Pontiac Grand Am: Third times a charm definitely applied here
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- čas přidán 15. 03. 2024
- Welcome to Auto Chatter! Todays discussion is about the Pontiac Grand Am and G6. These cars were designed to give a little extra excitement over other competitors in their class. Some generations did sell better than others though as we will see. I hope you enjoy this nostalgic journey from 1973 to 2010! If so, please leave a like and consider watching some of my other videos, and subscribing if you havent yet. Thanks for watching!
Some Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio ("Vice") - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Right there with you as to the various generation rankings. Gotta say that I never realized how few of the potentially collectible versions were made, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around any of these being desired collectibles compared to 60's and early 70's classics. It could happen though, and with the interest currently low, now would be the time to buy and wait for the prices to go up as I'm sure a few pristine cars are still out there to be had at reasonable prices. I also never connected the Grand Am being a cross between the Grand Prix and the Trans Am. Pontiac did offer some excitement compared to other American cars of the same years, but honestly during most of the Grand Am's life high performance was gone from all cars except as marketing hype. They did have distinctive Pontiac styling going for them even in the 'clone' models which helped a lot but the ever-changing engine line-up kept any from gaining a following like happened with GM's 3.8 and 4.3 engines. I'm a fan of certain Buicks but I feel that GM screwed up dropping Pontiac though I understand the reasoning; one does not drop high-sales cars and Buicks are still the hot ticket in China. The lower body cladding was OK at first but soon became seen as a cheap way to facelift last years cars. The 'clones' did help sales but what Pontiac needed was it's own models and not re-hashed Chevy's, and GM couldn't afford that.
Another smile-fest with the CC's like Pontiac lemons and Grand Dams and even more scattered throughout. Gotta love how someone like CZcams with all the technology and money in the world still can't do speech-to-text worth a crap, but they are overstaffed with people looking for any tiny reason to pull vids and ban or demonetize channels over silly reasons. Anyway this is a very good vid and covered the Grand Am in comprehensive depth. Just sad they're no longer with us as Chevy has lost their way making cars but Pontiac never did.
Alot of Malise era 70s cars that littered my High School parking lot surprisingly may be worth a few bucks now. I never owned a Pontiac, bit I liked the more "excitement" theme they had over the other divisions.Im glad you enjoyed it. Longest vid yet, but didn't think the G6 alone would have made for a long enough vid on its own
I love the 1999-2005 Grand Am dash!! Sexiest dash on the planet
The 1998 Pontiac Grand Am is hands down the best Grand Am ever created
@@BallDontLie99 They looked pretty sharp then.
Had a fully loaded Black GT sedan with every single option in '04. I absolutely loved that car! Searched for weeks to find it and at the right price. Lots of races were had, most were won lol #funtimes
My Wife's Maxima in 03 got got hit and they gave her a 03 GT from Enterprise for about a month. The low seating position was cool with me, but she hated it!
I love the way the narrator narrates in monotone!!
It’s hilarious !!
I love it!!
We’ll leave the light on for ya!!😂😂😂
LOL...Guess I do it with a bit of a Motel 6 vibe!
My parents bought a new 87 Grand Am LE. It was a pretty good car overall and what i learned to drive on. It had the little 4tech four cylinder, but it had decent power. It also averaged about 32 mpg. Alot of fond memories of that car
Another great one!
I think you produced the best documentary on this platform regarding these cars with your excellent storytelling.
Never was a fan of the G6. I liked the ‘99 Grand Ams tho.
That's pretty high praise Rob...Thank you very much!
Great video. I always had a place in my heart for the Grand Am. Never owned one, I preferred Japanese brands like Mazda, which I owned two. However, I did rent lots of Grand Am’s whenever I traveled. They suffered from rough engines and cheap interior plastics that were only a notch above porta-potties, hence why I never owned one. I had high hopes for the G6, but sadly it didn’t survive.
Thank you! I currently own a Mazda myself, so I can relate!
The formal roof models [Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cutlass Supreme, and Regal] were actually "A-Special" body. Ended up the big sellers. The fastback colonnade coupes were meant to replace the '68-'72 fastbacks, and first drew up during the muscle car era. and were out of step by '73-'77, so had to add opera windows and such.
Pretty sad Grand Am was discontinued. I had a 99 se 2 door, from 2016-18. It was an amazing car! But sadly, the trunk stopped closing and it was leaking water in my passenger side, through the floor. Also the window clips kept breaking. But I sure do miss it. Was still a great car! You should do an episode about the Cavalier 😉I love watching every episode of Auto Chatter! 😊Great Work!
Thank you! Cavalier is coming down the road. This weekend is the Ford Escort.
Was renamed G6, per Bob Lutz, who wanted to make Pontiac 'import inspired'.
i currently have a 2004 grand am with the v6. it’s my first car and i’m absolutely in love with pontiac now ❤️
Have one of the last ones...Thats cool!
I've got a '73 Grand Am and a '78 Monte that I picked up at Ollie's the other day sitting on my desk right now.
Ollies....Good stuff cheap!
I have an 02 Grand Am SE with the v6. I love this car even though some may see it as crappy. I hope to keep it for many years to come
@@theogKavani I have always had a soft spot for Pontiacs, even though I never owned one.
The '73 Grand Am was first planned to be the '72 GTO, there are pictures of prototypes badged as such. But there was a long UAW strike in 1970, and the colonnades got delayed a year. Then, mid-size muscle car sales went down due to insurance premiums. So, changed plans for the Grand Am. GTO went to just steel bumper Le Mans, and GA was separate line. Could get a 455 and 4 speed in GA, like a GTO, but Grand Prix was the sales winner.
That's cool.Thank you for elaborating!
It's the styling that gets me, it goes down hill starting in the 80s which basically when everything went down hill.
The 73 Grand Am reminds me of the 73 Chevelle Laguna S3. Seems like I haven’t seen one of either for at least 30 years now
@ChadQuick270W Yeah..I can see a resemblance.
My first car, God do I miss it.
@@jturn365401 what year?
Really enjoy your channel. My cousin had a 3rd gen Grand Am. He loved it!
Thanks! I appreciate it!
I once had a 98 Grand Am GT 2 door in red with a 5 speed. I owned one in the early 2000's but when that body style changed in 97 or whenever the 2 door GT was one of the best sportiest looking cars on the road. The late 90's was a great time for the Pontiac styling department, they made some beautiful cars,
It was definately the best looking of its other G.M. cousins then in my opinion. I like that Pontiac tried to make theirs more.....fun.
'73 GA would have had 455 SD option [290 hp], but at last minute was cut to just Firebird Formula and Trans Am. Motor Trend tested a prototype Grand Am with this motor and was quick, but this test car got destroyed.
Great video!
Thank you!
For 2005, why couldn't Pontiac just Keep the Grand Am name instead of calling it the G6?
They starting dropping regular names in favor of just using alpha numeric ones. (G3,G5,G6,G8). Guess they were trying to be more European. They did that in the 80s some too with the 6000 and T-100 (Chevette clone). Plus the first J body Sunbird was called a J2000 at first.
G5 = 5th Generation J Car, G6 = 6th Generation Grand Am, G8 = 8th Generation Grand Prix...
Because their marketing wasn't thinking logically.
Because of all the free advertising when that song Like a G6 came out
@tanside979 Yes...8th gen Grand Prix was 2004 to 08..the G8 should have been a G9 right?
My understanding is that GM gave the G6 cars away using Oprah for advertising, I don't think Oprah paid for the cars. In the end, Oprah got the credit instead of GM.
My aunt had a late 80s Grand Am. I think it had the Quad 4. It was fun to ride in for a boy who's parents had a Celebrity and an 82 Olds Cutlass Supreme sedan.
My late friend had a G6 GXP coupe. The engine blew around 50k. It was fun while it lasted.
Yeah..It was a big ad campaign GM paid for. 50k miles? That's bad LOL.
Grand Am targeted potential naive BMW buyers who could not afford it. ''How the hell is this understeer but damn I get my money's worth with all this cladding''
I bought my first Pontiac 4 door Grand Am SE1 in June 1998 and owned it until 2007. It was a great ride. Now I drive a 2006 Pontiac Torrent.
Pontiac Equinox. Not many of those sold.
It is a great ride and the engine is just getting to the 130K miles mark@@autochatter, but I still miss my 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE1!
Don't forget about the far east movement song like a g6 and your channel is interesting i sub.
LOL thank you! I actually mentioned that song in the community page as part of my coming soon post.
A friend of mine had a ‘73. Great car.
That's cool..I have no idea how many 73s are lefr.
👍👍 another banger buddy
I appreciate that! Seems like Grand Am was a good topic this week!
I had the 1986 4dr Grand Am with the Iron Duke. It was noisy but reliable. Loved that car. Put 190,000 miles on her.
Yeah the old Duke wasn't a "fun" engine LOL.
@@autochatter No it was not 🤣
Had an '88 SE coupe with the turbo 4. All-white with matching wheels. 😎 It was 6 years old when I got it. Didn't last long, though. I think the water pump failed. In '96, I got a '94 SE sedan with a 3.1L V6. Thought it was a helluva car for my budget. It hung around until its demise in '04.
The FWD versions of these cars were fine as cheap transportation. None of them had "excitement" in their DNA. They were perfect for high school or college kids. Rental fleets loved them.
I think water pump failures were common on Quad 4s and it was $$$ to fix.
The high school parking lots were full of these in the late 80s and early 90s.
Mine too.
8:15 "California buyers got the 868 horse engine" Those must have sold well!
Did the caption screw up? Cause it's a Chevy 305 LOL.
I currently own a G6 GTP convertible. It's the perfect car for me. Just enough poke, a great stock stereo system, comfortable, and relatively trouble-free in the time I've had it. It doesn't look bad, either. :) Also pretty scarce from what I've heard.
I'd say they are pretty rare. I have a hardtop convertible myself!
@@autochatter This is my second one. I had a Mercedes SLK230 before the G6 and I honestly like the Pontiac better.
@@danmccarthy4700The maintenance costs on the Pontiac are likely to be less!
@@autochatter So far, except for some pretty expensive work that had to be done on the cooling system it has been much cheaper to maintain. It's also awesome that the interior isn't falling apart and the roof doesn't leak every time it rains. Don't get me wrong, I loved that SLK and I cried like I'd lost a pet after I totaled it but the G6 is much better for me.
My top is all electric versus those electro hydraulic ones Mercedes used then. I'm not sure what your car has.
My wife had a 2002 Grand Am
That's the same year my wide drove for a month while her Maxima was in the bodyshop when she got hit..It was a white GT sedan.
Excellent! You did a great job. I liked how you covered so much. You did really good with the details and then footage. I only have one correction. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon was Oldsmobile equal to the Pontiac Grand Am and Chevrolet Laguna S3. The Salon ran well into the 1980's. I would not change anything you put in your video. I liked the other small details you mentioned about Oldsmobile, Opel and the engines GM used.. I cannot say thank you enough and thank you for the good job. I knew several people who owned Grand Am too. My uncle had a four door in the late 1980's. A friend had the 1992-1993 version. My sister owed a early 2000's version. The Grand Am carried Pontiac for years. I only have one thing to say.. Driving Pontiac! We Build Excitement Pontiac!
Always comforting to get your "GM" seal of approval and I'm glad you liked it! This want went long, but didn't think the G6 part was long enough for its own vid.
@@autochatter It was a good length. You covered G6 correctly. It was to be attached to the Grand Am as it was the "sixth generation replacement". You did your homework and it went well. You keep doing these great videos. I shared with you the only correction there was about the Cutlass Salon which was the equal to the Grand Am and Laguna S-3. It is interesting years later The Oldsmobile Alero and Grand Am shared the same platform that was used by the " Cutlibu" for 1997-1998 model years.
@OLDS98 TY again..You are the G.M. authority!
@@autochatter Thank you. I do not know everything.
@@OLDS98 I suspect any G.M. related answer in the form of a question on Jeporady, you would be all over it!
The "73 was the best looking. They never should have changed the rear taillights. Mine was dark Brown with a 400cid, 4barrel, dual exhaust and Turbo 400 automatic.
It was a sharp car!
Pontiac changed the trunk design for 1974 to get larger cargo area, in the A bodies.
ANOTHER great vid bud!! Unfortunately I think there was still a lot of potential for Pontiac when they discontinued it😢🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
Thank you!
19:08 - I remember this generation's debut in a chase scene in Lethal Weapon 4. 🤓 They destroyed the car. 😂
Mercedes vs. Grand Am. Fun scene to watch.
Did he finally retire in that movie? I forgot LOL.
@@autochatter no
@@colinschmitz8297 Figures LOL.
Nineteen EIGHTY five lol
Even though it was ancient at that point I don't know why they didn't continue with the 3800 in the G6. Surely it could have been developed a bit further and gotten close to 300hp. Maybe it was an emissions mpg thing. Probably wouldn't have made any difference in the death of Pontiac though, a sad day. GM just had way too many issues when the hammer dropped. With the insane push form our federal government for ridiculous fleet mpg and for more electric cars when the tech ain't there yet doesn't bode well for any America auto company since fuel economy isn't what they do well. I mean electric motors are pretty great. Tons of instant torque, no need for for liquid cooling, you don't need gears, a torque converter or a clutch, no need for air intakes, an exhaust system, and a whole host of other things, but we don't have the battery technology yet and our power grid really isn't ready for it. Oh and CO2 is not a pollutant and it's not "green". Last time I checked trees need that.
Might have been due to emmisions.The Grand Prix had one untill its end in 2008.
You left out the Buick Somerset/Skylark for 1985 when speaking of the Grand Am and Olds Calais.
I did..For some reason I was thinking the Buick N body didn't come out untill a year later.
@@autochatter For 1986, Buick N bodies were 2 door Somerset and 4 Door Skylark. For first year, '85, was Somerset Regal as 2 door. '87 up were all called Skylarks.
@@autochatter I sold Buicks and Pontiacs in 1985. I really wanted a Somerset but I couldn’t afford one.
I as a european actually have to admit that in the first gen, they did a whole lot of stuff right. The interior's less american and feels more geared to the driver, overall it does look and feel like an actual 'driver's car' which I reckon to be rather rare in an era where they either had cars that had straightline speed or grandpa-cushioning luxury. All in all, this just makes the loss of pontiac feel all the heavier. I bet in hindsight, GM is rly kicking their own shins...
At least GM elected to retire Pontiac as opposed to being open to sell it. They brought back Hummer as a GMC model, so maybe some kind of Pontiac will return some day.
@@autochatter Well the brand started life as a subbrand of oakland...so it would essential my be a return to form
@@TheChill001 Anythings possible!
The G6 was originally going to look much more aggressive. When Bob Lutz joined GM, he made the designers water it down to what we got.
I could see Lutz wanting that.
@autochatter Why would he do that, to make the GP and G8 look better, get more attention?
@zerocool5395 My guess is he preferred a cleaner look. The last couple generations of Grand Am got a little crazy with Boy racer trim IMO.
23:18 - I can feel the garbage interior materials in that picture. 🤮 For a car that competed in a segment including the Fusion, Legacy or Mazda6, among others, this was horrible quality. The Stratus/Avenger is the only car I might say is worse. 😬
Gotta love the GM plastic interiors!
1970s grand am cool the other generations not so much. chevy el camino= gmc Conquistador. 5000$ bsck then= 1000$ today. pontiac grand prix is related to chevy monte carlo.
1985 not 1995.
Are you watching it with the caption on by chance? I rewatched it there and it sounded like I said 85.
Its ECO TECH not echo…
LOL..Sorry..Gonna pull my "Southern Card" for that one!
Like Ford's EcoBoost (eeko-boost) engines, yet Ford had a small SUV called EcoSport (pronounced Echo Sport).
the only great Grand AM was the 1973.
I really liked the late 80s grand am. I REALLY DID NOT LIKE all the ones that followed
I could see that. The 92 and up got a bit over the top for some with all the cladding.
7.5 LITERS FOR 250HP IS INSANE LOL
I know!
First gen was the best looking. The rest were ugly stubby looking butt plugs. ☹
I dont know if it counts as a Grand Am, but I thought the Can Am looked good.
@@autochatter I'll give you that. 👍