you may be able to tow a small boat or maybe a tent on a small utility
trailer but nothing more.

Its not too much trailer.  its not enough capability

you should get a real suv/truck to tow with....

I see where Gene <Gene@nowhere.com> contributed:

Why are you asking? Isn't it bone obvious that you're comparing weight
to length?   Egad!  Engage brain.

But for your reading pleasure, the following may not seem to pertain
to using a Grand Am for towing - but read it anyway in you want:
==================
It is my firmly-held opinion that  - on average - manufacturers'
maximum tow ratings are optimistic and presume near-ideal
conditions and a fair amount of operator skill. I continue to
recommend that people buying equipment to tow (or be towed) try
to stay well *under* the maximum. I like a 75% target, on the
basis that it provides a safety/reliability/comfort cushion for
steep grades, bad roads, and emergency maneuvers.  In recent
years as the bulk of traffic has moved over to the interstate
system, I've become increasingly concerned with the number of
people who sincerely believe it is OK to drag their long long
tri-axle trailer (at 125% of tow rating) at 75 mph with their
leetl pick-em-up.

    [There is even the Hensley hitch character going about    
    like a side show barker with his video showing an    
    Intrepid hauling a 9,600 lb trailer! This is FIVE TIMES
    the tow rating, ladies & gents! The product is good but
    the marketing is near-fraudulent.]

Bottom line:  there's a great deal more to tow ratings than
power.  To get some perspective on that, consider the average
over-the-road truck. Typically 400 horsepower or less to haul
80,000 pounds.  Do your own math.

And consider this reasoning for a 75% recomendtion:

There is pretty general agreement that it is unwise and possibly
dangerous to EXCEED maximum ratings, but many of us with long
trailering experience have found that tow rating information is
often misleading - or at least not applicable to everyone.

1. The tow rating is ALWAYS a maximum figure, and is as large as the
manufacturer dares make it. They hope you will buy their stuff for
towing.  Their rating may or may not be right for you.  Every maker
has his own methods of setting tow ratings. Some are conservative
and some are ludicrously over-stated (many Jeep Cherokees were rated
at 5,000 lbs, and IMO are hopelessly overloaded at that figure).

2. MOST tow ratings (nothing personal or specific vs your brand)
do not allow for long steep grades - up or (especially) down.

3. Most tow ratings make no allowance for bad road conditions.

4. Most tow ratings are accompanied by asterisks that call attention
to special equipment "required". Your rig may not have those features.

5. Most tow ratings make no allowance whatever for emergency
maneuvers.  I assure you your vehicle WILL NOT turn or stop as
fast or as safely with the maximum load as it will with a lot less.
The difference can be dramatic. Don't believe me?  Try a few tactics
in a large parking lot.

6. Vehicle tow ratings make no allowance for the DRIVER'S "tow
rating".  No insult intended, but if you have to ask how much your
rig will tow, you have neither the experience or the knowledge to
handle the maximum load safely.  IMO.

7. One of the most-overlooked factors in safe towing is a COMBINED
maximum (GCWR = Gross Combined Weight Rating, often only found in
a towing guide) that dictates a much lighter-than-maximum TOWED load.
Most of the weight of cargo & passengers in the tow vehicle must be
deducted from the permissible towed load to find the true rating.
Some towing guides appear to gloss over this issue because the
marketing types want to put the best possible face on their product.

8. What is reasonably safe and comfortable at 45 mph may well be a
lethal weapon at 75.  Tow ratings, IMO, do NOT reflect any respect for
this hazard.  

9. An internal combustion engine loses about 2 1/2 to 3% efficiency
per thousand feet.  You can easily lose 15-18% in the mountains
unless you have a turbocharger or supercharger.

10.  Regardless of weight ratings, SUV's and "1/2'-ton" pickups are
mostly useless for serious towing.  They will handle pop-ups and even
some of the short "lite" trailers - and will haul yer big one out to
the lake if you are careful.  But competent handling of a large TT
requires a long wheelbase & short overhang.  

Someone once wrote: "You can tow anything with anything - the question
is how far, how safely?"

BOTTOM LINE:  IF you trust the experienced trailerists who have been
there and done that and don't want to go back, you will not exceed
about 75% of the rated maximum.  The number is of course not writ by
the finger of God on a stone tablet - it is merely an indication that
you should stay well below the manufacturer's maximum allowance if you
want a safe, comfortable trip.  Some say the figure ought to be as low
as 50 or 60%.  But except for a few macho braggarts, most experienced
folks agree in principle if not detail with these concerns. For
example, go to http://www.popuptimes.com/archives/75rule.asp
   
Will Sill
"A great many people think they are thinking when they
are merely rearranging their prejudices."
William James

It is not only crazy, it is dangerous. Did you ever wonder why you don't see
Grand Am's pulling trailers? The truth of the matter is that we can't tell
you more than that because you have failed to provide the necessary
information. Not all 13 feet trailers weigh the same. Then there is the
matter of your personal effects, water, propane, and other things that are
not included in the weight of the trailer. You need to know the Combined
GVRW of your vehicle and then figure out the weight of the car, loaded with
you, your stuff, and fuel. Figure out the weight of the trailer loaded. Add
the two and if it is below the combine GVRW you can tow that vehicle. But,
it will not be safe. To be safe you need to take the Combined GVRW and then
use 75% of that as the abolute Combined weight. I doubt seriously that you
will find anything that you can tow safely that is much bigger than a pop-up
trailer. Do be warned that the dealer who sells you the trailer will tell
you all kinds of things to do the sale.

In short, if you have to ask this question you are not yet ready to buy.
Hang around the newsgroup, ask questions, do your homework. And, don't be
thin-skinned. You can't survive here if you are, and if you don't listen to
the advice of those who have been doing this for a long time you may be dead
when you tow your overweight trailer.

Randy Davis

I think you are pulling our leg.
If not NO!
If you do don't drive on the road I'm on.

The 4 cylinder Grand Am is not recommended for towing, the V6 is good for
1,000 pounds.

In other words, your car cannot pull the trailer. No way, no how.

If you are setting up at a construction site and leaving the trailer there,
have a friend with a suitable tow vehicle do it for you.

Maybe there is a lack of knowledge on the Grand Am model you have.
Is it one of the older ones with an engine larger than the average
pickup, rear wheel drive. If so, they will pull a good deal more than
the later models will. When you say tow in the same discussion that you
will use it for temporary housing, brings in the thought just how much
are you going to tow it.

I quote you;
" the trailer is planned to be a "Temp" housing place till I can build a
small micro house which is where I'll spend the rest of the time while
planning/building the bigger one."

You have spent funds that  could have covered the contracted towing of
any small camper of your choice. This would have allowed you to choose
an adequate sized camper to suit your "Temp" housing.

But, considering you have gone this far in preparation for towing, it is
apparent you intended on towing it around some. I would suggest you
obtain an equalizer hitch and rear overload springs for the Grand Am, if
this is your intent. I would also insure you have en electric brake
controller on the car and good brakes on the trailer.

What Model Year is your Pontiac and which engine do you have? If it was made
prior to 1980 you *could* have a passable tow vehicle.

What *kind* of trailer did you have in mind?