View Full Version : Pontiac Grand Am 3.4 L V6. Reliability.
compu44
02-11-2006, 06:27 PM
I've been looking for a newer car for quite a while now, and I was wondering if anyone on the forum has owned a Pontiac Grand Am with the 3.4Litre V6 engine. If so, please post any experiences related to reliability and repairs. Any opinions of the car would be appreciated. It's a 2003 Grand Am with the RAM AIR package.
SmaartAasSaabr
02-11-2006, 07:02 PM
Intake manifold gaskets as far as I know...
f_399
02-11-2006, 07:38 PM
i have the 3100 and it thinks its the smaller version of yours
intake gaskets definitely
mine failed at 150K but i have heard people with less than 100K
symptoms are loss of coolant and fudge in the oil cap
besides that, i think the 3x00 of GM is a reliable engine
compu44
02-12-2006, 03:39 PM
OK, thanks for the input guys. I think i'll pass on this one. Between that and the known electrical problems with ponitacs, sounds like more than I want to mess with. Back to saving for a Toyota.....
SmaartAasSaabr
02-12-2006, 03:59 PM
Eh I dunno about major issues.
If you don't mind an automatic transmission (a very good one too), I'd go look at a Pontiac Grand Prix from 97-03, with the 3800. Completely bulletproof :D And it's got a decent amount of punch, particularly with the supercharger.
Toyota's V6's from the past couple years have had some serious engine sludging issues.
compu44
02-12-2006, 04:17 PM
I actually want an automatic, so that's not a problem. If I see any on the Grand Prix's around for a decent price, i'll give them a look.
I wasn't even looking for a V6 really, the Pontiac was just at a dealer for a decent price, so I researched it a little.
I really want either an 02 or 03 Toyota Corolla with the 1.8L 4 Cyl, just can't seem to find them around here.
SmaartAasSaabr
02-12-2006, 04:37 PM
I really want either an 02 or 03 Toyota Corolla with the 1.8L 4 Cyl, just can't seem to find them around here.
Come over here, there are great numbers of them availible.
I would say "a dime a dozen" but actually it's more like "a million bucks a dozen" :lol: They hold their value very well.
If economy in terms of fuel efficiency and time spent on repairs is important the Corolla is a decent car. But the prices on parts are expensive and the car isn't a bahnstormer.
compu44
02-12-2006, 06:34 PM
I really want either an 02 or 03 Toyota Corolla with the 1.8L 4 Cyl, just can't seem to find them around here.
Come over here, there are great numbers of them availible.
I would say "a dime a dozen" but actually it's more like "a million bucks a dozen" :lol: They hold their value very well.
If economy in terms of fuel efficiency and time spent on repairs is important the Corolla is a decent car. But the prices on parts are expensive and the car isn't a bahnstormer.
That's the only downside that I can see - the parts being so expensive. But i'm willing to deal with that to have to work on it less often.
I don't know if you've got a lot of experience with them, but same question - any weak points of the engine I should be aware of? Do they seem to use oil quickly?
Kremithefrog
02-12-2006, 06:58 PM
The 3.1 and 3.4 seem pretty reliable. The 3.8 is very reliable. You're right about electrical problems. I see so many GMs with electrical problems, but usually just minor things.
lordhamster
02-12-2006, 08:22 PM
I would not buy a GM vehicle. I think you'd be much better off with the Toyota in the long run.
SmaartAasSaabr
02-12-2006, 08:39 PM
I don't know if you've got a lot of experience with them, but same question - any weak points of the engine I should be aware of? Do they seem to use oil quickly?
On the Toyotas? I know the old ones would start burning oil like crazy and rot like crazy and fall apart once the car got beyond it's "Best Before" date :lol:
You could say GM cars are falling apart a little bit from the day they leave the lot, whereas Toyotas are great for 10 years then they completely disintegrate :lol: :wink:
compu44
02-12-2006, 09:29 PM
Do the newer Toyota engines still have the oil usage problems though?
What do you know about Nissan?
raresvx
02-13-2006, 12:30 AM
I actually want an automatic, so that's not a problem. If I see any on the Grand Prix's around for a decent price, i'll give them a look.
I wasn't even looking for a V6 really, the Pontiac was just at a dealer for a decent price, so I researched it a little.
I really want either an 02 or 03 Toyota Corolla with the 1.8L 4 Cyl, just can't seem to find them around here.
Test drive a gtp. You'll change your mind about the corolla.
SmaartAasSaabr
02-13-2006, 09:41 AM
Do the newer Toyota engines still have the oil usage problems though?
What do you know about Nissan?
I can't really tell you, partly because newer cars shouldn't burn much oil anyway... I do know they had some sludging issues with their newer V6's but on a Corolla you should be safe from that.
Nissan seems to be pretty good, I don't really know much about their newer cars, though I'd rather push a Nissan (if it's a Nissan from the "cool" era and not the "lame" period) than drive a Toyota :wink:
And yes, if you test-drive a GTP you will never even look at a Corolla, I can assure you of that :D
I had a new 03 Grand AM Gt just like what you're looking at. It was moderately comfortable and had the best stock sound system I had ever heard. Mine may have been a fluke in reliability but I'm gonna spill my entire story anyways.
It was bought brand new off the lot with only a couple miles on the odo. A few days after buying it, the hvac blowers stopped working. Got it fixed...the resistor control panel had burned out.
A few weeks later, the driver's side power window stopped working. Got the switch and melted wiring replaced.
A few months later, the A/C would sporadically stop blowing cold air. Had to replace the thermostat.
Weeks later, the car started having problems starting. Didn't matter if it was warm or cold. I usually had to crank the engine for 3 or 4 times in 5-second durations before it would turn over. Got it looked at and they couldn't find anything wrong and wrote it off as normal operation.
A few more weeks later, the driver's side power window motor burned out. Got that replaced and they scratched the crap outta my tint. They said nothing could be done about it.
A month or two went by and it was still having starting problems. Also, it was starting to mis-fire pretty bad. Had all the plugs replaced. Still misfired. Had the plug wires replaced and it still did it. In the process, they found that the engine had a blown head gasket so they replaced that too. They scratched the crap out of my side fender from leaning all over it.
While washing the car 1 day, I noticed the stripping that ran the entire length of the rear bumper was warping. Had that replaced.
Later noticed the weather stripping on the rear window was falling off and flapping in the wind. The stripping on the left side of the windshield came off shortly after. Had those fixed after waiting 2 weeks for the "Window Specialist" to have time.
Soon after, the flasher relay kept going crazy. It would start clicking like madd for no reason at all while driving. Had the relay replaced 3 times and the burned wiring replaced once. It started going crazy again so they finally replaced the flasher switch and the whole wiring harness. Somewhere in the process, they broke the steering-wheel lock feature. It still did it every once in a great while afterwards. Finally just gave up on it.
A month later, the rear driver's side power window regulator broke so the glass fell inside the door and my window was stuck open. Had the regulator replaced after I had to drive around with duct tape holding the window for a week. I think it was around $170. They scratched the crap outta that tint too.
Luckily it only broke down twice on us and it was only a short distance from home. The last straw was the auto transmission. It would stumble from a stop, shifting hard, and it was starting to whine quite a bit. I traded that chunk of junk in last year with only 58,000 miles on it. I had to fight to get $6000 for it even though they were oblivious to its history.
SmaartAasSaabr
02-13-2006, 09:57 AM
Wow that does sound like a lot of wiring problems! :shock:
compu44
02-13-2006, 08:25 PM
That's most of what I hear of being wrong with pontiac in general is the wiring. I've had to deal with melting wiring in my escort and i'm done with that. After seeing some of the tiny wiring in the dash, i'm not surprised in the least.
I'm still not completely off the idea of a gtp, but the insurance would just eat me alive. My current car is cheap enough that I can carry liability only on it (that's the only thing I do like) but it still runs me $800/year just for that. And I have no tickets or accidents, plus multiple car, driver's education, and good student discounts! I'm pretty much going to have to drive liability-only type vehicles until my next price break, which apparently is at 21 :(
BTW Saabr - I looked at a couple of Saab's on the net - crazy torque on those!