Hey all,
My name is Joe, and I recently bought a 2008 Grand Prix back in January (2012). I've been driving it mostly to and from work, and taking short trips around the area (dates with my girl and what not) and compared to my pos 01 Explorer Sport 2 Door. The V6 has more power, gas is so much better controlled and lasts longer (as I would assume with most cars it is compared to an SUV) and the ride is much smoother. Though it is only a base model, it is faster than anything else I have driven (at least that isn't a bad@$$ muscle car like a Challenger or Camaro, or one of my favorites, the 71 Impala!) and I must admit I love it. Though it would have been much nicer if I could have scored a GXP, I'm satisfied for now for what I use it for. I've had it for a few months now and the only real upgrade it had compared to the stock base is it came with the Monsoon Stereo System w/6 CD changer in dash. It's a pretty good stereo, bass is killer! The only downside is I miss being able to use my iPod/Evo to listen to music because the wireless transmitter has so much static in this area and there's not cassette deck to use a cassette adaptor I suffer with either crappy radio tunes, or keep listening to the same cds over and over I get bored easily lol.
So, a few mods that I am interested in doing is finding a way to hook up a wire for my iPod/Evo to plug it in an be able to use it for music (which I found some on ebay, but not too sure if they will work with my car, or fit the wiring plugs I have), tinting my windows (some places are ridiculous with their prices, but found a few cheaper places with better work than some of the expensive joints.) and hardwiring my scanner light to the front grill. I just recently received it in the mail, so next step is to wire it up and stick in up front. I also have amber/white LED strobes I used to use when doing security details as a supervisor and needed them in my explorer, which I took down and had them in my GP until some D-bag narco decided to pull me over claiming I looked like someone they were after and didn't believe me when I told them the lights were used for work purposes only... but that's what happens when you have a car as awesome as a GP regardless of trim style. LOL
Also, I'm interested in putting some LEDs on the inside of my ride under the dashboard to light up the floor, thinking of red LEDs, and upgrading the stock lighting inside to LED lights to make it brighter and more whiter because honestly stock bulbs are too yellow and dark. Eventually, I may also get a paint job once I have the money saved because I noticed there are some scratches in the rear from before I bought the car, some paint scrapes and somehow whoever the previous owner was got the front circular area where the foglamps go all scratched up really deep, along with minor door dings and scratches from morons who don't have respect and let their doors just hit the car. But, for now it doesn't look horrible and for a car that is only 4 years old, it had 59K on it when I bought it, now has just over 65K and it runs great. Only thing it does from time to time that concerns me is when I turn it on and drive sometimes I will get a warning on the dash saying, "System Charge Failure" or something like that. Someone told me it could be the battery/spark plugs that need to be checked and changed, or alternator may slow down too much and not enough power is generated, or speeds up too fast then slows down even faster making it seem like power is lost, but haven't had it show up in a couple of weeks so that's always good news, right? lol
I have a few things I would love to do to this car, and I'm sure even when I do end up buying a new vehicle (more than likely a Pick-Up or SUV again) I will end up keeping this car until it dies, or I just can't fix it anymore. There's very few cars I can fit in due to height and size, I'm big and tall and this car still has plenty of room in it for me... still bump my head on the roof/visors from time to time, but it's cool lol. The only other cars I've been in that I can honestly save I fit and enjoy driving with no problems are the Camaro (V6), Challenger (Hemi), Charger (V8) and Mustang GT, Buick La Crosse, 1986 Cadillac DeVille (My girl's ride), and besides those I love the Dodge Ram Hemi trucks, Chevy Silverado, Chevy Tahoe, and Cadillac Escalade (SUV and Pick - Up trims).
I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to cars other than what I like in style for my taste and power, but I'm trying to learn little things to make it easier for me when I feel like modifying and having some fun with my GP. So far it's proven to be a great/reliable ride and it's pretty fast for a base model with V6, so I'm happy with it. I get compliments all the time from people saying it looks amazing, and being that Pontiac is no longer making cars, thanks to GM shutting them down, I'll be sure to hold on to this one as long as I can because I'm sure it will still be worth something even passed 200k/30 years to come.
Well, I'll close my trap now, I spoke plenty for now. Hope to learn much from the forum and hope everyone has a great day.