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Possible Upgrade to a GP and need info.

B

Benvw99

New member
Hi - this is my first post on this website.

I currently own a 2003 Grand Am SE and I really like it. But sadly, it has a dying transmission and getting rid of it soon might have to be an option for me. I was looking for a possible replacement car, and I decided on either a Grand Am GT, Grand prix 97-03, or Bonneville 00-05.

If i do get a Grand Prix, I would like to know if there were any must-have options on them. And would a SE, GT, or GTP be the best for me. I also would like to know if a coupe has any benefits over a sedan or vice-versa. And anything else that you would think are necessary for me to know - i.e. engine reliability, quietness, any performance they have, etc.

One big question I have is: is the supercharger in the GTPs worth it? Like do the GT's and SE's have good enough performance or is the supercharger a necessity? If not, I would probably be leaning more towards a GT, since they have more options than most SE's.

Thanks.
 


find a gtp. most are fully loaded. 2 or 4 doors, only difference is 2 more doors. the gt's had a load of power stuff but cloth seats most of the time.

theres the regal gs and bonnie ssei and park ave ultras also have the supercharged engines.

this maybe a gp site but a bonnie or regal are a better car comfort wise, same engine and tranny as a gtp.

if your into doing some engine mods, the sc engine will give you more gains. n/a engine dont put out to much hp. even with a cam and other goodies.


the only difference between a na w body and sc w body is about 40 hp and a better geared tranny.
 
The Bonneville is a great car,but it has slightly less modding potential when it comes to handling. You can get custom drop springs for about 450$, but that is it. Also make sure the front trans mount is not broken (they are always broken) which causes the rear trans mount to break. Also make sure the rear air pump is working. Then just feel the carpet in the foot wells for wetness as that inidicates a water leak. Finally check for that spots at the front edge of the hood and or bubbling paint by the gas filler door.
 


if you want racekar, gtp is way to go. if you want to act like a racekar(me), get a gt. I wont even look at a car thats se, the 3100 engines are the worst. my gt is fully loaded, besides the supercharger, (had) leather, i put 04+ cloth seats in it. Has HUD, sunroof, bose, had heated leather driver seat, basically any option that gtps could of got, i have, besides the special editions with the spoilers, hood, and roof rails.

2gtno60.jpg


when i bought it, now has tint, system, 04+ seats, led tails
 
Idk about anyone else but I have had both a 2 door and a 4 door and I must say the back seats in the 2 doors are waaay more roomy
 
huh? the 2 door and 4 door are identical in size and they share the same roof skin. hence the roof rail fit both. im not sure how one could have more room than the other.
 
Same space in both.Ive got a 2 door and a 4,they are the same car, just feels like theres more room in the coupe.Just a note,SE's did come with the 3.8 as well,not just the 3100.
 
goldgp said:
Same space in both.Ive got a 2 door and a 4,they are the same car, just feels like theres more room in the coupe.Just a note,SE's did come with the 3.8 as well,not just the 3100.
Click to expand...

95% ive seen have the 3100, the ones i seen with the 3800 i figured the engine was swapped.
 


goldgp said:
Same space in both.Ive got a 2 door and a 4,they are the same car, just feels like theres more room in the coupe.Just a note,SE's did come with the 3.8 as well,not just the 3100.
Click to expand...

Like I said I currently have both and I have ridden in the back seat in both. I know they are the same size but it feels waay roomier in the coupe
 
Mirraco said:
95% ive seen have the 3100, the ones i seen with the 3800 i figured the engine was swapped.
Click to expand...
97-00 3800s came in most of them, 01-03 3100 was standard and just an option in the SE, I think I have only ever seen 1 01+ SE with a factory 3800.
 
Think about what you might want..

GP.. billion of them out there and no one can tell a pos from a GTP
Regal... some good options are standard, same chassis as GP and you'll get less tickets if you like to hot rod around
Bonne.. lap of luxury here.. SSEi is the way to go and you'll love it. down side..you'll get less tickets than a GP
PA Ultra.. this is the top end of the 3800 cars.. it's a big ole boat, rear passengers have sun visors.. (yes.. it's ridiculous)
 


Also keep in mind that any other 3800 powered car is a good candidate for top swapping (supercharging with the N/A bottom end, which is higher compression... more power).

That means the Olds Intrigue, Olds 88, Buick LeSabre, Chevy Monte Carlo, Impala, some later Lumina's... can all be made to go faster.

Also the Buick Riviera in its later years had the L67, was a pretty good sleeper.

They all had the same 4T65 trans, which comes in handy when it breaks.

***

That all said, GTP or bust if you plan on buying a Grand Prix. Get the supercharged one up front... you have many more ways to add power for cheap in an S/C motor versus N/A.... the balls to the wall N/A builds are lucky to make 240 whp... which you can do with about $500 on a supercharged car. Which is why any N/A car that wants to make serious power ends up either top swapping or adding a turbo.
 
Surprisingly, my old '89 had roomier rear seats than my '04... and all GPs before 1990 were 2-door only! Not to say my legs' circulation'll get cut off being in the back... ;) But the coupe's back seat was bigger...
 
April Thompson said:
Surprisingly, my old '89 had roomier rear seats than my '04... and all GPs before 1990 were 2-door only! Not to say my legs' circulation'll get cut off being in the back... ;) But the coupe's back seat was bigger...
Click to expand...


Sent from my Galaxy Far Far Away
 

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