1997-2000 GTP reliability??

[konak9c1]

I am thinking of buying a 1997-2001 GTP. But i am concerned about the reliability especially with the supercharger. I dont wanna buy a car that i have to constantly fix. I want to hear from GTP owners and their past experiences. Please say the year, how much you spent on repairs and approximate mileage of your GTP. Thanx

[GTP Dad]

My 1997 GTP has 138K. Engine is original no work done to engine at all. Transmission was recently replaced, too many trips down the track. ($2400) Supercharger and all other components work just fine. Replaced rotors and rear calipers recently along with brake pads but this is normal maintenance. Front sway bar broke and it was replaced with an aftermaket one for about $200. No other real modifications to date. Still runs 14.87 quarter mile times at 93.75 miles per hour with no engine modifications.

[Ripn12s]

1998 GTP

- replaced valve cover gaskets after switching to synthetic oil

- replaced supercharger coupler ($40) at 90k miles
Dont let this scare you, its a simple fix that anyone could handle. There are many how to sites w/ great detail.

Those are the only problems that where not caused by racing. My transmission has been rebuilt 3 times, but that is due to racing and lots of it.

[Phoenix69]

Three times? wow thats alot of wasted money. Have you had any problems with the main rear or oil pan?

[JoeJoe231455]

Yeah well, if you modify your car to run in the 12 second range stock trannys will die quickly.

49k on my 01 gtp. Should be in the mid 13's by now. I had to replace the shitbox AC Delco factory battery at 26k due to corrosion. Other than that I've had nothing more than general maintainance.

[surf2]

have a 98 gtp with 78,000 on the clock.have a stalling problem at idle or at speed(any).items installed to date to try and fix this problem.crank pos.sen.,fuel pump,fuel filter,flashingx2,promx2(#2 supposedly bad from stealership),disassembly/assembly throttle body and coil packs.shows no history or codes for problem.when the vehicle runs it smokes(as in hauls a$$).it has been a pain and costly to try and fix a problem that is still exists.it is now a unreliable vehicle.in 04 it has spent 7-1/2 wks in the shop,not to good.....good luck with your purchase,hope this does not scare you..........gtp

[John Kanaly]

I have a 98 with 135,000 miles and the coupler on the SC needs to be replaced makes a rattling noise at idle that goes away when eng reved. I wanted to go racing so I have just had the xmission rebuilt but had no problem with the old one. I see many with 150,000 miles and no problems check out clubgp.com for more info.

[kustomkid54]

Have 104,000 miles on a 1998 GTP. My only trouble is gas mileage. Down to 14.9 city. Wait, that is because of the way I drive.
NO, no troubles at all. Buy it and have fun.

[Tom94gaGT]

just make sure your buying from a responsible (1 owner) driver. Seems that most problems with these are from driving very hard, if hte car was driven "normally" as in just every day commuting, etc tehn it should be very reliable. I wouldnt buy a gp from a used car lot, becuase they usually reconditon cars and you could get ripped off, i had a friend who bouthgt one from a lot (and a somewhat reputable lot around here) and it seemed like a great buy at the time(only 67k) but its been alot of problems for him so far

[konak9c1]

Thanx guys for the useful info

[s_jo4]

hey surf2, you ever check to see that you're fuel pump is turning off when it stalls, i just recently had that problem, i discovered it by having it die in quite places and i never heard the pump turn on and after a few tries it'll turn on and crank right up. the fix, fuel pump rewire kit, 29 part from zzp or caspers has theirs on sale for 59 at their site. with that you're guranteed to get power to the pump and if it won't turn on then i'ld suggest a new pump.

[China the Cat]

1998 GTP purchased brand new from Koons Pontiac GMC Tysons Corner, VA.

184,304 miles.....Yes, that it is 184,304 miles and I have every intention of going over 200,000.

Other than routine maintenance (Mobil 1 Synthetic and regular tire rotations), I have spent: $500 for a new catalytic converter. $180 to have some stupid "O" ring replaced that is part of the cooling system. Replaced a couple of pulleys that became noisy but that was no big deal. $60 for a new Crankshaft Positioning Sensor (car runs very sh--ty when this piece goes bad). My mechanic warned me that the factory AC Delco battery should be replaced, I ignored his warning and a month later found myself stuck at work. So I replaced it with an Interstate battery....As with any car, DO THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE and DO NOT CUT CORNERS. It also helps knowing a few ASE certified techs.

[ericvrose]

2000 Daytona 500 GTP purchased from Covington Pontiac, Rockville Maryland.
56,000 miles and NO major problems. Never been back to the dealer except one time to have the trans flushed. I was hearing a rattle noise in the trans and it stopped after the flush. The HUD gets dim on occasion. Been using Mobil 1 since first oil change. A great car. Drove it from Maryland to Las Vegas and it runs a little hotter here but no big deal.

[Phoenix69]

Do engine gaskets go bad primarily from age or use, or are they both equally responsible for gasket failure?

[AtlantaGTP]

“Be American – buy American…” they said. So I did. I have had my 1998 GTP for five years now. I bought it used – one year old – with about 30K on the odometer. It was in good shape, and I’ve been generally pretty happy with the car itself. However, I have been very under whelmed by the Pontiac service which could have fixed some relatively minor problems that have been major nuisances to me.

Here are some of them:

1. Remote control: doesn’t work from more than six inches away, which pretty much defeats the purpose. I now have children, and trying to take them to and from the car is a chore when I have my hands full. The people at Hennesey Pontiac on US-41 here in Atlanta were most unhelpful. I stood back several feet from the trunk of the car where it worked the furthest and showed the manager how close I had to stand. The manager said that that was 30 feet away – which was the factory spec. Clearly the manager was incompetent. So I asked him to walk with me. Putting our feet one in front of the other, we walked away from the trunk. We paced off six feet from the trunk before it stopped working. That was what he called 30 feet. In spite of it, they did nothing other than replace the battery which did nothing. From the sides and from the front, I have to almost touch the windows to get the remote to work.
2. Trip computer: The trip computer has an error of approximately 10 to 15% versus manual calculations on things like gas consumed and MPG. This is a major problem since it defeats the purpose of a trip computer.
3. Rattles: there is a little hole (1” x 4” or something) at the bottom of the console glove box between the two front seats. Who designed something as inane as that? I don’t know. Stuff like coins drops in there and then rattles around elsewhere.
4. The leather on the steering wheel “crumbles” a bit when it gets wet from rain or whatever.
5. The carpets are not durable and there is a hole that has gone almost to the metal. I don’t know if the previous owner wore high-heels, but that’s my guess as to what started the hole which was pretty much already there when I bought it.
6. Window motors – I have had window motors stop for months and then start working again as if they had never had anything wrong with them. This has happened to two different windows.
7. Lug nuts – this might be the folks at Tires Plus being over-exuberant in putting wheels back on or a design flaw; I don’t know. But I am now missing around 4 lug nuts total (out of 20).
8. One tone interior. This is not a quality error, but an annoying design flaw that is a Pontiac or GM thing, I guess. But I always wonder why the otherwise nice interior is all one color – camel – rather than black for the upper dashes and doors a la BMW. Anyway, again, this is not a quality problem but a personal thing.
9. Tangled seatbelts. Why is it that our manufacturers cannot install seat belts without them being tangled? Mine has two out of five that are tangled.
10. Coolant – my car has had coolant problems that have fixed themselves, apparently, after six to eight months of the low coolant light being on and the unappetizing smell of burnt coolant coming into the vehicle while driving it. I still have no idea if this “fix” will last or if the problem will come back. And I still do smell the coolant outside faintly, but not inside.
11. Stereo LCD flakes

Things I love about the car:

1. Cargo net
2. HUD – why don’t all cars have this? This is a great feature. I love it and use it all of the time. It also has a little switch to change where it is displayed on the windshield.
3. Steering wheel controls
4. CD with equalizer
5. Torque
6. Big mirrors – Pontiac really nailed this. I am mildly uncomfortable in just about every other car because their mirrors are so much smaller.
7. Wipers – the wipers have water nozzles on the wipers.
8. See-through headrests: This adds to visibility and active safety. Plus my kids can see better from the back seat.
9. Reliability – in spite of what I have written above, the car has been quite reliable. As far as I can remember while writing this, the problems that I have faced have been mostly design or manufacturing flaws other than the coolant and window motors.
10. Trunk – it opens nice and wide
11. Looks – this car is a very attractive car. I think it’s still much better looking than the new Pontiac Grand Prix’s Grand Am look (what were they thinking???). It was also much more attractive than its contemporaries at the time which were either anonymous looking Accord types or the ugly, yet refined, Maxima or typically ugly Fords or the overweight – but very attractive - Chryslers. The design has held up very well and hasn’t dated yet.


My wife has a base 2001 Dodge Intrepid. The suspension is much more supple, the car is much quieter and feels much more rigid and secure. The Pontiac has more power and many more features than any Intrepid. But we always take her car on road trips.