Sep
Hi. I looked at a Pontiac Montana today and it was overall in great shape. The engine has about 80k miles on it, but the rest has about 160k. I’m concerned about the transmission life, etc. I am mainly looking for a van to last at least 2 years. Any thoughts from someone who has a little knowledge on the subject? Thank you.
Answer:
First off Do not, I repeat don’t listen to someone like Benny! All he and his wife do is post a link for that ridiculous and bias website. His comparison of owning a 7 year old GM is like owning a 33 year old Toyota is just plain crazy. I dont see any 1975 Toyotas on the road. Do you? My sister has a 2000 Montana with 87,000 miles and have never had a problem! They take this vehicle on long trips all the time. Also you should not believe everything Consumer Reports writes. They’re heavily influenced by Honda and Toyotas checkbook. Take it to a mechanic and have it checked out, if everything is ok then go for it. Don’t listen to the Honda and Toyota lovers who act like they get commission for selling there crap on here.
Answer:
The 2000 Pontiac Montana (regular) has Consumer Reports' Much Worse Than Average reliability ratings in the Engine Major, Engine Cooling, Transmission Major, Transmission Minor, Brakes, Squeaks & Rattles, and Power Equipment categories and has CR's Worse Than Average reliability ratings in the Engine Minor, Drive System, Fuel System, Climate System, Paint/Trim, and Body Hardware categories. However, its Electrical System and Suspension are average and its Exhaust system is above average.
If you plan to own it for only 2 years and plan to use it locally (not take any longer trips in it) and if your budget is very tight, it may be worth the risk.
Addendum:
I should add that a 20-to-25-year-old Toyota SUV might cost less or about the same, but may offer sufficient seating and cargo space with greater reliability and less risk.
AutoOnInfo.net's reliability and durability studies suggest that a typical Toyota car at 33 years of age may be about as reliable as a typical GM car at 7 years of age. However, the problem with all minivans is that they have components that more frequently fail that are costly to fix, even though GM minivans are at rather the extreme end of the spectrum. For a risk assessment, it would likely be best to take a look at the Reliability Percentrank tables that AutoOnInfo.net offers.
Answer:
Speaking strictly from personal experience, I'd advocate you stay away from GM minivans in general. My parents leased two different vans, one of them a 2000 Montana, and we had constant problems with them. The Montana's engine seized, and after enough trips to the dealership, was bought back under lemon law. We leased another and had endless electrical, transmission, and paint issues, but Pontiac refused to comply with lemon law a second time.
Keep in mind that these vans never accumulated over 36,000 miles over the course of a 3 year lease…and the van you're considering has about 5 times the mileage.
With that stated, if you still are considering it, have it THOROUGHLY inspected by an experienced mechanic before your buy. Good luck.
Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList