New car

[Thundercatcher]

I'm thinking of getting a Pontiac grand prix, 05/06 anyone have one, are they any good?

[ishootbambi]

in general they are a decent quality vehicle in their category. i think what you really need to know is "is that car any good". the only way to know is to give it a thorough inspection. if you arent sure what you are looking for get a qualified mechanic to do it. shouldnt cost you more than 70 bucks and could well save you a headache costing way more than that. shop smartly and good luck.

[GeoTrekr]

Have an '05 standard model (not GT or GTP) with the 3.8l v6 that I've had since 17k kms, and it's now pushing 130k kms.

The good:

The gas mileage on the 3.8l v6 is surprisingly good, especially on the highway (but even in the city it's hardly what I would consider thirsty). My old 2.2l I4 Cavalier burned more gas on the highway (but it didn't have OD, just a locking torque converter). It's never left me stranded, and for the most part, has only seen routine maintenance (oil changes, brakes). The original tires that came on the car were GARBAGE (gone in 60k kms), same as the original brake pads, but if you're shopping for an 05/06 now, those concerns should be safely behind you. Also, despite the amount of highway/city driving done, I am still on the original windshield. I'm convinced it has something to do with the overall shape of the car/windshield that it doesn't 'collect' rocks easily. The car is comfortable to drive over long distances, and the naturally aspirated 3.8l offers plenty of power for 'spirited' driving.

The bad:

I took advantage of the warranty. The first couple of years of this car's life with me, I was delivering newspapers 364 days/year. Both front seat frames, upholstery and foam needed to be replaced before 60k kms. The welds in the frames were broken. Lights are slowly starting to burn out in the dashboard, and the dealer claims they can't be replaced without replacing the whole unit they are in (eg. the HVAC unit). I did have one major repair outside of warranty, and it was the steering rack to the tune of a $1200 repair with 2 year warranty on the part, and sadly I can feel a bit of knocking in the steering wheel again, so I think it's coming back. Also, the car has always used a bit of oil (though I've never seen blue smoke from the tailpipe), and is just enough that you end up at the 'add oil' line on the dipstick by the time it's ready for another oil change (around every 5000-6000k on average). I'm told the old design of this 3.8 is known for consuming a bit (my previous 3.4 in an Alero didn't use a drop, so this was a bit disappointing to me, but if the a**h*le hadn't rear-ended me and totaled it, I'd probably be looking at a headgasket repair or 2 about now with the 3.4). Also, some design quirks will leave you scratching your head, like you can't lift the wiper blades fully away from the window to replace them because the lower part of the arm binds with the rear of the hood, or when you've left your car outside and snow has built up on the roof, don't open the door until you've cleared the snow from around the top of the door, otherwise you'll get a nice avalanche right onto your seat.

Overall I guess I can't complain too much, most of the problems are nitpicky things like the dashlights, and to be fair, I believe even the Lemonaid Guide states one should expect a major repair once every 5 years with most vehicles, and so I guess it's been well within the norm, considering all of the above has occurred in the 5 years I've owned it, that is unless the steering rack will need another replacement soon of course, and if I had to pay the $1200 to replace the seats I might feel differently also. The car's neither been babied nor abused (well ok, maybe border-line abused, as a paper route isn't easy on a vehicle), and all things considered, has served me quite well.

Having seen my parent's Pontiac Montana disintegrate from new (only 60k kms on her now), I doubt I would ever purchase another Pontiac. Same crappy upholstered seats (faux leather or vinyl or whatever the hell it is on the edges is cracking AGAIN and has been fixed once), plenty of issues with the tire pressure sensors, sliding doors needing to be readjusted/shimmed to work properly (now one door sticks out quite a bit to work, it almost looks like it's partially open), rear door rattling around when you hit bumps even though it's fully 'closed', ABS sensors/units replaced... man it goes on and on, I can't even remember all of the things it's been in for. Did I mention it only has 60k kms? My parents have resolved to get rid of it as soon as the 100k warranty is up.