Thread: Noob (to this website) intro! 2000 GP 3.1L

Hi all, I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello. I have owned my GP for a few years and been on other automotive forums, mainly FocusFanatics for my SVT but I felt like since I DD my Grand Prix, I should find a good W-Body forum! So about my car. I have a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix SE with the 3.1L engine. My car is a complete base model, no options car which doesnt say much because this car with no options is still better optioned than most new cars! I bought it back in '09 with 127K on it and it was my first car. I used to beat the crap out of the car when I was younger but now that I am older and have matured, I regret doing this as problems have reared their ugly head because of this. I am currently sitting at 178.5K and have what will soon be a bad transmission. It leaks and slips but I keep it full and it has been this way for the past year or so now. The car is pretty bone stock but I have messed with the audio system quite a bit. Been through about 3 different speaker setups and i'm on my 5th subwoofer system. Currently running full planet audio speakers and a single planet audio 15" sub with the perfectly matched "3000" watt planet audio monoblock amp. In reality the sub isnt bad, especially for the price but it's not close to a 3000 watt sub. Maybe 1000 watts, 500 RMS but thats about the max i'll give it, 1/3 what they claim. Still for $325 for the sub and amp, its not a bad deal. Planet audio speakers are different though, theyre absolutely horrid. I blew the front driver's side within a day. Both rear just sound like sh*t. The other front is still hanging in there but not sure how. I recomend the sub, not the speakers.

I do have a question though for those who would know. What kind of mileage can these cars go to? I'd really like to get me another car and get me out of the GP and get a stick shift for a daily but I don't think i'll be able to get the money till summer when I have to work limited hours during school because I go to school full time. Is it possible with my slipping trans I still can get another 20k out of it?

Thanks all,
Matt

Welcome from Raleigh.

I never understood the logic of not fixing a known problem with a car, dumping it and spending money on another car with unknown problems! Lol! The irony!

If you beat on it and it lasted all these years, it deserves a fix up! I have a 2001 SE going 197k strong and clean as a whistle, son drives it now and would rebuild tranny without a second thought before buying another used car. But if you're looking for something different then go for it!

Don't get me wrong, I love my GP, but I want to get something with a stick. Plus, the body on my GP is pretty beat up. Been in 3 accidents since I bought it with only one reported (others were minor). Had an altercation with a mailbox in which it won. I was such a bad driver and abused it when I just got my license and i'm paying for it now. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another grand prix, but I want a manual gearbox which pontiac did not include as an option for this bodystyle! Beleive me, if they made a stick shift GTP, thats exactly what I would have right now! But instead I'm looking into Honda's and Acura's because of the MPG's they get!

I'm in the Charlotte area GTP! and Coolone, I do understand and agree with you, normally it's worth fixing the known problems but at this point it's just like the GP is starting to fall apart because of all the abuse it's had in it's life..

It's a 3.1 gp its not worth fixing up. Drive it until the wheels fall off or it doesn't move.

More than likely i'll be driving it till sometime this summer or when the trans goes. Whichever happens first. Hoping it's summer though because i'v priced a used trans and not including labor, it'll be close to $400. Just shy of a grand with labor. Cuts into the little bit of money I can get out of the car when I sell it...

I had 2 SE's, Both had piston slap, but were quite reliable. Both had tranny troubles. I then went to an Accord, which is a stick, but now I'm going back to grand prix's. If you want to turn the car into a project, there's a manual swap option, but it's rare to find a good trans for it.

Welcome to the site.