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Thinking about swapping the wife's car for a GTP

5K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Canadian_LX 
#1 ·
So I'm getting kinda close to purchasing a 98-03 Grand Prix GTP as an upgrade from her Cavalier. Im looking at one with a new trans in it (seems to be the weak link in these cars) and ~160k on the motor. I've read that the 3.8L is a really tough engine, and that these are pretty rugged cars.

I'd get a ford, but the requirements are fast, V6 or smaller engine, larger than the cavalier, reliable drivetrain, and unfortunately auto :( She also has to like the styling.

Anyone owned one of these? I've heard you can make them real fast fairly cheap.
 
#2 ·
They're great cars and fun to drive, but.....

If "reliability" is a concern, then don't buy a car with 160k on it. At that mileage, the brand, model or powertrain makes much less difference than how it's been maintained. So unless you can get thorough and complete maintenance records, plan to keep a slush fund to keep it running.
 
#3 ·
We put 241,000 miles on one before rolling it across the scales.
 
#4 ·
The engine will go strong for quite some time (over 300k miles) *if* it was taken care of in the first place.

The transmission, however, is the weak link, as is the poorer build quality compared to what comes out of GM now. At 160K, I would expect the trans to fail within around 20,000 miles unless it has been rebuilt/replaced already. A good friend of mine is a Powertrain (Brakes and Saftey) Engineer at GM, and when my other friend was asking about these same cars, that is what I was told. If you put a trans cooler on it early enough you can extend the life of the trans, but it is still the weakest link. We did on my buddy's car and it ran strong with a smaller pulley and an ECU upgrade for 60,000 miles (I believe he had around 180k on it when he traded it in). These cars are well-supported in the aftermarket for upgrades.

Still, you can find these with less miles than that.
 
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