I have a quick question for you guys who owned or own grand prix gtp's....my girl friend is 22 and is just about to get her license....i found a pontiac grand prix gtp for 6g's, the problem is that it has 123k on it...the body looks good and the interior looks clean....just wondering how were the powertrain on these cars? this would be rite in her budget but i dont want to be fixing it all the time either.

 

omg im impressed 1st off. usually those engines are abused to the point of breaking down before 100000 mark. whos the owner? is it a man, lady, old, young, midage? usually you can tell by the person whose selling what they did.

have the engine checked out er something. but its a good find no doubt

 

I had one and we had some parts stolen out of it.

It's been a while but I think the coil pack (hope that's right) was stolen. 1 per 2 cyclinders at $200 a pop.

So yes they are expensive to fix but a helluva car.

 

My last daily driver was 97 Bonneville SSei ....same engine/trans . It had 198,xxx miles when I traded for the cobalt . IMO , the 3.8's are cheap cheap to work on . Mine was VERY reliable . I got it from my uncle @ 97,000 miles . Engine wise , I had no problems at all . All I did was basic maintenance . The 4L65e trans can be a weak point though . The one in mine was re-built at 70K when my uncle had it , then I had to replace it again @ 180K miles .

I wouldnt wince a bit at buying a GP GTP with 100,000 plus miles . If its clean and looks nice in and out it was most likely maintainted well mechanically too . The very first thing I would do to it though , and I regret not doing to mine ....is install a GOOD trans cooler . And definately change the tranny fluid at least every 15K miles . I did my fluid once a year .

 

I personally wouldn't buy it with that many miles on it. The 3.8 is a strong engine, but with that mileage who knows if the trans, engine, suspension ect... will be any good.

 

I had a 97 with 156000 miles on it and it ran like brand new. awesome cars, strong motor

 

all depends on lst ownerand if they abused it or not. the 3800 will run forever and get you pretty good gas mileage too. the problem most people have with their GTPs is that they want to mod it and dont do it right. if you are not gonna mod it, then you shouldnt really have to worry about too much breaking.

 

$200 a pop...are you kidding me? Did that come with a free reach-around? Coil Packs are about $70 a piece from a dealership, brand new. Trust me, I have replaced them on my car before.

 

The GTP's have very strong engines in them and drive trains. It really is just a matter of the previous owners. However 100k plus mileage for 6k is a little much. I would offer 4,500 if they dont take it oh well. Go buy a car with 70k miles on it for 6k. Maybe not a GTP but possibly in much better condition depending on the driver.

 

What year is the GTP? If it is a '97 or '98, stay away from it...123K cars that old will need some major maintenence done.

Get a '99 or newer. Should get a '99 for about $4k-$6k in good shape. I have a '99, bought it new, has 100,200 miles and have never had any major mechanical. They ARE easy to work on, and junkyard are filled with parts for them (spare motors and transmissions).

If you need parts, see this guy...http://www.moradpartscompany.com. He is the authority on these cars.

Check for abuse before buying it. has it been modded previously? Look for typical wear and tear. They are notorious for seepage at the rear main seal, supercharger couplers being noisey, and weak transmissions. Drive it, scan it (if you have autotap). Check for KR, check the oil, coolant. They are typically a smooth running engine, if you hear noises at idle-run away fast. Have someone stand behind it and give it a little rev...what color is the exhaust?

The 3800 is a very durable engine, can be run for 300k easily if well maintained. I know of people who have drive 20-25k on a slightly chipped piston. They have forged cranks, 8.5:1 compression, cast pistons, and 2.93 final drive ratio.

another website to check out is http://www.clubgp.com.

I hope this helps some. Go over there and ask some questions, don't mind the bickering cause that is how the website has become.