Last weekend I had two separate conversations with two different people about how this was probably going to be the last year that I drive the Grand Prix. It is simply too hot during the summer months here and I spend too much time driving around the city to not have air conditioning. It was a real shame, I said, because the overall the car runs so well. Fitting that a few days after having this conversation with two different people, I had to take my car into the shop. Wednesday morning I couldn't get it to start. The radio would come on and all of the lights and everything, but the engine made no attempt to start. I tried 4 or 5 times then gave up. I came out 20 minutes later and tried again and it worked fine like nothing had happened. I remember it doing the exact same thing 5 or 6 months ago and thought this was a good sign that I needed to take it in and get looked at.
I took it in early Wednesday morning and they didn't have a diagnosis until Friday afternoon. Because of parts they won't get it finished until Monday. I am pretty annoyed with the amount of time it is taking, honestly. It is quite inconvenient to only have one car between the two of us. This is especially true because I have meetings at various times of the day and am typically not in one location all day long. The problem lies with the security system. If you remember, the security system is the final straw that did us in with Sarah's Alero and we decided to get rid of it shortly after $1200 fix. This security system is different from the Alero's, but still fitting that it would be the security system here that would break. Basically there is a wire from the ignition to a computer that controls if the car will start. The ignition uses an electronic box on the key to determine resistance. If the correct key is used the correct amount of resistance is produced and the car starts. Over time the wires in this system fray and eventually break, essentially electronically disabling the car. So today they dismantled the steering column in order to replace the ignition and all of the wires.
I wasn't real excited about putting a bunch of money into this car. I was quoted that this would cost around $300. At the same time I want to delay having car payments until the spring when winter has passed and I am closer to being able to moonlight and supplement my income a bit. I decided to go ahead and pay it.
I called this post "So It Begins" because in my experience, when a car hits 100,000 miles, plus or minus 10,000 miles, the problems begin and it seems like it is one thing after another from there on out. This car has treated me well in the 2 and a half years I've owned it. Hopefully I am wrong about this car.
Sounds like you may soon be part of rounding out an era for GM once again...got rid of the Alero, and it seems as if the days are numbered for the Grand Prix. Probably not too often that a household gets rid of consecutive cars knowing neither one of them will be produced again.
ReplyDeleteI was never a fan of the Alero or Oldsmobile in general so that didn't sadden me too much. The Grand Prix is a different story. I think it is a really good car. Plus they sell like crazy. You see them around all of the time. Then Pontiac replaced the Grand Prix with the G6 which is basically the same car but with a different name. They sold a lot too. You see them everywhere. Then out of nowhere they just canceled the Pontiac line. I have no idea why they did that. I liked those cars a lot. As far as I am concerned, GM got rid of the only line they make that really appeals to me. So I am now going to buy from another company and get hooked on them. I really don't see myself ever buying an American car again, unless something changes. I looked at used G8s online, another car I like a lot. But I think the interior looked kind of cheap and I think I can get a better car for the same price so I will pass on that.
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