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The 1988 Pontiac Grand Am was my second car. (My first was the 1984 Pontiac 1000--a Chevy Chevette clone. The 1000 was sold two weeks after I bought the Grand Am. Click here to go to the 1000 page if you like.)
I bought the Grand Am on July 10, 1991. It had 45,751 miles on the odometer. It was much nicer than the 1000. It at least had a larger four-banger (2.5 L)! The Grand Am also had a three-speed automatic tranny. About the only options that car had is the luggage rack on the back deck, stereo cassette, and A/C. (No power windows, locks, etc! It didn't even have a wiper delay!) I also had a sonic "boom" muffler and it made the larger four-cylinder sound very throaty and knowing myself, I liked it. (I just haven't done anything like that to the Beretta. It still has its original muffler, which is about three feet long!)
I drove the car for a little over six years as my daily driver. However, after I bought the 1996 Beretta, I decided to sell the Grand Am to my father. (Actually, the Grand Am was in both my and my father's names. Good! My dad still has the Grand Am, except that it is currently FOR SALE.)
Being in the family for over nine-and-a-half years, the Grand Am now has over 152,000 miles. We've driven it for over 100,000 miles. However, those miles weren't without some experience, major or minor.
The Grand Am's front clip isn't original because it was wrecked in November 1992 AND May 1993!! Obviously, the paint isn't original, either. It was totally repainted in March 1993 because the car was a recall of some of General Motors' faulty painting found on some cars of the 1980's. (So, I got a free paint job!) Then, two months later, the car was wrecked...the other person's fault. (Free paint job again!)
In an unusual way, it was "good" that the Grand Am was wrecked the second time. I ended up with a "revived" and modified Pontiac Grand Am. How?
In the process of my father (and I ) buying parts to fix the Grand Am, I bought four used aluminum rims from a wrecked 1987 Pontiac Sunbird for only $80 where as at least one rim normally costs $80!! New look on the Grand Am. Also, I bought an automatic antenna for the Pontiac. (Just wanted to.)
My father and I also painted the grill black (which was damaged and repaired using super adhesive). It was originally blue like the rest of the car. The plastic strips under the headlights were painted black as well. These newly painted accents really made the car stand out.
Another interesting visual appeal the car has is its vinyl top. (It was on the car when I bought it in 1991. I doubt it was original to begin with.) The top really makes the car look sleeker and lower. The top matches the heavily-clad side molding perfectly!! (The vinyl was replaced in September 1996.)
Hardly anything on the car is original, except for the interior and engine. The alternator has been replaced three times (the last time being in June 2000!), the starter once, fuel pump once, and water pump once. (But, the engine still is okay overall.)
In February 1992, driving (fog) lamps were installed. They have been replaced at least a couple of times, including the time I ran over a dog at 12:00 midnight when I was ninety miles from home in August 1994. (I was heading home from the beach--Oak Island after my summer job as a summer staffer for the North Carolina Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell had ended. The radiator and the A/C compressor were replaced after that experience!)
I know the Grand Am wasn't that much of a car in a way, but it still was an interesting one, to say the least.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE MAIN INDEX HOME PAGE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1969 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT PAGE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1984 PONTIAC 1000 PAGE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1996 CHEVROLET BERETTA PAGE
Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!
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