[htDgExh8]

2003 Pontiac Grand Am 95,000 miles. Repair costs would be almost the same as installing a remanufactured engine.

Option A is to get a remanufactured engine installed for somewhere between $3,500 and $4,000.

Option B is to get a used car for $5,000 - $6,000, this would likely be a compact car like a corolla, around 100,000 miles.

Which of these two options makes more financial sense? What will last longer and have lower maintenance costs?

[swissloveone]

Well, I've known 3 people in my life that owned Grand Ams, and they were all lemons. IMO, if the car needs major repairs now, it is an indicator of things to come. Just offload it and get a new one IMO. A Corolla will be much more reliable.

[wJswn5l3]

I wouldn't put that much money in to a grand am.

[dosugxxx]

I didn't have a Grand Am, but my first car was a Pontiac. Getting rid of it for a Nissan Sentra (of all things) was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The Pontiac was a decent car until it hit 100k miles, and then it just fell apart. I was sinking more money into repairs each month, on average, than the monthly payment (plus a little extra to pay off the loan quicker) for the Sentra. The final straw was when the brake line burst while driving. Good bye, good luck, good riddance!

My advice is to dump it for something else. A Corolla, Civic, Mazda 3, etc has a better chance of lasting well past 100k miles compared to your Grand Am.

[salomal-qask]

Get a new car. GrandAM isn't the greatest and neither are the engines.


You can get some good product for that price though. I got a 2003 Mitsu Outlander AWD w/ 78,000 miles on it for $6,000. Practically a steal based on KBB. You might just have to look around for a bit to find a good deal and what you want.


I'd consider getting a Buick Regal GS. You can get these easily in that price range, supercharged and they get great economy.
IMO, all those tiny cars like the Civic, Corolla, etc are all overpriced with crazy high miles on them. At least in my market when I was shopping not too long ago. Then what America has for small cars really arnt worth buying.

[ButKnillinoi]

I'd consider getting a Buick Regal GS. You can get these easily in that price range, supercharged and they get great economy.

I was pretty surprised at the Buick MPG figures. They're much better than I'd have imagined.