I bought my 2004 Pontiac Grand AM GT coupe in November 2003. I opted for the "GT1" model which comes fully loaded, leather, sunroof, power everything, cruise control, stereo controls on the steering wheel, XM radio, 8 speaker Monsoon AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo, 16" chrome wheels, the "whole nine". I also got the SC/T package which consists of a fiberglass composite hood with two mean looking ram air scoops (although they are strictly for looks, not functional) and a restyled rear spoiler. My sole reason for going with Pontiac was that I was able to lease it for nearly $120 per month less than it's foreign counterparts. Let me just say, I would pay another $200 a month to be able to trade up for any one of those Asian cars I had compared my Pontiac too. First, the powertrain. Let's start with the 3.4L Ram Air V-6 engine. Pontiac's technology is definitely circa 1960 still using an overhead valve setup and it shows. Making only 175 horsepower, it's very underpowered, considering Nissan's 3.5L engine offered in the Altima is putting out 255 horses, the 2.5L 4 CYLINDER which is standard on the Altima cranks out 180!! Pontiac tries to supplement this lack of grunt with lower differential gearing, but it only helps mildly, pushing this beast to 60 MPH in 7.9 seconds (at least that's what they claim, I am willing to get it's more than that, in the mid 8 second range). Considering both the Accord coupe and Camry Solara get to 60 in about 7 seconds even, the dated engine technology Pontiac offers shows. My next complaint would be the transmission. The best way to describe this thing is confused. Stomp on that gas pedal, and the transmission will need about 2 seconds to decide what gear it wants to go into. Once it's there, the shifts are about as smooth as an elephant dancing ballet. Next on my list, the so-called "sport" tuned suspension, is anything but. It's definitely as harsh as a sport tuned chassis, but does not perform like one should. Dive into a turn and you will feel the body roll, hear the tires breaking loose, and feel anything but confident in this car. Those low budget Goodyear's that come standard don't help the cause either. The brakes are soft and fade quickly when stopping from over 70 MPH. Overall, this car ranks at the bottom of it's class in performance, even for the money. Let's move onto the interior. I like the gauges, but that's about where it stops. The fit and finish of the interior is poor, and with the dings, rattles and squeaks this car has developed at 20,000 miles makes me feel more like I'm playing pinball than driving an automobile. The materials are cheap, quality is poor, and overall, this car is a big letdown. I tried to save some cash, and now I'm paying the price. Not to mention the reliability of this machine. 18 months into the lease, and already this car had required 6 warranty repairs, ranging from fuel pump problems to the windshield washer pump failing. My advice...fork out the extra dollars, and go with an overseas competitor. I'm counting the days until November 2006 when I can hand this problem back to it's rightful owners.
Amount Paid (US$): 24000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Pontiac Grand AM GT1 coupe, SC/T package