Finally got rid of my wife's 1996 Saab convertible.  What a cash cow.  Everytime that Saab would hick-up, it costs lots of money to fix.  She loved the car more than I.

Found a very sporty 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT as a replacement.  What a beautiful car.  I'm actually jealous of her drivng this vehicle.  It is so much fun to drive and its looks are gorgeous.

This '02 Pontiac had a little over 150k miles when purchased.  But I had no fear.  This is GM's very reliable 3.8 L V-6.  This is an extremely well built engine.  And the transmission is equally reliable.  The shifting is one of the smoothest I've ever driven. 

The exterior is glossy black with a black leather interior.  The styling is so sharp, I think I like it as much as the Firebird, but with the advantage of front wheel drive.  There is a spoiler on the rear.  The wheels are the original and are a bright shiny chrome 5-spoke.  The side mirrors are a sharp aerodynamic design with an opening for an extra effect. and are foldable, I believe.  The hood is long and slopes down low, again giving the feeling of driving a sports car.  Headlights look good, with round fog lights underneath, spaced wide apart. The rear lights look fabulous.  Black pin striping across the back lights really go well with the black body.  Dual exhausts round out the great looks.  When seeing this GT come up from behind, the look is very wide, very low to the ground, with the Pontiac dual front grilles and the Pontiac symbol in the center.  A very sharp look.

As stated,  stance is wide.  This GT hugs the road.  The ride is sporty, but still fairly comfortable.  It rides as nice as several larger sedans I've owned over the years.  When driving, you feel like you are in control of the road.  Also comfortable as a passenger.

The ride is very quiet.  Engine noise is very low.  Wind noise is very low as well. 

The interior is nice.  The leather seats seem a bit hard, but I do not know if this is because their cushions are worn or if that is the way they were when new.  Since this is the GT version, I am guessing the seats may be more firm to offer the 'sporty' ride.  The leather itself is decent, but not as supple as other leather interiors.  I was a little surprised, since this is an '02 vehicle.

The doors are heavy, (this is a coupe), and feel like great build quality.  Unlike some Chryslers I've owned which seemed to feel a little 'light weight', so to speak. 

The doors are well padded.  The carpeting is nice, still looking very good after 6 years.  As is many sports cars, the padding over the center armrest and door handles is somewhat hard.  I don't know why that is, but it seems to be the norm for sports car interiors.  The dashboard is all plastic, no wood-look paneling, which I think is smart.  The dash looks 'right' as-is. 

The trunk is huge!  The lip of the trunk opening is low, making the lifting of cargo into the trunk much easier.  There is a pass-thru seat in the rear which will aid in storing longer items.  There is also clips for a cargo net.

Rear seat room is pretty good.  The width of the car gives this GT a feeling of a larger sized sedan.

The dashboard is beautiful.  All the lights are red.  I love it.  I'm so accustomed to green lighted interiors.  All the door buttons, steering wheel buttons and center dash audio/climate controls light up.

This GT has HUD.  A digital holographic windshield type display of the vehicle's speed, as well as indicators for turn signals, low fuel, radio stations, etc, displayed on an adjustable 3-D type display which seems to float right above the front bumper and is only seen by the driver.  What a cool option.  I wish every car had it.

A computer controlled digital display in the upper center dash indicates when the oil needs to be changed by approximating its remaining life in percentages.  It also displays the word LOW when the fuel range falls before 50 miles or so, and obviously can calculate the approximate fuel economy, distance to empty, etc.

There are 'idiot' lights on the dash for many systems, such as 'low fuel, low coolant', etc.

Dual climate control.  The front driver and passenger can each adjust the climate to their own liking.  I never thought this would work, but it does work remarkably well. 

There is a heated driver's seat.  Not the passenger seat.  Don't know why that is.  I assume Pontiac was trying to cut costs to keep the price down, I imagine.  Dual heat settings.


The audio is a CD/Cass/Radio premium system.  The CD player still works like new.  The system sounds very good.  There are larger bass speakers in the rear deck, bass speakers in the door bottoms and tweeter speakers at about the mirror height on the doors.   I don't know if this is the BOSE system.  I assume the brand name of BOSE would be indicated somewhere.  This audio system sounds very good as compared to other factory systems.

Controls for many audio features are located conveniently on the steering wheel.

A sunroof is included and is very large.  I think it is the widest roof opening of any sunroof quipped car I've ever owned.  Also, the sunroof features a cover which can be pulled forward to block daytime sun.  Yet, there are several small openings on the front of the sunroof cover which allows a little light into the interior, a very nice touch, I think.

The rearview mirror is electrochromatic, meaning it automatically adjusts to reduce glare from high beam lights from behind.  I think this feature should be in all cars.  Especially nowadays, when there are so many SUVs on the road, with their high mounted headlights glaring into the rear windows of passenger cars.

On the rearview mirror is a digital display indicating the direction in which you are traveling and the outside temperature.  Another nice touch is the addition of a freeze warning.  When the outside temp falls to about 33 degrees, the word ICE appears on the mirror's display and alternates with the indicated temperature.

On the rearview mirror are controls for ON-STAR.  That's a nice touch as well.  Especially for the business person, elderly or single woman/mom who might want some help from time to time during an accident, breakdown, etc.

The GT has a basic 205 hp engine, which seems quite enough.  It is not sluggish.  Pick-up is very good, despite the size of the car.

The trans is a 4-speed automatic, and it shifts very smoothly.  To my knowledge, it is one of the best transmissions built.

Daytime running lights and I think it has automatic lights as well, which switch the interior lights on at dusk and off at dawn.

When we bought this Grand Prix GT, there were a few minor problems with it.  A door lock was not working.  Taking the door panel off, it seems the door linkages rust, causing binding.  Not a huge deal.
The blower motor was working sporadically.  That is a fairly simple and cheap fix.  The blower is located just behind the glove box so it's easy to reach.  Finally, I needed to replace the thermostat as there was little heat in the car. 

The thermostat was less than $10 brand new at an autoparts store.  The blower was easily found at a junk yard.  This is why I like American cars and why I'm liking GM cars.  Plenty of parts are available at reasonable prices. 

Even the tires are cheap.  The size is 225/60/R16, which I'm told is one of the most popular tire sizes sold.  Therefore, there are many competitors making this tire.  I found generic tires (by Yokohama I'm told) at NTB for about $63 each, before install and balancing.  And I had a $40 off coupon for a set of 4 to boot (downloaded at the NTB website). 

The 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT is a fabulous car.  Fun to drive.  Great looks.  Well built.  Not overly costly to repair.  This GT may be the sharpest looking car I've ever bought.  Can't wait to cruise in it this summer.
Amount Paid (US$): 3000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Grand Prix GT Coupe