Is Pontiac History?

millan_twenty10
Mar 22, 2009 at 8:38 pm

DAMN!!!!!

Daniel
Feb 25, 2009 at 7:13 pm

I love my 2000 Pontiac Trans Am (33,000 miles)…have had nothing but good luck with American cars. I have a 2001 Lumina as well with 105,000 miles on it and it runs great! I had a 1997 Mustang and it ran great before I hit a wall. If you don’t thrash your vehicles and always properly maintain them you save yourself from a host of problems, whether foreign or domestic.

Kevin
Feb 23, 2009 at 7:05 pm

Hey Billy….you nailed it right on the head about the cheap parts and cutting corners. I could go on about the problems other people I know have been having but it isn’t just GM. My ex brother in law had a Ford Tempo and drove it home from work one night like he always did and about an hour later his oldest daughter asked him why his car was smoking, by the time he got to the window it was completely on fire and by the time the fire department got there all that was left of it was the shell. It turned out to be the electrical more specificaly the ignition switch started the fire. I owned 2 Ford Fox body Mustangs and the 1983 had a rip in the floor under the driver seat because my grand dad owned the car befor me and was too heavy for the car being around 200′lbs. My second Mustang was a 1989 and it had no heat and I had it checked several times and no one could find anything wrong with it. In the summer when it was hot out this same 89 Mustang would decide to quit and usualy in the middle of traffic or at an intersection and I had a hard time getting it started again.
My parents owned a 1976 Chrysler Cordoba and one night the steering shaft snaped in half and my mom took out a pole and hit a tree. Their 1973 Dodge Charger had a 318 in it and it wouldn’t run wether it was raining,dry,hot or cold. So I guess it is easy to say that it has been an on going problem with all three companies for maney years and forget about buying the extended warenties, I bought one when I bought my Pontiac and convieniently nothing is ever coverd when something is wrong with the car. At least GM has found a way to keep the paint on their cars/trucks and from pealing off in sheets like it did in the 80′s.
So if anyone from the BIG three ever check this site out, we all want you guys to last but you need to step up and start owning your mistakes and stop putting out crap and leaving it up to us to pay for it because in the end who is it that is realy paying for it?
I know that my loyalty like everyone else will only go so far and being that I work for the automotive sector I have always supported all htree companies but I have been layed and only worked 3 weeks since last July and I have had very little money to live on. Lets just say I am tired of fixing a car I can no longer afford any way and now it is becoming unsafe to drive and it is a 2003. My 1988 Chev 1500 was 18 years old when it finaly gave up and until it’s last days I didn’t have half the problems I am having with this peice of crap I’m driving now and my truck was paid for. Start making all of your customers come back by rebuilding your reputations
and we can all be proud of our American made cars again like we were back in the hey days of the 50′s,60′s and the early 70′s.

My name is Billy
Feb 23, 2009 at 1:35 pm

Geez, Pontiac is the only brand getting chopped? Caonsidering how fucked up the GM management is I am shocked they didn’t just throw in the towel already all together.

They just refuse to keep up with the times, keep up with QUALITY, keep up with service. They think their heritage of “American made, big, powerful, tough steel muscle cars” is going to ensure they always have business and can therefore just do whatever they want and the consumer will stand by them. WRONG!

They never even issued a recall on the mid-90′s-00 intake gasket problem. They just let all the millions of people who owned the affected cars drive around with plastic manifold gaskets as GM’s supposed “superior” Dex-Cool coolant ate away at the plastic gaskets. Apparently the geniuses that came up with Dex-Cool never realized that it was also extra corrosive and required the gaskets be updated with metal versions so they don’t fail. Even after they became aware of the problem, they expected the consumer to pay for the replacement gaskets and the damage repair themselves because maybe the gaskets failed from normal wear and tear and not because of GM’s negligence (even though they uncovered internal memos stating they were aware of the problem and had notified GM service center to be ready for all the vehicles that were about to start coming in with the same problem). It took people filing their own lawsuits against GM in order for them to finally agree to reimburse certain consumers’ out of pocket expenses relating to this matter only if they meet the plethora of requirements GM decided upon. Of course most people didn’t meet the conditions so they were still SOL.

Their fan-speed resistor packs are known for failing prematurely on several of their models. They do not use wiring standards that meet ANY electrical code that I am aware of. And they have yet to even put projector style headlights on any of their cars yet that I know of. I mean I want projectors, I want to see at night, why can’t they catch up to the point European manufacturers were at 10 years ago?

When you don’t offer what people want, cut corners by buying any cheapass parts you can to save money for the CEO’s knowing the parts are going to fail prematurely, charge a fortune for replacement parts (which are also cheap-ass low-quality parts) and poor service, and treat your customer like shit, what do you think is going to happen.

Everyone used to make fun of Ford all the time, but now at least they can say “Hey, at least we aren’t making Chevy’s!”.

Ding Dang
Feb 23, 2009 at 1:27 pm

There cud never be a history on the Pontiac caz thy are history already its just up to us to let them live on

Kevin
Feb 23, 2009 at 7:56 am

It is sad to see what has become of our American made cars, I love the GM,Ford and Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler heritage but I hate what the last 4 generations have done to our cars. I bought an 03 Pontiac Grand Prix GT in 2007 with in the first 2 months it blew the circut board for the fan control, so I paid and had it fixed and it has blown again a year and a half later. My wipers, they have caused me nothing but greif and I have already paid 500.00 on them to have them fixed and they are still not working properly. I have a short in my wireing and my interior light in the back just came on by itself so I had to pull the bulb so it wouldn’t kill my battery. I also have a major leak some where around my windshield/fire wall and every time we get a heavy rain my passenger side floor mate is submerged under water. My ABS do not work properly and almost killed me once and yes I do know how ABS work so it was not opperator error I can honestly say that it is no wonder people are buying foriegn cars. I love American cars I just hope that who ever takes charge of our companies start listening to our complaints and stands behind their products and not put their problems on our laps because who can afford a car loan and then major repair bills on top of it.

alfonso
Feb 23, 2009 at 7:47 am

WHY?!?!?! So now for sure there is not going to be a new Pontiac Firebird Trans Am!!!! Wtf? Why the hell would GM kill pontiac?! if anybody they should have gotten rid of Buick first!

Jarrod
Feb 22, 2009 at 9:22 pm

This makes me sad, but I saw it coming. Every model in the Pontiac line-up is something else re-badged.

G5? Chevrolet Cobalt.
Vibe? Toyota Matrix.
G8? Holden Commodore.
G6? Chevrolet Malibu.

At least back in the day GM offered whatever combination for each individual brand. You could have your 454 in your Chevelle, and your 455 in your GTO. They shared the same body and had similar curves, but at least they were different enough to have their own personality. Personally, I can’t see much difference between the Pontiacs now and their physical counterparts.

Buick will probably be out on their way soon as well. They were the division that started it all for GM, but they just let it rot into the mess it is today. You used to have such beautiful older cars such as the ORIGINAL Roadmaster or the Buick GSX. Even the GNX was a step in the right direction, but after they all started going FWD like Oldsmobile did… it was the worst decision GM ever made switching over the majority of their platforms to FWD.

Besides, even if you take a Buick and Cadillac and compare them to each other, you can just notice whats wrong right off. The Buick has no curves at all. The fenders look flat on every model, and the only thing that they have going for them are a nice interior and a shiny grill. The Cadillacs have curves, it has angles, it’s pleasant to look at.

They should have made a rebadged CTS-V for the Buick division, but offer either the previous generation CTS-V engine (400HP) or the LS3 (422HP). Maybe even an even more detuned version of the LS9 would have been nice, like maybe a 450-475 range. Just enough to keep some pep in it.

Q45on22z
Feb 22, 2009 at 9:06 pm

someone explain this to me. ford is the only big 3 company treding water yet they have the worst line up and worst rep (as far as quality). i looked at the parking lot at work and noticed not only was roughly 90-95 percent of the cars american but there were more 3300/charger/magnums than all the foriegn cars combined. and of the few cars that were at least half of the owners also owned an american car (myself included). on the way home i seen mostly american cars. and i own one of two foreign cars on my cul-de-sac. And we both own american cars also (I own a 02 infiniti Q45 and a 96 impala ss and my wife drive a 08 ford explorer). is it because ilve in the midwest or is it bad managment by detroit were they have to sell more cars to keep up with japan.

gtbic96
Feb 22, 2009 at 7:07 pm

zach, i don’t mean to play devil’s advocate, but if you check the link below there’s an article about gm’s overseas ventures, including plants in germany, austria and spain. i believe they also have plants in mexico and brazil. by the way, that’s a beautiful buick you have!
http://www.assemblymag.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000369941

Dave
Feb 22, 2009 at 6:20 pm

I love GM, but they have had their heads up their butts for the past few years. Chevy has made whatever the heck they want with no regard to supply and demand, Pontiacs got crap like the G6 sedan, Aztec, and Vibe, and Nobody has liked Buick since they turned the Regal into a granny car. Maybe if pontiac would emphasize their sporty and fuel efficient cars they would make some sales and wouldn’t be getting axed. Lets face it-the Vibe is ugly and less than a mass appeal car, and the G6 is a poorly made, slow, not overly fuel efficient car. However, my first vote to kill a division would have been buick, who hasn’t made a unique or sporty car in years, and besides, they have the Rendezvous, which someone should be shot for even conceiving.

damian
Feb 22, 2009 at 2:39 pm

i think that gm has no artistic value anymore because all i see out there is all of the same cars with different badges. like there mini vans all the same but diff badges, i think if they didnt make there cars all look the same mabe they would sell more! i mean come on! i feel like there being cheap about there auto designs. but hey thats my opinion

Keith
Feb 22, 2009 at 11:49 am

“whast the poin to of a vibe. its like an uglier 03 civic si but slower nd worse on gas and less reliable”

I thought jap cars were reliable? The vibe has a toyota drivetrain

ZachsS15
Feb 22, 2009 at 8:41 am

Okay first off i have not seen a gm plant over seas?? But i have seen toyota and other foreign car companies. The only thing im saying is that its bullshit that they wer able to come here and setup shop in the first place. The car companies are all screwed and going down the drain its just a matter of time. But the scary thing is that our pure built domestics that started here in this country will disapear before the foreign. They need to be moved out before that happens because it will only start a chain reaction in everything else made here, not just cars. There needs to be some serious changes or else theres gonna be some serious shit go down and it could cause war and the demolition of our american country. Im sorry but i dont feel like having to live there rest of my life in a 3rd world country because that could be our future lable. i apologise if i sound comunist but what other solutions are there? killing off our car brands maybe will help us for the present, maybe. But that will only make us less money and in the end the foreign companies will be in our country sucking up what we lose. May God help us all in this time of depression.Zach

Bobby
Feb 22, 2009 at 8:24 am

Yeah it’s sad to see it go…but it’s been coming. They have had so many cars that were good ideas, that just flopped. Just read the Jalopnik article…And second on the the whole removing foreign car companys from american soil thing…Why? When most foriegn cars today are built more towards the average american’s need than most american cars…Yeah foriegn companys don’t have trucks that compare to the U.S. trucks…but damn, I’ve worked on cars for going on 5 years now and my dad 30+…and the whole time I’ve been at the shop the only things we see most foreign cars come in for are oil changes…I think the American companies need to step up their game if they want to be back at the top. And as for Poncho…I’m not sure. maybe we’ll see more from them in 10 years..or not.

Hopefully though they are going to get rid of Pontiac and bring back Olds…They need a new cutlass (a 2dr rwd coupe, not some 4dr front drive freakshow)

STEVE D
Feb 22, 2009 at 2:20 am

I am sad to see Pontiac go but the fact is they wont be missed by most. Pontiac’s have been rebadged Chevy’s for the longest time except for the G8 and Vibe which will be rebadged as Chevy’s.
We will continue to lose American brands and company’s until they are all gone because we don’t suport them and not just the Auto industry. Imports have not been better than U.S cars since the late 90′s but we are too stupid to see that.

christian
Feb 21, 2009 at 9:55 pm

ummm nobodys stealing anything from anybody. japanese are smarter and build better cars. only good pontiacs are gto and the new v8 g8, maybe the gtp.if it sucks and doesnt sell, kill it off. whast the poin to of a vibe. its like an uglier 03 civic si but slower nd worse on gas and less reliable

Nate
Feb 21, 2009 at 8:26 pm

Zachss15,

WOW that sounds like commie talk. Get rid of a free market system? So how do you explain domestic brands built over seas? You have to understand that if you eliminate competition, GM Ford and Chrysler will all start to build more shitty vehicles because theres no need to compete harder.

Malte Becker
Feb 21, 2009 at 4:26 pm

Zachss15, so you think competition is a bad thing?
why do you think people started buying imports instead
of american? and according to your ideology, the rest
of the world also should stop buying american cars? that
would really help the economy

I hope american brands can survive this and start building
great cars like they used to, Pontiac will come back

ZachsS15
Feb 21, 2009 at 4:01 pm

heres my ride.

Zachss15
Feb 21, 2009 at 3:49 pm

this pisses me off. Ever since i saw toyota and honda and other foreighn brands start plants and building cars in our NORTH AMERICA i had this feeling like our pure brands would be flushed down the toilet and thats exactly what im seeing here. We need to bring in a new law that banishes all foreign companies. and that they need to be removed from our countries. They should’t be able to steal our profits on our own soil. The foreign companies need to be shoved out and the new vehicals must be made from there original origins(countries) and have to be built there and purchased there. So that if you want a new honda or toyota or any other foreign non domestic vehical you must got to that country and buy it there and have it shipped here not shipped here then sold. This way people will want to buy cars here, which would be… domestic not foreign. GM needs to cut off there foreign partners such as isusu suzuki etc. Not cut off the roots that made them the built company they were not 5 years ago. I remeber when chevrolet was the best car company in the world and i still think they are the best but deffinetly they arent staying strong. The reason?? foreign junk being built and sold here?? It needs to be stoped or else this crisis we are seeing in General motors will hapen to ford and is already being seen in chrysler and dodge. I hope that they can mend this problem, because this pontiac disapeaarence makes me feel like im loosing faith in the car world. Point is foreign cars are taking over and it isnt right. they need to change this problem. and change it QUICK or else some very disapointing things may occur, not only to General Motors but all domestics. OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN.

Dunkel Mann
Feb 21, 2009 at 3:48 pm

I think the G5 should be completely different from the Cobalt, since nobody likes the cobalt really… its more of a POS commuter car. i think Buick should be dropped if anything… and why didn’t the ‘Vette fall under Pontiac in the first place? I thought Pontiac was supposed to be more of a performance-oriented brand. I know there’s quite a few 3.8L enthusiasts out there…

and if anything, GMC should be dropped. I mean, its just a bunch of trucks that are all available under the Chevy badge. Sure they’re a hair more luxurious, but still. Their lineup should be this:

Chevy
Cadillac
Pontiac

and the Saab engineers should be helping GM make better commuter cars and such… if you can get almost 30mpg with a turbo 2 liter, i think that you can do wonders with small forced-induction engines. Plus if GM was smart, they would’ve bought out Toyota a long time ago and had very efficient 35+mpg compact cars with more power and a much better reputation for quality.

fierohurtsmyhead
Feb 21, 2009 at 2:07 pm

im deepley saddend at the loss of pontiac,thats all ive ever owned.great mourning.

David Lejour
Feb 21, 2009 at 1:49 pm

The pontiac line-up is pretty dead these days. The only model that is interesting is the G8. All the other models seem useless. It seems that the cheverolet varients greatly out-number the pontiac models on the road these days. With that said i think the wide-track is headed for a dead end. R.I.P

JDM Junkee
Feb 21, 2009 at 12:21 pm

Car is Clean! props

Chris J
Feb 21, 2009 at 10:44 am

Im trying to buy a firebird or trans am.
But i still love the Solstice.

Beech
Feb 21, 2009 at 9:17 am

Ive always been a Ford man, but I have owned a few 4cylinder Pontiacs in my day, and Ive always been very satisfied, Pontiac styling I think has always just been more pleasing then that of Chevy and Ive appreciated Pontiac because of that.It would be bad to see Pontiac drop off the face of the earth, they should cut back on Chevy a little as much as Pontiac and offer equal # of models from each brand.The truck line,the Silverado and Sierra flat out suck,its a big bulky bad handling box on wheels and should be dumped and start over clean slate instead of GM wasting money on those things.Vehicles like that are just part of the reason why they are in the state they are over all I believe.There are to many models with GM but I dont think they should just single out Pontiac to give up some models.People yes, are always going to want to save on gas and go for the economy car, but when it comes down to it we all wanna have fun and get behind the wheel of that BIG V8.Please GM do not cut Performance models out of your line-up like the Solstice, nor sleek and stylish cars like the G5.Like I said, Im a Ford man, but a Pontiac is A-OK in my book, and thats not something you hear everyday from someone like me.

daivd
Feb 21, 2009 at 9:15 am

D why don’t you go suck a D**K

Will
Feb 21, 2009 at 8:30 am

I guess it should have been obvious by Ryse Millen chosing the new hyundai genisis over the soltice for his drift car this year

D
Feb 21, 2009 at 8:22 am

daivd – you are an idiot!

daivd
Feb 21, 2009 at 5:21 am

I met dodge’s Murdering they did with the Charger.

daivd
Feb 21, 2009 at 5:19 am

The G8 sucks, Just like GM’s murdering they did with the Charger. 4door muscle cars are ugly. The GTO was pretty much all they had going for them.

Bruce
Feb 20, 2009 at 7:39 pm

This whole situation with the automakers is like a nightmare for car enthusiasts like us, just when cars were getting so cool again. I honestly can’t see anything coming from this other than another era of powerless, fuel saving drones like we had in the 80′s and 90′s. They’re taking and begging for so much money, they’ll be at the mercy of the “lenders” as to what they can make and what they can’t make. As for Pontiac, they had a great thing going in the G8 and the GTO, but Oldsmobile is no longer with us and I’m lucky enough to own a great piece of their history so get yours while you can. I’m also damned glad I bought my Charger SRT8 before they become extinct. I’LL NEVER LET GO OF THESE CARS!!!!

Is Pontiac History? - CarDomain Blog | Chevy2006.com
Feb 20, 2009 at 6:59 pm

[...] Original post:  Is Pontiac History? – CarDomain Blog [...]

Chuck
Feb 20, 2009 at 6:28 pm

The way things are shaping up. That T/A won’t be produced.I wanna say Pontaic Enthusiast showed another Concept of the T/A in a light blue. It looked more like the 75 than that black one down below.

DragonCrane
Feb 20, 2009 at 5:36 pm

IF U GO TO YearOne website they have their 21st Century version of burt’s car. probably a Mag’s ripoff of that.

08GXP
Feb 20, 2009 at 4:46 pm

It is a photoshopped G6 GXP concept, the hood scoops, mirrors, and wheels are all from the first concept GXP G6 pictures.

Don
Feb 20, 2009 at 4:42 pm

NIKKI;

That looks more like a photochopped Vette, I don’t see any RX-8 resemblance.

Brett
Feb 20, 2009 at 4:25 pm

Pontiac will go the way of Oldsmobile, Plymouth and now Saturn. Bye, bye performance division.

sarahsmile90
Feb 20, 2009 at 4:23 pm

If GM survives some form of Pontiac will be back. The question is, will GM make it?

retroman
Feb 20, 2009 at 3:58 pm

I still think GM made a stupid move in not importing the Pontiac G8ST from Holden. I think that vehicle could have remade Pontiac, and if they put a 4cyl in the base model, it could meet the fuel economy demands of a picky market.

Nikki
Feb 20, 2009 at 3:55 pm

Paul, that looks like a photoshopped Mazda RX-8 to me…

shitface
Feb 20, 2009 at 2:48 pm

pontiac aint dead man!! so they discontinue it for some time than 10 years later they bring it back with a trans am as their flagship!! sales will be off the roof!! you cant kill a legend!

paul
Feb 20, 2009 at 2:38 pm

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3065/firebird1tr2.jpg

could that be the 2011 firebird? or just a bullshit photo someone made on photoshop.

car nut
Feb 20, 2009 at 2:38 pm

no more 21st centurey gto. also what about the plane fore the new fire chiken i guess that chiken got it head cut off. lol

RAD
Feb 20, 2009 at 1:58 pm

It sucks, but the fact is, Pontiac has lost a great portion of its image with time. The Firebird is dead, the Grand Prix is dead, and the rest of its vehicles look juss like Chevy’s except for the G8. Changing times are wat ultimately is killing Pontiac. If they could still sell big muscle cars there would be hope, but that’s not wat its looking like. THEY REALLY SHOULD REVIVE THE FIREBIRD SINCE THE CAMARO IS COMING BACK AND EVERYONE LOVES IT ALREADY

joe
Feb 20, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Fuckin economy

Leo
Feb 20, 2009 at 1:36 pm

Sad, when you come down to it, Pontiac had more interesting versions of their Chevy counter parts. Pontiac also seems to sell pretty well regardless of their close cousins brand Chevy. Seems like they should have kept them alive….or at least grab their design team and replace the ones employed by Chevy.

GTwildfire
Feb 20, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Pontiacs have many of the same parts as their Chevy counterparts. Firebirds had probably 80% Camaro parts in their construction. With common platforms, why have separate production facilities?
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Pontiac went from being “not a core brand” to being a “Niche brand”. It’s a soft landing for some of those who can’t handle Pontiac not existing anymore.
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I’ve reached acceptance of Pontiac’s fate, even if Pontiac meets its end completely. The G8 and all their new stuff isn’t for me anyway. I like what they’ve done, not so much what they’re doing or would have done. That might have been changed if the Firebird sprung forth from the new Camaro but alas… there’s really nothing left for me coming from Pontiac.
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Besides, as I’m getting older I’m looking more to the past anyway… and Pontiac has one hell of a past. ’69 GTO Judge for example. For a “non-core brand” the GTO was one hell of an achievement and one of the most valuable American collector cars.

elcamino-dude
Feb 20, 2009 at 1:08 pm

that sucks!!! pontiac had some badass rides too, well at least they got some G8′s out there

christopher
Feb 20, 2009 at 1:01 pm

buzzkill hard times for everyone