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Would You Recommend A 99 GP?

B

Brendon

New member
I'm looking at purchasing a 1999 Grand Prix GT for my first car because I found a really good deal on one through a dealership. I'm basically just curious as to if you guys would recommend purchasing on as a first car? And also, if there's anything I should know about them, feel free to post away. Thank you!
 


The hardest part buying a used car is, especially if it is one you like, do not get emotional or attached. Do a thourogh test drive, at least long enough to warm up the engine, and test out all systems on the car. Some problem dont show up untill car is nice and warm, and has been driven a while. If you can, get the car onto the highway and see how it drives. Chance are that at somepoint during your inspection you are going the find a somthing wrong, you just need to decide if it is a deal breaker, or are willing to repair regardless off the sale. Watch out if the dealer limits your test drive. Offer to put a couple buck of gas in the tank if they are worried about the fuel, chances are it is already on "E", very rarely have I found a used car for sale with a full tank of fuel.
The buyers guide above is a very good reference.
 
Everytime I buy a car from a dealer I always insist on a full tank of gas when I pick it up. Stupid, but most times it works. :) Lets me feel like Im getting one over on the dealer since I KNOW they are getting something over on me.
 
REDCOMPG said:
http://www.grandprixforums.net/97-03-w-body-buyers-guide-common-problems-60802.html

Also how many miles? Link to ad? It's a dealer so not then likely they will be charging way more then you should pay.
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1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3800 engine 147K and loaded with options!

QUICKSILVER462 said:
The hardest part buying a used car is, especially if it is one you like, do not get emotional or attached. Do a thourogh test drive, at least long enough to warm up the engine, and test out all systems on the car. Some problem dont show up untill car is nice and warm, and has been driven a while. If you can, get the car onto the highway and see how it drives. Chance are that at somepoint during your inspection you are going the find a somthing wrong, you just need to decide if it is a deal breaker, or are willing to repair regardless off the sale. Watch out if the dealer limits your test drive. Offer to put a couple buck of gas in the tank if they are worried about the fuel, chances are it is already on "E", very rarely have I found a used car for sale with a full tank of fuel.
The buyers guide above is a very good reference.
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That's what I've noticed & had trouble with. I've had myself set on probably 8-10 cars, and I get attached and make up my mind before I even look at them, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
 
that actually looks like a really good deal for 2500 bucks. i say take it for a test drive and if it runs good, buy it.
 


Yup I say go for it..looks great for the price ask to see the service records though just to verify what as replaced. Since its a dealer and cash offer $2k and you could probably snag it up :) GL let us know wht happens
 
ctracer said:
that actually looks like a really good deal for 2500 bucks. i say take it for a test drive and if it runs good, buy it.
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That's what I was thinking!

REDCOMPG said:
Yup I say go for it..looks great for the price ask to see the service records though just to verify what as replaced. Since its a dealer and cash offer $2k and you could probably snag it up :) GL let us know wht happens
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Will do! I take my test on the 31st to get my license (I'm 17, btw), so if I get it that day, hopefully picking it up after school on the 1st of February I'll definitely be an active member on here if everything works out in my favor.
 
its running hot in the pic. needle is up to 210. should be at the quarter mark--at least on the two gtps i've had. it probably has a decent coolant leak unless just hasnt been filled for a while. find out where the leak is. or it may need thermostat (cheap n easy). they leak from several spots. dont want to get into costly repair if you cant fix it yourself or know someone who will. half of kelley blue book at a dealer is red flag to me.
 
It also looks like the car was below empty.... Lol poor car.


I have had my thermostat read that on hot days, so I wouldn't think much of it. Unless it's there quickly

Also lol kbb is way off on these cars, i wouldn't pay more than 2.5 for one of these cars unless it was perfect
 


kb is worthless but it did help me win a court case once. i don't put stock into much but when it is being sold at half of its stated value it would seem to me something is up with the car. it isn't worth 5k perfect and i'm not sure how kb even is listing it at 5k. I got ripped off from one of those dealers and sued them and won. you have to be really careful.

how long has the car been in their care? they get these cars at auctions and are in bad shape usually. then they throw a little money in them to get them respectable but if there are serious issues they aren't going to fix them--they are going to try to pass them off. most of the time they don't know exactly what they are bidding on at these auctions either. if they get a bad tranny or an intake leak they aren't going to sink money into it. get a car fax.

maybe a non supercharged is supposed to run at 210, I don't know. GTP is 195 and the only time mine ever got higher than that is when it was low on coolant. I was adding every week. its ok when the car is moving because it will cool down. it running at 210 at idle isn't life threatening but its a clue to something that could be a bigger issue. buying coolant all the time isn't cheap. even if it is a simple part like the coolant elbow leaking it is costly repair if you don't do it yourself because of the labor cost to get to it.
 
my 99 olds 88 I bought a dealership for $2500 was in good shape and 2k under KBB ran good and all, 2 weeks later the trans went out and shop said it had some additive that dealerships add to give them an "around the block" repair....be weary.
 
GP's are great first cars IMO. Reliable, cheap, easy to work on, easy to mod, parts cross over with other models.
 


I spoke to the dealer of the same Craigslist link I posted over the phone yesterday, and he said he can't promise any guarantee's, although he did say that I'm more than welcome to take it to a repair shop of my choice before deciding whether or not to purchase it. My uncle's friend owns a shop about 10 minutes from the dealership, so I may just have to give in.
 
I've never had a car looked at etc, but tend to pick good ones.

Start the car and let it run while you look it over. This gives you 30+ minutes of running w/o moving. It should get up to temp, thermostat should open, then fans should kick in since there's no airflow. Which on a stock 3800 is programmed at about 218F. It's not considered warm for our cars, just to us personally.

Then drive the car, don't be afraid to get on it and give it a thorough beating/test drive. You want things to show up before you put down any cash.
 
BillBoost37 said:
I've never had a car looked at etc, but tend to pick good ones.

Start the car and let it run while you look it over. This gives you 30+ minutes of running w/o moving. It should get up to temp, thermostat should open, then fans should kick in since there's no airflow. Which on a stock 3800 is programmed at about 218F. It's not considered warm for our cars, just to us personally.

Then drive the car, don't be afraid to get on it and give it a thorough beating/test drive. You want things to show up before you put down any cash.
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Thanks a lot man!
 
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