Nice looks, nice price.

The other reviews here have some pretty weird complaints. Seats too low? Personally I don't think its quite low enough. Gas guzzler? I'm getting between 22-26MPG which is right in the middle of the EPA's estimate.

Anyways, I paid about $18k for my SE1 with the V6 and love it. There have been some problems with warped rotors from quite a few owners, I have yet to experience this problem. The lack of a 5spd manual for the V6 sucks, but not much you can do about it. An interesting note is that there will soon be a supercharger available..

Sporty looks, smooth engine that sounds good when revved, features and equipment for the money, got a good deal compared to list price

Has been in the shop a lot, no 5 spd available, uncomfortable seats that sit way too low, fit and finish is questionable in a few areas, an air conditioner that refuses to get more than moderately cold.

This is my wife's car. We leased it for a little over $18,000 fully loaded in March of 98. We got a good deal on the car...the dealership gave us a substantial amount off the sticker price. She had always wanted a new Grand Am and really likes the car, but the mounting visits to the shop are concerning her (as well as myself). It has been in 4 times for the driver side front window that sticks and binds(electric windows), three times for a slipping transmission (which I think has finally been resolved), twice for a non functioning a/c unit, once for a new heater core, and has now developed a problem with the ignition system. This is totally unacceptable for only 13,200 miles. The black painted mirrors also faded to gray in less than a year. The dealer covered the mirrors under warranty and re-painted them.

The car has a lot of features including a better than average cassette and CD stereo system, light sensing/auto on headlamps as well as daytime running lights, auto locking doors, power everything, and ABS to name some. The handling is average but the power is above average for the size of engine and is totally adequate for most situations. In absolute terms, however, it is not nearly the equal in power, handling, and fun-to-drive factor as my SVT Contour (see my review on the Contour on this web site as well). While the all season performance tires do grip well- aided by the traction control- they are noisier than those that were on my 96 4x4 Ranger STX pickup when driving on the highway. I am a healthy, 26 year old male yet I have an awful time getting in and out of the front seats...let alone the rear seats. Ergonomically, the seats are far too low and you sink into them. While my wife is neutral on the subject, I also do not care for the red dash lights. I find them very distracting when driving even when turned down.

Reviewing what I've written so far, it would appear I don't like this car too much. This, however, is not necessarily the case. It does have a lot to offer and the gripes that I have are not really major (except for the reliability issue) and probably wouldn't be noticed by a lot of people. It is a fun to drive, sporty sedan that offers a ton of features for the money. Unfortunatly, I think we may have gotten a lemon and that has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Without the reliability issue, I would give the car a solid four stars for value and overall. Unfortunately, though, this isn't the case and I'll have to give it an average rating- 3 stars across the board.

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Also own a 98 Ford SVT Contour. Have driven Pontiac Grand Prix, Ford Taurus, Chrysler Concord, Honda Accord, ect.

Power is available when it is needed. Lots of "creature comforts." Very comfortable.

Guzzles gas, engine sounds like that of a sports car. 3.4L engine is extreemly difficult to service.

A fairly good car to own. Repair bills will put a hole in your wallet, though. Nice first car for anyone.

Extellect braking and corning. Nice Peppy little engine. Excellent excellent excellent looks!

The shocks are a little harsh on those potholes

excellent buy for a reliable sporty car. I recommend it to anyone

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Mercury Topaz

Fairly smooth and lively V6 engine, good transmission, halfways decent sound system, and a very good climate control system. I got this car back in February of 99 with 37,000 miles on it... it's now up to about 55,000 miles, and so far, so good in terms of core mechanical parts reliability.

Uncomfortable seats! I'm glad that they fixed this up with the 99 model, as the seats in my 96 Grand Am SE coupe are of extremely questionable quality. They wobble too much & rock on their tracks, and they aren't very adjustable. It would have been nice for GM to make the manual seats more adjustable on these Grand Am's like they did for its virtual twins, the Oldsmobile Achieva and Buick Skylark. I had to buy a support cushion for the seat, and so far, it's helped out some, but not enough to want me to keep this car for the next 4 years. Make sure that if you test drive this car when the weather is cold out, take off your jacket so that you can truly feel how unsupportive and unadjustable the seats in this car can be. The jacket might give you some added padding, but what about when summer rolls around? :)

Oh yeah, I also had some problems with the key getting stuck in the ignition when turning off the car. This problem has been somewhat fixed, but it still occurs here and there. The solution to this is to remove a small panel underneath the steering wheel and, whenever the key gets stuck, to make sure to reach into the hole and press a "button" that is supposed to click when you put the car into park to let you take the key out in the first place.

Other quibbles - The handling and braking abilities of this car are subpar. The fit and finish isn't the best, but at least the paint isn't peeling off.

I like how Consumer Reports rated this car when it was freshened up in 1996... "looks new, but feels old." I only bought it because of it's V6 engine and smooth transmission. Throw in antilock brakes and traction control, and you get a pretty good used car for about $10,000. However, I should have taken more time in test driving it to figure out that the seats aren't very comfortable... they are the most questionable seats I have ever found in ANY car that I have driven. Even my old 87 Grand Am used to have less wobbly seats. I think that if I had a power seat on my car, I would be enjoying it much more... so, if I'm planning on keeping this car for quite some time, I should invest $500 or whatever into getting a power seat for it. This way, I'll feel more comfortable in my car... and then as a result, also feel more confident about it.

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1987 Grand Am - We got this car in 1988, and it was in the family for quite some time until the engine froze up at 151,000 miles this past February when, surprise surprise, I got my current 96 Grand Am.

1999 Grand Am GT - Nice car! The steering is a bit touchy until you get used to it, but the braking and overall handling are much better than any previous Grand Am. The interior is much nicer too. However, this 99 Grand Am that I have driven already has way too many paint chips on the hood (it's getting a new hood under warranty because of a botched paint job) and some other various fit and finish problems. If GM is able to fix these minor, though annoying , problems, I'll perhaps consider buying a 2000 or later Grand Am.

The car looks cool. The lines are smooth and interior is nifty though the cupholders are useless. Lots of room for the family.

Hmmm lets see....Oh yeah I bought it used big mistake. I think It may have come from a rental fleet but the dealer says no. Suspension problems,Brake problems, Heating/AC problems,Fog lamp fell out, Battery leaked acid that caused leak in Winshield Washer jug, and recently the front window cracked for no reason. I would not recommend buying a used one for anyone. Maybe if I bought a new one I wouldn't have these problems. Mine was 10 months old with over 20k on it. The dealer talked me into a lease with it so I'm stuck with the junk for another 2 years poor me. (oh yeah I wish mine the rims and spoiler)

Be afraid be very afraid of the car. Don't make the same mistake my wife and I made.

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none but my friend bought a used 99 camry the same week and his car is much better and he got it for a better price.

Great looks, the 3.4 V6 is a fun, perky engine. It is fast, responsive, solid, never experienced any problems. Car handles well especially in rain and snow. Traction Control is a great feature in bad weather. Gas mileage averages 23 mpg in the city. Very little servicing necessary.

The Brakes are ok but wear very fast. One Rotor had to be changed at 25,000
miles, the other one resurfaced at 35,000. Window regulator in coupes are too fragile for the heavy window it has to lift, broke at 42,000 miles. Checked with the dealer, happens often. Access to the back seat critical.

I would recommend the 2door for its looks, its roominess at the front and its good roadhandling. It is more of a driver's car than anything else. Comfort is ok. You would buy this car for its engine, its accelerations, the feel (and the noise) of the engine at a very decent price.

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None

This is my first new car. The car looks are great, it has great lines, 3.4l can get up and go but has slowed considerable with 25000 miles, sound system was good but i replaced it with a competetion level system. Steering wheel controls are great. Performance is good but could be better "SC-T".

I have found the floor in the back sit to be soaking wet, so there is a leak somewhere, steering has gotten loose, brakes wear to fast, rattling noise that comes from sunroof visor, road noise to loud.

This car is great if you want a cheap car that can get you where you need to go fast, just hope you don't have to stop that fast because braking sucks. Great car to lease, real cheap. I would recommend this car if you have a small budget and looking for some speed and good looks otherwise stay away.

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My friend has a 98 grand am gt w/3.1L and my kills it in the quarter mile, they did much better with 3.4l v6, good job there!

I'm with everyone else about the cupholders. You can never have enough of them. I absolutely love the design, although I've got to get rid of the hupcaps. The inside is nice, I love the dash board. It's been a great car so far.

The brakes! I thought it was just me, but after I've read everyone elses comments I don't guess I'm alone. It's a lot harder to see out of than my old 97 grand am. I WANT NEW WHEELS! I don't understand why car makers put plastic crap for wheels. The gas seems to be worse than my old one, and my new one is even a V4 instead of a V6 like my 97 one. But maybe that's just because I'm broke and my parents won't give me any money for gas. Hehe!

I'm only 17 years old, and it has been the best car for me to learn on. My new car was a rental car and it has quite a few miles on it to be a 2000. I think I made a mistake purchasing that one impaticular. But ALL cars get wore out after so long. I think if you choose your Grand Am's wizely, they can be a great car. I definatly recommend it. Expecially to parents buying thier teenage daughters new cars. Not only are they at low prices, but I'm a teenage daughter and I love mine with a passion.

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My old 97 Grand Am was my very first car and I had it for a year, that baby had so many memories in it (maybe that's why I can't let it go). I love the new ones appearance sooooo much better than the older, but it seems like my new one is worse instead of better.

Sporty feel, excellent glossy exterior, torque & power

Poor Gas milage, even with a tune-up I only get about 40-50 miles a tank. Poor dual exhaust system design that probably needs replaced once a year. Faulty Oil Gaskets.

$4,500...Id recommend this as a first car for your kids or an overall first car. This was my first car..Ill probably be getting a new one in the next year or so. It is reliable, but repairs are extremly expensive..as a collegiate student I cant really afford to pay the high prices to get a car of this caliber fixed. I had to pay $400 just to get a computer chip replaced..now that is rediculous. I just got an estimate on a new muffler system...over $350!!!! I was appaulled. I recommend this car to anyone who just needs some form of reliable and wants to venture into the sports arena of cars...otherwise I recommend a Saturn.

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None...Saturns are the best. I got 200 miles/tank from my mom's saturn =o)