The CAR WIZARD shares the top Oldsmobile Pontiac & Saturns TO Buy & NOT to Buy
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2020
- The CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ shares the top dead GM brands (Oldsmobile, Pontiac & Saturn) to Buy and which ones not to Buy.
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RIP Pontiac, killed off right when they were going back to their roots
Ya Nissan are going to be the next to go
I'm not a GM guy but my first car was a Pontiac Grand Am and I loved that car. When I saw the G8 unveiled I fell in love with that car. To this day it's still one of my favorites.
I agree, the Grand Am GT was a beautiful car and quite sporty! The Grand Prix GTP was absolutely fun to drive. That supercharged 3.8 could bring it!
I love my 09 g8 gt
Isn't that how GM does it? Start getting it right then quit?
Before everyone had a Camry or an Accord, in the 80's they all had the Cutlass supreme..
True that!!!
or a pontiac grand prix, or a buick regal, chevy monte carlo (all the same car)
I had one. It was the worst POS I have ever owned. It was my first and last piece of GM junk.
I had a 1977 Delta 88 in high school and a 72 Cutlass Supreme right after. I'd have my girlfriend and all her friends cruising around all night jamming out. Got soooo much Puss in the back seat of my Olds.
They sure had a lot of Buick regals as well
Saturn S series is the greatest little known secret in economical commuter cars. I love mine, simple to work on, comfortable, all around dirt cheap to own and gets 38mpg.
My dad bought a 1997 Saturn SL2 manual and it was the car I came home from the hospital in and 18 years later it was my first car and it still ran amazing no issues at all it was really reliable car
Nice story
How is it now?
My first car too! 1998 Saturn SL2 Dark Green with a spoiler
I had the exact same thing except without the spoiler! @@dauntlessdom5926
Similar story here! My parents had a 98 dark green sl2 automatic, its the car they drove me home from the hospital in in 2004! eventually they bought my mom a new car so the Saturn sat for awhile, but on my 16th birthday they told me it would be mine to drive when I got my license. I always loved that car ever since my mom drove me to kindergarten in it everyday, and I loved it even more when I got to drive it! It was quick, fun, reliable, and even looked great. Unfortunately, almost a year ago, it was totaled in an accident. It was my fault, and I don't think I'll ever forgive myself, because that car had 246k miles on it, burned a hell of a lot of oil, but still ran better than any other Saturn I've driven to date. It probably would've made it to 300+k miles, but I killed it. It was the first car I ever rode in, and I was the last one who ever drove it.
I see sooooo many Grand Prix's on the road, I would imagine they are the 3.8.
I had a Grand Prix when I was 13!! I loved that car.
@@Dankcatvacs they all had the 3.8. only the base model 6th gen and the even older 5th gens had something else
@@Dankcatvacs you see more base then GTPS or gxps
All grand prixs 2004 and up only game with the 3.8, I think the generations before that only got the 3.8 on the higher trims, but they came with a 3.1 or 3.4 at base model i think.
@@luxurreview You are lying
Still see a lot of Pontiacs on the road, hope to continue seeing them. They’re special compared to new boring cars
Charlie Dietz still early 2000s one were boring. they looked kinda cool but they were all just rebadged from each other
Couldn't agree more. Pontiac is very "special". The short bus kind of special.
Miguel V at least they had the G8!
Although it was a rebadged Holden commodore
@@OrdinaryKy GM is GM no matter if it's a Holden or not
Saturn was such a good idea. We had 3 or 4 S series cars when I was a kid.
I miss Pontiac. I owned several Pontiac Bonnevilles. The 3.8 V6 was great. One had series 2 and the other had a series 3. Only issues I had on the series 3 was replacing the water pump....twice. but it was a very easy and cheap water pump to replace.
Are you sure it was a series 3? My 03 is the final generation and it has a series 2.
@@BigWheel. the series 3 3.8 started in 04
When my father first came to the us in the 80’s his first purchase was a bronze 1985 Pontiac trans am firebird and a Big Mac 😆. It had this big gorgeous bird on the hood. I been trying to track it down for years now and im starting to loose hope. It got in a minor accident and he sold it to his friend who fixed it up and sold it. Unfortunately I was too late I was gonna surprise my dad once I found it but he passed last year. Anyway I’m gonna try to buy one and make it exactly the same as his.
I never heard of a Big Mac that came with a big bird on it. I would have sent it back to the kitchen., though you can probably go to McDonalds to get another one if you really wanted to.
Steve Johnson :/
@@stevejohnson174 on the hood, not the bun
I bought my 1996 Saturn SC2 used in 2000 with 29K miles on it. I still have it, and still drive it. Freaking love that car.
How many miles on it now?
Does your burn oil like mine and all the other ones did after 100K or so?
Just bought a 95 SC2 and a 2000 sc1 the sc1 is in way nicer condition but the sc2 drives way nicer
Lol who cares if it burns oil, as long as you are not fogging the street out. You should be looking under the hood checking fluids at least once a month anyways. Not just when you need washer fluid like 90% of people. Which is why your car is "junk" , lack of service
Excellent car, the SC2 is awesome!
Some of my favorite cars that I've ever owned has been an Oldsmobile. I've owned a 85' Cutlass, 2000 Intrigue, and a 96' Aurora. I enjoyed driving all of them! Man I miss Oldsmobile ☹️
My dream car is a 66 Toronado... looking at one rn
I use to own a 73 cutlass it was my first car it have so many memories for me i love that big boat
I would absolutely love to find an 01-02 Aurora with the 3.5. I miss Olds too.
92 Toronado 90 cutlass supreme 91 cutlass supreme international. Love and Miss me some Oldsmobile😢
I had the best luck with a 2002 Saturn SL2. I put on almost 200K miles. It never broke down or left me stranded. Always started even in the coldest Chicago winters
As an ex-mechanic, Saturns were so easy to work on, and were very reliable.
Saturns really were easy too work on.
@@retiredsnowbunnyhunterx5106 Most of them are way too old now.
My Saturn S-Series rarely see the inside of a shop. I can usually figure it out myself
I can't tell if all of you are being sarcastic, or...
@@Foxxninja yes they are
Car to buy: Ones that have Buick 3800 or LS variant
Not to buy: Quad Four
The Quad 4 were noisy & unreliable. A friend of mine owned a GA with that motor.
I had newer LeSabre with about 80K miles, the transmission blew up
I love the 3800! Effortless power.
I have a 93 Olds Achieva SCX with the h.o. W41 Quad 4. Maybe not the best reliability record but the way it performs and how good it sounds still impresses me. To each their own.
Or the High Feature V6.
The early Saturn's were really good little cars. They had excellent build quality and even had their own engines and the body panels were innovative as was the dealer network. As usual, GM couldnt avoid ruining a good thing and instead of bringing the other GMs up to Saturn's level, they instead drug Saturn down into the corporate GM cesspool.
Saturn will always have a place in my heart. My first car was a silver, first generation, 4 door, twin cam. I loved it! It was so fun to drive. The automated seatbelts were annoying is the only bad thing I remember. A few cars later, and I have a 2008 Saturn Vue now. It only had one previous owner. I love it too.
I own a 2004 Saturn Ion coupe, standard, bought it new, about to roll over 200k, replaced clutch at 178k and fuel lines, that is the only major work I have done on it. Most reliable car I have owned, has never broke down on me.
Dustin Cerda hahaha I owned an new 04 Quad-Coupe too and it was an endless problem. Loved the looks, but it was a nightmare. 2 ECUs, 2 ignition cylinders, clutch switch and ball and joint socket failed, alternator and battery under 24000 miles, it goes on. That’s GM for ya. 😂 Always a gamble. 🤞🤣
My dad had a 2003 ION sedan and it had a ton of electrical problems. It was a nightmare. Stay away from GM Delta platform cars.
I always thought they looked like clown cars and were made up of body panels from a parts bin. Very strange looking cars.
@@FlyBoyBigBlue was it an automatic?
I ride the highway quite often and I always see quite a few Saturn Vues still going strong.
I love Saturns. I worked for them for half a dozen years and they were great cars. They really only ever had problems when they started borrowing parts from other makes. The Ecotec was a decent motor but Saturn decided to introduce a first gen CVT in the VUE it was horrendous. Constant rebuild and breakdowns. They were so bad that they had more than 20 TSBs for the same issue at the same time. Saturn then issued and extended warranty on all CVTs. They then redeemed themselves with the introduction of the Honda 3.5 and it's 5 speed automatic in the VUE. The previous 3.0 V6 also found in the L-Series was Saab based and was decent but was subject to many oil cooler failures that required intake removal and 6+ book hours to complete.
By far, the best were the first gen S-Series cars. Minimal options besides power windows/steering/seats/locks made them simple to work on and a breeze to troubleshoot.
Thanks for touching the car brand close to my hear Wizard!
My first car was a green SC1 coupe. That thing started no matter how cold it was outside. This was before I really knew much about cars, so I never plugged in my block heater once!
I have one of the few surviving early Ions... it's a five speed. None of the CVT's made it.
Note that Saturn went with that Honda V6 and matching tranny...............to this very day, it galls me in how GM seemed incapable of making a reliable V6..............with the notable exception of the Buick 3.8L FI from 1985 till........
I was a Saturn tech as well. For 10 years. Miss them. Knew those things inside out. Decent as long as you kept the oil topped up.
Didn't Saturn's 4 cylinder engines in the early SC coupes and sedans use un-sleeved blocks? I could never figure out why GM did that.
You’re mistaken big time about the GTO interior. Best seats in a GM car!
My very first car was a 04 Pontiac grand am and I loved that thing, I still have It but it was reliable, it looked rly good honestly and even though there might be problems here and there, like all cars have, it was such a reliable and surprisingly fast car, if u like modding cars like I do these are cool cars you can work on for cheap, RIP Pontiac!!!! 🕊️🕊️
I had the same year, with the 3.4. It was very fast from a rolling start, but managed to lose traction easily with three different sets of tires. The styling was actually exciting for a commuter car and the swoopy interior never got old.
@@behindthewolfseyesyeah I’ve had some problems with my windows but other than that I haven’t had much go wrong with it except the usual stuff
Grand Prix’s are good cars. Any W body GM with the 3.8 will run forever.
Mechanically they were fine, but they were quite rust prone, and the interiors would fall apart quickly. And I've never been in a Grand Prix or Grand Am without a mold smell.
That i can agree with!
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 Well then get in my 2003 with 325,000kms. No mold smell at all - but it was cared for.
You do have a point with the Fisher-Price interior though!
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 agreed, I had a 97' grand prix, it was a solid heavy car but the foot wells were always damp and door panels were falling off, the 3.8l was strong tho.
Yeah I've had a grand prix with 143000 that I've owned for the past 100k and it's been great
Grand prix with a 3.8 where aswome cars
I own a '97 firebird with the 3.8 backed by the 4 spd automatic now with 183 thousand plus miles. Starts up still goes reliably.
Great video, thanks, I bought a Saturn SL1 for next to nothing, you made me feel better. Funny thing is it's sort of easy to work on. The 2001 owner's manual actually shows you how to change the oil and transmission fluid and how to turn off the "Service Needed" light; truly a customer friendly approach
I have offer to buy 2000 sl1 for 950 dollars i only use it for short daily trips to work is it worth it
@@smileyface9459 if less than 160k n it yes
@@williamhill7312 okie thank you for advice :)
@@smileyface9459 did you buy it
I disagree on the newer Grand Prix's being a "not to buy" I had a 2004 Pontiac Grand prix GTP and it was very reliable. I traded it in with 160,000 miles and only 3 issues in 6 years.
Just got rid of my 04 Grand Prix GTP at 260,000 miles. Engine and transmission never had a problem. Brakes went out due to road salt and couldn't put more money into a car that old. Amazing car. I don't know why he showed the newest gen grand prix then complained about the 3.4 liter. All but the GXP has the 3800. Which he loves. Contradictory.
2005 Grand Prix ruined my life. Had over $10,000 worth of repairs done under warranty then the real nightmare started once that warranty was up and I made the mistake of not immediately getting rid of the car. 10 years of ownership later: 2 engines, 7 transmissions, and 4 blower motors and control modules.
At 150,000 miles the last transmissions was slipping again but the engine ended up letting go when I tried to take it on the highway to a job interview. With those both being replaced at the same time, I decided to go a step further and removed every suspension component and replaced it all with new OEM, or ZZP upgrades where applicable to sell it as a completely refreshed car. With a new engine, new transmission, all brand new and upgraded suspension, it took two years to finally sell it for $800💀
Second and last time ever buying a FWD car. First experience was just as bad. FWDs are cheap disposable junk made for plebs. Every one of em.
3800s are kind of respectable and impressive engines for what they are, but the transmission they're mated to is total garbage. And why bother with a 3800 V6 when you can get a LS based V8 for not much more money when they were new. I didn't even want the grand prix, I was going to the dealership for a spice red 06 GTO that they sold out from under me and I was out of time to find a car.
Happy ending:
Over the past 6 years, I have accumulated a fleet of RWD V8s that have never let me down.🤘
@@RobFRC you must've had a big lemon
@@zzoinks Every FWD made is a big lemon. Most owners just don't realize it because they were stupid enough to buy FWD in the first place.
@@RobFRC thank you for your comment could you tell me which v8 models you are talking about please thank you very much because I have been looking for a car for some time
Drove a Grand Prix GXP from a rental place in Utah. That thing was amazing. The rental guy was almost giddy handing me the keys, excited for me, lol.
Legend has it: the Car Wizard once had a staring contest with the sun and he won.
*Legend
I'm sure that was close to sunset
I bought a 1996 Saturn SL new in May of '96 with stick shift and it will be 27 years old in May and is still going strong with 89K miles. The dark red paint and upholstery look new. I love this car which gets 30 mpg in town and 40 on the highway.
One of the first cars I ever drove was my mom's 1996 Saturn SL2. Loved that car. Bought a 2002 SL2 brand new off the showroom floor, Oct. 27, 2001. 14 months to the day later some kid turned left in front of me and he totaled it, completely. The whole front of the car was in a mass of pieces on the side of the road. I walked away with a small scratch on my ring finger and what amounted to a carpet burn on my elbow. That was it. Along with Mercedes, Saab, and Volvo, Saturn was one of the safest cars ever made. I'd buy another one.
Car Wizard: You mentioned the Olds Cutlass was a full frame until 1982, when it was actually full frame until 1988, the last rwd olds cutlass. In the fall of 1988 the front wheel drive cutlass supreme debuted which was unibody. The Cutlass Calais released in 1985 was also unibody, sister to the Grand Am and Buick Somerset/Skylark.
The FWD A-body Cutlass Ciera was intended to replace it in 1982. Except they kept making the RWD Supreme. I guess that's what he meant.
The Bonneville, and GTO were Pontiac's swan songs.
The Aztek as well
I loved Pontiac. My first car was a beater 1969 Firebird--fun!. I had an '82 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ--I really enjoyed that car. My 2001 3.5L "Short Star" equipped Oldsmobile Intrigue was my favorite car ever. It had nearly every option. It had comfortable leather seats, and a smooth ride. I had to give it up after 10 years and 225,000 miles due to cooling system issues. I'd buy a 3800 equipped Intrigue any day if I found one in good shape, as it wouldn't have the cooling issues the 3500 had.
My friend had a 2004 Grand Prix 3.8 with almost 450k miles. Was a great car until someone pulled out in front of him at 40mph. Totaled but still runs and moves. Did have the transmission rebuilt at around 350k.
That's true on the older saturn. A friend of mine used older saturns for a courier business. The lowest mileage one he had was over 200k. One over 350k.
Oldsmobile’s 215 is different to Buick’s, almost identical block but different heads. Buick has vertical heads with almost hemispherical combustion chambers. Oldsmobile has Rocket style heads and 6 head bolts per cylinder instead of 5. Rover executives were visiting Mercury Marine to sell diesel engines where they saw a recently discontinued aluminum V8 being adapted for boat use, and immediately decided to buy the Buick design.
Oldsmobile’s 215 powered Jetfire was the first turbocharged car ever made, a couple months before the Corvair.
Repco of Australia used Olds 215 blocks with custom overhead cam heads. It won the Formula 1 championship in 1966.
You are correct. Buick used the old nail valve design with the pent roof combustion chamber. Olds engineers refused to use the Buick head design, and developed a Rocket V8 head design for the 215. You are apparently knowledgeable. Both 215 were pretty good. They both leaked oil ! The Olds Jetfire 215 with the turbo, and the water/methanol injection was pretty amazing engineering for the time.
I had an SL1 Saturn and got 40mi/gal easy. It was an amazing car. The look of the car today would still stand up to the era. You can't make money on things that don't break down often.
I had a 97 Saturn SC1. It was a great car man. I just had a 93 GMC k1500 prior to that so getting 30-35 mpg out of it was fantastic. She would burn some oil so I'd have to top it off here and there, but it was still such a great car. The weird little quirks it had were fine. I paid 1300 for it, drove it for 3-4 years and sold it for 1400 still running great, only about 150k on it. Love Saturn s series
See the S series is a great car. when I got my 01 sw2, it drove nice and I was getting a great winter beater and helping out a high school girl with money. Problem is, the whole family beat the car up and the dif pin fairy hit me 5k into ownership. The whole time I had a L series with around 250k. That car is still my daily and the S was sold to a friend and back on the road again. Saturn was a great company, and GM ruined it.
Nathaniel that's what GM does with anything they make well.. if it's cheap unreliable shit, they will make it for a lifetime.
Starting with the ION and VUE. They were both horrible cars.
@@atx-cvpi_99 Agreed. Same with the Aura and the G6. But, not the Sunfire.
The 95 SL1 I bought with 116,000 miles on it was so solid I bought a new ION, which I still have. No problems with either and my little brother has owned the 95 for years, taken two cross country trips in it and has passed 200,000 miles with it.
My older brother couldn't kill his 95 SL1, and he and his family are known serial killers of unsuspecting cars.
@@atx-cvpi_99 I think my dad got lucky with the ION. He got it back in 2006 and it still runs
Another advocate for the GTO here. I've owned my 6 speed 06 for 9 years now. Great car, Very reliable. And i disagree on the interior, i've found it to hold up well and be very comfortable. Parts availability and cost can be tough though for anything unrelated to the engine or transmission since they were low production volume and australian built
I'm surprised he didn't use the Aztek as the one not to buy
I agree. My son has a 2006 and the interior is a huge step above any regualar Pontiac of the same era. Everything was soft touch and high quality. Yes the Saturn was a really good car all the way up to the Ion. They did start to get really good again towards the end and sadly GM gave up on Saturn.
Came here for this comment. 2005 owner. I don’t wizard was being honest when he said he drove a GTO. He compared the interior to a Cavalier when they came standard with some of the plushest leather interior ever. I seriously hope he didn’t just wing it on his comment because it was a Pontiac. He probably doesn’t even know it’s a Holden. Wizard you just caught bs
Just bought a 2003 Saturn VUE V6 AWD for $400 that the timing belt broke on. I found one at the U-pull yard without a broken belt and grabbed a set of cylinder heads. I just got all the parts to put it all together, including the GM timing belt tools. I’m hoping to get a decent running car out of it. My wife had an SL2 Saturn and it was great till the transmission went out. But then a couple hundred bucks later it was on the road again. Thanks for a great video!
I had a '93 Saturn SC with the twin cam engine around '05-06. That was a great little car. The interior rattled like crazy, but the fuel mileage was fantastic especially on the highway. 35+. For a cheap economical care it was close to perfect. The styling aged well too.
My brother sent this 2 me. We love PONTIAC. Base 2004 Grand Prix has 300K on it and still going strong. 3.8 engine low friction. Beautiful thing
We have a Vue with the Honda 3.5 V6, dead reliable!
Transmisson issues
@@11094DEREK agreed the aw55-50sn are garbage. They were also in Nissan Altima and Maxima of the same time.
had one with the Honda 3.5 v6, Threw a crankshaft position sensor code every two weeks. not to mention 21l/100km? gross. Not buying one again, was bad enough, that even with all 4 tires swapped for Temp spares, soaked in Transmission fluid, up against a wall with neutral drop. it wouldn't even break traction. Vue 3.5v6 AWD. One hell of a gutless pig.
My girl friend had a 2008. Motor was very reliable but they are not ideal up here in the northern states. Only 120k miles until she started hearing a knocking going over bumps.
I put it on a lift and discovered that it was so rotted out underneath that where the section of frame where the trailing arms mount to had rotted away. Not the mounts, but the frame itself... on both sides.
@@jbrooks4282 and the Quest.
I wish Pontiac,Saturn,and Oldsmobile would come back. My dad had a 90 sunbird LE coupe and I loved it.
Thanks, CW. We especially appreciate your content while staying at home for weeks on end.
I am sad oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn went out of business. I had a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra I bought from my Pastor I loved it!
I might need to ask you some questions regarding this vehicle. How often did you need maintenance and other expenses for the car.
@@vonwolfe1310 I didn't have the car very long maybe a year and the transmission blew on me. I ended up junking the vehicle I was in my early 20's at the time and I didn't have the money to fix it.
@@iepljoshua Damn. I was about to buy one for myself.
@@vonwolfe1310 sorry this was like 14 years ago that I bought it and junked it due to the transmission blowing
What makes the grand am so much worse than the alero? Both are the same platform with the same engine options. Is the interior quality better on the alero or what?
Good question.
I know right?!
@@Hotlog69 All I can think of is Olds was higher up the GM ladder than Pontiac, so maybe they were put together better
That was my thought as well I figured it was just the best of what was available in the Oldsmobile line up for the timeframe
Really I mean what else was available the Intrigue, eight eight, and the Bravada slim pickings
Nothing. They're both shit. Wizard is incorrect on this occasion, he's only human after all.
I’ve got a 2000 Saturn SL(base model, manual transmission, roll up windows, no power steering) that I bought used in 2002. 18 years later, I’m still driving it and it has 250K miles. Great car!! At about 230K miles, head gasket failed in the most elegant way possible, just a bit of coolant leaked from front of the engine. I replaced it myself, along with timing chain(& tensioner) and oil pump. Car once again ran like a champ!! Cheap to drive, easy to work on, and cheap to fix. I’m gonna drive it ‘til it blows up or can no longer be fixed; cheers!!
My first car was a 93 S series wagon. When my grandpa passed away the car was passed down to me. Had about 275k on it when I started driving and I rode it over 350k. Probably spent less than 1000 dollars on repairs throughout the years I drove it. It honestly was a great little car it definitely hurt taking it to the junkyard. Always makes me happy when i see an old s series on the road. Reminds me of my Grandpa and how much he loved that car
Come on Wizard, Grand Am is the exact same car as the Alero.
He is biased about it due to sentimentality.
i was like WTF.. both came with either the 4cyl or 3.4 v6.. also pretty sure the 4 cyl was the quad 4... maybe later versions had that ecotec
Yeah they are the same exact car.
Yeah, same car. Same drivetrains.
Think transmission
Pontiac SSEi
I had a '89. It was charcoal gray with the bodycolor wheels. Loved that ride.
Thanks Wizard and team. Your soothing sounds have been helping me fall asleep during this tough time. Keep it up.
Love these videos! Lots of good memories riding around in Saturns as a kid. Definitely will be interesting to see who all survives this one. So many ads trying to keep customers airing, and lots of good deals to be had right now!
One of your mechanics enter and was like -why is my boss talking to a camera?
Willy Pro Ms. Wizard does all the camera work
@@oneofthemostnotorious I'm aware but he looked like a man and he look a bit surprised to him talking to the camera
Thanks..G'Day from Australia...Love your videos. Yes, our Holden Commodore (Holden WAS a GM Subsidery until recently in Late 2017) used the 3.6litre V6 after previously using the bullet proof 3.8 V6 (they also used the LS as a V8 option) RIP Holden! ...a big shock to all Australians when they closed down.
I have an 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue with the 3800. Has 260k miles and still running strong. It’s never let me down.
I really appreciate what you're dong. Thank you. It helps a lot.
Thank you for not being a supercar chump. Real vehicles!
PFT0TFP yess, I hate RUclips or's who do list and recommend buying dumb shit like a E90 in M5s ,,,
@@JDMHaze E90 M5?
Good lord the Wizard couldn't be more off about the interiors of the 04-06 GTO. The seats are hands down the most comfortable car seat I've ever sat in. Most of the dash, door panels, etc are soft touch materials. The interiors were far nicer than the Mustang interiors of the era and very comparable IMO to an E46 3 series
I've had an 05 since 2006. I've put 90k hard miles on it, 60k with quality bolt-ons and tune. The seats are comfortable, the stitching is not great. Will still do effortless burnouts and slide around corners.
Exactly. The GTO interiors at the time were better than the corvettes at the time. I looked at both and bought the GTO because they were such great bargains. Decent leather, suede here and there. The interior is fantastic....for the time. Not sure what the wizard is smoking.
I agree, the seats are very comfortable. Only problem I've had is the stitching on the top of the back seat coming apart and the foil on the dash emblems bubbling.
My seats are tearing. I need two back headrests.wheres the best place for gto parts these days?
I had a GTO, but my chief complaint was the interior. Granted I'm probably spoiled because of my Acura, but plastic parts just kept breaking and it was extremely annoying.
Thanks for the good and useful information Car Wizard.
Love my Saturn SL2's (first I had was t-boned so I bought another), ultra ultra reliable little cars that are light on gas that are extremely easy to work on.
I think there's only a couple sensors and fuel injection parts that are shared with other GM's but that's about it. Oh and the same door chime that I've heard in a couple older Oldsmobile and Cadillac models (not the standard GM chime that everything has these days)
My 2004 Pontiac Vibe was the most solid car I’ve ever owned. Although that’s probably because it was a Toyota Matrix with a Pontiac label on it. Put almost 300,000 miles on it with zero problems.
I purchased the 2003 last year that some old lady owned that only had 65,000 miles. It's now approaching 100,000 miles. I love it! If you look around there are still pretty good condition examples out there. But, people are catching on. Even cars as old as mine are going for 4 to $5,000 if they're in decent shape.
This is genuinely good content that helps people. Informative and based on solid experience. People looking for a reliable affordable car can actually get a good advice from this series
Very cool video! It's truly sad that these great car companies couldn't manage to stick it out. My first car back in 94, was a 78 Cutlass Supreme Brougham, which I absolutely love and still have today. It may not have the latest whiz bang electronics, but with PS, PB, cruise, tilt, PW, PDL, power trunk, 6 way power pillow top seat, factory power moon roof (astroroof), and with an added alarm sys. for keyless entry it's every thing I could ask for. Now that I've finally completed the restoration, I find myself driving it again, over any of my newer vehicles.
Saturns have been bought in my family since the SW series back in 1999. Parents bought the SW ( I can't remember if it was the SW1 or SW2,) my brother got ahold of it, and then I bought it off of him when I needed a second car. It ran pretty well. Sure it burned about a quart of oil a month, ran a little rough in its last few years, and the A/C compressor seized up one day (which completely stopped the engine at idle, that was a fun experience to figure out 100 miles from home!) but it was a good reliable car. Up until a friend totaled it being careless in a roundabout. My parents also own a Saturn Vue that's still with them and (so far as I know) hasn't had any major issues to it. Though not my first car, I own a 2007 Ion 2 I bought new and it's still with me to this day (147,000 miles later.) I've had no problems outside of the sway bar bushings needing replacing every 6 years, a CV axle giving out (but that's my fault for getting a cheap replacement when it started knocking, having the new one knocking a month later, and waiting a bit too long to properly replace it,) and a fuel injector clogging due to bad fuel while hauling a small U-haul trailer 600 miles. I've driven that car all over the eastern half of the USA and one or two states west of the Mississippi. I'd love to take that car to all the mainland states and even Alaska before it dies. Either way I plan on running that thing until either the engine or transmission explodes (and that's assuming I can't get a low milage replacement or rebuild it myself,) and I've been keeping up with general maintenance so hopefully that won't happen for another 150,000-300,000 miles. I'm quite sad that the Saturn brand ended, since I won't be able to get a new Saturn when this one finally bites the dust.
My favorite car back in “the day” 1972 Pontiac LeMans bought it in72 when I got out of the Navy
That’s awesome! I learned to drive in a 69 LeMans. Loved it.
Thank you wizard, keeping me from going stir crazy and teaching me goid tips,keep up the good work wizard. You and Mrs. Wizard stay safe and healthy
So in a previous video you recommended the buick LeSabre with a 3.8 you do realize the Grand Prix has the same 3.8 and the same automatic transmission as the LeSabre....
Ironically my grandmother had a 2007 Saturn Outlook XR she bought when new, and surprisingly we never had any issues with it. My grandmother did make sure she took care of it. It had about 120,000 miles and my mom and her traded it in for a 2010 Honda Accord EX-L not too long before my grandmother passed away. It was still running even then. Last I saw via a vin check I did when I found old papers on it, it’s currently in Texas and still goin. Maybe we were lucky.
I love these videos and keep it up.
Our '95 SL DOHC with over 200k mi was great until someone hit us. Thx for the good memories!
Had an '01 SC1 that I sold with 250,000 kms and lasted 15 Canadian winters. Ran like a fucking top and even the underside wasn't really rusted for it's age.
In the end it was just too small for my life.
I have 3 saturns, a 1994 sc1 with 105k miles, a 1995 sc1 with 264k miles and a 1996 sc1 Saturn with 341k miles, all run and drive like new
I bought a used ‘92 SL2 with 60k miles on it, and out another 100k on it in 4+ years. Loved that car, but upgraded to a newer car with more safety features when my kids were little.
I really miss Pontiac! Loved their cars.
Thank you car wizard and mrs wizard for your continued dedication and support you give us in trying times . your a real kool and inteligente mechanic. You Rock dude! 🔧🎸
The Car Wizard just bought his youngest daughter the 2005 Toyota RAV4, which was in the last three videos, including yesterday's. It is still in the Wizard's shop right now.
Love how Car Wizard just completely glosses over the Vibe
The vibe was literally a Toyota. Why not recommend that?? There were waaaayyyy more vibes sold than GTOs!
Don’t kill my vibe
I guess you could say it failed the _vibe_ check.
And the Aztek
And the Solstice.
My college car was a 1995 Saturn SL2. I loved that car, especially because of the polymer body panels that you mentioned. It ran forever, also. I was sad when I had to give it up.
Why did you have to give it up?🤔
Wizard you're seriously so amazing!!! Thank you for being awesome hope you the best seriously
The 04- 08 grand prix is actually a hidden gem same engine and trans as a late model lesabre and just as easy to work on but hes right the the generation before that had some problems
Car Wizard : The Oldsmobile Alero was a great reliable car.
Also Car Wizard : The Pontiac Grand Am was a cheap piece of junk.
Me : They're the same damn car just different names! 🤷♂️
I realized that too. musr be talking about 2 different generations or something.
Engines were different tho.
@@ericmulterer7795 no they weren't. 2.2, 2.4 and the 3.4. liter engines were used. Literally the same engines and drivetrain in both vehicles. Do your homework and you'll realize they were the same car.
@@WTMNNJR no, they are the same car.
Ope my bad. Thinking of the Oldsmobile Intrigue
Great video! Thanks for the distraction. I had a 1994 Saturn Sc2. Excellent car.
I had a 94 grand prix back in the early 00s and I can confirm the damn interior fell apart and the 3.1 v6 was junk. Im always suprised to see one still running.
The base model Grand Prix with the N/A series 3 3800 is a good car. The reason they're known for transmissions going out is because the 4T65E couldn't handle the power of the supercharged 3800's or the 5.3's. I won't argue that the interiors are cheap, but honestly I couldn't care less as long as it gets me around. The only real problem is how badly they rust.
Thanks for endorsing the GTO. I love my '05 even thought the seat stitching is disintegrating. Just got it out for spring but can only drive it to the grocery store for now. So sad.
Thank you Wizard for uploading one of my favourite RUclips “series”, keeping me going through this tough time keep it up! And stay safe!🙏
Have a 2001 sc1 with almost 200k love it. Saturn didn't have to die their was a group of investors that wanted to buy it, but Gm wanted to kill it
I still see tons of those Grand Prix and grand am still driving around.
I'm one of them :^)
And they’re all rusty crusty
You still see a lot of them because they're cheap and there's a _lot_ of them. But, they don't last. They never did. It's kinda funny to think about, but an even cheaper cousin in the Geo family, has outlived the Grand Am/Prix. They're cheap and undesirable, aesthetically, but they still work; they're cheap in the _right_ ways.
Lots of Grand Prix's with the 3800 motor....the Grand Am, not so much...
06 grand prix 3800 no rust around 150000 miles had to replace front end Michigan the pot hole capital other than that no problems Just drove it to N Carolina. A few weeks ago rides like a champ
Thanks so much for the great videos.Much appreciated from NewBrunswick Canada!
Great vid! I had a '99 Saturn SL2 that I used for landscaping after I lost a half ton truck in a flood. The SL2 had a standard transmission. I pulled an 8' x 4.5' trailer with it all over a Texas city, up steep hills, etc... I got 40 mpg on the interstate too driving 65 mph and trying to drive it softly (not loaded down). I did have a collision with a suburban, and you could hardly tell, except for some white paint left on the front quarter panel from the suburban. I even had slightly taller tires on it and went off road some. I think is was a 1.9 ltr Subaru engine that powered it.
Saturn design engine. Nothing to do with Subaru.
You also forgot the Pontiac bonneville’s. Thought you’d recommend to buy those because they had the 3.8
Probably cause they are getting harder to find now, unfortunately.
Yes the 3.8 was a great engine have one in my '97 firebird with 183 thousand miles still runs.
Back in the late '70s I had the REAL thing, a white 1966 Pontiac Bonneville 4-door with a beautiful turquoise Morrokide interior (even the steering wheel was see-thru turquoise-colored perspex), a 389 cubic inch (6.5 liter) V-8 and a GM Turbo Hydromatic transmission. It was a true luxury land barge and the only one I knew of here in the UK (though it was originally sold new in Clearwater, Fla.)
I ended up selling it to a drag racer who took the engine and transmission and scrapped the body. Shame but then again it suffered from the typical Achilles heel that afflicted all mid-late '60s full-size Fisher Body cars, namely water infiltration that rusted out the panel below the rear window, the trunk lid and that got into the trunk and rusted out the trunk floor.
@bodd boward did it have a sunroof
My mom had a Pontiac Bonneville don't know what year. This seemed to be a pretty good car. She still sold it for $1,000 back in the day
Great videos. I really enjoy the buy this not that series. Keep it up! We love watching 'em!!
I love these videos. Very informative.
He said supercharged Pontiac V-6 engines were very fast? The strongest one had considerably less power than a Honda or Toyota minivan of 10 years ago.
Nothing wrong with recommending old models. My 1966 Dodge Polara has been the most reliable car I've owned.
Car's that old are prone to things such as rust and other body issues. And they aren't cheap for decent clean ones.
Classic cars aren't without their lemons; beware of nostalgia.
thank you mr wizard for getting me though these hard times
Thanks for bringing the content Wizard
kinda surprised he didn't list the 90's to early 2000's Bonnevilles as a to buy, I hear nothing but praise for those cars.
I will admit that I do love the Grand Prix GXP despite transmission issues. Sure, front wheel drive but come on, V8 power baby😂😂
Reid Jaymes Flumbaum yeak. Fresh out of the impala SS, that 5.3 is hog Heaven they even used it in the lacrosse super
That engine sounds familiar is that the one they used in one of the Holden
Or even gt with 3.8 gen 3 supercharged
I have an 06 Gxp with 140k miles. Been my daily driver since 2016, still shifts and pulls just fine.
I think part of the problem is the 4T65E-HD was not strong enough for LS4 and they should have used the 4T80-E.
Though you can build up the former to be more reliable.
Love your videos David! Keep it up!
The 99-01 Aleros with the 4 cylinder had the "Twin Cam" 2.4L engine, which was part of the Quad 4 family, after which they switched to the Ecotec. The Aleros we had in our family both had V6s.
WWWWIIIIIIIIzzzaarddd.... SSAAAAAABBBB wiiizzard.... SAAB!!!
In the to buy, none. In the not to buy, all of them.
@Not Hitler The 9-3 convertible and the station wagon they made at the end does look really pretty though imo.
@@nakoma5 I own a Saab and I 100% agree. Although the 1990s to late 2000s OG9-5 is actually pretty reliable. Other than that, dont buy one unless you know what youre getting yourself into.
Yes wizard do SAAB!!
B-Wulf Except for the fake ass Saabs: the 9-2x and 9-7x.
The 2004-2007 Vue with the V6 is a great SUV. Honda engine and transmission. If you change the transmission oil at regular intervals they last a long time. Easy to change yourself, has a drain plug.
Love your videos wizard and think you do a great job! I only have a couple things to add and that would be weak valve seals on the S Series 1.9 that they tend to use a lot of oil.. To the point customers at my shop would bring them in for oil changes when the low oil pressure light started coming on after 1500 miles from their last change and explaining to them to check the oil once a week and add when necessary and for the L67 that came in the grand Prix GTP yes the car wasn't very good between the interior and rust up here in the northern states but I have the L67 supercharged 3800 in my 99 Monte Carlo and that's the 3rd body that's been in with it's original 4t65HD and other than doing new gaskets this time around and doing new shift solenoids and pressure control solenoids just cause I had everything out and made a 2 hour job a 45 minute deal it's all been very reliable... Love what you do man... Keep up the good work... Just adding my 2 cents lol
I've owned three different Saturn's, and they were, by far the most reliable vehicles i ever owned. When I sold them, they all ran great, still looked like new and were approaching 200k.