are these cars just crap?

[nitrostang21]

You know I see allot of people including myself asking about problems they are having or have had with these cars (gt/gtp)..And every answer almost always starts with “yeah it’s a known problem with these cars” So far it’s been everything from head gaskets, manifold gaskets, 4th gear hubs, catalytic converters, wheel bearings, PCS, mps…the list goes on. Is everything a damn problem on these cars!

And of course many say “well its all in how you take care of it..” Well yeah thats true to a point, but bad design is bad design. You can handle something with kid gloves all you want and it could still fail.

So what’s the Deal, is this just a crap car riddled with issues? If everything I read about this car is true..sounds like I’m better off sticking a for sale sign in it.
Personally I have issues trusting it already….as since I have had it, I have had the rear window motor go out, Tranny rebuild at 117k( 4th gear) p0420 code, blower only blows on level 5…..thats just withen the last 2 weeks.
I know thers a billion variables that will have one car show up with multiple issue and another car wont have any…driving habbits yada yada yada….

[coreygnar]

its called a car..
all cars break
the cow says moo


yayyy we're learning!!!!

[nawarkk]

I've been through more then you have with my car and I still think it's a good car.. you can't expect to buy a USED car and have it be perfect.. if it was perfect why would the person be selling it???... Don't wanna deal with these problems? Get a new car then! I hate when people diss on these cars just cause they don't like replacing a few things.. so quick to judge!

[nitrostang21]

its called a car..
all cars break
the cow says moo


yayyy we're learning!!!!

some break more then others on the way to their place in car heaven...

Think of it like a Human without Cancer, and a Human with Cancer. The one without will Die yes..like all Humans….as will the one with Cancer. But the Cancer Human will spend more time in the shop then on the road.

what I am realy asking here...........Do these cars have cancer?

[nitrostang21]

I've been through more then you have with my car and I still think it's a good car.. you can't expect to buy a USED car and have it be perfect.. if it was perfect why would the person be selling it???... Don't wanna deal with these problems? Get a new car then! I hate when people diss on these cars just cause they don't like replacing a few things.. so quick to judge!

WOah! First off I was asking a question about the car, generally this should show the reader Judgment has been suspended. Yeah I’m reading and hearing lots of discouraging stuff, and have had a lot happen in the short time frame of owning the car, enough to discourage anybody in to a little rant, or just asking flat out. Gold star for you for putting up with so much from your car though, says more about you then the car though.


The questions/comments you ask are “box” questions, “Why would people sell them if they are perfect”…I don’t know I’m not them…maybe they don’t like the color anymore or something. “no car is perfect” well yeah no ****…but some are better off than others and some are worse. Used or not… “just casue they don’t like replacing a few things”… well nobody does…but depending on what those things are...can realy make a diffrence I would rather replace 2 fuses, then 2 pistons.

yeah i know...its late i cant sleep

[JoshsGTP]

Does the patient goes for a check up. and does he take vitamins, Do drugs, drink, eat well?

Translation: routine maintenance, Oil changes, not beating the shot out of the car.

All cars die at some point its all luck. when where and what happends

[nitrostang21]

All cars die at some point its all luck.

I would not go that far...

[nitrostang21]

Does the patient goes for a check up. and does he take vitamins, Do drugs, drink, eat well?

Translation: routine maintenance, Oil changes, not beating the shot out of the car.

All cars die at some point its all luck. when where and what happends

your talking routine maint. That would be for the normal Human, and the Cancer human. But the cancer Human would need more maint due to the Cancer...

I feel evil for useing cancer in this way

[noreasonwhyy]

noone here is trying to read your complaints about regular and common things that go wrong with GPs. some cars tear through CV axles, some through struts. luckily most GP problems are either electrical due to bad grounds or due to bad design. either way it's not like the repairs are expensive.

my opinion: sell it, you obviously don't appreciate the car for what it is.

[Lenny]

Also you should remember that this is a forum, a place where people come to get solutions to problems. Alot of these problems are a result of modding and/or driving the piss out of the car. I had my GTP for about 2 years and never had any major issues. I think the biggest problem i had was the whole key stuck in the ignition deal, easy fix. Its all how you look at things.

Best, Lenny

[01gpgt01]

Headgasket failure isn't common at all on these. The LIM gasket is do to material used. Put the revised LIM gasket on and no issue. Wheel bearing failure is common on most cars. Cat failure is high on these do to people running the car pig rich IMO. Aside from a weak trans the 3800 is pretty bullet proof

[Sandman]

Not to mention LOTS of GPs on this site are now approaching 10 years of age and 100K+ miles. Any car in that age is going to start having problems. Nothing lasts forever.

Besides every car ever made always has some querks that are a common problem.

My car is 10 years old and approaching 140K, I know somethings will eventually go bad and need to be fixed.

[Cail]

All of the problems you mention having on your car are pretty common for an older car. Window motors go bad in just about every car. The only issue that is a big deal I see from yours is having to rebuild the transmission which isn't that uncommon at 100k+ miles either. The only thing I would say makes these cars a crap car is the interior. I've known a lot of people with Pontiacs and they seem to have interiors that fall apart a lot. The engine itself is a great engine. My family has owned four different cars with the 3800 engine in them, two LeSabres and two Park Aves. Three of them made it to over 300k miles with no major engine issues and the other one to 275 before we had any problem at all with it. Just depends on what issues you want to deal with I suppose.

[nitrostang21]

Also you should remember that this is a forum, a place where people come to get solutions to problems.

Very true

[TorqueAutoMotiv]

i have owned over 50 cars all diff manufactuers and makes They all reak if they dont have routine car

suspensions wear out electronics wear out and so on if ya cant hang ride the bus Or buy a new car every 4 years

[nitrostang21]

i have owned over 50 cars all diff manufactuers and makes They all reak if they dont have routine car

suspensions wear out electronics wear out and so on if ya cant hang ride the bus Or buy a new car every 4 years

I think you guys missed the spirit of the rant. I’m well aware of parts wearing out over time, general maintenance and normal ware and tare parts ect. clearly the concept of some cars being more reliable and built better or worse then others is lost on some of you. As the msg im getting here is all cars are created equal beacuse they all break at some point..

[Pepino]

meh.. guess it depends on how you look at it?

I've had this car since 6 miles, and now has 129K and besides routine maintenance (fluids/plugs/filters/etc) the only things that "broke" were an Idler pulley (rusted bearings @ 7yrs), drivers tie-rod (corners to fast), CV joints (again, corners to fast), and the LIM fix. But for as long as I've had this car, it's been way better then expected as with reading all the common issues these models have. I guess at my mileage now, this is when things are going to start to fail, but thats expected with so many miles.

[matt5112]

Want a car with no troubles but upper ball joints and shocks after 200 000 miles?

Get one of these:



Oh and a thermostat.

Or STFU and remember you just bought a cheap GM car....

[TorqueAutoMotiv]

I think you guys missed the spirit of the rant. I’m well aware of parts wearing out over time, general maintenance and normal ware and tare parts ect. clearly the concept of some cars being more reliable and built better or worse then others is lost on some of you. As the msg im getting here is all cars are created equal beacuse they all break at some point..

Nope didnt miss a thing
You have had issues with your car hmm that sucks
headgaskets arent a comon issue Unless you run the car hot
LIM gaskets are an issue It was a faulty design dexcool+plastic gasket= bad design this is why there was a class action lawsuit over it

When i bought my gtp at 175 still stock owned by a kid who took car of it
orig trans no issues orig everything no issues

If you care for a care trans flush/oil/coolant/struts/sensors and so on from day one your car will last you for an extremely long time UNLESS you mod then hard parts will wear faster these cars werent ment to handle 300 hp and a drag strip

its an older car maybe it wasnt cared for so it breaks hmm all cars will do that

[shawn]

had a 97 gtp bone stock and had bought it with 90,000 miles on it and sold it when it jus passed 225,000 on odometer.. Only thing I had to replace was a MAF and a BOOST BYPASS SOLENOID... Don't wanna spend money on a gp then don't mod it.. My 98 gtp is lightly modded and that's the only reason I hav any issues.. And I still think it's a great car and won't sell it.. And I'm bout to be on my 4th tranny.. Never had an engine issue though..