Tested a G6 GT.

[levey]

Yeah.
So....I was bored today and decided to test drive a few cars. One of which was a 2006 G6 Gt.

Yes... I'm looking for a new car.

Anyway. The car was totally awesome. Excellent looks. Great feel...decent power, and options to spare.
Most impressive...The shifting option.... If that makes sense.

I was looking for fusion orange, but they didn't have it. Not a big deal. I tested a silver G6. The color I want can be ordered.


Here is something funny:


From the salesman.
"Don't let your GA stop you from buying this car. This is not a Grand Am." It's far better than those pieces of shit. WTF?

Anyway...I loved it. My next, and final test drive....2006 Honda civic SI.


Here is a pic of the car I test drove.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Levey/Picture7129.jpg

[DontPassTheFence]

You shoulda hurt that saleman. Id go buy your G6 from a different dealership - that guy sounds like an ass :lol:

[Prospeeder]

He right tho, lol, those G6's make Grand Am looks like peices of shit

[rabidpanda69]

Well it certainly doesnt help the '90 grand prix's image any :lol:

[Prospeeder]

Yea they didnt have massvie problems when they were hardly 3 years old like most of the peoples cars on this site. Nor were they rattle traps off the lot. See theres a reason grand Prixs are still being made, and Grand ams arnt, because Grand ams are the econo box of family cars with extremly terribly reliablity and poor quality making GM look bad. Search and theres a bunch of freaking 2002, 3 and 4 grand ams with serious problems already!! True sign of a good car :roll2: There was a time when grand ams were good cars that didnt break down constantly, that was about 1985-1993

[Subtle_Cynicism]

Which explains why I see about 1-2 85-92 GA's for every 15 Civics I see :roll:.

I think you're going to be extremely surprised by the Si. The G6 has its ups and downs, but imo, there are a TON of better midsize sedans on the market.

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
Yea they didnt have massvie problems when they were hardly 3 years old like most of the peoples cars on this site. Nor were they rattle traps off the lot. See theres a reason grand Prixs are still being made, and Grand ams arnt, because Grand ams are the econo box of family cars with extremly terribly reliablity and poor quality making GM look bad. Search and theres a bunch of freaking 2002, 3 and 4 grand ams with serious problems already!! True sign of a good car :roll2: There was a time when grand ams were good cars that didnt break down constantly, that was about 1985-1993

And the rear brakes were never an issue on the W-Body. :roll:

Get over yourself and your car already, and stop cluttering good threads with your nonsense.

[sunrunner_pei]

Levey, beware of the panaramic roof, they are known to be very noisy. Check out http://www.g6ownersclub.com first if you're thinking about buying one.

[MantaGreen97]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
See theres a reason grand Prixs are still being made, and Grand ams arnt, because...

This statement doesn't sense any make. You're saying it as if Grand Prixs are still the same car they were years ago while the Grand Am has been replaced with the G6. Neither the GA or the GP are "still being made", in the context you put it in... There are simply newer versions. The GP had its last change in 2004, the GA in 2005. The fact that they changed the name of the Grand Am to G6 doesn't mean they "aren't making it anymore" it just means they changed the name, lol.

A name isn't anything but a name. When they completely redesign a car even if they don't change the name the old car isn't "still being made" :roll2:

The difference between a 97-2003 GP and 04+ GP is not really any different than the difference between a 99-05 GA and the G6. In both cases the later version is an entirely different car, name change or not.

[Prospeeder]

Not really, the 04+ GPs are still wbody platform, and the 99-05 Grand Am platform went from N body to that weird named on for the G6

My sister just got an 06 Civic Sedan and its a MUCH better car than any Grand am. Everythings solid and together. my freaking 1988 Mazda 323 doesnt even rattle as much as my moms grand am, or other grand ams 99+ iv ridden in. i rode in an 04 SE and it rattled, and it made wind noise like i had the door open or somtihing. Rediculous, Grand ams needed to be put down for sure, they changed the name so people wouldnt think, "oh look a rattle trap" they would think, "hey its the new car from pontiac, i wonder how nice it is...." Name changed usually happen when the Name of the car has been turned negative by poor reliablity and quality

[levey]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
Levey, beware of the panaramic roof, they are known to be very noisy. Check out http://www.g6ownersclub.com first if you're thinking about buying one.

Thanks Shawn.

EDIT: After skimming through the G6 forums, I'm having second thoughts. The Honda is looking better all the time.

[99GrandAMSE]

... I wouldn't buy ANYTHING from MacPhee Pontiac :(

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
Not really, the 04+ GPs are still wbody platform, and the 99-05 Grand Am platform went from N body to that weird named on for the G6

My sister just got an 06 Civic Sedan and its a MUCH better car than any Grand am. Everythings solid and together. my freaking 1988 Mazda 323 doesnt even rattle as much as my moms grand am, or other grand ams 99+ iv ridden in. i rode in an 04 SE and it rattled, and it made wind noise like i had the door open or somtihing. Rediculous, Grand ams needed to be put down for sure, they changed the name so people wouldnt think, "oh look a rattle trap" they would think, "hey its the new car from pontiac, i wonder how nice it is...." Name changed usually happen when the Name of the car has been turned negative by poor reliablity and quality

Just wait until they rename your oh-so-precious Grand Prix. ;) Just so you know, the Grand Prix is desitined to be renamed the G8 for 2009 and will be moving to the Zeta platform. I guess by your logic that current Grand Prixs must suck and have a bad image. :roll:

[Subtle_Cynicism]

This is true.

The Grand Prix, as it were, is a more solid car, yes, but it costs more. I would rather have a 3800 than a 3400 anyday, but to be completely frank, the problems with my Grand Am GT have been rather minor.

The only rattle in the interior of my car is the unlock button on the driver's side because I myself broke it. I've had very minor issues that aren't uncommon with any car, and I can say my Grand Am has treated me very well.

But to say the G6 is lightyears ahead of the Grand Am is rather arguable. At least the 99-05 Grand Ams enver had their steering lock up while driving at anytime. There is no recall for that, many dealers can't even replicate it. That is among the biggest safety hazards I've ever heard, and Pontiac won't even address it.

Every car has its ups and downs, and believe me, the Grand Prix has plenty of them, too.

[sunrunner_pei]

Not to mention issues with the 'drive by wire' throttle. :(

I like the G6, and meaybe it's because I really only hear of issues with this, but the peopel that do have issues seem to have MAJOR ones.

[Prospeeder]

Whats wrong with the drive by wire? I herd theres a little lag or somthing but thats it.

[Foxy]

I dunno on the GP, but a lot of DBW throttles feel.. funny. On my STi, it's particularily noticable at low throttle. For emissions reasons, they smooth out the initial application of the throttle because most people press the pedal too hard, giving it too much gas, and so more unburnt gas escapes. On the STI's DBW, they smooth it out so that less gas is given.. but then it feels really odd, mainly when revving it up from idle with the gear out, like when getting ready to go from a stop. There's a bit of lag there.

[levey]

Originally posted by 99grandamse
... I wouldn't buy ANYTHING from MacPhee Pontiac :(

Please elaborate, Kelly.
If you don't feel comfortable (not likely :lol:.) listing your reasons on the open forum, please pm me. I have to know why you dislike the dealership?
After all.... Buying a new car is a huge event for me. It's even risky from a financial standpoint. Hope to hear from ya soon.

[bmanhand]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
Yea they didnt have massvie problems when they were hardly 3 years old like most of the peoples cars on this site. Nor were they rattle traps off the lot. See theres a reason grand Prixs are still being made, and Grand ams arnt, because Grand ams are the econo box of family cars with extremly terribly reliablity and poor quality making GM look bad. Search and theres a bunch of freaking 2002, 3 and 4 grand ams with serious problems already!! True sign of a good car :roll2: There was a time when grand ams were good cars that didnt break down constantly, that was about 1985-1993

took the words right outta my mouth

[Subtle_Cynicism]

And the late eighties early-mid 90's Grand Prixs didn't have any problems? :roll:

[XoticGA]

All cars have some sort of problem.. There's no bullet proof, problem free car.. Gotta take them all with a grain of salt

[levey]

Yeah. That's very true. However. The issue concerning steering lock, has me very concerned. After all. It's not just me I have to worry about when it comes to safety.
Not saying The G6 is the safest car on the road in the first place.

[lamonpat]

My mom got a 2006 G6 2,4Ecotec in november, and as much as she loved her 2003 Grand Am SE1 Ecotec, she's in love with her new G6.
She had absolutly 0 trouble with the GA, no rattles NOTHING. She even considered buying it after the end of the lease, but I told her to not do it. This was a real trouble free car, even with 72000 km on the odo. So far, with 8800 km, the G6 is still trouble free and she loves it! Maybe she got lucky...

[Subtle_Cynicism]

It seems as though people with G6's have either no problems, or massive problems.

That's an unacceptable equation when having a car. Minor problems are one thing. Having your steering wheel lock up while going 65 on the freeway and not being able to regain control, well, that's another.

[Prospeeder]

Originally posted by Subtle_Cynicism
And the late eighties early-mid 90's Grand Prixs didn't have any problems? :roll:
Not really. Rear brake problems, after like 7 years it popped up, and because of rust. Alot of people have problems with grand ams eating up rotors and pads, not to mention wheel bearings, springs breaking, and strut bearing plates breaking. They had no engine troubles, the 2.8/3.1 is a solid motor with no problems untill prolly 10-15 years down the road and it will need somthing stupid thats electrical for the ignition system. No, the Grand ams have Timing chains breaking on the 2.2, water pumps dying on 2.4s, Horrible LIM failure wich takes thousands of miles off the life off you engine and costing almost 1000$ to fix. Passlock system failing, dying on start up for some mysterious reason, ect ect ect. 99+ grand ams are HORRIBLY unreliable compared to a Grand Prix, the 3800 has no problems, they have no suspension problems on the 97+ and no brake problems on the 94+ ones. the 3.4 dohc has only routine maintence like timing belt.

[GTLUVA]

I test drove a G6 GT coupe black last November and I fell in love right away ha;) But I didn't want the GT I wanted the faster GTP ha! So the dealer found one for me 70 miles away;) I had my GTP since December 2 and the only problem I had was the passenger side seat lever cracked but I got replaced undery my warranty otherwise no problems to date and I just rolled 5,000 miles this weekend;)

It runs alot better than my 03 GT Grand Am did. That car was a headache my warning lights Trac Off, Service Button soon were popping up at 3,000 miles, two window regulators, warped rotors, PCV value was leaking, speedo gague was stickin and I ordered the car right from the factory! I hate how everybody thinks since the G6 is a Pontiac its going to break down easy but the G6 changed its not plagued with problems like the Grand Am.

The older grand ams suck too because my 95 Se steering wheel starting to smoke because of the ignition recall:lol: My 00 GT ran good besides the blower resistor problems.

After owning 3 grand ams and 1 G6. I can say the G6 is the best running Pontiac I have ever owned;)

[GTLUVA]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
Levey, beware of the panaramic roof, they are known to be very noisy. Check out http://www.g6ownersclub.com first if you're thinking about buying one.

You can't order the coupes with the panaramic roof its not a option because the coupes roof is too small that option is only available with the sedans:)

[Subtle_Cynicism]

I'm not going to bother saying why I think Grand Prixs aren't much, if any better, than Grand Ams.

I let Shawn take care of it. I wouldn't want to have to tell you that Grand Prixs AREN'T the greatest cars ever built.

EDIT: And a good majority of people I know have had more problems with their early-mid 90 Grand Prixs than they've had with their same year Grand Ams.

Which probably just says it depends on the car.

[Prospeeder]

cant really compare older cars now, because thats just it, thier OLD cant say ur friends having problems with a 1990 Grand Prix in 2004. When the cars a 2002 and has major mechanical problems constantly, wich the majority of people with problems on this board are, you guess it, 99-05 grand ams, i hardly hear of any 92-95 problems, not a ton of 96-98 problems. But my god, when the Problems and solutions page is 90% 99-05 Grand ams i think theres a problem. Lets say a 2002 Grand Prix 3800, They dont have any engine problems, suspension problems, nor do they have braking problems. Enough talking a bout the early 90's grand prixs or grand ams, there old, and can be expected to have issued now. Talk newer cars, like 99+ cars

[92CamaroRS]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
cant really compare older cars now, because thats just it, thier OLD cant say ur friends having problems with a 1990 Grand Prix in 2004. When the cars a 2002 and has major mechanical problems constantly, wich the majority of people with problems on this board are, you guess it, 99-05 grand ams, i hardly hear of any 92-95 problems, not a ton of 96-98 problems. But my god, when the Problems and solutions page is 90% 99-05 Grand ams i think theres a problem. Lets say a 2002 Grand Prix 3800, They dont have any engine problems, suspension problems, nor do they have braking problems. Enough talking a bout the early 90's grand prixs or grand ams, there old, and can be expected to have issued now. Talk newer cars, like 99+ cars

Ok you wanna go newere cars? this is all pertaining to the 97-03 GP:

Leaking Valve covers(can cause engine fire!:eek: )
leaking oil pan gasket
blower motor
leaking steering rack
cracked heads
warped rotors
auto diming rear view mirror
Torque Converter Lockup Solinoid


Do you want me to keep going?

[Prospeeder]

Uh the valve covers dont leak and cause a fire. thats on some 97's and a few 98's that were supercharged, because they ran fuel lines over the s/c and the lines would leak. I have NEVER herd of a cracked head on a 3800 engine. The torque converter lockup selinoid iv never herd a problem with. Most of those iv never even herd. Must not be very common...like every single problem iv listed is in the problem and solutions page on this site 5 times or more.

[92CamaroRS]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
Uh the valve covers dont leak and cause a fire. thats on some 97's and a few 98's that were supercharged, because they ran fuel lines over the s/c and the lines would leak. I have NEVER herd of a cracked head on a 3800 engine. The torque converter lockup selinoid iv never herd a problem with. Most of those iv never even herd. Must not be very common...like every single problem iv listed is in the problem and solutions page on this site 5 times or more.


search clubgp.com. here are some more:


Window Motors
Window Switches
wheel bearings



and yes, when the valve covers leak oil, and it drips onto the exhaust manifolds, it can start on fire.

Oh and thanks for giving another issue that the 97-03 GP's have with the leaky fuel logs.

[lamonpat]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
and no brake problems on the 94+ ones.

No brake problems on the 94+... I hope you're joking...
My mom had a 96 Grand Prix SE sedan bought brand new in 96 and six months later she had to redo the brakes in the 4 corners, they were shut! She had to do it every 6-7 months until she sold the car in 2003 with only 123000 km on the odo. This car had brakes problems in was unbelivable. One time, the rear brake on the driver side was so hot that it was red and about to fire up!
The rest of the car was pretty reliable thought.
Her 92 GP LE (bought brand new too) had alot of problems with the gauges cluster stalling at 200 km/h... Then had trouble with electrical, and finaly with fuel pump.

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
Whats wrong with the drive by wire? I herd theres a little lag or somthing but thats it.

Throttle lag when pulling into traffic on some cars.

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by Prospeeder
...But my god, when the Problems and solutions page is 90% 99-05 Grand ams i think theres a problem.

Over 90% of our membership own 1999+ N-bodies.

Get it through your thick skull already. ALL cars have issues. If they didn't, there would not be a need for warranties or service departments. Sure, the Grand Am has its flaws. So did your precious Grand Prix, and so do Hondas and Toyotas. Just because your Mom bought a lemon doesn't mean that the cars are shit boxes.

As well, for the extra cash, I would hope the Grand Prix would be more reliable.

:banghead:

[92CamaroRS]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
Throttle lag when pulling into traffic on some cars.


I don't think it would be too hard to replace that DBW set up with a ole fassioned throttle cable. alot of the GTP guys will swap to a Gen V M90 because its more efficent than teh Gen III M90 and since the Gen V was used on the 04+ GTP's and that is DBW there have been conversion kits to adapt it to a regular Throttle cable, i wouldn't imagine it being too hard to modify one of those kits to work on a G6

[levey]

I didn't expect my little test drive to turn in to a Grand Am vs Grand Prix debate. Which has turned a bit ugly in some cases.
Can we get back topic here? Or at least adopt a pad lock for this thread.
Geez. I can't believe I am gonna say this. But.....All you naughty staff members, and regular members....stop messing up my G6 thread. If you want to argue, take it somewhere else. :lol: :lol:

I'm kidding.

[92CamaroRS]

Originally posted by levey
I didn't expect my little test drive to turn in to a Grand Am vs Grand Prix debate. Which has turned a bit ugly in some cases.
Can we get back topic here? Or at least adopt a pad lock for this thread.
Geez. I can't believe I am gonna say this. But.....All you naughty staff members, and regular members....stop messing up my G6 thread. If you want to argue, take it somewhere else. :lol: :lol:

I'm kidding.

buy the G6, it'll be more enjoyable than a civic.

[DontPassTheFence]

:agree:

[Foxy]

I'd rather have a Civic Si than any G6...

The DBW feeling can also be reprogrammed in the ECU, I imagine, if whoever offers reflashes took the time to do so..

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by Foxy
I'd rather have a Civic Si than any G6...

I am the exact opposite as I can't stand the new Civic ... IMO, almost as ugly as the Aztec and that is saying something :lol: ... anyway, levey, I have no trouble with telling you of my experience with buying there ... basically, in a nutshell, they will tell you whatever they need to in order to sell you a car and then they totally try and screw you over when it comes to warranty ... their service SUCKS and their Service Department is terrible beyond believe ... I bought my GA from them and the couple times it was back, it had to go back multiple time for the same thing simply because they were not competent and don't get me started about the way they treat customer's cars (i.e.: car leaving more dirty than it arrived with scratches and gouges, etc) ... I could go on for hours with my experiences with both my GA and Blazer ... do yourself a favour and stay as far away from them as you can unless you like torturing yourself!!

[levey]

That's good advice. The main reason I wanted to hear your story, was cause I was hoping you were going to say something about damages that were not there when the vehicle went in.

Long story short.
My company bought a 2005 cube van from MP. It was in for service last week. While it was there, some dumb ass ripped a foot long tear in the fiberglass box. When a co-worker of mine went to pick up the van, the service guy that worked on it, gave him the keys. So, he thought it was a done deal. Before leaving the parking lot he dicided to check the van for damage. That's when he discovered the ripped box.
He went back inside, as he didn't want to leave the parking lot with the van like that.
The service guys comment..."Oh that. Yeah...I umm. I backed a tow truck in to it. Sorry. I forgot to mention it. We are gonna fix it for ya though."
I say BS to the service guys story. I think he was praying for my co-worker to leave the lot with the van.
The more I hear about them (hearing more and more every day)...the more I think I'm going to stay away from them.

Thanks.

[goredsox]

Originally posted by bmanhand
took the words right outta my mouth

:agree: Yep my baby has 150,000 miles and we have NEVER had any major problems, just wear and maintenence items...

The GA was doomed after they took out the Quad 4 and 3300, all you people report LIM, never even had a problem. She still has the original tranny and she doesnt use a drop of oil between changes...

[DontPassTheFence]

Id say the QUAD 4 had more problems than my LD9 'twin cam' I had a GTZ with the HO QUAD 4, and it blew 2 head gaskets! But to be fair my old twin cam grenaded when the #3 bearing spun and wrecked the bottom end... So really I have had equal luck with both I-4 engines, Ive destroyed one of each, but with the twin cam I have never had an overheating problem, whereas that was a constant pain in my side with the QUAD

[Prospeeder]

Wow sucky, 2 head gaskets! My uncle replaced the headgasket on my Mazda before i got it 2 times, and i replaced it a 3rd. Iv herd headgaskets and older I4 cars are common

[DoubleOZeroGAse]

Originally posted by 92CamaroRS
I don't think it would be too hard to replace that DBW set up with a ole fassioned throttle cable. alot of the GTP guys will swap to a Gen V M90 because its more efficent than teh Gen III M90 and since the Gen V was used on the 04+ GTP's and that is DBW there have been conversion kits to adapt it to a regular Throttle cable, i wouldn't imagine it being too hard to modify one of those kits to work on a G6

The only problem I see with working that backwards is the computer controls that read the throttle position and tell the throttle body what to do would get very angry at you. You would still have to have someone tune out the computer controls, at which point you might as well do as Foxy said and just have the throttle mapping reprogrammed and keep the stupid electronic throttle control :idunno:

[MantaGreen97]

Originally posted by 92CamaroRS
I don't think it would be too hard to replace that DBW set up with a ole fassioned throttle cable. alot of the GTP guys will swap to a Gen V M90 because its more efficent than teh Gen III M90 and since the Gen V was used on the 04+ GTP's and that is DBW there have been conversion kits to adapt it to a regular Throttle cable, i wouldn't imagine it being too hard to modify one of those kits to work on a G6

Replacing a cable throttle body on a car designed with electronic throttle control (aka drive-by-wire) is a little more tricky than you might think. With an ETC you aren't just replacing the cable from a traditional throttle body, you're also replacing two very important sensors as well, the TPS and the IAC motor.

Now I'm not 100% how the ETC systems work but there is probably some feedback from the throttle position motor to the PCM to tell it the actual physical throttle postion requested has been achieved, so I guess there might be a way to wire in a TPS to a ETC equipped car. But, there's no IAC (because the idle speed is controlled with the throttle plate by the car, instead of by an IAC motor which is unnecessary since the car can now control the entire throttle instead of just an idle valve). Integrating idle control with a standard throttle body would therefore prove to be somewhat of a headache and at the very least require re-writing of the PCMs software.

I have mixed feelings about ETC myself... On some cars it works very well, on others not so well. I've never really experienced any sort of delay per se, but I have driven several cars with an electronic throttle.

The first car I drove with ETC was a Nissan Sentra and let me tell you Nissan did it so well that I had no idea it was an electronic throttle until I went to put the cruise control on and the pedal didn't go anywhere. Otherwise it felt exactly like a traditional throttle control as far as I could tell.

The ETC in some VW cars (like the Jetta 1.8T for example) is nearly a joke. It's honestly like a video game, IMO. LOL. The pedal actually looks like one of those gas pedals in a cartoon, as it literally goes "into" the floor instead of being a more traditional "hanging"/levered pedal. The travel is really short too, causing you to drive almost with full-throttle or no-throttle and little in between.

The Chryslers I drive at work (300C/Charger/Magnum), the ETC on those, on the Hemi and Hemi SRT engines especially, is not too hot either. The pedal seems to act fine physically, and has nice travel. At first you think it's okay, but put the car in neutral and try to hold a certain RPM and you quickly see it is not all that accurate. You can hold 2000 RPM with a bit of touchiness but if you try to do 3000, you just end up at 4000 with only a slight increase in travel; and, letting up a very small amount will just have you back down at less than 2000. You have to move the pedal an insanely small amount from holding 4000 to actually get it to stay at 3000. In other words, in real driving you're still getting a bit of an ON/OFF effect like you do with the VW.

So really it's all up to the design and implementation of the system. It can be very good or it can be just okay or it can be downright terrible, compared to a traditional cable driven throttle. It's really up to the automakers to refine them better--it really is possible to have drive-by-wire that goes unnoticed and works just as well as a cable throttle body.

[goredsox]

i think i will keep my drive by wire old skool pedal... the old lexus had the thing u talk of... i hated it because when i had the cruise on i didnt know how much to push the gas and let off the cruise...
the new sonatas are like that, i really dont like it...