At a final odometer reading of 196,000kms (121,739 Miles) we are finally done with this 2003 Pontiac GTP. I wish I could give it a teary-eyed send off with platitudes like; “We’ll miss it so much” but in reality we’ll never forget this car, not because it was an unforgettable vehicle, but because it was so terrible.
Since the last update made on December 7th, things have not been smooth sailing for the GTP. The replacement fuel injector did cure the driveability issue and returned the fuel economy to normal but other problems cropped up over the spring and summer. More electrical problems.
The heater fan burning out it’s bearings is kind of a wear and tear item, but given the mileage I don’t believe it is reasonable to expect to need to replace that part so soon, at least compared to other vehicles we’ve owned. I know from “the Black Car” our previous 2002 GTP, that the cowl appears to drain water back into the fan which causes rust and early failure, I seem to recall a replacement part cost of $130 or so and a few hours under the dash for installation.
Another interesting puzzle to solve had to do with the ignition key and the park interlock. At times the ignition would refuse to release the key, usually when you were in a hurry to be somewhere. I scoured the internet for some insight about this condition and found that this is a very common problem for the W-body and other GM vehicles. The popular suggested fix is to disassemble the center console of the car then to inspect and repair two tiny connectors which break off the Park position sensor. When this harness is damaged the car apparently believes that it is not yet in Park and will not release the key. Armed with this knowledge I spent and evening working not to damage the brittle interior plastics and remedy the issue. However once I inspected the harness it appeared as new and undamaged. Some basic work with a volt-meter found no faults so I cleaned all of the connections with some spray cleaner and did reassembly.
The problem was now gone, however the Brake pedal shift interlock was now somehow broken. The car would allow movement of the shifter from Park without depressing the brake pedal. This is a minor safety issue which must have been caused by tinkering with the harness in the console, I left it alone and a few days later the problem cured itself, the shift interlock was restored.
Ever since Fall of 2010 we had been trying to keep this car running for minimal amounts of money pending a plan to trade in Summer or Fall of 2011. Normally I do not hesitate to buy part and properly fix things as required, but since the Canadian Book Value of even a pristine 2003 Pontiac GTP had fallen to basement levels, (At 196K mileage $3,000 Tops) any further money invested would soon result in negative equity when it came time to trade or sell. Mechanically and structurally the car was solid, however it was an electrical basketcase. This negative equity was something we were especially afraid of should something like a transmission fail, a legitimate concern based off of other owner’s experiences, $2500 and the down time would simply be unacceptable.
After finishing up our summer travelling we really set down to find a replacement for this car, lots of options had been discussed and finally we settled on looking for a gently used example of a 2011 Mustang GT.
There were a number of reasons on selecting the Ford Mustang.
It really seems counter-intuitive that a Pony car is a good idea for a daily commuter, but the Mustang is a solid value purchase. I personally have two and despite one being from 1995, it’s only required a new distributer and maintenance items to keep running smoothly. I’ve changed a great deal of parts on that car in the pursuit of higher performance and suffered subsequent breakages, but discounting “self-inflicted” failures, it’s been great. Parts are commonly available for nearly any Mustang built since Job 1 1964, either OEM or performance upgrades, low cost also makes things quite attractive. There is something to be said for the ease of driveline repair and maintenance of a conventional Front Engine, Rear Drive setup too.
All that said we began searching at the start of the summer very tentatively and last weekend we found a very suitable car. After driving for over an hour to a small dealership in Olds, Alberta, we were rewarded with a fair deal on our trade (given the market value, 5.5% of its 2003 original MSRP) and were finally into a replacement car.
A 2011 Mustang GT, 5.0L automatic with a cloth convertible top, well appointed and in great condition. Equipped with the new 5.0L engine and 6 speed automatic transmission, it also exceeded the best ever fuel economy of the GTP on the first highway outing. All this comes with more options, higher curb weight, a V8, and an additional 172 horsepower, simply a matter of technology marching onwards. Considering all of this, the Mustang should make a fine replacement of long-term daily driver for the wife, and be fairly cost-effective at the same time.
As a final parting shot at the Pontiac, at the very least Ford installed heated seats for both front occupants and not just the driver like the GTP offered…
It’s been quite an adventure with this GTP, both of us are relieved to see it gone, and if you see a Silver GTP cross your local auction block, consider this a fair and friendly warning of what to expect. At least the fuel gauge is always full…
Closing Stats on the outgoing GTP
2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
Date of Purchase: August 2007
Date of Trade: September 2011
Mileage on Purchase: ~90,000km
Mileage at Sale: 196,000km
Value Depreciation since purchase: 8.5 cents per KM
Performance: 240 HP & 280 TQ
0-60 MPH: 6.6 seconds
¼ Mile: 15.9 seconds at Castrol Raceway
MFG Recalls: 1 – Engine Compartment Fire
Average US MPG: 22.3
Best Reported US MPG: 27.5
Average Fuel Cost: 13 cents/km (Premium Fuel Required)
Vehicle Breakages, Deficiencies, and Maintenance during ownership:
Powertrain:
Cracked Thermostat Housing
Replace Intake Manifold Gaskets
Oil Pan Gasket leak
Transmission Pan Gasket leak
1 Faulty Fuel Injector
Spark Plug Wires
Spark Plugs
11 Sythetic Oil Changes
Chassis & Suspension:
Replace Brake Pads
Replace Tires
1 Wheel bearing/ABS Sensor
Inner wheel housing liner collapsed
Interior & Electrical:
Onstar System Inoperative due to outdated analog hardware
Fuel Level Sender Defective
6 Headlight bulbs
5 Foglamp Bulbs
Defective Park Interlock switch
Defective Stereo/Clock display
Replace Windshield washer pump
Defective Heater Fan
Defective HVAC Fan Controller
Broken Interior Trim & Heated Seat switch
4 Burned out gauge cluster lamps
Cracked & Brittle weatherstripping
Read the Entire Living with a Pontiac Series:
Looks Good on Paper:
UPDATE 1 –
UPDATE 2 –
Back in the Grind - Looks Good on Paper & Living with a Pontiac
