burlapp car

Get them while you can!

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There are more and more rumors everywhere about Pontiac’s death coming up this monday.

A sad thing. Sure, they put out plenty of crappy cars in the past few decades and ruined the brand.
But they do have good cars now.

I was lucky enough to drive the Solstice Turbo for a whole week last year, and couldn’t remember having that much fun behind the wheel.
I also spent a whole day driving both the V6 and V8 versions of the G8.
And I found it to be a great and fun to drive sedan. Just like most of the press invited to the event.

Sure, it’s not a great idea to buy cars from a dead brand. Resale value will pretty much suck.
But I do think leasing one of these would be a great idea. Then you don’t really care about resale.

I just wanted to put in my 10c about these 2 really good cars that might not be available for long.
They could turn the Sky into a Chevy, but I really don’t think there is room for the Solstice anywhere else in the GM family.

It’s just too bad….

Conversation 18 comments

  1. You said “think leasing one of these would be a great idea. Then you don’t really care about resale. ” shows you do not know how much of a rip off leasing is.

    Lease agreements usually have clauses that if the resale value is too low because of market forces you the consumer has to pay the difference.

    Just further proof leasing a car is the stupidest thing anyone can ever do anytime. It only makes sense for companies not individuals to lease.

  2. I drove a G8 GT and found it terrific. Best steering feel on any car I’ve EVER driven, and that includes my ’07 BMW 328i. Unfortunately, leasing is a no-go because the low resale will make the residual suck, thus raising monthly lease. I was quoted over $600/mo. to lease the G8…about $100/mo more than my 3, which has an MSRP that’s $5k more.

  3. Awesome! In the back of my mind I have always wanted a Solstice. Now I will be able to pick up a used on cheap!

  4. Vince,
    We’ve already know that Saturn, Saab, Hummer are gone, leaving GM with: Cadillac, Chevy, Buick, GMC, Pontiac. And now the idea of Pontiac getting bumped is being floated around. My question is: do you think this is a real business plan taking shape, or just GM trying to leverage its position. One of the companies I used to work for would occaisionally send rumors through its own company regarding firings and restructuring as a means of… I guess shaking things up and getting more productivity. Just wondered if GM is doing the same scare tactics on both Congress and their own people/UAW. Its not the most ethical thing to do, but the people running these companies didnt get there by handing out daisies.

  6. I dont get Pontiac/GM. I wanted a Solstice Coupe badly. I prefer a coupe to a convertible, plus they are usually much cheaper (like 3 to 7k cheaper) because the structural engineering and construction is easier.

    So I go to price it and the Solstice Coupe is a grand MORE than the convertible. I thought that maybe it included some goodies as standard, but if you want a few things like leather and power windows you have to drop coin on top of that. You end up with $33k or more for this low-budget Coupe????

    That’s a joke, but it’s why they’ll go belly up, and also why I haven’t seen one on the road. No one in this market is going to spend it. Maybe if they go belly-up I’ll find a blow-out sale with the models on the lot for around $22k which is all it is worth.

  7. Didn’t want one then. Don’t want one now.

    But the Solstice is really handsome (even though I couldn’t use the clutch because my leg was crammed between the steering wheel and door of this clown car).

    See ya, Pontiac. Nice knowing ya.

  9. get rid of sky and move the solstice under the chevy umbrella. g8 can be also be a chevy holden. these are the only two worth saving.

  10. It’s sad considering the recent potential (I really liked the recent Monaro concept, the one based off the new Commodore/G8, and if things were different I’m sure it would’ve made it over here as the new GTO).

    I think getting one’s hands on a Solstice coupe might not be a bad idea if one could afford it. They’re going to have far fewer numbers than the convertible, so there is a chance that in many years the vehicle may have some increased value. Possibly.

    And dammit if I didn’t want a G8. That and the CTS are possibly the handsomest sedans I’ve seen in recent years.

    And now I know for sure, I’ll never see a new Firebird… damn.

  13. The Vibe is really a nice economical people and stuff hauler available again with 4 wheel drive this year. I see alot of these economical 4 wheel drive Vibes around in northern New England. It will be a shame to see such a practical model vanish. The Toyota Matrix, although being the same platform, just doesn’t have the character of the Vibe.

  14. I always thought that Pontiac sold more cars than Buick did and that Pontiac always had a younger, sportier and more agressive appeal. I just can’t understand why they would keep Buick, when the few models that Buick has could be sold over at Cadillac dealerships!

  15. The Vibe/Matrix are junk.

    Go close the door on the most recent generation and listen to the sound that it makes. It sounds worse than a mid 80’s Hyundai Excel. When I was at the car show there were people making fun of the sound it made.

  16. Why can’t they just have a little piece of the showrooms for the Pontiac Solstice? Kind of like the ‘super-rare niche sports car that handles like a dream for less coin’…
    come for the Solstice, stay for the Cruze, Malibu Hybrid or Equinox. Make sense?

    Of course not.

    As Carlos Mencia would say: D-D-D!!!!!

  17. It would seem stupid to scrap the actual cars ( and therefore lessen the return on the development cost ).
    There is no reason why they couldn’t sell selected “Pontiacs” in a Chevy dealership.
    And guess what – the G8 is a Chevy Lumina in the middle east.

  18. “It would seem stupid to scrap the actual cars ( and therefore lessen the return on the development cost ).
    There is no reason why they couldn’t sell selected “Pontiacs” in a Chevy dealership.
    And guess what – the G8 is a Chevy Lumina in the middle east.”

    The G8 is a Caprice in the UAE, not the Lumina.

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