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1995
Pontiac Grand Am

Starts at:
$13,104
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Available trims

See the differences side-by-side to compare trims.
  • 2dr Coupe SE
    Starts at
    $13,104
    See all specs
  • 4dr Sedan SE
    Starts at
    $13,204
    See all specs
  • 2dr Coupe GT
    Starts at
    $15,054
    See all specs
  • 4dr Sedan GT
    Starts at
    $15,154
    See all specs

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Expert 1995 Pontiac Grand Am review

our expert's take
Our expert's take
By
Full article
our expert's take

FORGET MONTE CARLO and other exotic auto racing locales. I offer a more challenging course — the streets of Washington’s National Airport.

Did I say “streets?” Precision demands correction. National Airport has no streets. It has paths — ill-marked, ill-conceived and obstacle-strewn. Getting through National Airport thus requires more than a good car. It requires luck and good driving. What better place to hold a race?

Imagine! The Washington National Grand Prix! The idea occurred to me on a recent trip to the airport in a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am coupe. I was looking for a long-term parking space, a slot in that newfangled, brick-and-glass garage across from the airport’s main terminal.

I thought I followed the signs exactly, but I wound up near the end of the airport grounds, faced with a choice to “exit” or “return to main terminal.” I took the “return” option and was fascinated by the path’s twists, turns, deceptions — absolutely boggled by the jumble of it all.

I finally made it back to the garage, only to find that place full, which meant another tour around the airport grounds in search of satellite parking lots A, B or C. I wound up at B after several near-collisions and a couple of rounds of tight-corner maneuvering.

The Grand Am GT handled the trip much better than I did. But I’d love to come back again with a racing helmet, race car and more liberal speed limit. I mean, even at 20 mph, some of those airport curves were, um, very interesting.

Background: Think of the Pontiac Grand Am as a family car with libido. It looks hot and almost drives that way. But it’s an economy car, no doubt about it.

The front-drive Grand Am, introduced in its present form in 1985, comes four ways: base SE coupe and SE sedan, and sporty GT coupe and GT sedan. The car really looks and feels better as a two-door coupe. But the Grand Am is aimed at young folks, many of whom are married, have children and need doors3 and 4.

The youth theme is evident in the slope of the Grand Am’s hood, the sassiness of its bifurcated grille and the flippancy of its rear end. The problem is, youth appeal turns to something more adolescent in the design of the car’s instrument panel — a whimsical, be-buttoned thing that could use some of the sophistication found in the dashboard of the Nissan Altima.

But there’s no such miscue with the Grand Am GT’s standard engine — a 2.3-liter, double-overhead-cam, 16-valve, 4-cylinder job rated 150 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. Torque is set at 145 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm. An optional 3.1-liter V-6 is available. But why bother? It offers only a marginal increase in horsepower, 155 hp at 5,200 rpm. Torque with the V-6 goes to 185 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm.

A five-speed manual transmission is standard on all Grand Am models.

Optional transmissions include a four-speed automatic overdrive and a three-speed automatic. The three-speed is a total wimp. F orget it.

A driver’s air bag is standard. No passenger bag is available on the 1995 Grand Am.

Standard brakes include front discs/rear drums with four-wheel anti-lock backup.

Complaints: No passenger bag. Door-mounted “automatic” seat belts and shoulder harnesses up front. Yecchh! Adolescent dashboard.

Praise: Nice power delivery from the standard 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine. Very smooth five-speed manual gearbox.

Head-turning quotient: Very attractive exterior styling. Different. You know that it’s a Grand Am.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent. Competes with any compact coupe or sedan. Excellent braking. You’d be making an error if you left this one off your shopping list. Mileage: About 26 mpg (15.2-gallon tank, estimated 383-mile range on usable volume of regular unleaded), combined city-highway, running driver only.

Price: Base price is $14,854. Dealer’s invoice on base model is $14,086. Price as tested is $17,414, incl ding $2,065 in options and a $495 destination charge.

Purse-strings note: For best value in the Grand Am, go easy on the options. You’ll still wind up with an attractive, nice running car.

Compare with Ford Probe, Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring, Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique and Nissan Altima.

1995 Pontiac Grand Am review: Our expert's take
By

FORGET MONTE CARLO and other exotic auto racing locales. I offer a more challenging course — the streets of Washington’s National Airport.

Did I say “streets?” Precision demands correction. National Airport has no streets. It has paths — ill-marked, ill-conceived and obstacle-strewn. Getting through National Airport thus requires more than a good car. It requires luck and good driving. What better place to hold a race?

Imagine! The Washington National Grand Prix! The idea occurred to me on a recent trip to the airport in a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am coupe. I was looking for a long-term parking space, a slot in that newfangled, brick-and-glass garage across from the airport’s main terminal.

I thought I followed the signs exactly, but I wound up near the end of the airport grounds, faced with a choice to “exit” or “return to main terminal.” I took the “return” option and was fascinated by the path’s twists, turns, deceptions — absolutely boggled by the jumble of it all.

I finally made it back to the garage, only to find that place full, which meant another tour around the airport grounds in search of satellite parking lots A, B or C. I wound up at B after several near-collisions and a couple of rounds of tight-corner maneuvering.

The Grand Am GT handled the trip much better than I did. But I’d love to come back again with a racing helmet, race car and more liberal speed limit. I mean, even at 20 mph, some of those airport curves were, um, very interesting.

Background: Think of the Pontiac Grand Am as a family car with libido. It looks hot and almost drives that way. But it’s an economy car, no doubt about it.

The front-drive Grand Am, introduced in its present form in 1985, comes four ways: base SE coupe and SE sedan, and sporty GT coupe and GT sedan. The car really looks and feels better as a two-door coupe. But the Grand Am is aimed at young folks, many of whom are married, have children and need doors3 and 4.

The youth theme is evident in the slope of the Grand Am’s hood, the sassiness of its bifurcated grille and the flippancy of its rear end. The problem is, youth appeal turns to something more adolescent in the design of the car’s instrument panel — a whimsical, be-buttoned thing that could use some of the sophistication found in the dashboard of the Nissan Altima.

But there’s no such miscue with the Grand Am GT’s standard engine — a 2.3-liter, double-overhead-cam, 16-valve, 4-cylinder job rated 150 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. Torque is set at 145 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm. An optional 3.1-liter V-6 is available. But why bother? It offers only a marginal increase in horsepower, 155 hp at 5,200 rpm. Torque with the V-6 goes to 185 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm.

A five-speed manual transmission is standard on all Grand Am models.

Optional transmissions include a four-speed automatic overdrive and a three-speed automatic. The three-speed is a total wimp. F orget it.

A driver’s air bag is standard. No passenger bag is available on the 1995 Grand Am.

Standard brakes include front discs/rear drums with four-wheel anti-lock backup.

Complaints: No passenger bag. Door-mounted “automatic” seat belts and shoulder harnesses up front. Yecchh! Adolescent dashboard.

Praise: Nice power delivery from the standard 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine. Very smooth five-speed manual gearbox.

Head-turning quotient: Very attractive exterior styling. Different. You know that it’s a Grand Am.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent. Competes with any compact coupe or sedan. Excellent braking. You’d be making an error if you left this one off your shopping list. Mileage: About 26 mpg (15.2-gallon tank, estimated 383-mile range on usable volume of regular unleaded), combined city-highway, running driver only.

Price: Base price is $14,854. Dealer’s invoice on base model is $14,086. Price as tested is $17,414, incl ding $2,065 in options and a $495 destination charge.

Purse-strings note: For best value in the Grand Am, go easy on the options. You’ll still wind up with an attractive, nice running car.

Compare with Ford Probe, Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring, Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique and Nissan Altima.

Factory warranties

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Consumer reviews

3.4 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Write a review
Comfort 4.2
Interior 3.3
Performance 3.8
Value 3.4
Exterior 3.7
Reliability 3.3

Most recent

  • Just ok

    This car was fun and sporty, but had issues with leaking head gasket?s. I hear this is common in a lot of these cars. It ended up needing so much work that it was smarter to sell it and get a new vehicle. I would not purchase these again. The Pontiac G6 is a great alternative if you like GMC products though.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 3.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 3.0
    Value 3.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    2 people out of 2 found this review helpful. Did you?
    Yes No
  • Down & Out at less the 70K

    My dad had this car for about 7 years with under 70K when he got rid of it. Reason being for that is because it would constantly leak oil. Sounds like a simple fix I guess but after a while, we got sick of it. Stay away from the '90s Grand Ams. Its to bad this car isn't reliable but has amazing exterior looks.
    • Purchased a New car
    • Used for Having fun
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 2.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 2.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • best car i have ever had

    very nice car, extremely reliable. There were no problems with the one i had. As long as i changed the oil and had a few brake changes everything ran smoothly.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 5.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    2 people out of 2 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Lots of little repairs

    i live in minnesota the car is great in the snow and cold weather. But ever since I got the car I have had to basically replace all the little components like alternator, radiator, fuel pressure reg, belt ten, started, heating coil, lower hose for coolant, windshield wiper motor, power stearing line, thermostat,
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 2.0
    Performance 3.0
    Value 3.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 1.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Fantastic 1st Car

    I bought the vehicle about four months ago with 90k on it. I have put 6 thousand miles on it since. You can buy these Pontiacs cheap and the engines will last forever. If you don't drive like an idiot you get great gas mileage for a V6. I even put some rims on it and I think the car looks great. Its a fantastic first car. However the interior does squeak a little. But you can tighten the bolts that attach the dash to the frame and that stops the squeaking greatly. The stock radio is great and loud. The two front seats are roomy but there is no back seat because its a coupe... The trunk is big. I can fit my golf clubs in there with ease. The best part? The car starts no matter what. Even in cold windy chicago winters. You'll love this car if you take care of it and give it a little TLC and change the oil and do regular mantenince.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 5.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • great 1st car!!

    i bought this car after high school with about 85k on it. it was a great car. stylish, sporty, safe and reliable. after about 30k (around 115k) total a lot started going wrong. it still was a great car and i drove it until it topped 130k - not bad for a pontiac. this is a great car for the money. i would do it all over again in a second!!
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 3.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 3.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Great Car

    I bought the car at 90,000 miles, have been driving it for 4 years, and it now has 140,000 miles! It really does run Great. There have been a few issues with it though (sensors, etc.); I've spent $1500 in repairs in 4 years. It now needs about $400 in repairs, but I know it'll run for another 50-60k EASILY. Brakes last forever, tires wear great, never needs alignment, etc. Starts in the coldest weather (-25 wind chill) and air works great in the hottest weather (95 degrees, 95% humidity). Very dependable, has never left me stranded. Always starts.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Can't Complain

    My 1995 Pontiac Grand Am just clicked over 120,000 miles. It runs like a charm. It is the V6 model sport sedan. Outside of wear and tear replacement of parts, she has been the most reliable vehicle I have owned in my 34 or so years of owning and driving cars.
    • Purchased a New car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Worst Car Ever!

    I had problems with this car since day one and I had enough of it. I will never buy a Pontiac Again ever and you shouldn't either. I spent nearly the double the amount of the car to fix it. I was really upset I even bought this car in the first place.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 1.0
    Performance 1.0
    Value 1.0
    Exterior 1.0
    Reliability 1.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Not very impressed!

    This was my first car. I purchased it used from an older woman who only used it to drive to the store. I purchased it 10years old and they previouse owner never once changed the oil. I changed the oil 5 time in the first 4 months of owning it, it was black sludge!. I have had may problems with this car. Anit freeze leaks, power stearing leaks, unstraigh head, worn breaks, interior squeeks. FOr being the first car i have every purchased, and i am a little disapointed :(
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 2.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 2.0
    Exterior 2.0
    Reliability 1.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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FAQ

What trim levels are available for the 1995 Pontiac Grand Am?

The 1995 Pontiac Grand Am is available in 2 trim levels:

  • GT (2 styles)
  • SE (2 styles)

Is the 1995 Pontiac Grand Am reliable?

The 1995 Pontiac Grand Am has an average reliability rating of 3.3 out of 5 according to cars.com consumers. Find real-world reliability insights within consumer reviews from 1995 Pontiac Grand Am owners.

Is the 1995 Pontiac Grand Am a good Coupe?

Below are the cars.com consumers ratings for the 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. 50.0% of drivers recommend this vehicle.

3.4 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
  • Comfort: 4.2
  • Interior: 3.3
  • Performance: 3.8
  • Value: 3.4
  • Exterior: 3.7
  • Reliability: 3.3
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