I Bought a $400 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP from the Rust Belt I Made a BIG Mistake!

[@stevecook9000]

the Grand Prix's and Grand Ams of those years were awesome! along with the Bonnevilles. i realize you make revenue off of video interests, clicks, comments, likes, etc., i just have not figured out yet why you choose to buy cars from far away, sight unseen, and then pay the shipping costs. to obviously wind up upside down in alot of them? not bashing you at all, i just havent figured out that part of what you do yet :). anyway, love your choice of vehicles as of late. keep them coming, and best of luck with them! i'll always come back to each of your new ones.....I'M HOOKED :)

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

I'm happy to explain. I'm making around $500k a year gross. Losing $120k or so a year on cars offsets my tax liability.

[@stevecook9000]

@@AutoAuctionRebuilds that is awesome! Again, didn’t want you to think I was bashing, I’m a regular! Love the content. It has just always terrified me to buy sight unseen! lol. Keep ‘em coming!

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

Thank you. It's all part of the video alure lol.

[@TheRichardc88]

​@AutoAuctionRebuilds Purchasing "sight unseen" always tends to make captivating content. Like we spoke about years ago... keeping things fresh in this ever-changing space is a talent. Keep up the great work!

[@stewartsimington6240]

That was a nice car! The northeast rust monster has been eating but good.

[@shawn396hoss]

no one would blame you for getting rid of it, but a video of it up on the lift and seeing how bad the rust is would be great , because if its just the rear suspension and some brake lines it would be worth saving.

[@robr4437]

I agree. If it looked good underneath...I would consider buying it from you.

[@tylerhouston3990]

The suspension is actually a cheap fix if you do the research and buy the parts and do it yourself. Replace the whole back suspension. Then for that rusted frame. You can grind out the piece of rusted frame and weld a thick piece of steel plates on to the frame that is still existent and it would be okay. The suspension would cost about 500 at most for the back. I did a complete suspension rebuild for 500$ and coated all the new parts with a extra coat of corrosion resistant spray and it works 10x better. Heck I should be making content also. That would of been great

[@harriettanthony7352]

Hey Ho! Randy-Readers; this writer lives in Maine. And that car is in 'perfect' shape for its age and mileage. Most often a car that old is 'rusted to the door handles' by now There are shops that do JUST frame repairs! here. The Maine inspection sticker is '20-21' so its not been off the road too long. But for you its NOT worth the time and money to fix, so a parts car it is.

[@ccross1210]

Love the GTP! I remember when my mom was at the dealership looking for her next car. I stopped in front of this car as a kid, amazed by the build. Good times and good memories!

[@blackenigma1054]

if that’s a fwd just get two rear knuckles and control arms any rot in the frame can be cut out it just depends on what u want to spend

[@danielventura8073]

That car was somebody's lawn art for years.

[@1996FordCrownVictoria]

Only 4 or so, sticker is 20 to 21

[@davidkane4300]

The radio display not working is a burned out 194 bulb. Take the top cover of the radio off and it's easy to change (socketed, not soldered in). This is because Pontiac used red gauges while basically all other GMs used self-lit VFDs. Pontiacs instead used backwards LCDs with a red filter backlit with a regular bulb that burns out.

[@chrisbliss1499]

Please bring the grand prix back to life. That's a cool little car

[@Nissanjukefanboy]

That is such a beautiful Pontiac please try to save it you barely see any on the road anymore

[@channels740]

I would find a used suspension from a salvage yard or Ebay and use the car as content like the old Vette. It's worth repairing.

[@dgurevich1]

In the early 2000s a teacher had one of these, in this color. I vividly remember her inviting me into the car to catch shelter from the rain one day. I only sat in it once for about 5 minutes and I remember wanting one like this for a long time. They were rare even back then, now they just don't exist at all. It's a real shame as there is no conditions for rust at all. All you have to do to keep the car forever is maintain it. In fact, the legendary car from time before me was the Subaru Leone DL. They are over 40 years old at this point and I can still see a couple occasionally punt along on the roads.

[@PatrickC139]

The rust comes from the salt in the roads . ALOT of ppl don't put underspray if they live in a state where the roads gotta get salted every year. And that's how it happens.

[@dgurevich1]

@ I live in Israel, where it doesn’t snow and hardly rains so the only place one would encounter salt is at the beach and unless you park at the edge of the sea every day, your car won’t rust. We do get paint fade and drying out of rubber and plastics. So tires dry rot a lot faster and most don’t even make half the advertised mileage before becoming dangerous.

[@robertirving9120]

It’s worth saving. I’ve seen way worse and I’m in central IL so we’re very in the rust belt. Junkyard digs, have brought things back that were locked up. I really think if you get new brakes on rear, lines, replace the right rear arm this could be a running and driving car. It might be the e brake too.

[@GTFORDMAN]

before you scrap it I'd like to see a video of you breaking those rear brakes loose and getting it up on the hoist to see how bad the rust really is!

[@robertwiley8458]

Lots of devastation in Oklahoma due to recent severe storms. These videos are posted days afterwards and the storms were re in Newcastle, southeast Oklahoma City, Harrah and Choctaw. I hope Randy & his family is ok

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

We are ok right now. Thanks for asking.

[@mumblez22]

Wire clothing hangers also work wonders for hanging exhaust, they are also great if you lock your key's in your car. Upside of having a broken radio antenna with a coat hanger as a replacement lol

[@miketoye2568]

This car brings back so many memories my first car was a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix Two Door.

[@MichaelToye-mx8cl]

Those cars were the best.

[@dylangt500games6]

My first car was a 94 Grand Prix SE but sadly it had too many rust issues and electrical issues and had to trash it

[@paullevy561]

A used complete subframe swap, master cylinder and it moves again. A good welder could remove the rot from the rails and get them road worthy. Just depends on how much you want to invest. I think the views are there.

[@tylerhopkins7080]

those cars were so cool back in the day. one of the best domestic 90s designs exterior-wise.

[@mopargm9329]

Okay also your temperature gauge probably had the stepper motor replaced and they did not calibrate it when they reinstalled the needle. These gauge clusters are not spring-loaded you have to recalibrate them when you put the needles back and replace the stepper motors which is a common issue for this era. I would absolutely love to have this GP still though and I love my GM W-bodies

[@justinchapman5774]

You may want to rewatch the video of when you showed the exhaust foxed, the trailing arm is completely rotted off the rear suspension thats why the rear tire is moving around

[@M_Phipps0520]

Exactly!!!!

[@psychowolfgaming]

The rust is normal for anything north of middle America lol. For that age it's in awesome condition for a rust belt car.

[@user-hf2hp3nn8r]

Its definitely salvageable people fix and drive worst cars out here in the rust belt💯

[@ccross1210]

Oh dang. When I first started my channel with my 2003 Lincoln Town Car, she had rust underneath but not Maine level rust. Dang I miss that car

[@alreynolds7152]

I had a 1994 model with the 3.1 V6...Great car had 234k miles when I sold it still running strong !

[@jerrymagnifico4353]

That car doesn’t look terrible all those issues underneath are easy to repair

[@peterkwok9608]

That Engine is purring like a kitten 👍👍

[@jamesclark5461]

Put it up on the lift before you decide it's fate. I remember these back in the 90's very cool machine. That 3.4 is in very good shape.

[@haskellburks]

Hello Randy. The 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP is a good looking car. Let's see if it will run and drive. It looks like it's got a good bit of rust.

[@bullseyestrat]

The rational part of me knows how much time and the effort it would cost to fix this car. The soft spot in me would probably try to fix it. My first car was a 95 SE White sedan which I drove into the ground. Gave her up at 178k miles. Living in the northeast the rust isn't horrible. The suspension parts in back are replaceable, the frame can be repaired, and the rear brakes could be replaced all around. I recall on my Grand Prix the rear calipers always had issues. Whatever they used in the 11 years of ownership each back one was replaced twice. On the other hand it needs alot of work. That's not barring everything else is ready to go. I'd try to fix it myself but completely understand sending it back to the auction.

[@shaunbernard7083]

I feel your pain. I have a Bonneville SSEi that is rustier than this. Hoping to save it eventually, as they aren’t very common anymore

[@BrettMKW]

Also a fellow Bonnie owner, love my 03 SSEi and it still has under 100k miles on it. I'm amazed by the fact it has no rust considering it has spent its entire life in New England and Michigan, must have been well-taken care of. I've driven it for about 18 months now and seen maybe 5 others on the road, they certainly aren't common cars anymore but I love mine and want to keep it as long as possible. Good luck with yours!

[@larrywinemiller794]

I had a rollback car hauler when I had a used car dealership and I hooked tie down chains on the back of cars like the grandprix, If I used the winch to tighten up the tie down chains if you did not pay attention you would bend the suspension bars and screw up and make the back tires towed in. You may have bent ones on the back from being chained down.

[@nojustno242]

I have also seen this happen from the forklifts at the auction moving them around.

[@M_Phipps0520]

No it clearly had a lower control arm I believe that was disconnected!

[@ianmitchell1594]

Come on Randy as your channel says ‘rebuilds’ let’s get it back on the road 👍 as you say worth saving this is rare. As the other comments don’t think it will cost a lot.

[@mocyr67]

WOW....I grew up in Carmel, Maine!!!!! That is where this car is from. I live in Mass now.

[@paulbartlett9054]

I know it’s bad, but how bad? Please do a video of it on the lift. Seems like a rare car worth saving if it just needs the rear suspension replaced, brakes and the frame repaired, steam cleaning and a polish, and new wheels and tires!😂

[@caydenparentela4312]

My grandfather had a white 94 GTP, loved that car, learned how to drive at 12 in that car, he sold it and bought an impala, and has since passed

[@alexmcdougall889]

It's a great looking car, but it appears the undercarriage is a bit far gone from what I see. Would be a great parts car for someone but too much to get it fully on the road IMO. Another great video thanks Randy !

[@edcoderre4102]

Give the old girl a little love get the breaks fixes and drive her on the 10 mile for us.

[@chrisoliver9442]

I would try to fix it and it would make some good content ! Who knows , maybe Nick might like it enough to drive around for awhile and see what else you come up with that is more suitable if he wants something different ! My stepmom bought one like that and around the same year when I was like 20 years old then ! I drove that car to Tulsa and everywhere else ! It was maybe a couple of years old then but I love the look of that car ! Have a great day Randy and take care

[@Ebbsilen]

I do rustproofing in Québec province, just North of Maine. This car is actually not so rusted for the place it comes from and its age. I see 3-4 years old pickups with worse damage. The parts you have to change are really rusted, and that frame rail in the trunk needs to be repaired, but otherwise it seemed fine to me! Definitively worth repairing!

[@741etienne]

je me disais la même chose! On en voit des pas mal plus jeunes et plus rouiller encore sur la route!!

[@Ebbsilen]

@@741etienne Ça me fait enrager, je fais des premiers antirouilles à des chars pis ça vient de compagnie sur la tôle à nu avec un léger soupçon de primer pis c'est tout. Non, sérieux y est pas si pire son GTP. Mon Volvo est plus fatigué que ça des longerons arrières pis y est pas dangereux pour autant.

[@20JK10]

Had a 1990 Turbo Grand Prix as my first car. Always loved that body style.

[@commonsence1129]

That's a shame. That generation was a beautiful design.

[@amarsta]

Brakes? Where we're going we don't need brakes!... wheels are already locked up 😁

[@huntergreene71]

Pop some cookie sheets under those back wheels and drift her around town!

[@gmshitbox5621]

my thoughts exactly

[@jenniferstephany9231]

What a shame that car is 100% nicer than the Cutlass Supreme. It would be worth trying to get it on the lift to inspect the underside of the car . Try to get some used parts off of EBay for the rear suspension and brakes. It may only need a master cylinder and a couple of calipers. That car would make a really nice revival video.

[@CarringtonHollister]

I always love the sight unseen cars because it’s always surprising what these cars have and not only that it’s a mixed bag on whether they run or not plus it’s hella entertaining ‼️

[@mopargm9329]

Nice!! Love my W-bodies especially GTPs! I love my 04 Dale Jr supercharged Monte Carlo SS❤ Don't forget the 3.4L DOHC uses both a timing chain and belt! Weird though some were interference and some weren't. At least it has orange coolant and it meaning Dexcool compatible. These cars need either red Dexcool or orange Dexcool compatible as well as any modern GM. Since around 1990 GMs must use red or orange. If you see green universal you are going to need to replace the lower intake gasket and other issues like sludge kinda like overused Dexcool

[@itsnotme07]

I tried to help a friend buy one of these back in 1990. I was the "No he's not buying that" guy. After about an hour of causing trouble during the negotiations, I was ejected from the room. Why? Because as my friend put it "I just want to buy the damn car!"....yeah, and he bought $3000 worth of stuff he didn't want/need. I informed him I would no longer offer my services as the "No he's not buying that" guy. Unfortunate for him, because I'm good at it. LOL I drove a lot of those GP's back then when I worked for Avis. Always enjoyed seeing them as it meant a comfy ride for wherever the car was going, which was sometimes from the back of the airport lot to the front. Haha.

[@monterreymxisfun3627]

That car makes me wonder if it was owned by the Red Green Show.

[@jasonbucher5622]

Those engines don't ever want to die - they will soldier on forever...

[@Lane-jq3ed]

Cant win them all Randall😕 good intentions though, those were great cars! Somebody out there needs that 3.4 👍🏻

[@bladesofglorylawnmaintenan6354]

My first undercover car was a 90 Grand Prix GT.. Black with Gold interior and gold rims.. lol. Absolutely great cars!! Stay blessed @Randy !!

[@jiggity76]

Couldn't have been a GT. It goes like this for these gens...91-93 GT for the coupes, 94-96 GT for the sedans.

[@bladesofglorylawnmaintenan6354]

@ it may have been a 91. That’s been 25 years ago now.. 🤷‍♂️

[@jiggity76]

@@bladesofglorylawnmaintenan635491-93 GT coupes are rare! Essentially a poor man's GTP.

[@eptdy]

The interior and paint on rust bucket cars are always flawless

[@rogerlalonde703]

I guess not many car guys are noticing that the right side rear control arm is either rotten off at the bushing or it’s torn off at the bushing cause I noticed it in video when you were looking at the mufflers I saw just look back at your video in that clip or go back and look at it again and see what I’m talking about!

[@johnmarshjr928]

I had a 93 , a drunk totaled it parked in front of my house. Best seats ever, adjustable side bolsters , mine was black and gold . It worked out great , totaled, instant insurance pay off and credit boost for early payoff . That was 23yrs ago.

[@adrianowen6524]

Shame it’s been left to get in to that state Randy but you can definitely get the parts cheap enough from salvage for them but it’s probably a pain in the arse having to run around find them then fixing it and with all that rust on the car man you maybe braking and snapping bolts rather than opening them man! Thanks for the video once again Randy just over an hour and another video gonna be uploaded awesome!!👌👌👍👍👍

[@davidkane4300]

Drift mode 100% of the time! If you watch Junkyard Digs, to check if the caliper is locked up or if the brake hose is swelled up, remove the bleeder and see if it frees up. If so, the hose is bad; if not, the caliper is bad. The reason is that the rubber swells up like a bad artery... The thousands of PSI the master cylinder can push forces fluid past the restricted hose, but the tiny amount of PSI the caliper has to return the fluid effectively turns the hose into a one-way valve. Super common issue in the rust belt states. Also, if you watch NNKH, if the caliper is bad, you can force the piston out with the brake pedal when it's off the car, clean it up with a wire wheel, and it'll probably work again. The rubber boot you see that extends with the piston is just a dust seal... The actual fluid seals are way down on the piston that you won't hurt doing this. Note: not a permanent solution, but enough to get the car going down the road and stopping reasonably enough.

[@johnperalta9415]

All you need is a parts car. You can easily rebuild that! This channel is Auto Auction REBUILDS right?

[@mikelathen8397]

'88-'96 Grand Prix's are greats now. I love it lots.

[@cudadad4349]

YESSSSS LETS GO RANDY!! Bout time!!!

[@SocietalNarcissism]

The temp gauge moves to that position when you turn the key. My 95 Sunfire did the same thing from the day I picked it up brand new.

[@stephenwilson3]

Hi Randy Glad to see you have brought back your intro music Everybody needs an intro 👍

[@monterreymxisfun3627]

Don't let location history fool you. I bought a manual transmission Nissan that spent it's life in NY, PA and KS. It was garage-kept with only surface rust.

[@johnDuncan-o1q]

Soak it in navel jelly for a while

[@johnDuncan-o1q]

I had a car in worse shape and broken suspension.....put new brake pads after you bang them the rust off no problem?

[@johnDuncan-o1q]

You can use parts from a Buick or cavalier maybe?

[@johnDuncan-o1q]

Good luck

[@javierpenaflor1992]

That brings a lot of memories. That was my first car,89 grand prix

[@bigfella6629]

After you got the bus going, I would love to see more of it.

[@scottn303]

I definitely love the front hood, alittle bit of TLC and some elbow grease will go along way and turn that GTP into a sweet ride

[@garagenextdoor807]

Love the new intro man!

[@adamtoman5855]

The powertrain is the same as Mike’s and Alex’s cutlass. It’s a lot of work but I vote you put the motor in your cutlass. But like you said it’s probably best to just send it down the road. Someone might buy just for the motor.

[@robertgriffin445]

Those late nineties and early two thousand Pontiacs were some awesome cars. I had a 2001 Grand Prix GT Coupe with 3.8 that thing was fun to drive. Maybe, you can salvage the engine and put into a Monte SS or Luminia Z34 of the year or Cutlass Supreme which all had the 3.4 Dual Cam as optional engine.

[@LowKeyGT89]

I had a white '95 in the early 2000's, it was a good car. These were WIDE BODY before it was cool. ✊✊

[@freeandresrivera]

Hope you can get sponsorship for a second lift. This would’ve been a cool car to look under and maybe slap rotors and whatever other rear end work is needed to fix that toe-in (assuming the rest of the undercarriage is fine).

[@jiggity76]

Randy...I can tell you that it is a very rare car. You finally get a rare one and then you don't really mention it, LOL. The other cars like your Z34 Monte...you mention it as being rare...which it isn't, and then you don't mention this GTP being rare when it actually is...hilarious! I love it! It is indeed a Special Edition GTP. Both the GTP and Special Edition add ons are actually packages that could be ordered on a GP SE. Those pinstripes and decals are factory. Special Edition cars are NOT to be confused with an SE car. Special Edition cars could be ordered in White, Green, Black, and Bright Red. Black is a pretty rare color for a Special Edition car, not sure if it's the rarest, but definitely more rare than I would say a Green car. In addition, those polished alloys are very rare and highly sought after. Very few got those from factory. It's surprising to see a GTP without the HUD or DIC option. Both of those items are usually found in a GTP, same goes for leather interior and moon roof. I would guess it's a very low production car due to that. Seeing a GTP WITHOUT all the options isn't very common, especially on a Black Special Edition car. Shame that it's in this condition as it would be very worthy of a restoration otherwise.

[@robsweekendgarage]

That 4 wheel steer is a super rare option Randy. I’m def interested in it. But best I can do is a half eaten mcchicken no lettuce and a large two day old fry. Lmk when I can come get it.

[@pscurti350]

4 Wheel steering is awesome!

[@bk_goatkim679]

Oh wow…super interesting car! Keep up the grind randy er love to see the grind!

[@JC-SaulGoodmanCS]

Randy this would be an interesting drive train swap for the geo or the cavalier. Hear me out here 😆 that 3.4 is badass and would be quick with the weight to power ratio..

[@lostrokect7824]

Maybe in next video you should make that old police crown victoria into a normal street car like put decent wheels and paint it blue or what ever colours you like after you could offer for your son bc the crown victoria are soo reliable and easy to fix 😊

[@topher8634]

Damn, what a shame. And I was so anxious to see this one. I dont think they should have listed it as run and drive; sure it starts and goes into gear but you can't drive a vehicle with two locked up wheels. If it wasn't for the rust it would be worth it. I hope you are able to recover at least some of what you spent on it.

[@loganlovescarsandmotorcycles]

I usually laugh when people say a car is rusty but that is a bit worse then surface rust. I bought an Alberta car and a car from Quebec. They are both very rusty. I like old GM cars because the cars I have had seem to want to live. If it was easier to sell it would be worth fixing. If I bought it to keep for a few years I would fix it. It would a great winter car.

[@kansaswolf865]

That nice Grand Prix has been doing some serious sitting.

[@collyoung6017]

RANDY !!! LESS OF THEM NEGATIVE VIBES MAN - You gotta call it Oddball !!!

[@richroj]

Rebuilds, I love your shirt and the cars 👍

[@a.mgaming3418]

I think it would be quite interesting to get it up on the ramp and see if you can at least free up those rear wheels and just how bad the rust is, definitely think it is beyond saving sadly but this sure would make a great parts donor for someone. Its got to be worth at least a second video!

[@brianlackie5093]

The 3.4 cars are getting more and more sought after. I would throw some brake lines and new brakes on it

[@jessewynne8193]

My 2002 Grand Prix GT rotted out MUCH MUCH worse then this and I live in CT not far from Maine so I’m telling you that rust isn’t nothing! Mine was the strut tower housing in front and rear were GONE! The hood and trunk would buckle when driving over bumps cuz those were only things holding them in! I had to weld new sheet metal to make a strut tower. Also then realized the frame that was in the front that the engine mounts held into was rusted holes all the way thru! (This one isn’t even close to that!) Also Maine wouldn’t passed it iff it wasn’t road worthy in 2021-22! So it can’t be that unsafe!

[@postersm7141]

These cars had major problems whenever they were driven in the rust belt. A friend of mine had one or the back wheels were toed in like that and it was because both rear strut towers rusted completely through so basically the wheels weren’t even attached to the car anymore.

[@skunkworks9-3]

We gotta dig into it a bit more and see if this is something we can even save or if its just a parts rig for another Prix. Shes got the heart but its just if the cost can be kept down. May be worth it to find one closer thst maybe needs an engine or trans etc.

[@mikelathen8397]

Cool. My mom had a '95 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 4-door sedan she bought it used in '96 so now.

[@jessewynne8193]

Randy I will tell you this that rust on this Pontiac’s age ain’t that rotted! You have a locked up rear brake line as if someone pulled the emergency brake and it stick! I’m thinking you need a brake master cylinder and you need a stabilizer bar in the rear passenger side! For a few hundred bucks you can get the brakes and the stabilizer bars for both sides! It will be a driver again!

[@cjsebes]

You got one of those three-wheel-steer cars.

[@garyslentzii2796]

Woah the whole rear suspension is coming off. I would have it towed to the junk yard. It was sitting in water on the back end. I wish i still had my 89 Grand Prix, i would love to have the hood & trunk lid & spoiler. Part it out. My Junkyard crushed all their cars & the ones i got parts from

[@Moon_over_Akron]

She runs pretty well for a 2WD :)

[@leethegreat8347]

I've been waiting on this one 😂

[@tz138]

I would repair the broken suspension arm on the right rear, loosted up the rear brakes, try and bleed the brakes, repair any leaks, clean it up, then flip it... I would not spend a huge amount of money on it ..

[@lesterburritt2038]

Randy give a chance put it on the lift n look it over. Rear brakes and a rear suspension arm cheep to see what u got

[@trabertgraneau3323]

The only way to tell how badly rusted the suspension is is to lift it up and to do a thorough inspection. If the suspension can be salvaged for an affordable price, let’s pursue it. If it’s ready to break in half, sell it for parts

[@jamesparker6217]

Brother I feel ya... beautiful car. Always loved them. Would love to see it rolling again. Would even like to be the one to pull it off

[@chatrkat]

At first I thought you got a real deal, until I saw all the fees on top of the $400. 😱 Not that it helps but I’ve been there too, paid way too much for something only to get a major let-down upon delivery. Well maybe grab more metal ties for the right rear structure and then send that overseas to Africa they take anything! I bet that rear suspension broke when the tow driver loaded it the first time from the driveway near the ocean it sat in for the last ten years

[@lorddylanwolford3192]

I had a 01 Grand Prix GT car was absolutely fantastic rotted to pieces but was a great running and driving car took it everywhere

[@1066sharpy]

This could be a good car to teach Nick about repairs if he is interested, you know buy cheap 2nd hand parts a bit of welding, just a idea.