ok seriously...

[amysam]

seriously here, i need help with this car, i dont have money to fix it, i need it to get to work. i commute 15 miles to, and 15 miles back every day. we replaced the battery, but its still acting strange. i called the former owners of the car today and they said it in fact has been in an accident, but that was before they owned it. they had one problem with it, it couldnt have an alignment done to it because the frame was messed up because of the accident it had been in. the guy said you can even still see a dent somewhere on it. they only traded in for a mini van because their family was growing, they needed something bigger. im still ticked at the dealership for not reporting this, and for not letting us taking it for a test drive before we bought it. i called them and the guy was kinda snooty about it and said so you expect us to fix things that went wrong with your car seven months after you took ownership of it? i said well yeah kind of. there is a lemon law in maine. i hate having to call my car a lemon :( but i think it is :( we are seriously looking at trading it in for another grand am, newer, less problems, more warantee, etc. yall do know there are two recalls on 99 grand am se's right? something about the console doesnt stay latched inside the car and could fly open sending contents flying in an accident, and something else about the steering wheel not being bolted on good enough...geez...dont they know how to build cars anymore. what do they do just throw them together and call it good? geez.

[3 DeeJay]

how many miles are on it and how much you owe on it?

[amysam]

71,000 and we have another year of payments left on it before we own it. 210 a month for another year, im too tired for math right now, lol. oh yeah 16 percent interest...

[rixGAphx]

'Lemon Laws' only apply to new cars (or used cars under warranty with a Lemon Law history).

In *most* states, consumer laws state that used cars are bought 'As-Is', and car dealers have no responsibility to inform purchasers of vehicle history (previous accidents, major or minor repairs, etc.).
The only exception, again in *most* states, is that dealers must report if the vehicle was previously 'totaled' and is now on a title noted as 'salvaged'.

Amy, just out of curiosity, why do you want another GA after all the trouble you've experienced with your current POS??
Pontiac hasn't fired the engineers or workers who made your '99, and they use the same factories, machines, and quality control procedures (or lack thereof) for 2004's.

This is the first and last GM I've owned in 36 years of driving. I'd leave it by the side of the road in a bad part of town with the keys on the seat if I could, but I'm upside-down on the loan and would literally have to pay somebody to steal the damned thing.

Endemic/Systemic Problems with GM's:
1. LIM of the 60* V6 engine. This damned engine has been in production for nearly 25 years; why can't they make it leak-free???
2. EVERY GM car has problems with the electric windows. Why can't they throw-out the defective system and build a better one?
3. Electrical system that is so complex, convoluted, and crappy that when a taillight blows the ABS indicator light comes on and the tranny won't shift, yada yada.
4. Plastic parts that braek whenever anybody stronger than a 3-year old touches them.

<Rant off>
-Rick

PS: Ricers buy Japanese, 'cuz they're smarter than us.
They can put money into neons and wings, where we have to continually spend money just to keep rolling stock.

[sunrunner_pei]

Rick, this is where I disagree. The '99 models are notorious for build problems over the 2000+ Grand Ams. My '99 was a complete lemon, and was in the service dept more than it was out. My '03 is the exact opposite. Not a single defect to date.

[Loopy]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
Rick, this is where I disagree. The '99 models are notorious for build problems over the 2000+ Grand Ams. My '99 was a complete lemon, and was in the service dept more than it was out. My '03 is the exact opposite. Not a single defect to date.

And that's a typical thing with the first year of a re-design. All the road testing in the world won't duplicate what people in the real world put their cars through every day. The bugs are worked out in the first production year.

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by Loopy
And that's a typical thing with the first year of a re-design. All the road testing in the world won't duplicate what people in the real world put their cars through every day. The bugs are worked out in the first production year.

Exactly my point. :) Of couse, I do agree that there were WAY too many problems with the '99s, even with this excuse. But they HAVE improved, and that's the point I'm making. :)

[BBT]

I have to ask, Amy, why on earth would you buy a car, or even deal with a dealer, where you couldn't take it for a drive before buying it? I would have walked away when they told me that. And never gone back.

[amysam]

cuz i wasnt thinkin???is that a good excuse? no? ok... well the first time they said you will dont worry, the second time they said they couldnt find the keys, the third time said you are so close to getting it you will ruin the experience of driving it off the lot, blah blah blah. we took it to the dealership today and the guy was actually alot nicer in person about it than he was on the phone. they are keeping the car for a while cuz their service department is pretty busy, but they are going to fix the things that were wrong with it when we got it and look into what they can do to fix the rest of it too. we had to jump it to get it started to bring it there today too. brand spankin new battery. i dont think the kid at the parts store knew what he was doing cuz he said the alternator was ok. i dont think it is. i think it sucks ass. cuz the thing had to be jumped with a brand new battery...wtf??? it whines real bad too. kid said he thinks its the power steering going, all i know is the abs light comes on every time the car is on now. grrr...hope being christmas season they feel generous and fix it all. that'd be sweet. either that or they can replace the car for us...whatever i dont care, i just want my damn car.

[BBT]

Originally posted by amysam
cuz i wasnt thinkin???is that a good excuse? no? ok... well the first time they said you will dont worry, the second time they said they couldnt find the keys, the third time said you are so close to getting it you will ruin the experience of driving it off the lot, blah blah blah. ...

Yeah, I guess you weren't thinking. Too bad this is turning into an expensive lesson for you. You will do better in the future, I'm sure. Never do paperwork until you had a chance to hit the redline with the car you want to buy.

That 'ruin the experience' line is a good one though. I'll bet the guy could sell freezers to Inuit (Eskimos).

I'm hoping it works out for you in the end.