To many miles?

Hey guys,

Well im lookin at getting a new used car and the Grand Prix has caught my eye. I took a 2000 GT for a test drive yesterday and loved it. The price is right but there is one concern: it has 118k for miles. What Im wondering is how reliable is it going to be with the milage that high? Ill be starting college this year and want somthing more reliable than my 93 Tuarus. So is it still going to run good that high, or can I expect problems?

Thanks

the 3800 is a very dependable engine. The only problems are the upper intakes and an occasional crank sensor. Look for any milky residue on the oil cap and in the pcv valve, which would indicate the upper intake leak. Other than that, 118k isn't too bad, these engines commonly go 300k+ with nary a problem. The only other issue car wise is the blower resistor (you'll lose all but high speed) which is simple and inexpensive, and hub bearings, which are more due to bad roads and pot holes than a design issue. I love my 99, quick, comfortable, and nice looking.

Alright, well Ive got another question. Ive done some research online but can't seem to find what Im looking for, so I apologize if this has already been answered. I was told that a GT will be very high to insure, however as I was looking around online I found that the GT is not considered a sports car? In that case I cant imagine insurance being very high? How does the insurance on this car compare to others? Thanks again.

the difference would be between a 2 door and 4 door, and a GT and GTP. 2 doors and GTP's (with the supercharged engine) are more expensive to insure than 4 doors. My 99 GT 4 door is reasonable to insure, if there is such a thing, as my rate only went up a few dollars per month from my 91 with only pl/pd to the 99 with full coverage. Insurance varies greatly according to where you live, your age, and even your credit history report are factors that affect your rate, so shop around.

i believe that this car comes with alot of standard safety features..Daytime running lights, dual front airbags, sentinel lights, 4 wheel anti-lock,Pass key, and a good crash rating...Insurance companys underwriters take this into consideration...Most important is drivers history...eg DWI, Speeding, No seatbelt...etc...

Alright, well Ive got another question. Ive done some research online but can't seem to find what Im looking for, so I apologize if this has already been answered. I was told that a GT will be very high to insure, however as I was looking around online I found that the GT is not considered a sports car? In that case I cant imagine insurance being very high? How does the insurance on this car compare to others? Thanks again.

I own a 99 GT Coupe. I don't pay for my own insurance, my parents do, but the insurance only went up about 40 or 50 dollars a month, and thats adding the car, not switching one. As for why its not considered a sports car, look at the Monte Carlo. Its the same thing as my GT Coupe (pretty much) and its not a sports car. It's because they aren't designed to be like a Corvette or Viper or whatever sports car you wanna compare them to. They are nice looking grocery-getters, at least until we get ahold of them:iceslolan.

And, in my defense, I'm not spoiled because I don't pay my own insurance, I had to/have to pay for my car:smile:.

The GT is a very nice car. The 3800 is quite reliable with the exception of the items that richtazz mentioned earlier. Most of those items are easily changable by a slightly mechanically inclined person. As for the insurance it shouldn't be any higher than any other car with a normally aspirated engine. The mileage should not be a problem but check to make sure that the ABS light is not illuminated it can mean bucks to repair.

Alright, thanks guy, you've been more than helpful. I have one moer question. I've looked and looked online and Id go ask the dealership that I'm looking to buy from, but its Michigan State law that delaerships cannot do business on Sundays. As stupid as I feel for asking this question, here it goes: what is the difference between a GT and a SE? The dealer called me yesterday and said he had an SE in, 2000 model like the GT and both have the same goodies on the inside (of course your talking to a kid that currently drives a car that you have to crank down the windows, so anything an improvement :-p ) Are there differences in the models? I think I read that the SE was Pontiac's Speacial Edition car to celebrate their 40th anniversary, and that the body can come in the GT or GTP style. So what I understand is the SE looks like the GT, but are their differences under the hood?

Thanks again guys.

Just remebered, I figure if there arent many differences I may as wel go with the SE as it has 30k less miles and is only $1500 more.

Alright, thanks guy, you've been more than helpful. I have one moer question. I've looked and looked online and Id go ask the dealership that I'm looking to buy from, but its Michigan State law that delaerships cannot do business on Sundays. As stupid as I feel for asking this question, here it goes: what is the difference between a GT and a SE? The dealer called me yesterday and said he had an SE in, 2000 like the GT and both have the same goodies on the inside (of course your talking to a kid that currently drives a car that you have to down the windows, so anything an improvement :-p ) Are there differences in the s? I think I read that the SE was Pontiac's Speacial Edition car to celebrate their 40th anniversary, and that the body can come in the GT or GTP style. So what I understand is the SE looks like the GT, but are their differences under the hood?

Thanks again guys.

Just remebered, I figure if there arent many differences I may as wel go with the SE as it has 30k less miles and is only $1500 more.

There are a number of differences, but instead of listing them for you, I'll put in a link for someone else who asked this:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=434119

There was a special edition car, but thats not what the SE is. Everything else you should be able to get from the link^.

Here's an example of the 40th anniversary car you were talking about:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-Grand-Prix-GRAND-PRIX-2002-PONTIAC-GRAND-PRIX-GTP-40th-ANNIV-EDITION-1-OWNER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6422QQitemZ456833 2900QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Have you checked the NADA or Kelly Blue Book guides and run a price check? The 2000 GT you are interested in is classified as a high mileage car and will suffer approximately (-) $2K on the price (average retail). The 2000 SE also has high mileage although 30K less.

However, if the dealer wants $1500 more for the SE versus the GT that doesn't sound right, regardless of the GTs higher mileage. Of course, the price is dependent on the options, overall condition and state you live in.

For example:

2000 SE with 80K miles NADA average retail is approx. $6775.00

2000 GT with 118K miles NADA average retail is approx. $6500.00.

IMO - It doesn't sound like a good deal. Just my 2 cents. :2cents:


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I agree that it doesn't sound like a good deal. I paid 1k over blue book for my Grand Prix back in December and it only had 38k at the time of purchase. They wanted 3k over BB, so I wasn't too worried.

I was of course in a hurry since it was a post wreck car purchase and I was running out of time when the lady who turned in front of me's insurance would pay for a rental car so I didn't check for every little price detail.

My blower resistor went out at 43k and I had a freak misfire issue which made me replace the plugs and wires at 45k but other then that my 2000 GT runs great.

Thanks for you help guys. I bought a 00 GrandPrix GT yesterday. Love it! One last question. I'd rather ask you guys and have you think Im stupid than the dealer. What does the AUX button do on the remote? Theres Unlock, lock, alarm and AUX.

Thanks

Thanks for you help guys. I bought a 00 GrandPrix GT yesterday. Love it! One last question. I'd rather ask you guys and have you think Im stupid than the dealer. What does the AUX button do on the remote? Theres Unlock, lock, alarm and AUX.

Thanks

The fourth button on my remote is to pop the trunk, but it has a picture of a car with the trunk open on it, not AUX. Mine is an originaly GM remote though. Do you have an aftermarket remote or something? Thats the only thing I could think of the button doing, let me know if you figure it out.

Then again, if its an aftermarket remote, that could be a remote start button, but I doubt it.

I also have a 00' GT.

If you want the genuine GM remote, the part number is 10246215.

They will probably require reprogramming which means pulling a fuse and following a few simple steps. Nothing major.

Ive been reading through all the differences and something stcuk me as odd on my car. I have a 98 3800 SE(so says the lettering on the side) but it has a spoiler and 16" alloy wheels with the pontiac logo in them. Im guessing its an SE that had an optional package put on it.

Also you menioned that it is possible to convert the sinlge pipe/muffler from the SE into a dual pipe system, although not really a dual pipe. It would just look nice. by the looks of things my muffler might need changing next year, im wondering whether i should take advantage of that and put on a dual exhaust, just to spruce up the look.

Any ideas ?

Ive been reading through all the differences and something stcuk me as odd on my car. I have a 98 3800 SE(so says the lettering on the side) but it has a spoiler and 16" alloy wheels with the pontiac logo in them. Im guessing its an SE that had an optional package put on it.

Also you menioned that it is possible to convert the sinlge pipe/muffler from the SE into a dual pipe system, although not really a dual pipe. It would just look nice. by the looks of things my muffler might need changing next year, im wondering whether i should take advantage of that and put on a dual exhaust, just to spruce up the look.

Any ideas ?

As for the mechanical part of making the exhaust, I'm not the person to ask. However, this is the thread I got my information from:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=292057&highlight=true+dual+exhaust

my 97 GP GT has 143k on it and still runs like new. I am the second owner, but the first one had all documents and service records. It helps to know that the person you bought it from took care of it properly. I bought it with 94k on it. He used it to go back and forth to Florida from ohio 3 times a year, so that was alot of miles there.