just a little out of my price range.

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I have driven a GT and the GT isn't that much greater than a SE. A little more Hp than my car but not very much at all especially with a K&N air filter. gives it approx. 20 more hp.

Looks sporty, nice acceleration. That is it!

Expensive car that doesn't last. Don't be surprised if you have to fix the waterpump and put a new engine in it soon after the warranty is up!
Customer Service sucks and GMC could care less about their Customers.

Don't purchase it unless you have several thousand of dollars to put into it after you have paid the car off or have the money to spare while you are making payments. It is so obvious by the reviews here that GMC built a car that would fool consumers into thinking that they have got a good deal and a car to last them a while.

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Dodge Lancer would rather have it or a ugly Station Wagon than shell out the bucks on a car that should last a lot longer than 2-3 years!!

I love this car! It has excellent acceleration, handling and brakes. Suspension/Handling: With as "well-planted" as this car feels, it is hard to make a mistake in driving it. In taking a corner too fast, I found that the handling to be very neutral - meaning that both the front and the rear slid on the pavement equally. No understeer, no oversteer - a very welcome discovery. Powertrain: Power is great under all conditions - even with the air conditioning on, it accelerates very well. The transmission seems to know when/how to shift better than any other automatic transmission-equipped small/midsize car I have ever driven. (If you don't beleive me, go drive a Ford Taurus V6 and see how undecided it is whereas shifts are concerned) Whoever mapped the shift programming in this car deserves a raise. Brakes: The brakes have a good feel to them - quick engagement, solid pedal. They seem to have a very consistent stopping ability through a range of scenarios - stop & go driving, city, highway, rain, etc. No brake squeal whatsoever. Ride / comfort: The ride is fairly comfortable as far as I am concerned. It is a bit rough on some roads, but the "in-control" feeling of the suspension more than makes up for it. The variable-assist steering is a very welcome feature. The seats and interior are well-done, and are comfortable for extended periods of driving. The "soft" dashboard is a nice touch, and lends a upscale feeling to the car, rather than the cars that have hard plastic dashboards. Interior noise is pretty low. It is definately one of the most quiet cars that I have driven - no squeeks or rattles whatsoever. Overall, I will probably want to keep it until it dies. 36k miles and counting...

I had to take the car in to the dealership for some warranty work on the brakes and steering. The front brakes were warped (a common problem with some of the new Grand Am's) and the Rack and Pinion steering made noise when at a dead stop and moving the wheel from left to right. The dealership replaced the front rotors and pads, and I haven't had a problem with them since. They also replaced the variable-assist rack & pinion steering under warranty as well. As I am told the rack & pinion is very expensive ($1000+) new, I was very appreciative of that. As these few problems were fixed without incident at the dealership, I really have nothing negative to say about the experience.

I paid roughly 20k for my car, and I feel like I got a good car for my money. It has always started, and has always done what was asked of it. I treat it well (3000mi oil changes, regular tire rotation @ 6k miles, etc..), so I am sure that it will do the same for me. I would strongly recommend this car to anyone looking for a good small to mid-size car where performance, looks and value are of primary importance. I've had this car for over a year and a half, and I still get looks in it. The only way Pontiac could make it better is to offer a supercharged version and add a few more digital extras to it (temp, compass, heads-up display to name a few..) Long live GM!!!!!

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The car can spin it's wide tires at the light with little effort. In my opinion, this is one of the Top 5 best looking cars made today under $100K. The front wheel flares rule. The transmission is excellent. The wheel rims look great (I think the aluminum rims look cooler than the 2000's optional fake-chrome rims!). The car has a TON of features for the price....6-way power seat, 6-speaker stereo, ABS, traction-control (kicks butt in the snow going uphill!), and Valentine-1 Radar Detector (....oh wait, I bought that). The strengths outweight the weakenesses significantly. Plenty of room in the car. The car also incorporates the new GM "we'll tell you when to change the oil" light - very useful and saves you from having to change your oil when it isn't necessary. Also includes a tire pressure monitor - cool! The car (when not equipped with new emissions controls) does 139mph effortlessly. And this is a Grand Am??!

The cup holders are great if you only use mini Dixie cups....otherwise with the damn shifter in the way, they serve no purpose. This was fixed in 2000. The cruise control buttons are in a moronic position. I liked the old Pontiac cruise button configuration much better. The volume knob on the radio is faulty, sometimes lowering the volume does nothing or actually increases it. The car scratches its own windows (this is a known problem by GM - dealer will fix at my next oil change). The brakes have a -different- feel and recently developed an oddity. Might be the warp rotor problem I read about. The front door speakers can't handle the radio's power very well. The seats are not that cozy after a 2hr drive. The AC sometimes stinks after you turn if off but keep the fan going.

I mentioned lots of weaknesses, but they are all minor in my opinion and will be taken care of under warranty. The car is HOT! - and you'll get stares all the way down the street. I have no regrets.

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It kicks the older Grand Am's butts, that's for sure.

Excellent pick-up, roomy interior, good tranny, looks good, has all the toys.

A/C isnt that great(just had it serviced and still doesnt do too well), engine taps a little(always keep up with regular maintenance), has 74k on it, but it has been babied. Not too great on gas for a 4cyl.

paid 11,500(about 2 yrs ago and it only had 19k on it). I would recommend looking into a saturn. Grand am isnt too bad, but saturns are great on gas and they last a long time.

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Saturn SL2......Much better on gas....its my husbands car and it has 170k on it. The best car we have ever owned.....not ONE problem. I am going to buy a saturn as soon as i pay my grand am off.

The 2.4liter engine is very responsive when passing or just when you want to let off a little steam. The car is very well designed inside and out. And for the money it has alot of features compared to other cars I have driven.

The only complaints I have is that it sences all of the imperfections in the road and some of controls take a little while to figure out. And I still have not figured out how to check the fluid in the supposedly matinance free transmission. Their is no dipstick!!

I paid 11500 for my Grand Am with few options other than the many standard ones. It had 15000 on it when I bought it and now has over 36000 miles after just 6 months and with apsolutly no problems. It is a very fun car to drive and I am getting ready to buy a 2000 model with all the options. And over all it is the best car I have owned yet.

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1995 Grand Prix Liked it as well but it had a much better ride but lacked the sporty body of the Grand AM
1991 Ford Probe Was a very poor car with many defects in the front-end as well as the motor
1995 Escort poor ride runs well but has many problems with the automatic seat belts, ac, and the wireing to the tail lights.
1991 and 1997 Saturns both were also very good cars but I like the style of the Grand AM better

Great power vs. other cars in its class.

I need a CD player.

18,000....and well worth it. Lotta options....very neat. I recommend for those who want sporty and gas friendly.

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Much better