I'm the most indecisive person I know and i'm considering buying a car. I found a 2003 Grand Am SE2 with 31,000 miles for $14,000. The dealer is going to give me $4,000 for my trade in (1995 Ford Escort Gt 151,000 miles). Now first i'm concerned if that's a good deal or not. Second, i'm wondering if anyone here knows any problems with the Grand Am's in general. Third, what should I check for to make sure nothing is wrong with the car. The engine sounds fine to me but I'm not sure what all to look for so it's kinda difficult. Heater / air-conditioner work well and fast, wheel wells are clean. Engine bay is all the same color (i've seen repaint jobs on crashed cars). Exhaust smells normal to me. There is what sounds like a squeal coming from the belt area but i'm not sure if it's a normal sound or not. Any suggestions as to what else to look for would be appreciated. mikecx.
Give me a minute im digging up a link. Pontiacs rule. The first thing I would do is check www.kbb.com and make sure the trade-in value of that ford is right and that you’re not getting scammed on the Pontiac. Next I would spend time here and learn some stuff about buying the cars. Do some research on the Grand am that you’re interested in and see if there are common problems? Other than that check everything in the car. Check the door locks, if the doors open nice, windows roll down, trunk, spare tire, jack, and look for rust on the underside of the car and make sure you get a mechanic to come and take a look at the car. This can save you a lot of $$$ down the road if the mechanic can see something like the engine is about to fall out. That’s about all I can think of. Browse the site in the second link for a lot of useful stuff.
Kelly Blue Book says my car is worth about $600, so i'm looking to gain $3,400 out of that deal. It also says that the Grand Am should be at most $13,800, which it's $1,100 over. I still look to be $2,300 to the plus on the deal according to Kelly Blue Book and the car has a few minor scratches so I may be able to talk down the price a few hundred. I'm still a bit concerned over the squeal by the belt. I'd assume it's just a normal squeal but I can't be too sure. Keep the tips coming , even the smallest tip or thing to check for is helpful to me.
the squealing is probably the fan belt slipping, and the fact that you can hear it may be a good sign as a lot of dodgy dealers will put a squirt of washing up liquid on it so it still slips just you can't hear it, it is nothing major and should not cause any problems
If you're not well-versed in automotive mechanics, it would pay to get a professional inspection done. For checks you can do yourself, look for any leaks in the engine bay, check that the oil isn't black, for if it is that's a sign that the car hasn't been well looked after. Listen to the engine and see if you can hear 'knocking' (I can think of no better way to describe the sound), that may be a sign of problems. The slipping belt may be just something that needs tightening, or it may need to be replaced. When the mechanic tells you which of the two it is, get a quote for the cost and them perhaps negotiate down the price on the car based on that.
