This Pontiac Was Everywhere! Now They're Gone - Pontiac Grand Am!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2024
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Over three million 3rd generation Pontiac Grand Ams were built, and at one time they could be seen roaming streets and strip mall parking lots all over North America. Today, these once ubiquitous compact cars are nearly all gone. What happened? Let's go back in time, discover the history of the Grand Am, and take an in-depth look at the design and features of my now rare 1990 Pontiac Grand Am SE.
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Table of Contents:
0:00 Intro!
0:30 Overview!
2:06 Grand Am History Lesson!
4:02 Exterior Walk Around!
5:54 Interior!
8:53 Driving Impressions!
11:11 It's Small! / Rant!
12:36 Where Did They Go?
14:02 Wrap Up!
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Music used in this episode:
- Selected tracks from the TH-cam music library
- Selected tracks by Kia Orion ( • Video )
- "Rio" by 1000 Names
- "Glimmer" by Nihilore
- "Synthwave C" by Teknoaxe
- "Cruising the Night Sky" by Teknoaxe
- "Quirky Dog" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
It’s crazy how my knee jerk reaction is to hate this car like I did when I was a kid… but it kind of looks cool now lol
Same. I was not a fan of these as a kid!
Hate is a pretty strong emotion.
I didn’t know much about this car but I always liked the look, esp the pre refreshed version. Growing up in nyc, i saw mostly Japanese cars, so this car was a rare sighting and I liked the fact it was different.
Well C-Milk that's understandable, since your experience with these cars was when they were already 10+ year old beaters. I used to hate 1970s car for the same reason. Last week I saw a minty Ford Pinto for the first time in my life. Suddenly it made sense to me why people bought them and some people still love them. Before that I have never seen one that wasn't a clunker.
me too!!
Some of the greatest memories of my life happened in 80s and 90s grand ams. My best friend in hs had an 86 two door, my first girlfriend had a 94 four door, and I had a 96 four door SE. loved that car. Super reliable and cheap to run! Sold it after two years for what I paid for it. LOVED your anti suv rant.
Wow man I couldn't have said it better I have some of the best memories of my life in those cars. My parents ordered and bought a new one in 88/89 and ordered it with the new quad 4 motor and an automatic transmission and that was the car I took my driving test in later down the road and man did it rip for back then and my friends and I made so many memories growing up in that car so much that later down the road I ended up buying a 91 grand am with a standard and reliably drove the hell outta that car and have so many memories growing up in these cars and my parents eventually upgraded to a loaded out grand prix and it too was a great reliable car infact they had a couple grand prix and seemed to have a lot of water pump issues and we replaced a couple of those which were a complete nightmare to change on them and then they died out and now, I may have been raised only buying GM/Pontiac vehicles and as I got into high school and graduated I got a lot smarter and realized that I was more of a Ford kinda guy and owned many mustangs from Fox bodies on up through to the 2000s and have had pretty much nothing but Ford's since from escorts to 88 f150s on through current f150s and we are on our 3rd explorer now and absolutely love them and their awesome reliability and we just got rid of our last explorer XLT and it had almost 170,000 miles on it and I never not once had to replace anything motor or transmission related at all nothing under the hood what so ever just the basics of living on a dirt road in the country ball joints and tie rod ends and wheel bearings but that's basically the extent of it and now we just got a limited explorer with all the options you could ask for and we absolutely love it as I expected haha but this thing will even parallel park itself even though I've been too sketched out by it to even try it out yet but I love the heated and cooled leather seats and the stereo with subwoofer really jams but my old lady is pretty into the big dual moonroof and the heated seats and steering wheel as we live in NW PA and winters here get pretty cold and the 4 wheel drive systems with the different terrain modes are also a big plus living up north where we get a lot of snow they are truly amazing and great quality vehicles and I'm a big time Ford guy now and won't buy anything else if I had too. But man did this video make my morning and brought back so many memories and even some I had forgotten about until I saw this video and they all came flooding back to me. In fact I just remembered that I still have the 2 factory front seats outta my 91 grand am up in the back part of my dad's garage as I replaced them to a little bit better upgraded seats outta a fiero gt that I got from a junk yard outta a wrecked fiero gt back in the early 90s and now that I remembered I have them I'm gonna have to go dig them out and do something with them for old times sake and to help me keep and remember all those good memories from growing up back in the day in the absolute best times to be a kid growing up in my opinion the 80s and 90s were the absolute best times ever I swear.
Being a kid in the 80’s, I remember my parents buying mostly GM vehicles, especially Pontiacs. They bought a new Pontiac Firebird in 1985, a new Pontiac Bonneville in 1987, and a new Grand Am in 1989. We also had a new 1984 Chevy Truck, and the toy car was a 1985 Corvette. I guess that is what makes me particularly fond of 1980’s GM vehicles, especially Pontiac.
These were the days
RIP, you soon
I never see these anymore and this is one of the best examples I've seen in over 20 years. Nice!
Dude, you just picked up another loyal subscriber with the Grand Am video. My parents bought me an 89 LE with the Quad 4 in 1988. I had so much fun with that car but the biggest memories were forging a relationship with the service tech over at Lane Pontiac doing so many blown head gaskets on it. Also had an 85 Colt Premier Turbo which was remarkably similar to your 85 Galant. Your channel is a trip back to high school for me! Thank you!
My first car was a 1991 LE coupe with the 2.5L iron duke. Produced more torque than hp. Would climb hills with barely putting down more on the peddle. The manual windows would fail constantly. Honestly I miss it. Inherited it from my grandmother.
I love your rant session too. You know when people can’t park their vehicle properly, that they are driving too big of a vehicle. I’ve seen this multiple times. 😂
Either that or they think their 23456 pound behemoth is more special than the other 47 billion behemoths on the road.
That's because you have people daily driving a king cab 4 door long bed 2500-3500 truck that's really not intended for parking at the grocery store they are long clumsy and like driving a bus they are made to haul things like heavy trailers not intended for basic transportation and for many it's way to much vehicle for them to handle and most who daily drive them will not park in a open area of the parking lot away from the store they want the absolute closest parking space available
Lmao, it was a Karen moment to the Nth Degree
The SE’s were rare as hens teeth at the time. Almost all of them were LE’s with the Iron Duke. These were sporty when compared to the other N-Body cars. Over at Buick and Oldsmobile they still had column shifters and horizontal speedometers unless you got the “sports” version, and you could even order a Buick version with a vinyl top and wire wheels.
had a Cutlass Calais, they never had column shifter on it...and had real gauges not anything horizontal
I seen lots of SEs back in the day. Wasn't rare at all
Don’t forget they had a 442 N body
These still sucked. And my VW Scirocco Turbo could kill these plastic junks dead~
Kinda the same case with the Grand Prix GT also of close to the same time.period. I didn't see many then and never see them now. I see more GTP and TGP cars than GT or SE
The Quad-4 engines were high revving and fairly torquey engines. In these light weight grand-ams, olds Calais and Buick Somersets they could deliver some very lively performances but they would really wake up when mated to a 5 speed stick shift, specially if they were the HO versions. There was even a special edition of this engine, available for a couple of years in some top models, which was rated @ 190 hp, then an impressive figure from an engine displacing only 2.3 litres when many v8’s of the same era needed double the displacement to deliver the same power.
Ethan, It may have taken 32 years but somebody finally said something nice about Pontiac's Little Am. 😁
Yeah, it never got much love!!
My Mom had a 1987 Grand Am SE with the 3.0 liter V6. It had a sunroof and the GM stereo with equalizer and Bose speakers in the doors. I remember I loved the growly sounding exhaust and the great sounding stereo and orange backlit dash. It was a very nice car back in it's day. I remember though that after the power steering rack went, it started to nickel and dime her with various repairs. She replaced it with a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird with the 3.1 liter V6 which was even more peppy. She loved her Pontiac's. Nice to see this one. Have not seen a Grand Am of this vintage in years, let alone one in this condition.
The end cap on my 91's rack and pinion blew out without warning. Replacing the rack and pinion was not fun. At all. I've only ever seen 3 3rd gen grand am's in my life and mine is one of them. I'm keeping going out of spite
My first car was a used 1985 Pontiac Grand Am and they had that trippy speedometer they changed the following year. I loved it
I had a 1987 Grand AM SE 2 door in silver. It was a sharp looking car back then. The 3 liter Pontiac V6 sounded good and was plenty quick enough. We beat the hell out of that car...I was 20 when I bought it. Definitely used the 50k power train warranty when the camshaft snapped in half! For a very inexpensive car it was pretty impressive at the time.
I had a 1991. Identical to this car except the wheels. Yes back in the day it was a very sharp car. And the Quad 4 ran very well. Thank you for the Pontiac Grand Am memories.
I have a grand am gt, has never done me bad, a great car, reliable, powerful and has amazing handling. Also pretty spacious
I remember seeing these all over the road in SE Michigan during the 1980s and 1990s. This version originally came out in 1985 and redesigned in 1992. Also remember Pontiac having a commercial with blazing guitars in the late 80s pushing the sportiness and youthfulness of their cars which helped sell the vehicles. Quality of these vehicles were questionable at best, but sold people on their designs. By the time its replacement came out (the G6), Pontiac was going down the tubes (save for the Holden based G8), and because of the bankruptcy, GM was forced to shut down Pontiac in 2009.
However, with that being said, I miss the days when it used to be cool to be driving sporty coupes with are now extinct (Grand Am, Grand Prix, Beretta, Alero, Accord Coupe, Probe, Solara, Monte Carlo, Thunderbird, Cougar, etc.). They indeed were simpler and more affordable. Nowadays so many people feel the need to drive oversized CUVs.
I absolutely love this video, I absolutely love your Grand Am, and I definitely appreciate our mutual knowledge and love of 80s & 90s cars. I will definitely watch this video over and over again. I do appreciate the Pontiac split grill to the BMW split grill. I prefer the Grand Am over the Calais or the Somserset/Skylark. My grandparents 90 Olds 98 and my Dads 89 Chevy Beretta GT had those GM style seatbelts, and I don’t think we even once left them buckled getting in or out of the car. Do you remember the infamous electric seatbelts? My 91 Saturn SL2 had those. 😊
Back in the day, I had a white 4 dr SE Grand Am. I absolutely loved that car! It seemed like everyone had one! Thanks for the memories! 🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿
My first car was a 1987 Grand Am base model. It had the overworked 3-speed automatic, the 2.5 L Iron Duke, air conditioning that sapped 25% of the power and CRANK WINDOWS! I loved driving that car. I thought it was pretty comfortable and I always loved the body style. I really loved the flat dashboard with speakers on top, where God intended them. It had factory 6x9s in the rear, too. All in all, it was a nice date car during my first couple of years of college.
3rd generation Grand Am was the first car I learned how to drive. Of course when I was in school it was mandatory to learn how to drive a manual before an automatic because manual cars at the time were generally cheaper. Man the nostalgia of the 90's the last decade of genuine ideas and not built on top of other ideas.
Great car to learn in. It's super easy to handle and comfortable to ride in. I have a 91 four door and there's just something different about being behind the wheel of it. My grand am is barely driveable, can't go up hill, the brakes are sketchy, and the electronics barely work but for some reason I feel like I'm completely in control. I don't really know how to describe it other than that.
Man, you're right -- I used to see these everywhere. They were so common that, combined with my lack of interest in them, I didn't pay them any mind, but they were all around for sure. I know the same can be said for lots of cars, so the one I'm about to point out is by no means a profound statement, but I noticed over the last 5ish years that at some point I stopped seeing any 90's model Mitsubishi Eclipses on the road. Not that I'm a huge fan of them; I think they're cool and all, but I realized I never see them at all when I used to see them all the time.
Nah alot of jdm people still want the dsm cars and even the shittiest eclipse was ten times better then this car..
Cash for clunkers
Seen only 1 or 2 Ford Probes in the last 10 years. Almost no Chevy Celebritys nor Corsicas. Heck, barely any Cavaliers or even Cobalts. Fewer and fewer Fieros around. I've spotted more DeLoreans and Cimarrons than Fieros. Very few Pontiac Solstices and Saturn Skys. Saw examples of G8 and Aussie GTO briefly but not anymore. Seldom see 90s Ford Thunderbirds and Tauruses, either, though I knew someone who had the final model of the Mercury Cougar.
I haven't seen a 90's Eclipse in years.
@@SayAhh A person in my town owns a Chevy Corsica, and I still see literally tons of 95-05 Chevy Cavaliers and Cobalts/G5s around me. I see quite a few 90s Tauruses and Honda Accords. The 92-96 Camry has nearly disappeared, but the 97-06 Camrys I still see tons of. Whatever happened to the Mazda Millennia?
I always liked the 3rd Gen Grand Am. Particularly the way the rear glass cuts off the at such a different angle than the windshield.
Cadillac Eldorado had a similar window in back also
Your review brought back ALOT of memories. I bought an Oldsmobile Calais Supreme (same body style) new in '85. I loved the car, but, being the first model year, had a lot of problems: Head gasket leak at just over 36000 miles, very thin paint, body rust, automatic telescoping antenna, turn signal knob broke off...But, you're right: They we're simple, cheap, disposable transportation. But, they were fun to drive. I guarantee that you will regret selling it.
I had a '91 LE with the W32 package and the LG0 engine. It was a shockingly fast cart for its time, especially for a 4-cylinder. A real "V8 killer" -- at minimum, it bruised a lot of V8 egos. I loved that car.
The G6 definitely carried on the Grand Am’s legacy. For a car that hasn’t been produced in 12 years, I still see a ton of them on the road. I still see the last gen Grand Am on occasion.
I have a 2007 Pontiac G6 coupe with 160,000, mi and I've noticed that they're still on the road but most are rusting out along the rocker panels.
a TON of them? Where you live, West Virginia?
@@yonh8294 use to they were everywhere in Tennessee. Sometimes I’ll still see one but not often. A girl who works at the grocery store near me drives a silver one.
i just recently bought a 2005 grand am gt1. 120k miles. its nice tbh.
@@kamduke1394 my parents had one, same year. It was the base model with the V6. Solid car!
I'll never forget the reaction I got when I mistook someone's car for a grand am. He said "no, this is a Grand Prix!" Anyway; fun journey back in time. Rant section hilarious, and dead on ! Liked, subbed👍🏻
The Grand Am will always carry some memories for me. When I was about fourteen I went with my family on vacation to Boston and Maine (from Scotland) The car we rented was a Pontiac Grand Am. I think, from memory it was a 94 and had a V6 and four doors. When I got home I remember my friends being impressed when I told them we rented a Pontiac but I think they believed it was a Trans Am because most people on this side of the pond associated Pontiac with the Knight Rider Trans Am...
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I had a 91 SE with the HO quad 4 and a manual, I loved that car and sometimes have dreams it’s in my dads barn and I stumble upon it forgetting it’s there. Lots of great memories and that’s what it’s about.
I had a 1987 four door, two tone maroon and gray cladding. Its was my first car. It was my mother's but i took over payments for it. When I got stationed in Washington state, I drove it cross country from Virginia. During the winter. By myself. And at that time I'd only driven a total of a 100 miles in my life. It was quite an adventure.
Ran into a tumble weed in Kansas. Got stuck in a snow bank in Colorado. But luckily there was a guy who had a Jeep who pulled me out. Had a leaking fuel line on the last leg of my trip and rolled down the windows, even though it was cold at night, because gas fumes started to fill inside the car.
Anyway during my time at Submarine base Kitsap county, I was on base at a parking lot for business I had inside one of the buildings. When I came out I when to a car that looked like mine. I put the key in and it didn't turn. Then I looked inside and I didn't recognize the contents inside. I stepped back to look at the car. Same year, color, 4 door door, VA license plate. But it was a different plate number. I looked around and saw my car over in the next parking aisle.
After 2 and half years I got orders to Japan. But I bought a 1995 Fire Bird, blue/green chameleon paint job. On my trip back to VA.
I went Canada without a passport, went to concerts, pro sports, clubs, Seattle, and everywhere else. I'll never forget that car.
7:02 many cars have this feature even to this day. It is designed to minimize damage to the drivers chest in a hard frontal collision, with or without an airbag. The slight offset and the fact that the steering column enters the firewall at a slight angle works with the telescoping features of the column to minimize intrusion into the passenger compartment.
I prefer the pre-facelift version over the laid-back restyle, but it's still a handsome car. And yeah, these things were EVERYWHERE!
You really nailed it with your rant sequence, love it! Cool video, I remember these cars well!
I remember back in the early 90s at any given time you could find 4-5 of these in my church's parking lot.
I've enjoyed the videos you put out about this Grand Am. I remember liking these when I was in High School. I think almost everyone I knew had one. The wheels are AWESOME! It would be cool to add it to the garage with my Grandparents 1991 Caprice I've owned for 27 years now. Not sure I could convince the "boss" would feel the same excitement. LOL...
What do you think of the 3rd gen Grand Am? Would you have bought one back in the day? Do you want to BUY MINE??? ▶︎ bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-pontiac-grand-am Also, Cash For Clunkers did not kill off any Grand Ams-their MPG was too high to qualify for the program.
When are you sending to Rhode Island for me, we need to get this Grand Am a Little but Rusty…..”Get on your Pontiac and ride, Pontiac Ride”
I want to buy it!!!! So freaking cool!!
Damn, I wish I could buy that off you, Ethan! Unfortunately, between graduate school and bills, I'm broker than the 10 commandments 😔🥺😥😢😭
If I had the money back then I would love to have that car. Right now I have my own 1980s money pit on wheels, haha.
To be honest I probably would not of bought one back then but today yes I would. Reminds me of my youth.
Best car I thought I ever owned was a 2004 grand am, until I now got an amazing Scion TC that's indestructible. I owned 2 of them, both 04s and same gold color, both had well over 240,000 miles and both STILL had FULL POWER and fast n reliable. Those gm v6s in 04 we're something else. And it was a beautiful car for the price.
I absolutely love this car , my friend's dad had one and he use to drive us all over the place dropping us off and picking us up for years as a preteens. I look back on that time waiting for that car to pull up in the drive way and I can see it so clear in my mind and miss it. I would love to have this car and pick up my same friend in it and cruise with a huge stack of cassettes! Wish I could afford it !!! Great video
My 91 grand am still has it's original delco. I managed to get the cassette player working. It doesn't work well but it works.
My mom got a nearly new 1986 model with the Turbo 4, that was quite quick for the time. The center stack had a nice futuristic look with a number of digital accents and driver information center. To see how far cars had come from say 1980 to 1986 made it certain to my 16 year old self we would have flying cars by the year 2000.
Regarding the steering wheel, I believe that was intentional and was done as some safety feature. I purchased a new 92 Cavalier and it was the same way. I remember asking the salesperson about it and it had something to do with the wheel moving so as not to crush into the driver’s chest if a frontal impact occurred. It was even listed on the sticker as a safety feature. Of course this was all pre airbags which would come a few years later.
Thanks for this posting, really enjoyed the blast from the past vibe! Never owned a Grand Am,but always liked them in all generations!
This brings back good memories. My college roommate had a 1987 Grand Am. It was on its last leg (this was around 2001) but it got us from point a to point b. As far as people buying more car than they need. My father at one point drove a early 80s Buick Skylark. He's 6'7" and I still don't know how he even fit in it, but he loved that car.
It would be super cool to own one.
I've honestly been considering a 90's Cutlass Supreme coup. Loved that model back in the day.
Me too. Good luck though. Its very difficult to find anything but the convertibles.
I want a red 1990's Cutlass Supreme convertible. 😎
@@deanosmith7523 The one I want is a white hardtop with the red interior. I had the opportunity to get a nice one someone traded in to a local dealership about 10 years ago and didnt take it. And it was cheap. Still regret it as I havent seen one in the that combination of options and colors again anywhere around here. And when I do see one its always overpriced and 1000 miles away.
Oh Ethan, thank you for this wonderful trip through Nostalgia Valley! I had an '89 Grand Am LE Coupe with Quad 4 and 5 Speed manual. It was SUCH a fun car to drive and as you noted - really reliable and durable for the era. I got the Grand Am as a Junior in HS (1990) after it had been smashed (Pennsylvania R title for Reconstructed / Salvageable) with 3840 miles on it! Plastic still on the flip down sections of the back seat! I rebuilt it and sent it for painting during my Senior year in HS while I continued to enjoy my 85 Sunbird! It was the kind of car that some teachers used to approach me and ask questions about! Not quite desirable by car enthusiasts - but had that something different and unique quality. We took it to a race track once and spooled it up to 122 mph on the strait. THAT was exciting. It had a really cool exhaust note and that rough vibration while driving was my version of a muscle car but with 4 cylinder economy! It was my Senior year HS car, my College car - and used to pull 40 mpg on Interstate trips to and from Penn State, it took me to my first job for several years and my first son used to ride back there in his car seat! Lots of life changes behind that wheel. We eventually sold it in 2002 having owned it 12 years and 138,400 total miles. Some HS kid bought it. I just LOVED that car. I sat here watching your video and actually gave it thought to buy. Just for fun. If only it had a stick! PS I still have my 88 Nova base model... 84,000 miles - but plan to gift it to my nephew in a couple months when he turns 16. Weirdly my other nephew who is 7 thinks its his car and wants it instead! What makes them so appealing? 80s cars had personality sometimes.
I have 2 third generation Grand Ams. 87 and 91. Both on the road still and in amazing shape.
I'm glad to see you making content and getting good traction with this video. I hope you continue to make videos like this, and maybe more reviews of rad vehicles from other owners as you sell off your own fleet?
I loved this generation of Grand Am, and always wanted one... But, the sport version of the Olds Cutlass Calais and the 442 version of that were just meaner looking to me.
Absent grill, nicer body kid, cool Olds style tail lights that were ever so slightly different than the base Cutlass Calais... And the very thick 3 spoke wheels; the Cutlass Calais would be a car I'd love to own for a while with the Quad 4 or the 442 version of it.
I liked the flat front version, the year before this one. These were comfortable and Pontiac made nice big seats in them.
I had an '87 se it was flat fronted but still had the flush headlights and bodykit.
I remember these cars as a kid, and thought they were ahead of their time in aerodynamics and styling. While watching your vid, it dawned on me how close the Pontiac Fiero influenced the back portion of this car.
I really enjoyed your video. You say the same things I say to my children about cars.....and the rant! That was hilarious! I am glad to see someone with the same views and values regarding older cars like these! Excellent!
The olds quad 4 was a pretty good engine, as a gm driveability technician I worked on several. 4 biggest problem was burning out/arcing of the ignition coil tower, timing chain tensioner failures, water pump replacement (pump is driven from the timing chain) and carbon buildup on back of intake valves on early models. A redesigned intake fixed that problem. Also, when replacing the starter, if you weren't careful, you'd hit the crank sensor with the starter and break the connector, causing a no start.
don't forget the thermostat under the exhaust 0__o
Oh and head gasket issues
As a car modeler, the '80s Grand Am is the car I'm most surprised there was never a model kit of, and would be most shocked to see come out now. It's exactly the sort of allegedly-sporty Detroit iron that was right up MPC's alley (and later AMT when they merged) in that period.
I'm surprised by this too, there was a Citation, a Cavalier, a W-body Grand Prix, a Chevy Beretta, but no Grand Am from these years in kit form. There wasn't an A-body (Celebrity, 6000, Century, Cutlass Ciera) either.
@@clasterfan And the Citation was from Monogram which never even had a promo contract.
@@nlpnt There was also a W-body Buick Regal promo from AMT, but no model kit.
I'd love to be able to make a model of my 91. It's a total piece of junk but I love it.
Love you video! My first car was a 1988 pontiac 6000. Absolutely loved it. Second car was a 1995 Bonneville had too many little electrical issues. Now, I am a diehard Ford fan with a 2005 Mustang and a 2018 Escape.
I remember seeing them brand new. My grandmother's last car was one just like this one, but was the iron duke engine.
Just like you said, they used to be everywhere. You couldn't spit and not hit one, and one day, they simply all vanished.
They are even a rare sight in the junkyard these days, I assume there are so few of them left that the yards simply crush them immediately when they come in, because nobody is buying parts off them anymore.
It's ironic that many people comment on how badly the Japanese cars of the time were regarding corrosion, yet I still see the occasional corolla, civic, or sentra from that era, and lots of them in the junkyards.
Grand Am = Grand Ma.
GM really had a good thing going back in the day with Pontiac. Not REALLY sporty, but sporty looking at a fair price...A great formula I think they should bring back!
And I agree with your rant 100 percent
One thing that as so cool about Pontiacs in the 80s and 90s was the red lighting on the dash at night. Looked very high end for its time.
Great perspective on this Pontiac. Loved it. This gen Grand Am has the nicest design. Thanks for creating this video.... Cheers.
Even if the car had the base engine it was more powerful and drove better than the cars that that the owner had upgraded from. The fuel injection would allow the car to start immediately, a luxury that Carburated cars don't have. Better than cars from late 70s-early 80s that you had to turn off the A/C to be able to have the power to merge onto a highway like the Chevette, Pinto, Monza, Escort, Fairmont, Mustang II, Maverick, Volare and Aspen. Don't forget about very underpowered Japanese cars that rusted out in 4-5 years even in states without snow.
These were obviously far worse, by the 1990s the Japanese had pretty much solved the rust issues. Despite lower production numbers, I still see B13 Sentras occasionally, they were just as mechanically stout as these GMs but with better corrosion resistance.
These N bodies I rarely even see in the junkyard anymore, not for years now. They are actualy just as rare as a Datsun is around here these days.
Thats one thing I thought would never happen, Japanese commuter cars becoming collectors items! :)
Where did they all go. Cash for clunkers.
I don't think the Grand Am qualified, the MPG was too high. According to this list, none were crushed: www.thedrive.com/news/heres-the-full-list-of-all-677081-cars-killed-in-cash-for-clunkers
Wrong. These did not qualify for that.
@@HelloRoad ok thank you. Wow I'm just used to hearing CFC being the cause of most of the disappearance of the 80s and 90s cars.
@@KillroyWasHere86 No prob! Yeah a lot of people mistakenly think that all '80s/'90s cars got crushed because of CFC. I think they had to have an average MPG lower than 18 MPG to qualify. It did kill a lot of SUVs and trucks. Pretty sure Ford Explorers were #1 on the list :)
@@HelloRoad I worked at a Ford dealership during CFC, and I was the one who processed all of the rebate paperwork (as no one else in the dealership was computer savvy enough to... operate a scanner.) I got to watch the destruction process carried out on them. Most of the vehicles that my dealership took in and destroyed were maybe, at best, 6 months away from ending up in the junkyard anyway. We're talking clapped out cars with double rebuilt titles, cars missing fenders and with cracked rims, things with obvious rod knocks, probable bad head gaskets, etc. You know, the kind of cars that the tiny "buy here pay here, your job is your credit" lots wouldn't even touch with a 10 foot pole.
If a car had a trade-in value even remotely close to the government rebate and it was in reasonably resalable condition, we didn't do a CFC rebate. We bumped the trade value up and took it in on trade, to then resell on our lot or wholesale out. This both greatly simplified the paperwork and also kept good cars on the road. I know for a fact my dealership was by no means unique in doing that, either. It also allowed much more flexibility, in that we could both take in cars that didn't qualify, as well as sell cars that didn't qualify, something that was key as we ran out of new Focuses early and had trouble getting enough in.
So yeah, all the CFC pundits out there make me laugh/roll my eyes. Every time.
I had an 87 Grand Am and I loved that car. Was involved in a rear end accident that was totally my fault and unfortunately it totaled the GA. Man that was a nifty little ride.
I heart you and this car! I graduated HS in "90, Thank you for this video. The rant was fantastic! :D
Great video. I bought a brand new '91 Sunbird (I think) coupe with the 3.1L V6 in bright red with gray cloth interior. Honestly, it was on of my favorite cars. Very reliable, great power and exhaust note (used to set off car alarms in my office garage) and a great stereo which is very important to me. And, it got great gas mileage. I drove it for five years before selling it myself and leasing a new vehicle. For an inexpensive car, I certainly got my money's worth out of it.
I miss Pontiac to this day! 2 of my first cars were 89, and 99 Bonnevilles
I had a four door Grand Am for about four years prior to 2002. Heck, I don't even remember what model year it was, but it had a Quad 4. I mainly remember that the previous owner had a blown head gasket (which Pontiac fixed), I had a blown head gasket (which Pontiac also fixed) and it was drinking coolant and smelled like hot syrup again when I got rid of it. I figured that one was going to come out of my pocket. Nice enough car, kind of sporty, but I switched to Honda in 2002 and have not looked back.
Ah yes the Grand Am. Wow what a trip this was to watch, i had a 87 and it was my first vehicle. Great stuff👍
I remember those commercials..... "Get on your Pontiac and ride!"
The rant made me subscribe!
I painted pinstripes on new cars back in the late 1980’s into the early 1990’s. I probably pinstriped over 100 of these and I loved the high torque Quad 4 engines especially with the manual transmission. Your video made me realize that yes, these seem to be all gone. I almost convinced my uncle to buy a new one back then. A black 2-door with the 5 speed. He wound up buying a used 1984 VW Rabbit GTI. It would be cool if these started showing up at car shows. I would be telling my son about my experience driving these and pin-striping them.
Madison and Braydon. Perfect.
"If the doors open during a crash, you're just going to fall right out of the car"🤣😂🤣😂 Great video, made me miss my V6ed 87 SE
There is a Grand Am that lives next door. Which is so odd whenever I see yours. I remember them being new back when I was a Grand Prix owner. Now you are making me miss them which is weird because I remember them when they were new and everywhere.
So good job.
had the same one around when I got my license back in 95. Loved it would love to have another one!
Loved the video. It popped up in suggestions because I was doing a search on them yesterday. I'm going to look at an 80,000 mile one tomorrow. When I did a quick craigslist search on them for my area I didn't find many others but there were tons of them in Facebook Marketplace.
I had this as a Cutlass Calais with the high output quad 4... That thing was quick. It was fun to race it as long as you didn't mind rebuilding the engine after the head gasket popped.
@Tone Dawg I raced mine a lot and won money doing it but it lead to rebuilding every 2-3 weeks. The gaskets were cheap but the hours hurt.
I have a white 2004 grandAm GT sedan and I absolutely love it ! I got it from the original owner with low miles ! Has the ram-air! Fully loaded too! Great video here ! 👍
I had a 96 SE V6. Was my first car I bought. Lots of fun to drive and roomy. I now drive a 2018 Malibu. That’s the closest thing you can get these days to my old Grand Am. Was a shame the 96 3.1 kept blowing out head gaskets.
I get the same feeling driving around in my '85 Cougar. Fox-chassis Cougars and their Thunderbird brethren sold in huge numbers and were commonplace for at least a couple of decades. Then it seems like someone flipped a switch, and now I almost never see another.
Yep. My mom ordered an 87 a Thunderbird....rear main seal blew at 100k miles so traded it in. Would be nice to have it now.
It’s like that with a lot of the cars from the late 80s early nineties. I swear there were early 90s Taurus, Luminas, Grand Ams, cutlasses etc. and then one day. Poof. Just gone. Leaving behind only Camaros and Mustangs as the only evidence that cars were produced during that time
Nice video. I used to have an 88 four door Grand Am with the 2.5 iron duke. I got it from my mom in 96 when she got a new car. It was the first car I owned with ac and an automatic transmission. I really liked that car.
89' was my first car (graduated in 99') and it was an absolute tank... loved that pos, a lot of great memories
Nice Grand Am, miss them. My first car financed was a 1992 Grand Am GT 5 speed with the H.O. Quad 4 and it screamed. Was like this car in the video: White and white wheels. As for the car in the video, I'd absolutely LOVE to own it. It is a survivor. If Covid followed by a heart attack hadn't decimated me financially, I'd offer to buy it. I really want this car! 😩
The exhaust originally had two exhaust tips per side, that's why they have cut-outs. Someone cheaply replaced the exhaust with a single pipe. Replacing it with the correct configuration will vastly improve the car's appearance. In 1990, that car was gorgeous. Surpassed only by the Grand Prix - which was completely out of my price range back then being a teenager. All the features and designs you pointed out were so cool then and looking at nearly any car built nowadays, they are even more refreshing. Comparing the technology available now to that era is impossible, back then when GM produced digital dash displays and controls, that was decades ahead in thought & design. The 1990s GM car isn't technologically comparable to contemporary built vehicles..... Those cars were great for the time and I miss them so much.
I truly hope someone continues to keep the car maintained and looking as beautiful as it does now. Cannot tell you enough how I wish I could buy it from you. Had I even any funds I'd make an offer immediately and keep it as nice as you have it now - and it would remain owned by me in perpetuity.
Most people forget this car but I don't, when I was a teenager the GrandAm represents stylish and handsome to those young drivers in my country, it was an alternative and characteristic choice on the market, it's exhaust sound impressed me most!
I was 12 years old when my grandparents bought their 89 Grand Am LE. I actually talked them in to buying it because I thought it was cool. I learned to drive with this car (I was 13 at the time. Shhh….don’t tell on me)
I finally had it handed down to me in 2006 from my dad who got it from grandparents after they bought a Saturn SL1.
It lasted another two years before the head gasket blew and the car finally died for good. When it finally went to the junkyard it had racked up over 400,000 miles. The paint job was completely shot and the heater no longer worked, but I sure do miss that car.
I bought a 1990 LE model with 19K miles in 1992 while in high school. White with silver cladding. Lots of memories in that car. Kept it until 1997. Sold her with just under 40K on the ticker and got a 240SX. Great video, brought back some fond memories brother.
All SEs got the quad exhaust tips - it’s just that most don’t get replaced over the years when they wear out. The passenger side was a loop coming off the driver’s side and the system functions perfectly fine without it.
Ah yeah you're right. Thanks. I haven't seen any other Grand Ams from this year with a single exhaust. :)
I own an 88 Grand Am that my Mom purchased in 1989. I LOVE these cars. Thanks for this video! Wouldn’t mind adding another to my driveway….if this one’s still available. (Seriously.)
Yes I remembered seeing these all over the place back in the day. I almost bought one but the dealer was horrible and I bought a Blazer at the end of 99. When I traveled to Ohio and Michigan , there were everywhere and perhaps the best selling car in the Great Lakes region. I lived in MD and our Pontiac dealers weren't the strongest. I loved those commercials for this car.
A follow up: in ‘93 I bought a new Sentra SE-R...a car I had coveted for 2 years. Prior to buying it, I test drove a new Grand Am. I was unimpressed and went straight to the Nissan store to get the SE-R. I loved that car and would probably still have it had I not sold it to go to college. I should have kept it and skipped the whole college experience as graduating did not give me the sense of accomplishment I was looking for.
Also, I recently caught a commercial you did for a car cover. Unlike most adverts, I watched in its entirety. Great job. Just like watching one of your videos.
Nice! I nearly bought a '94 SE-R in '98. I didn't have enough money so it's good I didn't do it. But I reaaaallly wanted that car! Funny about that car cover video. They're running the crap out of that video, a bunch of my friends have seen it too 😆
Lol I remember these they were everywhere you couldn’t get away from them just like the dodge chargers and challengers wow great video
Cool video!
Wished we got these gems in Australia
I owned a 2001 Grand Am GT1. I loved the hell out of that car! I traded up from a 4 cylinder Dodge Shadow. I love the way it moved. The only downside was that cops would stalk me every time I would be on the road. I never gave them a reason to pull me over. I have a Mustang now, which I totally love. But I still think about my Grand Am and the fun I had with it.
The Quad 4 is one of my favorite GM motors. I had a '95 Grand Am and loved it.
A childhood friend of mine his mom had one in blue. I’m 40 and he has it now. I had a 95 SE and it was a mechanical nightmare.
Cool Story telling.
Got me to Sub.
My mom owned one of these in purple and it was the first car I remember riding in. It formed my earliest impression of what a car was
I had a 1995 Pontiac Grand AM SE with a 5 speed manual.. loved that car
I brought a 1988 Grand AM SE with the turbo in 2020, then i took it and drove from Montreal to Vancouver --- THAT 80"S vibe during the trip doe !!!!
OMG I remember these, my neighbor had one of these a 1986 Pontiac Grand Am coupe with a 4 banger engine . I used to borrow it couple of times a good sporty car .
I bought a used Grand Am in the 90's for $800 and drove it for 4 years with hardly any trouble. Loved that little car.
I had a white VW Fox station wagon when I was in high school and through college. My favorite car ever - such a little tank. Saw one in your shots of your car collection.
I had a blue 1991 grand am. Slow as hell with the iron duke but I loved her so much.
I always liked the style of those grand ams, I like them better than what replaced them. I think 3800 sc swap would make for a fun car.
After our 1980 Chevy Monza was wrecked, we needed a car ASAP. While I was thinking a Chevy Berreta my wife spots a 1987 Grand Am on the used car lot. That shifted our thinking entirely. On Christmas day we spotted a 1988 on the Pontiac dealers' lot that we liked, and the following day bought it. That car was the best one we ever owned. Followed that one up with a 2000 Grand Am which was every bit as good as the 88. Wish I had them both today, never a problem with either their only downfall being harsh northern winters that did them in.