2003 Pontiac Grand Pre GT

[pufferfish]

Any thoughts? I’m thinking about buying one.

Good, bad, indifferent? I love the exterior on that car.

TC,
pf

[HDPM]

The new exterior or old? I have the 2003 which is giving way to the 2004 or 2003 1/2 or whatever. I prefer the older styling to the new, although the new one has some interior features that are slight improvements. I got mine in about April and got 4K cash back off an already discounted price, so it was more attractive in a lot of ways than the new model. The engines and stuff are the same. I have put about 14K miles on it and have had no problems. There was one minor recall item. Some piece or bolt in the throttle body assembly or something. They said the loosening of it could lead to cooling problems. I didn't have any problems with it before they changed it and the mechanic said he had done a bunch of the fixes and nobody complained of any problems before the recall notice. The fix was free and I had it done with an oil change in maybe an hour or something. It gets good mileage, anywhere from 30-33 on the highway. Good passing power from 75 to .... well, passing speed. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Damn, as I was typing my wife came from the garage and asked if somebody dinged it on the passenger side. SOB. Some savage dinged it when it was parked or something, and I'm reasonably careful where I park, but not obsessive which apparently is required to keep a car whole anymore. Anyway....

I like the car. It rides decently on the highway but doesn't wallow like a Buick or other such GM cars. It is big enough to be comfortable. Handles reasonably. Decent power. The maintenance is supposed to be low. You change the oil and rotate the tires until 100K miles and then you change the spark plugs and dex cool. Cheaper than some Japanese models I have owned. I ended up doing a final comparison with the Mazda 6. The Mazda 6 is a nice car, but it is smaller and has less power. It also doesn't look as good IMO. The Mazda does handle and brake better then the Grand Prix. The new Accord is a good car. I didn't like it for a few subjective reasons, but I'd look at one when shopping for a 4 door fwd sedan.

If you get the new model, be sure to get one with the stock XM radio. That is a great feature. I changed out the stereo and had an XM deck and brain module anyway so I didn't care. Mine came with a Bose/Delco thing that sucked since it was Bose. But the regular delco with stock XM and steering wheel xm controls is a good set up. It won't sound as good as aftermarket speakers, but it is alright and easier to use.

[pufferfish]

The old exterior, I prefer it to the new as well. I’m looking at used ones with less than 20K miles on them.

Thank you HDPM, I really appreciate your input.

Take care,
pf