Thread: Newb to site, just picked my 01 GTP

Hello everyone... Just bought a 2001 GTP yesterday. Joined the site a couple of days ago but wanted to wait until I got the car before posting. I found it on ebay and closed the deal after the auction ended. I had been watching it for a while and made a late offer on it as the auction was about to end. It was 6 hours away from me so I was a little nervous about it but when I got there to pick it up, that was all put to rest. Fluids looked great, car drove great and was as described by the seller. He was the 3rd owner and took good care of it. It is a special edition GTP, black, 4 door, and came with quite a few mods... Thrasher intake, Thrasher 3.4 pulley, full SLP exhaust, 180* Tstat, Intense tune, Taylor Wires, Autolite 605 plugs and a Goodyear Gatorback SC belt. Tires are all matching BFG traction T/A's on the factory 5 spoke polished wheels. PO installed new axles, a hub bearing, rotors and pads all around, new AC condensor, valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket and other maintenance things during his 5 years of ownership. Currently has 102,000 on it and I plan to get 200,000 out of it. I am a maintenance freak and plan to upkeep this car like anything else I have owned. I will post pictures eventually... car is still sitting on the trailer as we got back late last night and didn't feel like unloading it. The plan today is to get it inspected, titled, tagged and insured, then get it washed and really go thru it and see what it needs. It does not have a Bose system but does have Onstar. I had a 2002 grand prix GT some time ago and and have some speakers and an amp from that car so those will make it in eventually. Have to decide if I want to go double din or stay with a single din stereo. HUD display works like it should as does the sunroof and everything else. This car will be my daily driver, commuter to work. I have a 2004 GTO for the fun car. My wife drives a 2004 GMC Yukon SLT for the kid hauler. My previous DD was 2003 Crown Vic LX Sport. God I miss that car and the only reason I sold it was because I couldn't get decent MPG with it. 22-23 was tops on the highway doing everything I could to keep it in check, including improving my own driving habits.

A little about me... ASE certified mechanic and also a CDL A truck driver. I am more of a reader than a poster but will help answer any questions about repairs and so forth. I have been reading alot the last couple of days and you guys really have the Grand Prix's intricacies and flaws nailed down. I am a car guy and have probably had more cars than fingers and toes. Being 40 years old and a gear head will do that to you I guess. The GTO is the only one I have kept the longest... bought new in December of 2004. The Yukon is 2nd... bought used in 2008. The plan is to keep the GTP for as long as possible. Great site guys and I am glad I found it.

Originally Posted by Sven The Sexman

Welcome to the forum. Glad to hear you found a nice one...they're getting more uncommon as these cars have been typically beaten and abused.

Thank you, and yes you are right... I had been looking for a car for a month and the bigger issue I was seeing was mileage. Most cars had 150,000 or more on them, looked ragged on and still wanted big bucks for them. I did have a line on an 03 GTP with 130,000 for $5000 that looked decent but couldn't get the deal done. Just didn't feel right about the car. Something kept drawing me to the one I got so I listened to my gut and went for it. I have always likes the Grand Prix's, even with there known issues. They are great cruisers, comfortable, easy to fix, and as some of you guys have proven, can be made FAST. I traded my old 02 in on the Yukon and new I traded in something that I liked and would miss.

Originally Posted by JamesIvey24

Wicked your not far from where I work at Barnes Hosp. There are several 3800 guys around the area. I drive an 01 ssei bonne with 285k on it.

I'm in Lebanon Missouri, not Illinois. I remember seeing a sign for Lebanon off of 55 while passing thru yesterday. I got 15 hours into yesterday to get this car... LOL

Ok, so I have put almost 200 miles on it since picking it up last Thursday, including a 90 mile round trip down to Springfield and back. Car runs and drives farely well and I am composing a fix it list. There is a slight vibration that does not feel tire related, so I need to get my ass under it and give the steering and suspension a once over. Struts are factory and getting worn, and the rears are a little noisy. Pulled the trunk carpet back and NO RUST!!! There are a couple of instrument cluster bulbs burned out and I want to switch over to LEDs. As soon as Diode Dynamics has another sale I am on it. There are a couple of rattles that I will address when I do the stereo system in it. I have a a pair of Kenwood 6x9's, 100 watts RMS and a pair of Polk components, 100 watts RMS, all left from my 02 GT I had a few years ago. I also have a Kenwood amp to run them along with an amp wiring kit. Stock tweeters are all but shot and the other speakers have seen better days. I have to decide on single din or double din for the stereo replacement. Bluetooth, HD, SAT and ipod hookups are a must, DVD is secondary. NAV would be nice but unnecessary. The front door panels are missing the black strip that runs along the top edge where they meet the window so I have to figure out where to get replacements and what exactly I need to buy for that. Anyone have any suggestions there? I am eyeballing the GMPP handling kit since it is great bang for the buck in my opinion. I am also looking at factory floor mats, the water deflector that goes under the cowl, a couple of bottles of supercharger oil and a rear strut tower brace. I will go synthetic oil when the next oil change is due. I am also eyeballing the triple gauge A pillar and the ZZP HUD gauge pod. I'd go with oil pressure, voltage, a boost gauge, trans temp and more than likely a scangauge. Just dreaming out loud, LOL. I guess what I want to ask is this... If any of you had to do it over again, what parts would you recommend today? I don't need tires anytime soon, but I like a certain set of Mustang 18's and the Bonneville GXP 18's for future consideration. It has been cold here lately and I have other projects going on so I haven't had time to take pics of the car yet. I want to remove the pinstriping and some lettering that the previous owner installed on the lower rocker panels.

That blue one that I was looking at was $5000 and bone stock with 130,000. I felt it was high too and the Chevy dealer wasn't budging. So I let it go and kept looking. I paid slightly less for the one I bought that had less mileage and was aduly owned. It also came with probably $4000 in upgrades and maintenance done that I won't have to worry about anytime soon. I think I did OK on mine but the used car market just blows right now. I had a set dollar amount to spend and I wasn't financing anything. I am going to put over 20,000 miles a year on it commuting back and forth to work. I'd rather start out with a 100,000 mile car and get it to 200,000 with my own maintenance on it. The previous owner gave me close to $3000 in receipts for everything he had done to it which speaks volumes to me about the car's condition. The blue GTP at the Chevy dealer... there was nothing on it. GMVIS only showed two dealer repairs on it, nothing for routine maintenance. Autocheck showed nothing for maintenance and all I could see was new tires on it. Mine came with almost new tires on it. I think I did good with my car and have no regrets on the price. I am fortunate to own 2 cool Pontiacs and both are decently fast, comfy cruisers.

Sounds like you guys got your day planned out. All the work you are doing is pretty easy. If you have any questions, just ask. Inner tie rods can be tough to remove without the tool for it. Harbor Freight has one for $50, cheaper with a coupon, and it works well. Most of the auto parts stores rent the spring compressor if you are going about the struts that way.