ritchierich1 Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Found an 89 Pontiac Grand Prix for sale today. Red, 83,000 miles, 1 owner, auto, a/c, cruise, ps, pb, abs, p windows, p locks, tilt, sunroof, and leather seats. Stealership wants $3,000 for the car. Do you all think this is a good deal? I drive 1100 miles every two weeks, and need something reliable. Let me know what u think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryk2003 Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 well, if its in good shape...that doesnt seem to bad for a TGP...i dunno if i'd get something like that for a daily driver (personally)...but, hey...its up too you...if you DO get it, just be sure to post pix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritchierich1 Posted February 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Well, I have a 94 regal, 92 civic (daily driver), and am getting a 92 plymouth voyager for free. So, this would be a third car if I did get it. Just wondering how reliable and how much of a pain in the ass they are to work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 i wouldnt get it, reliablity on these cars are horrible, the xover is always 100% shot that causes ur car to run rich and stall, thats costs 400$+100$ core charge + 400$ or more bill to get it installed, thats the jeff M that wont crack again, the GM ones that will crack again are 1600$, also the brake cylinder likes to go out too, so u gotta replace that or parts on it for well over 500$, and if the turbo goes bad, then ur screwd, another one is 500-1000$, ur bettter off getting a 91-96 GTP w/ the 3.4 dohc that is just as fast, N/A, and alot more reliable, Â EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir and the coolant bottle is way down in there that u can barley get to it, wireing and vacuum lines out ur ass, amd everythings crammed to close u cant even get to anything, and the PCV valve is behind the plenum, u cant get to that either, and a ton of other stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritchierich1 Posted February 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 I am looking on autotrader, and the prices are lot more than the $3,000 this guy is asking. I am figuring something is really wrong with this one. Thanks for the advice. Too much of a pain for me. I'll still probably go test drive it though. Â HE HE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 i wouldnt get it, reliablity on these cars are horrible, the xover is always 100% shot that causes ur car to run rich and stall, thats costs 400$+100$ core charge + 400$ or more bill to get it installed, thats the jeff M that wont crack again, the GM ones that will crack again are 1600$, also the brake cylinder likes to go out too, so u gotta replace that or parts on it for well over 500$, and if the turbo goes bad, then ur screwd, another one is 500-1000$, ur bettter off getting a 91-96 GTP w/ the 3.4 dohc that is just as fast, N/A, and alot more reliable, EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir and the coolant bottle is way down in there that u can barley get to it, wireing and vacuum lines out ur ass, amd everythings crammed to close u cant even get to anything, and the PCV valve is behind the plenum, u cant get to that either, and a ton of other stuff Not too different from a normal 3.1. If you think the 3.4 is an easier engine to work on, man I dunno...  The mileage on the TGP is damn low... its loaded. THe price might be a lil high, but its a nice piece of Pontiac history.  Plus they're damn fun to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Tough? The 3.1 is a breeze compared to other motors I've seen. If I can figure out how to wrench on one, than anyone can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeorge Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 i wouldnt get it, reliablity on these cars are horrible, the xover is always 100% shot that causes ur car to run rich and stall,  EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir and the coolant bottle is way down in there that u can barley get to it, wireing and vacuum lines out ur ass, amd everythings crammed to close u cant even get to anything, and the PCV valve is behind the plenum, u cant get to that either, and a ton of other stuff  RELIABLITY is Horrible???? really...?? I drove my STE turbo for 20,000 miles last year and it never missed a beat...no stalling no problems at all...aside from the Cradle bolts breaking ABS not working(which is fine with me) and the fact I put 1400 in suspention, wires and tires in to the car.... but it still starts and Runs great...no tranny problems as of yet Knock on wood.....  The TSTE/TPGs are good for toys or are Great if you have the Funds to support it....its like a coke habbit thou Im warning you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EurosportZ34 Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Tough? The 3.1 is a breeze compared to other motors I've seen. Â ditto! Â Â Â Â althought TGP and 'daily driver' don't really mix in my mind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuttySup Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Â EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir Kinda like every other 1st Gen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryk2003 Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Â EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir Kinda like every other 1st Gen. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeorge Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Â EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir Kinda like every other 1st Gen. Â Yeah but you dont have pipes in the way I bet.. Â http://www.geocities.com/ste_turbo/underhood.html BTY motor looks alot cleaner now...thats an old Picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john99gtp Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 0.o  tell me where it is!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euro Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 i dunno, 3,000 doesnt seem like THAT much overpriced. the ones(actually only 1) near me the guys been selling for over 2 years for over 6800 with 61k. Â 3000 sounds like a deal to me. haha i laugh when people say 3.1s are unreliable. yep thats why they last over 200k miles on original engine/tranny(not all do).... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeorge Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 3K isnt that bad of a Price how ever I would never pay 3K for a 89 a 90 yeah but not a 89 there are differances in them enough where I would not consider a 89 unless it was a Great deal.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Â EDIT, the TGPs are awful to work on, i mean, the battery is under the windshield wiper resivoir Kinda like every other 1st Gen. Â Except 88 and 89's without ABS. Â I have a TGP and a 3.4 DOHC, the TGP's are a ton easier to wrench on than a 3.4 DOHC. Â The crossover is a 1-time fix if you buy the Jeff M pipe. Turbochargers should last a long time if not abused. I think the worst part of a TGP is the PM3 ABS system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Well, i got my TGP for 2800$, and yes the high book according to the bank is 9000$ for a TGP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkness Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 I use my TGP as a daily driver and love it. Well, I have a love/hate relationship with it because some typical w-body things have gone wrong with it. But, I have 243k miles on it now, and it starts right up, runs smoothly, and is not a bit of trouble on the road. Original engine and turbo still in it. Â I think the worth on these cars is highly subjective. I bought mine in much better than average shape for $1000, even with the miles, and so far I think it is worth every penny. Is it worth $2000 more to have 160K miles less? I can't say, that's pretty much up to you. Â Oh, and I just changed the battery today. I just removed the rubber hose from the intercooler to the throttle body pipe so I could get my hands in there. The resevoir comes out after removing one nut, and the battery will pull right out. Looks much worse than it really is. Â Now if I can just get that damn driver side door open. :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 If your looking for a daily driver don't even consider a 3.4.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 why is it i was in that one post about rilability and i said 3.4 is unreliable, and then u all freak out and say its the best most reliable thing ever, but here u all say its unreliable and not good for a daily driver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 why is it i was in that one post about rilability and i said 3.4 is unreliable, and then u all freak out and say its the best most reliable thing ever, but here u all say its unreliable and not good for a daily driver  WTF? I NEVER said the 3.4 was a reliable engine... ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Tough? The 3.1 is a breeze compared to other motors I've seen. If I can figure out how to wrench on one, than anyone can.  FACT!! 8) Besides its a 15 year old car How well was this car or any 15 year old car maintained will decide what the next owners is in for :read: . There is one guy who posted here with over 200k miles, I know of a few over 200k and one that had 260k miles on original turbo, tranny and engine  So why did you/prospeeder get so many replies, maybe because we have so many actual long-time TGP/TSTE owners that know their cars and like them and such a slap at the cars might get their attention not surprising , don't take it personal, they are trying not to . ABS is 80% of the time just the accumulator, $100 and be done with it!! Turbos are turbos but this one is water cooled and only die from owner abuse, not the car’s fault, but not seen many at all go bad, we just hear of the few since people come here to bitch sometime, other times to ask where best to get it rebuilt, that is what is nice about a shared owner board like this, its easy to get mislead by those coming here with problems seemingly more so than other subjects, why would all the rest of the many owners come here…..to brag they have no problems ?  92PettyEdition (nice car btw) it was just your grammer (no big deal) that if read too fast might make someone think that, I checked it again and seen you were just comparing things 8)  Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25942&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Â i never just said u 92pettyedition, i ment all these people, like in the thread, said its just a wonderful engine, and obviously its not, people just need to stop getting devensive on there motors when its true there not the most reliable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritchierich1 Posted February 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Well, I am honored to have Jeff M actually say something in my post. From what I have read as of late he seems like a god. Thanks Anyway, I went to look at the car today. Has 84,165 actual miles on the car. Nobody was there so I couldn't test drive it though. Interior looked very good, only saw a tear in the rear cloth underneath the back window. There was a few scratches on the drivers side, around the front of the door. Also, there was about a five inch long dent on the passenger side fender. I am going to call the guy tomorrow and see if he will finance or if he will take a credit card as a payment. I also want to try to lower the price a little. Hopefully I can work something out with him. Granted the car passes my driving test. Thanks for the help everybody. I enjoy everybody's input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 does it still have the valence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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