91 grand am quad 4

I have a 91 grand am with a quad 4 motor in it. it is a piece of junk but for $500.00 has gooten me almost 3 years. There are times ( completely speratic) when it will not start. it turns over and over and over but will not start. you can smell fuel so I am sure the fuel pump is working. Eventually, usually within 5-10 minutes it will start but then it runs really crappy. It seems slugish and does not want to go. When you idle at a light or something it chuggs as if it is going to die? Any help would be great, hate walking into an repair shop and being taken advantage of. However i am not totally dumb when it comes to vehicles. Thanks Shelly

I would check compression. It sounds like its about ready to blow a head gasket if it hasn't already. If compression is ok, check fuel pressure. You can have fuel flow without enough pressure to supply the injectors.