grandams
 

Hello

Im new to this forum. I have a 2000 honda civic. I always wondered why is it that the pontiac grandam does not get enough credit. My friend owns one and its not a car you ll hear everyone talking about , but the power of the grandam is amazing, v6 , some of them are supercharge. I drove it and i was amaze at the power of the car;the looks are alright too ( some look good) . The only thing I didnt like was that they only come automatics. Any opinions???

RE: grandams
 

My friend bought an 03 Grand Am GT. He thinks hes the **** with it. He tries to race mustangs... I dont thinkGrand Amsall that good. To me they're more of anold man car lol. None of them come stock with superchargers... and the newer ones came with 3.4L 180-185 horsepower v6's. and got barely 20 mpg city. They are over produced and lose their resale value like no ones business. They're nice cars, but there are more powerful cars, and cars that get better gas mileage. Its like the forgotten middle child of cars lol. It isnt the best at power, it isn't the best at mileage, it isn't the best quality car,its in the middle.

edit...I forgot to mention, Ithink this should be in of topic, since it really has nothing to do with civics.

RE: grandams
 

I had a 95 Grand am GT. It looked good, with the GT body kit and the 3.1 V6. I won over a few civics with it:eek:

They are forums for these cars too. Just search google for them.

RE: grandams
 

well it does have to do with civics because I m comparing a civic with a grandam, besides if i go to a grandam forum all I will get is people saying grandam are the best cars. Same in here if I ask about a what do you think about civics I will get people praising civics.

Anyhow, I own a civic , but at some point I debated it between a civic and a grandam , civics are lets say cooler cars because of all the modifications people do to it. But in a real race a stock grandam would smoke a stock civic, the outside i think of the grandam looks a lot better than the civic . However civics are easier to modify and are also a lot better on gas, that was the main reason for me to buy a civic

I see your point about the grandam being in the middle thats exactly how I feel a gramdan , but I was just wondering why they are not as popular as civics, acuras, and other import cars in the racing scene

RE: grandams
 

ok big boy, ill bring over a stock 07 si, and your friend can bring his grand am. After that race the only thing he'll be smoking is my exhaust

RE: grandams
 

Now THIS i gotta see!

RE: grandams
 

I believe the olds mobile alero as the same 3.4 than the grand am.. And let me tell you its fast! I've never tryed an 07 civic so I can't tell.. ANyway, face it, american cars are less popular.. Altought I see lots of Cavalier and Sunfire around here... I hate em. But the new Cobalt SS looks good!

RE: grandams
 

if you like a car thats good for about 150k before it drops, go ahead and buy a grand am.

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its not the grnad ams that are supercharged, its the grand prix i beleive. and yes those are pretty quick, but they are very heavy cars.

RE: grandams
 

I'm a born and bred GM guy, but i can also see the beauty of design and engineering (which is why i have a Civic). The grand-am's (GA just for this conversation) is a modest mid size car. they never were performers in any way shape or form. They, like most domestic cars of the last 20 years, were not high horsepower vehicles but more high torque vehicles. they have a lot of punch off the line but have limited high RPM capability. the 3.1L and the 3.4L were not the best engines but they did produce enough torque to let you screech the tires at stoplights and could put you back in your seat upon acceleration. If i were you i would go with a Civic for performance, cuz it's not all in how it launches. it's also about how it corners, handles, accelerates at high RPM's and ultimately sustaining that engine speed. the Civic does those quite well. the GA would be gasping for air at around 5k on the tach, while the Civic keeps on screaming.

The GA's did have the option of a 5-speed manual as well. i went to school with a guy who had a 2dr GT with a 5 speed. i'm not sure which engine he had (might have been the twin cam 2.4L). All in all, the GA's better suited for city driving in which brief and powerful acceleration would be more useful, not to say that the Civic doesn't have power, it just doesn't have the torque of a 3.1L V6. but i woud choose a Civic anyday over a GA simply because it has way more potential and i wouldn't have to know the parts desk guys at the dealership by name. which you might have too with a GA.

RE: grandams
 

Wow...you just destroyed his friends ego in so many places

haha, good post.

RE: grandams
 

- owned a 97Grand AmGT 2.4l 5spd manual, 150 hp @ 5800 rpms,24mpg city, 31hwy,it was a nice car, had it for 10years,thePontiac Grand Prix GTP comes supercharged from the factory, drove a G6 rental this year, liked it,but I still like my Civic better, so many different mods available:)

RE: grandams
 

ok for the responses I read... it is safe to say that most people would prefer a civic over a gramdan because civis are more easy to modify.
The reason for my question was because the price of a civic is actually a little more than a gramdan ( maybe the same ), so if someone is not into putting mods to his car and spending more moneythen it will be better to just buy a gramdan and forget about buying all the mods a civic will need to be as powerfull as a grandam.

My friend has a civic 07 ( btw not a SI) he paid aprox 21 000 for it , my other friend has a 2000 gramdan gt, he paid aprox 8 for it , they raced both cars and the gramdan kill the civic. Now it would be a different story with the modsi guess

Btw, civics , are in the same category as neon , cavaliers, sunfires ( all 4 cilynders and price is fairly low), however I would prefer an accord, camry , sebring, 300which are in a different category ( 6 cilynders) and are a lot more expensive. However the grand am seem to be right in the middle , powerwise we can put the grand am in the same category as accords, camry , but price wise we can say they are in the category of the civics...

RE: grandams
 

Sorry about the late night ranting, I like GrandAm's depending on the model and condition, and there is some fun to be had with them, but like i said it is very limited. It all depends on your taste, if you want some V6 torque and some roasted front tires, go with the GA. they are not performance vehicles but they can be fairly fun DD's. So can the civic, only with a torque penalty but better gas mileage. The Honda is a better quality vehicle. the grandams can be good quality as well, but it's sometimes a gamble because of some rifts in GM's quality control. I have a 98 GMC sierra truck and the automatic transmission in that has lasted me 300k without incident and some people have to replace them after 90k. so it is hard to say if it will be a moneypit or a worthwhile vehicle. If you look into the grandam (or any vehicle for that matter) ask for the service records to see if it has had problems in the past.

RE: grandams
 

I had a 95 Grand Am GT with the 3.1 as my first car. I loved the hell outta that thing, it was powerful as all hell and I got it with 145k on the clock. Unfortunately, I blew the head gasket at 155k and replaced the motor, not even 5k miles more the head gasket went again. I was done with the GA and went through a couple beaters until I found my Civic. All in all, I like the GA, and the 99+ models are really good looking to me. It's a shame the 3.1 was riddled with head gasket problems or else I'd probably be still driving it. I kinda wish I could find a nice cheap 95 gt to get as a winter car or something, it was a lot of fun.

RE: grandams
 

my friend used to have a Grand Am and honestly that hting was fast. He just had an intake but man that thing ripped. I didnt really know they didnt get credit?

RE: grandams
 

well I for one have never heard some one say, "oh god I was in a grand am and it was so fast" that just doesnt sound right. Most pontiacs arent that great... they are american and lower performance than most imports. BUT it mostly depends on the person..... I have ridden in a G6 gt and it was pretty fast. 0-60 in under 10 seconds, and it had an ass load of torqe.

RE: grandams
 

My friend had a 2000 gt grand am and that thing was fast too.. Grand ams are so confortable to drive in a long trip. Maybe is not fair to compare a civic to a grand am but because of the price they can be compare. Also I do agree with someone here that say it was a gamble , most ly because GM quuality is not the best

RE: grandams
 

Okay, I drive my civic daily. I also drive a 2004 Grand Am SE (3.4l v6) fairly often (my mom owns it). Honestly, which one gets up to its top speed faster? The grand am, without a doubt. Unfortunately, that top speed is about 116 mph (governer). Let's just say I've never actually topped out my civic, but I've gone faster than 116 in it. Which one takes turns at speed better? Well, I've developed a formula with my civic. It's something along the lines of "the fastest speed you want to take turns at is double the posted advisory limit + 10 mph". With the grand am, it's something along the lines of "you don't want to go much faster than the posted advisory limit + 15 mph or so". And even at those speeds, be prepared to hear the tires cry (granted, my civic is sitting on low-pro coopers, but I'm pretty sure even the stock tires weren't as quick to squeal as the grand am's). Which one is quieter, smoother, and generally a more comfortable ride? The grand am, by a long shot (the low-pros and 2.5" drop really don't help). But if I were to pick one to drive on a daily basis, I'd have to pick my civic, hands down. It's a noisy, uncomfortable car, but damn that thing is fast, and turns are a lot of fun. That, and the Grand Am doesn't seem to have any character; it's just... another car. On the other hand, my civic takes some getting used to (everything's touchy; the brakes, the accelerator, the steering wheel). Personally, I consider that a positive feature:D

RE: grandams
 

^^^^x2 . My aunt just bought a 99 Grand Am (or grand prix not sure, I just know it has ugly plastic along the bottom of the doors)...anyway both that and my 95 neon are REALLY sloppy compared to the civic. I cant stand to drive anything else after I've been in it.

RE: grandams
 

I've owned 2 Grand Ams. The first was an '87 SE-V6 (monochrome white with the ground effects package), and the other was an '88 GT with the DOHC Quad-4 engine (again, ground effects and 'performance' package). Essentially the same body style (2-door coupe) on both.

Never had any problems with either car, they both had lots of power, very comfortable, got decent gas mileage, and most importantly, my wife liked her cars.

Now we have an '01 Grand Prix GT as her car (again, 2-door coupe, 3800 V6 non-supercharged) and it's gotta be one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven/ridden in. For such a heavy car, it sticks in the corners very well, and has lots of power. It actually gets 33-35 mpg on the freeway as well, as indicated by our road trip last summer. I just wish her '96 Z-24 hadn't gotten totaled from a hail storm - I'd probably be driving it instead of my Honda.

My '95 Hatch is cool and all... and a decent little car for what it is: economy-minded basic transportation. I'll be honest though, I'd rather be driving my '97 Dodge Ram 4x4 for comfort and presence, the Grand Prix next because of comfort and economy, and finally my 1980 Jeep CJ-7 because it's by far the coolest vehicle I own. I only drive the Hatch because I have to - economy. It's a PITA to get in and out of (I'm 6'5"), has damn near zero acceleration until the engine's gotten past 2000 rpm, and frankly it scares the crap out of me thinking what kind of horrible death I will suffer if someone crashes into me.

But, when its running right, it's kinda fun to drive. And $20 every 2 weeks for gas is way the Hell better than $60.

RE: grandams
 

very good point my friend had a prix just like the one u explaind and Itwas fast and it was quite comfy almost like a cheap luxury car, it had leather and such. But rice eater is right, they are a little sloppy and I see them as just another car. Its just not like a honda when you hear that beautiful sound and look around to catch a look before it races away. when I see a pontiac in traffic, its just another DD like everyone else:eek:

RE: grandams
 

Exactly, there is nothing wrong with them, they will get you around and do it quite quickly if you push it. All I was saying is that i would never pick a Grand-am over a civic. I am a GM guy at heart and would never say a good thing or bad thing about them unless i knew it firsthand. My Civic is the first non-GM vehicle i have ever owned. and i've had 6 total vehicles in my short time here on earth. each of them were great except the cavalier and that was because of the oil-burning problem only. If you are gonna get a newer Grand-am and want a more economical car get the ones equipped with the Ecotec. My friends girlfriend (ex, now) drove one and i did a little work on it and than test drove it. it was pretty quick too, for a 4 banger in a big car.

RE: grandams
 

I use to have a grand prix GT, and a Grand am, but the grand am never held up to well. As far as speed, for the price, you would get more out of the grand am, but as far as reliability, i would definitely say the civic.

RE: grandams
 

Grand Ams handle and brake like crap, have zero comfort amenities, have generic design qualities, etc.. It's a purpose built car, thats supposed to get you from a-b, and they typically do that well.

RE: grandams
 

Used to own a '88 Grand Am SE with the Quad 4 a ways back. Loved that car. Not much upper end but plenty of torque and handled relatively well.It vapor locked couple of times when my wife was driving it and since we'd just had a baby, we got rid of it for something a bit newer/reliable.

RE: grandams
 

then for what I read , grand ams are cars that people do not mind to drive , however they are no something you would go to a forum or brag about it. Nice to knoe

RE: grandams
 

The grand prix's are a step above the grand am. The car my wife drove before the civic was a 01 grand prix gtp. They come from the factory with an eaton m90 supercharger putting about 7 psi of boost. Not sure exactly how much. That car was a blast to drive. It had quite a bit of torque for a fwd car.For a couple hundred dollars you could put a smaller supercharger pullie and supporting mods and have a pretty quick car. I never took mine to the track so I cant post numbers. My biggest complaint about the car was that the damn cup holders were in the dumbest spot, between the console and the gear shifter. I like to rest my hand on the shifter. As for quality, I totaled mine before 75k so I dont know. The int was alot of plastic but so is my civic. Another con is with the supercharger, the car only drank 93.

RE: grandams
 

How very odd - I've been saying the same things about Honda Civics for years... and pretty much feel the same way about my '95 Hatch. Doesn't mean I'm going to leave it alone, by any means. I still plan on punching out my stereo, making it as nice as I can within my budget, and keeping the thing clean though. Basic transportation doesn't have to be 'basic' at all.

At the end of the day, it's all about the owner. If you like your car, it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and you'll find a way to make it better and make it 'more yours.' If not - it's basically transportation, and you could give two sh!ts less about it beyond it serving your needs. There's no right or wrong there.

I see every car as a blank canvas - there's all sorts of things that can be done to make them better. And I sometimes question some people's choices, but Hey - that's life and we're all different.

RE: grandams
 

it's cuz they depreciate like crap

RE: grandams
 

Stock or with bolt on's I'd put my money on a 3.4 v6 grand am over any civic sold in the u.s. before the 8th gen si in a 1/4 mile race and the only thing that makes a stock civic out handle a stock grand am is weight. But in the end neither are race cars and both have their faults. I know that the superchargers from the Grand Prix's and Bonneville's bolt right on to the 3.4 and you can get one for a couple hundred bucks at a junkyard.

RE: grandams
 

lol alright...first off, of course a basic model 07 civic will get smoked by just about anything anyway. Its a family car its not for proformance...thats the SI. Why even state that? Thats like saying...yea my lamborginibeat aVW Beetle! Yay my cars fast! I mean comon....and your friend got ripped off for the price of his civic, a freaking SI is $21,000, man I would feel like an idiot if I was him! Your friends civic is 160 hp...a grandam gt...I dont even know, 200's. Uhm...basic science right there with whos gonna win. I hate people that talk about races that arnt even...RACES. Both of your friends are dumb for racing and dogging out both of your cars with such a pointless race. And my friend has a grandam GT, and i have an 07 civic si, his is an auto. We messed around here and there and to be honest the si comes out stronger in a couple aspects, the civics LSD is second to none first of all. And im not saying this because I have a civic si...I drove both and I like my civic more, its more roomy and more comfortable. And I would pick a manual over an auto anyday. The grandam is just an old persons car, noone talks about them because their old news. The G6 is new and I dont even hear anything about them because they are besically the same hp wise as a 07 civic si

RE: grandams
 

Dude it is not like comparing a Lambo and a VW. It is not like a 2000 Grand Am GT is some big bad ass performance car. Get over yourself, the civic(even the 8th gen SI) is not fast. There is absolutly no stock civic that is fast. Dont get all pissy when another car beats it.

RE: grandams
 

Hahaha, the gt didnt beat my car. It beat a 160 hp car. And the only reason you think your so hard is because you have a corvette...whoopie. Every middle aged mans car

RE: grandams
 

I know that and you show you dont know wtf you are talking about because the new base/ex/dx/lx civic has 140hp. I was stating that even if your car......a new si did, can, will beat a grand am gt that is it by no means a fast car. Plus your talking about a car(the Grand Am) that is not even geared at sport compacts, was not designed or produced with performance in mind against the new SI which btw is 3 to 4 years newer than any Grand Am and is souly based on being sporty with tight handling, and quick. That is comparing apples to oranges no matter the power levels. It's far past time people with civic's realise they are not on top of any food chain at all anywhere unless they drop a $3000+ build and/or turbo/supercharger in your car. Being a fan of a car is ok....nothing wrong with that but reality is reality and generation for generation I can name cars that are in the civic's price range and segment that are better performers but none of you will ever admit it.

It's like me, I have a Vette and I have no problem admiting a same year SS Camaro or WS6 Trans Am will get me in the 1/4 mile. I have no problem saying a 03/04 Cobra will beat me. Does this mean I have to like it, no but it does mean I respect those cars for what they are. And I am not saying to even respect a Grand Am.....what I am saying is even though you dont respect it there is no need to attempt to blow a civic up into this nice fast sports car on one level(SI) then saying a Grand Am has no place racing another Level(EX) because rest assured if GM would have taken a notion and put the 3800 V6 with the M90 in those cars and called them Grand Am GTP's they would walk a new SI.

RE: grandams
 

BTW I dont think I'm hard and if you ever want to come on down and I have a bolt on 91 Ford Probe GT that will handle your new SI in any race you want to throw at it. On a side note I never throw up to anyone on this forum that I have a vette. Your the one that is intimidated by it because you throw it up at me. Also I am not a middle aged man and if you want me to start tossing my car in your face how about mid to high 12's in the 1/4 mile, nearly a g on the skid pad, 34mpg on the highway and a resale value right now that is higher than your car even though it is 8 years older.

RE: grandams
 

Your one of the many tards in this world that think of themselves so much better than everyone else. Dont go on a honda forum if you are going to bash hondas. the si and gt are besically the same. Yes other cars beat other cars. Even when it has the v6 advantage, get over it. Stop acting like a 17 year old teenager that thinks his trans am is hot sh*t. And what are you sitting on this page right now refreshing to see when something else will come up so you can type another novel? Get over it, people have different decisions. Ohhh high 12s watch out. There was a yellow civic that pulled a 9 somethin in the mile. Yea he blew his engine but thats not the point, it was a 4 cylinder. The point is any car can go as fast as it wants with mods to it. Just because your vette is faster stock and is a V8 who cares. It costs twice as much as any civic, Im hoping you would get better out of it. When you get a z06 and slap a supercharger on it ill have nothing to say. Your car is a completely different level and stage than any honda, and your comparing it, dont quit your day job. "BTW" my father has a C6 with aftermarket headers and X-Pipe, big deal, itsa V8 car, civic is a 4 cylinder, dont be retarded

RE: grandams
 

You have alot to learn about me kid, I dont bash cars I tell the truth about them and no I was not sitting here I went and got a bite to eat if you need to know. And man I am one of the eldest members that are active on this forum. I helped mod this forum for a good while and I have nothing against civic's. Dont come at me like a immature punk because that is the last thing I am and I dont think my car is hot ****. I have wanted one for years so I got one. Big deal. I still know alot about honda's and I still help out a good bit on here. For you a new member to come on here and talk **** to me is nothing. I dont care about you, your points of view, your lack of knowledge(because you obviously have a lack of it pertaining to cars.....even yours). I simply dont give a rats ass. you remind me of a member that has allready been banned. Ben, he came on here and started talking **** to me like this untill he came around and understood I am here to help people and I ended up helping him a great deal.

But what i will not stand for is people trying their best to make the civic(allthough it is a great car)look like aperformance oriented, sports car, acting like it has all this more abilities than other cars and how it such a pavement beater when in the begining it's not. You have to build and/or boost them to make them actually fast. But then again you could boost a ****ing lawnmower and make it fast.

RE: grandams
 

What was the point of this book? You didnt state anything you were going on about, I dont even know what you were even trying to say. An old member. And when did I say my car is hot sh*t? Yea, I like my car, I enjoy driving it, its a nice car for $21k. But people like you always saying they are sh*t is a nuisance. Did you even drive one yet? Its a 4 cylinder....what were you expecting, low 12s in the 1/4? Get over it dude, its a freaking civic and grandam. And yes you are correct, 140 hp. I was off by 20 hp. Im sorry Im not 30+ on a honda forum in my whole life. Maybe I should buy a little booklet that tells me the hp of every car made. Stop going on about nothing

RE: grandams
 

Get off yourself koshak. He wasn't comparing his vette to any civic. You brought his vette into the convo... A civic is a grocery getter, a grand am is a grocery getter. When I was carshopping my final two choices came down to my 99 Si and a 00 Grand AM GT. In my opinion the Si was funner to drive but hey thats just me. Don't get me wrong the grandam was a nice car with more amenities and it was more comfortable. Size wise and engine wise yes the two cars are in different classes. But with the power to weight ratio there is nothing that is spectacularly amazing about a grand am GT compared to an Si or even an EX or DX. Theres situations in which a civic could take a GA and vice versa. Driver is a big factor also.

oh and BTW I have seen videos of a lawnmower on nitrous :D