New - A few questions please

[lioneyes]

Hi. I am looking at buying a Grand Prix. There are three choices at this one dealer. I have test driven two so far. Have a few questions if you have the time. (I have read through much of this entire forum).

The three are:

2002 GT 3.8 auto 69,000
2006 GT 3.8 auto 60,000
2007 GT 3.8 auto 31,000 (not test driven yet)

My questions:

1) How do I know these are actually GT and have 3.8? Dealer online ad (and window sticker) does not say GT, autocheck (like carfax) does not say GT (should it)? Does it say 3.8 on engine somewhere?

2) The 2006 has a pronounced vibration coming through drivers seat during acceleration and coasting. I first thought alignment, tires etc. The tires are fine but could be newly installed. Then I read about tie rods and c/v joints etc. Any other culprits? My friend said drive shaft?

3) 2006 also has what seems to be warped rotors. Is this a common problem and why? (and could it be contributing to problem in #2?)

4) Is it smart to pick one up with 60,000 miles on it? How much life do these things have before major issues come up (trannys, head gaskets etc)? I haven't been able to find reviews on the net from people who have had them for more than that amount of mileage.

5) Do you think it is better to get a slightly older (2002-2005) instead of a newer 2006 or 2007? (I tend to believe newer is often not better).

Any other insight is welcome. And thanks for your time.

Ann-Marie in central PA

 

[m0ng00se]

GT should have the badges say GT.

 

[BlitzGT]

Pop the hood and you'll find out easily. The 2002 would have gt badges, along with a the rear bumper and dual exhaust.

 

[DnaProdigy]

My questions:

1) How do I know these are actually GT and have 3.8? Dealer online ad (and window sticker) does not say GT, autocheck (like carfax) does not say GT (should it)? Does it say 3.8 on engine somewhere?

2) The 2006 has a pronounced vibration coming through drivers seat during acceleration and coasting. I first thought alignment, tires etc. The tires are fine but could be newly installed. Then I read about tie rods and c/v joints etc. Any other culprits? My friend said drive shaft?

3) 2006 also has what seems to be warped rotors. Is this a common problem and why? (and could it be contributing to problem in #2?)

4) Is it smart to pick one up with 60,000 miles on it? How much life do these things have before major issues come up (trannys, head gaskets etc)? I haven't been able to find reviews on the net from people who have had them for more than that amount of mileage.

5) Do you think it is better to get a slightly older (2002-2005) instead of a newer 2006 or 2007? (I tend to believe newer is often not better).

Any other insight is welcome. And thanks for your time.

Ann-Marie in central PA

1)As already mentioned the vahicle should have a badge on the exterior indicating what vehicle it is the 2002 will have it in the front doors [possibly the back on the trunk, not too sure] and the 2006 and 2007 will have the badge on the lower right hand corner of the trunk. Also when you pop the hood the engine will have a plastic cover on it and it should say 3800 series. Which means it is a 3.8L engine.

2) I am not too knowledgeable in this area but it would most likely be an alignment, when i had an alignment issue my vehicle also veered slightly [either right or left] and made the vibration worse on hard braking. But as i said im no pro in suspension.

3) Yea it could be contributing to problem two but would be much more notable upon breaking. In my experience it is caused by heat when someone needs new break pads but neglects to do do. The pads wear down sometimes even causing metal upon metal breaking which makes an extreme amount of heat. New break pads and rotors are not that pricey of a fix either.

4) These engines are great a high millage, their are quite a few users on here with over 100k miles on their vehicles. With no major problems. Just make sure to keep up your maintenance, things like oil changes and transmission services.

5) Newer is usually better when it comes to cars and i only say that because of the warranty. Newer cars have better warranty's and therefore you will be covered for a longer time/ more millage.

Also you have to consider prices of these vehicles, hypothetically if the 2007 is only a little bit more costly then the 2006 and has 1\2 the millage then go with the 2007.

 

[blueguy]

1) Yeah, it doesn't say it on the trunk, but it is on the sides of the doors...some of the 97-03 GT's had the 3800V6 on the front fender too...

2) You might wanna check the CV Shaft/Boot...I have a pronounced sound coming from the passenger side from underneath that I gotta get off my a$$ to check out...pretty sure that is what it is since my coolant bottle is covered in junk @ the bottom of it...

3) See answer to #3 above

4) The only thing I would say is check out is the condition of the Upper Intake Manifold gasket. My mom purchased a Buick LeSabre back in 2003. She had only put roughly 30K on it when it started having coolant leaks. Turns out the upper intake manifold cracked in the back and whenever the car got hot enough, the crack opened but further to allow more coolant to leak onto the rear manifold. It isn't a tough job, just make sure that there have been no previous issues...

If you can...I'd go with a 97-03...just basically because I know about them...but for the warranty sake...yea...04-08 for sure!!

 

[lioneyes]

Thanks for all of your replies.

After I wrote my original message I went on autotrader and found that there are tons of these grandprixs for sale. I guess because they were a common rental car for the last few years. I guess that is a good thing that the market seems saturated around here.

I don't remember seeing the GT emblem anywhere and will have to look under the hood again as I don't remember what I saw there either. (have been looking at a lot of cars, starting to get them mixed up!).

Yeah, is a toss up between the newer with the warranty and the older which is cheaper and hopefully built better (better economic times).

Think I'm gonna go check out the 07 and test drive it and then check out one I saw today which is 2000 gt 88k. alot cheaper.

Then I've seen some with 100k miles for only $2k.

Too many choices I wish there was only one within a 100 mile radius!

Ann-Marie
my other car is a 67 Dart. hehe:th_laugh-lol3:

 

[Warhellride]

IIRC, in 2007 they canceled the GTP designation and the GT's come supercharged. If this is true, then get the '07 GT. If you look under the hood, the engine cover will say "supercharged," or if it doesn't have an engine cover you'll be able to see the supercharger.

Edit: I just checked, and the 2007 GT's are supercharged.

60,000 mi isn't a lot on these cars (I'm currently over 127,000 with no major problems), but that's when the warranty expires on the pre-07's. The '07 with 31,000 mi will give you a lot more peace of mind for not much more money.

I'd stay away from the one with vibrations, and be wary about any car on that dealer's lot. Not fixing obvious mechanical problems is, IMO, a sign of a dealer who doesn't care about the product he sells. There are plenty of fish in the sea, so to speak.