What is it about econoboxes that somehow escapes years of abuse to emerge as survivors a decade later? The fact that a car many of us wouldn’t have given a second thought to all of a sudden becoming noteworthy speaks to how many entry-level vehicles go extinct after years of seemingly being everywhere. The Pontiac Grand Am is a perfect example of this phenomenon, as it was once a car you saw in every parking lot and took up space on the local interstate. Now, with Pontiac a distant memory and many cheap 90s cars already reincarnated as a refrigerator, finding a 1993 Pontiac Grand Am like this one here on eBay – equipped with a 5-speed, no less – is truly notable.
The Grand Am was not always just a cheap-and-cheerful entry-level ride. You could step up to the GT, which came with enhancements of both the performance and cosmetic kind, making it one of the few economy cars that had an actual wild side. The fourth-generation cars like the one shown here were part of GM’s N-body lineup, which also included the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Achieva, Chevy Beretta, and Chevy Corsica. It’s incredible: you say any of those model names, and there’s a large chunk of the population that has never heard of them, and given how many of those cars now reside in salvage yards, will likely never see one in the flesh, either.
That’s what makes this Grand Am so notable. It has not only escaped the clutches of cheap owners and young kids who were inevitably the last caretakers before being totaled in a minor fender-bender or discarded due to some minor mechanical issue, but it has also survived in excellent condition. These cars did not leave the factory with anything resembling high build quality, so seeing a Grand Am with near-perfect switchgear and no stains on the upholstery is shocking. Add in the fact that it has 3 pedals and it becomes downright unrepeatable, which is likely why the seller is asking nearly $8,000 (or best offer) for this 90s econobox.
The standard 2.3L inline-four came in both SOHC and DOHC varieties; not surprisingly, this Pontiac has the former. Yes, this is the replacement engine for the “Iron Duke”, which produced approximately 115 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. The manual transmission will make this compact Pontiac a bit more fun to drive, but we’d rather find one in GT trim equipped with a beefy 3.3L V6, or even the DOHC version of the Quad 4. But when it comes to finding survivor-grade economy cars, beggars can’t be choosers, and if you’re a fan of artifacts from Pontiac, this is likely one of the last Grand Ams left in this sort of condition.
Not to be that guy but the Corsica/Beretta were L Body, it was developed in parallel to the N Body by Chevy, they were very similar with some exchangeable parts.
That said I had a ‘93 Grand AM GT with the HO quad4/5speed it was a bast to drive, build quality was decent, reliability of the quad 4 of the other hand! Blew a head gasket at 60k
Hopefully the head gasket was covered by GM. It was a known problem. I had an 89 Grand Am with the Quad 4 that went over 200,000 miles. With a head gasket replacement of course.
Pontiac sold a boat load of these Grand Ams I think.. Seems you used to see them everywhere back in the day.
We rented one with an automatic when we went up to
Bend,Oregon to buy a ’67 Cortina MKII GT.It was about
the most Nothing car to drive.
No kidding, this is a celebration of mediocrity. I wouldn’t hesitate to run this thing roughshod through an open field.
It’s a celebration of mediocrity. I’d tag it and wouldn’t hesitate to run it roughshod through an open field.
I thought that GM did a much better job in the 90’s of trying to differentiate the cars that for the prior 20 years were really too similar between the GM brands.
I bought a new 92 Grand Am GT with Quad 4 H/O 5sp. Not quite as quick as I thought it would be but ok for the times.
It’s nice to see the third pedal in a Grand Am. :)
One summer in college, my buddy and I had it in our, then hair-covered, heads to drive our motorcycles from Wisconsin to Washington DC where I had friends, with whom we could stay, for a little vacation. My parents disagreed w/ that plan. My friend’s parents also disagreed such that his Mom kindly offered us her Grand Am. We took her up on it. It was a nice trip.
We switched off driving duties. I remember the Grand Am seeming to bounce a little sideways on the freeway, going around curves at speed, requiring a lot of little corrections. Also, I recall the seats being comfortable and supportive.
I miss Pontiac.
don’t see the barn find here. i see a 32yr olds used car. not a collector car for sure
I had several of these as a young man. In my opinion they are much better with the V6 be it either the 3300 Buick or 3100 Chevrolet. They are certainly quieter with the V6. I did have one with the Quad 4. It had close to 200,000 on it when I got it. Everything concerning cooling and gaskets has been replaced which is why I probably had as good of luck with it as I did. I drove it for 3 months while I had to drag a uninsured driver into court for totaling my other car at the time while it was parked. I had very little trouble with the V6 models had. What troubles I did have related mostly to emissions sensors like EGRs and O2 sensors.
Have a 96 grand am GT in storage. Came with the 6cyl. Automatic, all original..drove it from one coast to another..no problems..the GT look really enhances the look of the car with low profile rims, etc…bright red..really stands out..and people today always ask where I got it, they want one..lol