What is it with people in Grand Am's?

[nailheadina67]

They drive like they are in the fastest car that was ever made.:rolleyes:

Now I realize that a stock 4,500 lb well optioned Riv is not the fastest car either, but I'll be damned if I'll let a new crap get by thinking it's faster than an old iron Dual Quad Nailhead.

So tonight one with tinted glass pulls up along side of me at a red light. I could tell by the way she was driving she was dying to be taken to Buick school.:Brow:

Well anyway, the light just about turns green, and she began creeping ahead. I let her get about 1 car length ahead of me, then when the light changed, ZOOM! I saw the front of that 4 door jelly bean pick up, and I floored mine and passed by her within 25 feet.........when she realized her sewing machine was no match for my V8 4,500 lb Riv she let off.........just in time, b/c I had to turn at the next light. (but I would have kept going if I had to :grin: )

:3gears:

[Jim68Skylark]

They have vivd imaginations and think they are in GTO's! :grin:

[MR.BUICK]

I find that alot of people in newer pontiacs have a unrealistic attitude. There is alot of them that don't either, but there is quite a few that do. I hardly ever get in a race anymore since gas prices skyrocketed, but if someone wants a race, the least I can do is give them a good run for the fun of it, as long as it isnt a car with better reputation than mine, let the races begin.

-Cody

[mechacode]

She watches too much nascar..

[mechacode]

I'd take a Grand Prix GTP Comp G though.

[67buickva]

She needs stick to sewing.

[MR.BUICK]

After I thought about it, us buick guys and gals have our own little attitude:bglasses:


:laugh:

-Cody:TU:

[67buickva]

OK......Who figured out I was a girl??????? Damn it!!!!!

[MR.BUICK]

67buickva said:OK......Who figured out I was a girl??????? Damn it!!!!!


Not me!!!!!:grin:


-Cody

[67buickva]

LOL@Cody

[AZ-69 Skylark]

They drive fast because they're trying to get to their destination before their POS car breaks down. I wouldn't take one if you put a gun to my head.

[455GT]

Be careful now, this one will be fun! All those hot Pontiacs, except
the v8 TA's, and Quad 4's, are Buick v6's, 3.3's, 3.8's, TTA's, SE's,
and the supercharged SSE's!!! And the thing is 99% of the drivers
don't know it. They think they are Pontiac's..... Try this on one of
them- Ask them how that little Buick runs, and be ready to back it up! I got two different SSE guys this way, the first guy, vehimently denied it, the second, looked over his shoulder, to make sure, and told me it wasn't a Buick, it was a Pontiac, to which I responded, Yeah, but its a Supercharged Buick 3800 V6!
then, since he was my boss, added that they are really great engines, descendants of the GNX.....He agreed!
All that Pontiac Excitement......coming from Buick engines!

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/

[sixtynine462]

AZ-69 Skylark said:They drive fast because they're trying to get to their destination before their POS car breaks down. I wouldn't take one if you put a gun to my head.

Ain't that the truth! I was stupid enough to buy one. It's the car that finally has made up my mind to never buy another GM product.
The GrandAm uses a 3.4, btw, which isn't a Buick motor (Buick wouldn't build such a POS motor).
You should check out www.grandamgt.com
The fastest car on there is a turbo 3.4L V-6, and (if I remember right) only runs high 13's! What a joke!

[nailheadina67]

Now this may be a naive observation, but getting back to basics, assuming you have enough power to even propel one of those gaudy looking things any faster than that, it's front wheel drive! How could you possibly get enough traction to get out of the hole? I don't think it would be practical to put 2 super wide tires up front, it would screw up the steering even if you could make wider tires fit in there!

Of course, those cars are so ugly to start with I don't suppose wider tires up front that would have to stick out would really matter anyways.:Dou:

:grin: :spank:

[sixtynine462]

I'm a little embarassed to admit it, but I kinda like the looks of the car. I don't care for the ugly funky-shaped interior, but I don't mind the body style, for a newer car. They do have pretty decent sized tires on them from the factory. 225-50-16's. I think most of the guys running them are using drag radials. The trannies won't take the abuse long, so it's a stupid thing to do to the car. It's really a poorly built car that can't even hold up to the power they come with stock, let alone with a turbo.

[nailheadina67]

I have never owned one, they just don't appeal to me, so I can't attest to any reliability issues. However, 2 or 3 people I know have owned one and each had headgasket/block coolant leakage problems. Other people I know swear by them, and say they would not hesitate to get another one.

Let's face it, 13 and 14's in the 1/4 is pretty respectable considering. I'll bet the fancy supercharged model goes much quicker than that. Regardless, those cars just don't do it for me.:bglasses:

[sixtynine462]

Yeah, but the supercharged is a Gran Prix and it's the BUICK 3800 motor, as used in the Regal GS. I don't think I have to say we know that is a good motor.
If you want to see the quality problems with the grandams, search www.grandamgt.com for any of these subjects:
Power steering
brakes
lower intake manifold gasket

It's amazing how poorly these cars are made.

[nailheadina67]

It's not just GM's.............all american made cars today are built like crap.........except maybe some of the larger luxury models. They definitely are not worth the huge pricetag, that's for sure.:bglasses:

[MR.BUICK]

I wonder what a buick regal with a supercharged 3.8 runs in the quarter? I like the newer buicks, but I don't care much for the bland styling of most of them, the park avenues look good though with port holes and dual exhaust.

[Stagedcoach71]

Funny observation re: Grand Ams. I always felt compelled to post the same thing re: Grand Prix's. Apparently they are equipped without turn signals or variable speed gas pedals.

Two summers ago a really handsome purple GTP drove right under my rear truck bumper. The driver punched it from a dead stop thinking I was going to pull out in front of a speeding gravel truck.

After the wreck, the guy asked me to pull over to exchange info. When I pulled away it was like separating two Siamese twins. Snap, Ping, Crackle, Leak Noise.......etc

I received a less dirty bumper out of the exchange. He, however, wiped out the entire front end, including cartoon-like hood shaped like a capital letter "A". Wahhh....wahhh.








:Do No: :error: :Dou:

[nailheadina67]

Just watch, some crackpot will sue Pontiac for making an affordable production car that goes too fast.:rolleyes: :blast:

[sixtynine462]

MR.BUICK said:I wonder what a buick regal with a supercharged 3.8 runs in the quarter? I like the newer buicks, but I don't care much for the bland styling of most of them, the park avenues look good though with port holes and dual exhaust.
I like the port holes too. I think there is a guy who has run his Regal GS into the 12's. I know I've seen him at the track at least once.

[mechacode]

nailheadina67 said:Now this may be a naive observation, but getting back to basics, assuming you have enough power to even propel one of those gaudy looking things any faster than that, it's front wheel drive! How could you possibly get enough traction to get out of the hole? I don't think it would be practical to put 2 super wide tires up front, it would screw up the steering even if you could make wider tires fit in there!

Of course, those cars are so ugly to start with I don't suppose wider tires up front that would have to stick out would really matter anyways.:Dou:

:grin: :spank:


They use wheelie bars, however, not for prevention of wheelies. They put them so far down that it prevents the weight transfer to the rear tires, like a mini jack under the rear bumper. They showed some "professional" drag racer that actually had a pnuematic one that he could pop up and down so he had traction at launch + halfway down the track and then would pop it up to gain speed.




nailheadina67 said:Just watch, some crackpot will sue Pontiac for making an affordable production car that goes too fast.:rolleyes: :blast:


No, it'll be the rich parents who buy a stock 13 second car and let their drunk jock kid drive it around with the car full of his buddies and then sue because it didn't have 3 seatbelts in the front.

[meanmotor74]

speaking of poorly designed front ends,

I was once rear ended by a grand am at a stop sign in my apollo, got out to look no damage whatso ever to the bumper hitch (thank goodness for bumper hitches), her car, big hole in the bumper where it hit the hitch. The other time I saw the after math of a harley and a grand am, low speed I'm sure, this one really made me wonder about the grand ams. The metal part that sits above the wheel on the harley (fender? sorry i don't know motor cycles) had a good sized dent, the grand am, the front bumper was hanging from one side, part of it was on the ground.

Patrick

[bob k. mando]

I could tell by the way she was driving she was dying to be taken to Buick school.

heh. a spinal tap reference. ya gotta love it.
Break like the wind (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WGVR/qid=1092708714/sr=ka-2/ref=pd_ka_2/002-5583059-4700033)

[83regal455]

Cody i have a 2000 regal GS (supercharged) i ran a 15.32 1/4 at the local track. Traction control off, tires at 22lbs for better traction, shifting at 6000RPM's. They really aren't that fast for a $20K car.

I would like to see one built for NHRA's superstock with a tube frame though:grin:

Thanks
Dustin

[MR.BUICK]

Cool, but hey for a 6 it's pretty good and front wheel drive, it'd beat my car in the 1/4th:grin:

[Ergot]

83regal455 said:Cody i have a 2000 regal GS (supercharged) i ran a 15.32 1/4 at the local track. Traction control off, tires at 22lbs for better traction, shifting at 6000RPM's. They really aren't that fast for a $20K car.

I would like to see one built for NHRA's superstock with a tube frame though:grin:

Thanks
Dustin

You must be stock Dustin.

If you go to http://www.regalgs.org/ and look at the times there are lots of 12's and 13's and a few 11's.

These cars are quick with 240hp and 280tq but with less than 1k in mods ( CAI, Catback, Chip & 3.4" pulley ) usually run mid 13's with good track conditions.

Don't forget the 30mpg on the highway either. Go Buick! To bad the Regals replacement looks like crap and doesn't get the L67 anymore. :(

[83regal455]

the only mods to my regal are bosch 4+ platnum plugs the car only has 28,685 miles so when stuff needs to be replaced i will upgrade until then not really much point.

Besides i have a car that will win plenty of races only it wins legite races at the track not on the street. the only way to race and you have proof too.

Thanks
Dustin

[austingta]

nailheadina67 said:It's not just GM's.............all american made cars today are built like crap.........except maybe some of the larger luxury models. They definitely are not worth the huge pricetag, that's for sure.:bglasses:

I know you said today, but I must try and take exception... the LS1 and LS6 engines in the 4th gen f-body and the C5 (and C6) are great engines... (IMHO)...

Frank