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2005
Pontiac Grand Am

Starts at:
$20,090
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New 2005 Pontiac Grand Am
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Safety rating
NHTSA tested vehicle score
Consumer rating
Owner reviewed vehicle score
Not rated
Safety rating
NHTSA tested vehicle score
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Available trims

See the differences side-by-side to compare trims.
  • 4dr Sdn SE
    Starts at
    $20,090
    25 City / 34 Hwy
    MPG
    5
    Seat capacity
    -
    Engine
    Front Wheel Drive
    Drivetrain
    See all specs
  • 2dr Cpe GT
    Starts at
    $22,500
    20 City / 29 Hwy
    MPG
    5
    Seat capacity
    Gas V6
    Engine
    Front Wheel Drive
    Drivetrain
    See all specs
  • 2dr Cpe GT1
    Starts at
    $23,750
    20 City / 29 Hwy
    MPG
    5
    Seat capacity
    Gas V6
    Engine
    Front Wheel Drive
    Drivetrain
    See all specs

Notable features

175-hp, 3.4-liter V-6
Automatic transmission
Sporty coupe body style
Optional MP3 player
Driver-oriented cockpit

The good & the bad

The good

Easy to drive
Automatic-transmission operation
Quietness
Performance

The bad

Final year for this model
Refinement
Ride comfort
Resale value
IIHS frontal crash-test rating

Expert 2005 Pontiac Grand Am review

our expert's take
Our expert's take
By Cars.com editors
Full article
our expert's take

Vehicle Overview
A brand-new G6 sedan that replaces the Grand Am joins the Pontiac lineup for 2005. Until the phaseout is complete, the long-lived Grand Am continues in GT and GT1 coupe forms; Grand Am sedans remain available only for fleet sales.

An SC/T Solid Value Appearance Package for the GT1 includes a performance composite hood, a rear aero wing, Chrome Tech wheels and a chrome-tipped exhaust system. An MP3 player with an equalizer and Radio Data System operation became optional in Pontiac’s popular front-wheel-drive compact series for 2004.

Last restyled for the 1999 model year, Grand Am coupes now come only with a Ram Air 3.4-liter V-6 and a four-speed-automatic transmission.

Exterior
Aggressive styling has long been a Grand Am hallmark. The sporty-looking coupe features a low nose, a high tail and a pronounced wedge profile. Traditional Pontiac styling cues include ribbed body cladding and a twin-port grille. Coupes ride a 107.2-inch wheelbase and measure 186.3 inches long overall.

All models have a four-wheel-independent suspension. Color-keyed side cladding and a deck-lid spoiler are standard.

Interior
Up to five occupants can fit in the Grand Am’s front buckets and three-place rear seat. Like many two-door vehicles, the coupe’s narrow rear seat is better suited for two people than three. Each coupe has a split folding rear seatback that adds storage space beyond the 14.6-cubic-foot trunk. Leather-appointed seating in the Solid Value Appearance Package includes SC/T embroidered into the seat backs.

Standard equipment includes air conditioning, programmable door locks with lockout protection, a CD player, power windows, cruise control, remote keyless entry and a PassLock II theft-deterrent system. XM Satellite Radio is standard with the SC/T Solid Value Appearance Package and optional in all other models.

Under the Hood
The GT coupe holds a 175-horsepower, 3.4-liter Ram Air V-6 with cold-air induction. The engine produces 205 pounds-feet of torque and mates only with a four-speed-automatic transmission.

Safety
All-disc antilock brakes are standard. Side-impact airbags are not available.

Driving Impressions
In addition to being an easy-to-drive vehicle, the Grand Am has established a reputation for commendable performance and handling. These coupes retain their mildly aggressive appearance, but they’re not the most refined models on the market.

Acceleration is energetic with the Ram Air engine, especially at passing speeds. General Motors’ automatic transmissions rank as some of the smoothest around, but drivers may notice an occasional bit of uncertainty. Grand Ams are pleasantly quiet inside.

The GT coupe is well controlled and stable, but its relatively taut suspension produces a fair amount of tossing. The seats are excellent in the driver-oriented cockpit. Small audio controls on the cluttered dashboard are difficult to use.

2005 Pontiac Grand Am review: Our expert's take

Vehicle Overview
A brand-new G6 sedan that replaces the Grand Am joins the Pontiac lineup for 2005. Until the phaseout is complete, the long-lived Grand Am continues in GT and GT1 coupe forms; Grand Am sedans remain available only for fleet sales.

An SC/T Solid Value Appearance Package for the GT1 includes a performance composite hood, a rear aero wing, Chrome Tech wheels and a chrome-tipped exhaust system. An MP3 player with an equalizer and Radio Data System operation became optional in Pontiac’s popular front-wheel-drive compact series for 2004.

Last restyled for the 1999 model year, Grand Am coupes now come only with a Ram Air 3.4-liter V-6 and a four-speed-automatic transmission.

Exterior
Aggressive styling has long been a Grand Am hallmark. The sporty-looking coupe features a low nose, a high tail and a pronounced wedge profile. Traditional Pontiac styling cues include ribbed body cladding and a twin-port grille. Coupes ride a 107.2-inch wheelbase and measure 186.3 inches long overall.

All models have a four-wheel-independent suspension. Color-keyed side cladding and a deck-lid spoiler are standard.

Interior
Up to five occupants can fit in the Grand Am’s front buckets and three-place rear seat. Like many two-door vehicles, the coupe’s narrow rear seat is better suited for two people than three. Each coupe has a split folding rear seatback that adds storage space beyond the 14.6-cubic-foot trunk. Leather-appointed seating in the Solid Value Appearance Package includes SC/T embroidered into the seat backs.

Standard equipment includes air conditioning, programmable door locks with lockout protection, a CD player, power windows, cruise control, remote keyless entry and a PassLock II theft-deterrent system. XM Satellite Radio is standard with the SC/T Solid Value Appearance Package and optional in all other models.

Under the Hood
The GT coupe holds a 175-horsepower, 3.4-liter Ram Air V-6 with cold-air induction. The engine produces 205 pounds-feet of torque and mates only with a four-speed-automatic transmission.

Safety
All-disc antilock brakes are standard. Side-impact airbags are not available.

Driving Impressions
In addition to being an easy-to-drive vehicle, the Grand Am has established a reputation for commendable performance and handling. These coupes retain their mildly aggressive appearance, but they’re not the most refined models on the market.

Acceleration is energetic with the Ram Air engine, especially at passing speeds. General Motors’ automatic transmissions rank as some of the smoothest around, but drivers may notice an occasional bit of uncertainty. Grand Ams are pleasantly quiet inside.

The GT coupe is well controlled and stable, but its relatively taut suspension produces a fair amount of tossing. The seats are excellent in the driver-oriented cockpit. Small audio controls on the cluttered dashboard are difficult to use.

Factory warranties

Currently no warranties for this model year
This vehicle doesn’t currently have warranty details.
You can still learn about car warranties, review what’s best, and identify coverage that may be right for you.
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Consumer reviews

4.0 / 5
Based on 16 reviews
Write a review
Comfort 4.2
Interior 3.8
Performance 3.8
Value 3.9
Exterior 4.2
Reliability 4.0

Most recent

  • Toughest car I’ve ever owned

    3.4 Engine is perfect for this car. I was actually able to tow my friends car to his house once. Fwd is good for a small car like this. Good for getting out of mud. Overall a good car that I still use today
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Having fun
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 5.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 5.0
    13 people out of 13 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Awesome Car

    This car is overall a great car. I drove it every day back and forth to school and work. It got great gas milage and rode smooth. a lot of get up and go for a stock v6.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Having fun
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    9 people out of 9 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Best car ive owned

    Its a reliable vechile good on gas its compact so its easy to drive i can fit 2 car seats amd myself in the back
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Transporting family
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 3.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 3.0
    Value 3.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 4.0
    2 people out of 2 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Great little car

    A great little car. Plenty of power from the 3.4 v6. Only had to replace battery and fuel pressure regulator. Great first car
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Save your money

    I have owned a grand am for a little under two years now. Ever since I got it, there's been problem after problem. First, the breaks. No biggie. Then, I start leaking anti freeze in the middle of winter. (i live in wisconsin). I had a blown head gasket, bad spark plugs, and on top of all that, wheel baring sensor. My cruise doesn't work, my drivers side window doesn't roll down now, and I have a loose relay in my dash which makes an annoying clicking sound.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 1.0
    Value 1.0
    Exterior 2.0
    Reliability 3.0
    0 people out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • The most reliable car ever had

    I've been having my grand am 2005 for about one month and I love it is the best vehicle I've ever had and performance is nice it drives easy. it's a cool red and I sure like it better than my Honda accord coupe
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Transporting family
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Good car

    Good car. We purchased it with 50,000 miles, not a problem 55,000 miles later. The car was used mostly for work/school.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 4.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Looked good and peformed well

    Car looked good and was reliable with good mileage. Easy to operate and maintain. Comfortable to drive.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Been a great car the 7 months ive owned it..

    Its a great car has been the 7 months I have had it. Never had a major problem with it only minor but all have been fixed. New brakes rotors tires serpentine belt battery spark plugs and plug wires are new. Would keep it but looking for something bigger. If interested please contact me by phone or gmail.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Transporting family
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 4.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • 2005 Pontiac Grand Am GT

    Bought my Grand Am about a year ago as an inexpensive replacement for my former car. The car had 130K miles on the odometer at the time of purchase. It was and still is a very nice looking car for it's age as I got the two door coupe in bright red. It's styling is now a unique and refreshing change compared to new cars. It came with painted silver aluminum wheels and a trunk spoiler. Primary features include ice cold A/C, great heater, cloth seats, delay wipers, rear window defogger, power locks and windows and cruise control The steering wheel tilts but does not telescope. The drivers seat has a power up/down feature, but is manual adjustment fore and back. The front passenger seat is manual adjustment. The rear seat back is a 60/40 split and folds down with release straps located in the trunk. Trunk space is actually very good for a smaller coupe. I replaced the factory stereo head unit with an aftermarket unit as the factory display window no longer worked. This version has the 3.4L V6 and 4speed automatic trans. The car rides and drives decently for an 11 year old vehicle with well over 100K miles on it. Steering is still tight, although I find it a bit over assisted. The brakes are four-wheel anti-lock disc and were replaced by the dealership where I bought the car from prior to sale. I have never experienced brake fade. The car also came from the dealership with new 16" Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires which run well, and a new battery. Interior appearance, fit and finish are about average for a pre-bankruptcy GM car; relatively drab and dull with cheap looking and feeling plastics all over. The seats are fairly comfortable for long drives as I frequently put well over 300 miles and occasionally 10 hours per day in the car for the first 3 months I owned it. I never felt overly fatigued driving it. I love the fact that this car is just large enough, or the interior is designed well enough that my right leg doesn't constantly rest against the console, a flaw in many cars that I find to be intensely annoying. This car actually drives fairly well on NE WI winter roads with the all-season tires, although decent winter tires would probably improve winter drivability even more. Since purchase, I've had to replace on front wheel bearing and the clip that holds the driver's window in place inside the door to the tune of $450 at the shop; although this engine is apparently notorious for intake gasket failure, about 3 months later I had to replace one of the head gaskets at about 140K miles which included the intake gasket by default for about $1800. Two months after that the security module began to fail which left me stranded in the garage on two separate occasions with a car that refused to start even though it had full power. This repair was another $300. This was followed a few weeks later by a failed power brake booster which progressively locked up the brakes while driving and cost another $350 to repair. Since then there have been no further problems. I have also replaced the front headlight units with new ones as the originals had become quite cloudy, a condition that plagues most cars of this era. An item of note regarding this is that when replacing the headlight lamps, the headlight unit must be removed from the car to change them, and then the headlights need to be re-aimed upon re-installation. There is information on this readily available on YouTube for those willing to spend a few minutes working on their car, although it seems something that should not be necessary. My previous two vehicles had no need for headlight adjustment or re-aim after changing a lamp. We have also added aftermarket seat warmers and a remote starter, about $700 to have done professionally. My cost of ownership thus far has amounted to about 3/4 of what I paid for the car at purchase. Nearly all of the issues have been due simply to age and wear. I have found that the availability of repair parts is relatively good, however; the price of repairing the car is not cheap nor is it as easy to repair as my former 1990 BMW. The fact that there are still tons of these cars on the road yet is telling with regard to durability. Overall this car makes a fine daily driver provided you can keep up on the maintenance, and would make an excellent first car for a new driver or college student. I would recommend this car to others with the understanding that it probably won't be as trouble free as a similar vintage Honda or Toyota.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 3.0
    Value 3.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 3.0
    3 people out of 3 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • decent car with some issues but a real workhorse

    I have owned and sold 4 grand ams and they were great some flaws. Multifunction switch issue, the blown speakers and also head gasket issues if not maintained. But little car with lots of juice to 'er. Seats are comfy and handles nice too bad these are reproduced. Compared to the G6 this car is much more solid and more reliable. I love my current 2005 Grand Am SE modded to a GT!
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Greatest car for anyone

    Car has a great design on the outside, and a nice interior. I own a white version with black stripes gives it a nice look. Only thing I dont care much for is the fuel pump. Had to replace 3 times in 125,000 miles time. Drove a lot so thats an iffy. Probaly will drop another engine to make it last longer. Have to drive one to understand how it does.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
    Yes No

FAQ

What trim levels are available for the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am?

The 2005 Pontiac Grand Am is available in 3 trim levels:

  • GT (1 style)
  • GT1 (1 style)
  • SE (1 style)

What is the MPG of the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am?

The 2005 Pontiac Grand Am offers up to 25 MPG in city driving and 34 MPG on the highway. These figures are based on EPA mileage ratings and are for comparison purposes only. The actual mileage will vary depending on vehicle options, trim level, driving conditions, driving habits, vehicle maintenance, and other factors.

Is the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am reliable?

The 2005 Pontiac Grand Am has an average reliability rating of 4.0 out of 5 according to cars.com consumers. Find real-world reliability insights within consumer reviews from 2005 Pontiac Grand Am owners.

Is the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am a good Sedan?

Below are the cars.com consumers ratings for the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am. 87.5% of drivers recommend this vehicle.

4.0 / 5
Based on 16 reviews
  • Comfort: 4.2
  • Interior: 3.8
  • Performance: 3.8
  • Value: 3.9
  • Exterior: 4.2
  • Reliability: 4.0
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