The only reason Pontiac should stay in business...

[dd74]

The G8. Beautiful in person, and fast as hell with a 6-speed. Sure, it gets 15 mpg, but you can't have everything.

They have one for sale at Costco for a little over $30,000.

Hmmm....

[Mothy]

Its an Australian Holden HSV with Pontiac badges - we love them down here.
GM own Holden and have been shipping them to USA as an export for a while after Bob Lutz came for a visit and loved the local designed cars.

The earlier two door GTO was also a Holden - then model we call the Monaro.

Cars companies are going to need to have global models to survive - Honda, Mazda and Toyota worked that out years ago. Porsche, Mercedes and BMW have always been that way.

Tim

[MMARSH]

Funny you should post this. I've spent the last three days reading everything I could about them. I test drove a GT and was really impressed. Because the platform has been around overseas for several years there are a ton of upgrades for them and the engine is easily modified to over 500 RWHP. I will be getting a 6spd GXP and adding the full track ll pedders suspension package and Breyton GTS wheels. It will look like this, but will be a GXP because I have to have the 6 spd.

[Jim Richards]

GM will put in a front bench seat, soften the suspension, and rebadge it as a Buick.

[Zef]

Because there will always peoples to buy GM crap.

[slow&rusty]

Unfortunately Pontiac need more that one just model to stay in business.

[Jim Richards]

I can imagine Pontiac being absorbed into Chevrolet. Then Chev would have a few performance-oriented cars (new Camaro, Corvette, and G8), a number of starter or family cars (Aveo, Cobalt [actually its upcoming replacement], Malibu, and Impala), and their truck, SUVs and vans. Finally, they will have the Volt in 2010.

I think they can easily dump Pontiac and have a complete set of products to offer. I imagine they can even pare this down a bit and tweak their products to be better positioned for the future, if they have any corporate vision at their disposal.

[legion]

While totally impractical in many ways, the Solstice is a pretty cool car too.

[Jim Richards]

I thought it was a chick car.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

Funny you should post this. I've spent the last three days reading everything I could about them. I test drove a GT and was really impressed. Because the platform has been around overseas for several years there are a ton of upgrades for them and the engine is easily modified to over 500 RWHP. I will be getting a 6spd GXP and adding the full track ll pedders suspension package and Breyton GTS wheels. It will look like this, but will be a GXP because I have to have the 6 spd.

If I had $40k to spend on a new car right now, that is an incredible no-brainer. It's basically a 550i that's cheap to own and 1/2 the price to buy.

[VincentVega]

40k ? Looks like low 30's for a new one on Ebay and 20's for one with 16 miles, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-G8-GT-2009-Pontiac-G8-GT-361-hp-Best-deal-click-and-See-WHY_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a727Q7c66Q3a2Q 7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a 1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem2 30311010747QQitemZ230311010747QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTru cks

Every car has depreciation, but it's horrid at GM.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by Zef

Because there will always peoples to buy GM crap.

And there will always be people that believe that the only good car has to cost alot of money and/or have a three pointed star or blue and white roundel on it.

Other then my 69 GTO, I havent owned a GM product for a long time. The last one I did own, actually was a decent car. I put 165K on it never had any problems.

The Zeta platform is a proven chassis and this will probably prove to be the best Pontiac that GM "never" made. It's one of those cars that if you took all the badges off it, so it didn't say pontiac anywhere on it, People would like it. Unfortunately alot of people are blinded by the Blue and white Roundel (I say that having a 06 BMW sitting in the garage right now. Wifes car.) and for various reasons wouldn't ever consider and american product besides a truck.

I test drove it because I was curious about how well it drove. The one I drove was a GT with 360+ horsepower. I couldn't believe how well the car drove and was impressed with the room inside. And it was less then 30K. Honestly, if the GT came with a manual, I would buy that. Was it has good overall as a 70K BMW, perfomance wise yep. Does it have all the bells and whistles of the BMW, nope, but I really don't care about 40K in bells and whistles.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by Chris Martin

40k ? Looks like low 30's for a new one on Ebay and 20's for one with 16 miles, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-G8-GT-2009-Pontiac-G8-GT-361-hp-Best-deal-click-and-See-WHY_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a727Q7c66Q3a2Q 7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a 1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem2 30311010747QQitemZ230311010747QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTru cks

Every car has depreciation, but it's horrid at GM.

The GXP with the LS3, 400 horsepower and brembo brakes isn't out intil the first of the year. Right now there is the GT with a L76 and automatic. They can be had new for less then 30K if you shop around.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

The GXP with the LS3, 400 horsepower and brembo brakes isn't out intil the first of the year. Right now there is the GT with a L76 and automatic. They can be had new for less then 30K if you shop around.

Yup, the sticker price of the GTP is about $40k. With GM discounts, I'm sure they'll go for less.

I'd bet money that the Pontiac will be just as much fun as the BMW, more reliable, and cheaper to maintain. No snob appeal though. No iDrive or other tech stupidity either.

[legion]

My wife has a 2002 Sunfire that she bought new in 2001.

Over the past 7 years, her car has required:

A new battery.
A new set of tires.
Oil changes.
A new set of spark plugs and wires.
A few air filters.
Some wiper blades.
Gas.

[onewhippedpuppy]

What's the saying? GM cars run badly longer than anyone else's?

[Jim Bremner]

my '02 cheby truck has 160,000 miles of abuse. 25k pulling trailers. One trailer that it pulled from LA to Vegas 5-6 times was 22'X8x7

Since day 1 on 02/02/02 it's ran greeat

It's problems?

1st. I broke the tranny, After pulling that trailer up and over the Grapevine in California @ 80+ mph (hey I didn't want to be the Last guy at the table to pay for dinner)

2nd. the parking release cable broke.

3rd the trim that is around the tailgate release broke

4th someone stole the chevy logo off of the grill.

The truck still has is first set of brake pads and rotors. It's first and only tune up so far has been at 100,000 miles (it was my office and I couldn't leave it at a shop)

It's been loaned out to Friends, family and neighbors to move or haul.

The first day of owning it I drove it 240 miles and hit the Governor @ 98mph.

It's hauled a load of dirt to the dump 2,850 # takes a bit of time to shovel out!

[mikeferg75]

Reason number 2 to keep Pontiac

Solstice Coupe

[charlesbahn]

My last GM car used to stall unpredictably. You could be driving on the interstate at 65 in heavy traffic in the center lane and the engine would just shut off, and not restart. Took it back to the dealers and different mechanics about 100 times. Finally traded it in, and took a loss. GM was as helpful as a tit on a bull.

I tell everyone I talk to about the bad experience and neither I nor my children have bought another GM product since, and we're car people. I figure I've cost them at least $1 mil in lost sales.

Bk is too good for them in my opinion.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by mikeferg75

Reason number 2 to keep Pontiac

Solstice Coupe

I thought those were re-badged from Saturn