RIP Pontiac.....

[Donziweasel]

Hard to believe they are killing it. GTO, Trans Am, Firebird, Tempest, LeMans, John Delorean.......quite a history........

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/autos/pontiac_obit/index.htm?postversion=2009042414

[gcarter]

It was only a matter of time.......maybe Buick is next unless the Chinese keep it alive.
Maybe one of the Chinese companies would buy it.

Look at the model of Toyota....Toyota, which includes a wide variety of products, including trucks. And Lexus, their quality brand.

Then there's those wierd little things they sell.......

[f_inscreenname]

I'm never going to get a 68 Firebird. The price for them will go up double once they are shut down. :garfield:

[Carl C]

Don't worry, you can get a Segway car:):newzealand:

[txtaz]

I'm never going to get a 68 Firebird. The price for them will go up double once they are shut down. :garfield:

Thank God I have mine. All original, completely restored, original Hurst. OK so it doubles to what $20k. I'd like to have a '69 or '70 SS Camaro and be happy with the $100k it would bring.:bonk:

[DonziJon]

Almost every day I see cars on the road ahead of me....I used to take some pride in being able to identify the make....I've been Screwing Up the past many months. I look at the rear end of the car and say...OH: THAT looks like a CAMRY. NO: It turns out to be a Mercedes. Mercedes even has one that looks like a Corolla. DAM: The point being is Everything looks like a Camry. So what does that say for the OTHER company designing cars that look like a Camry? JOHN

[HOWARD O]

I'm never going to get a 68 Firebird. The price for them will go up double once they are shut down. :garfield:

I hear ya, my all time dream car has been a '66 Goat. Been looking to get one for about 20 years now, never seem to have the extra $. Hope you're wrong about the prices escalating! :garfield:

[DonziJon]

Howard: The '66 Goat was the best looking GTO ever..IMHO.. BUT......I had a "66 SS-396 Chevelle.. (I bought it NEW) and it would wollap ANY '65 or '66 GTO. I had a convertable which was ONLY 325 HP. The SS-396 Coupe was 360HP. The fastest GTO at that time was the 389 GTO..1964. Trust me..I got waxed a few times by the '64. Every year after 1964..the cars got slower..and slower. Every year GTO was 360HP as far as I know. John

[Cuda]

My cuz had a 67 Firechicken with a 326, and the two speed slip and slide powerguide. :)

[BUIZILLA]

Janice's first car was a '69 Firebird 350 HO,, HO 'birds were rare as hen's teeth... pale yellow/white guts/white cordovan roof/loaded options.... it was a REALLY nice car back then... when we got married I bought her a '70 350 HO Lemans, silver/black/black, equally great car.... i've had several Pontiac's but the MOST fun was my '00 WS6 Trans Am 6 speed, mid 11 sec daily driver.... :yes:

before I die, I want one of these..

[Cuda]

Trish's bird pic taken today. I think it's an '02.

[HOWARD O]

Janice's first car was a '69 Firebird 350 HO,, HO 'birds were rare as hen's teeth... pale yellow/white guts/white cordovan roof/loaded options.... it was a REALLY nice car back then... when we got married I bought her a '70 350 HO Lemans, silver/black/black, equally great car.... i've had several Pontiac's but the MOST fun was my '00 WS6 Trans Am 6 speed, mid 11 sec daily driver.... :yes:

before I die, I want one of these..

I'll take the red one! Maybe a 421 tripower 2+2? FAST! :yes:

[HOWARD O]

Howard: The '66 Goat was the best looking GTO ever..IMHO.. BUT......I had a "66 SS-396 Chevelle.. (I bought it NEW) and it would wollap ANY '65 or '66 GTO. I had a convertable which was ONLY 325 HP. The SS-396 Coupe was 360HP. The fastest GTO at that time was the 389 GTO..1964. Trust me..I got waxed a few times by the '64. Every year after 1964..the cars got slower..and slower. Every year GTO was 360HP as far as I know. John
Chevelles are cool, but, at least for me, the back end of that '66 GTO is STILL to die for!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p164/Choppercogs/CIMG0521.jpg

[Last Tango]

I agree with everyone so far who has commented on the early GTO's (although some need to do a little cruise-in to Wikipedia to get the years and numbers straight - just sayin').
I think it is interesting that NOBODY is Jonesing for a G8... All the love buttons are for cars that are 40 years old or ended production almost a decade ago. This is why the mark is headed to the Guillotine.

This year, for the first time, the GTOAA and POCI are doing their annual conventions together, in Dayton, Ohio, in early July (called a Covention this year). Might be the best timing ever for this event to happen. The unintended grand farewell gesture. Interesting that, since this event has been in the works for several years, that it amazingly falls right at the end of the history of the marque.
There will be books about this event...

[Ghost]

Love the GTOs and Camaros, but this is the car I fell in love with when I saw one parked outside my place back in '92. Maybe someday...

http://www.mattsherman.biz/65%20frontright.jpg

[gcarter]

Love the GTOs and Camaros, but this is the car I fell in love with when I saw one parked outside my place back in '92. Maybe someday...

http://www.mattsherman.biz/65%20frontright.jpgThese are pretty reasonably priced right now. But maybe due to the economy, still unobtanable.
I like Continental Mark II's also.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=45349&d=1240762669

[Carl C]

I'll never forget the '65 Goat that I blew up on the freeway as a kid. Being broke I took the sun tach off the steering column and hitchhiked home, abandoning the car. It had a 389 and 4 on the floor. Sure would like to have it back now :(.

[BUIZILLA]

I'll take the red one! Maybe a 421 tripower 2+2? FAST! :yes: there is another one identical to that Honduras maroon car about an hour from here that belongs to a real close friend of mine, 10,200 original miles... i'd about give my right nut for it..

[Donziweasel]

While I love the 60's Pontiacs, my favorite was the 1973 Trans Am SD455. Hand built engine, over 400 hp (although Pontiac only rated it at 290), etc....

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w190/johnnyalltrans/d454_1.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w190/johnnyalltrans/71ta001.gif

The 1970 GTO Judge didn't suck either.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w190/johnnyalltrans/a496_1.jpg

[Cuda]

In 73, they had denutted them with low compression engines so they could run on uleaded fuel. :(

[Tim Morris]

Pontiac did build excitement! This is what I was driving in high school.
I saw this at an auction and just had to go out and snap a couple of photos.
It's the exact same car I had, Pontiac Laurentian conv, same color inside & out. Same 283/auto. Mine had a black canvas top.
Bought it for $700, sold it for $375 at night; to a mechanic; it used a quart of oil every 25 miles. Nothing but blue sky in the mirror,
or was that smoke?
I was 'cock of the walk' back in '64.

[Lenny]

there is another one identical to that Honduras maroon car about an hour from here that belongs to a real close friend of mine, 10,200 original miles... i'd about give my right nut for it..

Jim, about 25 years ago, I had (briefly) a 60 something, (Black) 2DR HT 421 tripower Bonneville car c/w the 8 lug aluminum/magnesium wheels and a stick. I bought and SOLD it for $800 bucks :( 1963 I think. too many brain cells ago.

Actually, this is the identical car, except mine was obviously not perfect. should have kept it... http://www.autotraderclassics.com/find/vehicle/vehicleDetail.xhtml?adId=71982&conversationId=2449

[mattyboy]

My uncle who just passed away was a big Pontiac man he always had a rag top pontiac in the drive way, he had a 56 i think Bonneville convertible with a blown motor I wanted the car so bad i was like 14 and my dad said we could not store it for 2 years in the city what a cool car two tone white with like a copper/metalic orange color, the best time was when he threw me the keys to the 76 Grahamville brougham convertible and I cruised daytona beach that was awesome, he never went for the GTO or firebirds he always had a bonneville or a catalina

sad to see the excitement gone :(

[HOWARD O]

In 73, they had denutted them with low compression engines so they could run on uleaded fuel. :(

With the exception of the Hemi, which lived on to another good year, I believe that started in '71.

[HOWARD O]

I agree with everyone so far who has commented on the early GTO's (although some need to do a little cruise-in to Wikipedia to get the years and numbers straight - just sayin').
I think it is interesting that NOBODY is Jonesing for a G8... All the love buttons are for cars that are 40 years old or ended production almost a decade ago. This is why the mark is headed to the Guillotine.
This year, for the first time, the GTOAA and POCI are doing their annual conventions together, in Dayton, Ohio, in early July (called a Covention this year). Might be the best timing ever for this event to happen. The unintended grand farewell gesture. Interesting that, since this event has been in the works for several years, that it amazingly falls right at the end of the history of the marque.
There will be books about this event...

Well, the Australian "GTO" is a great performer but hardly all American and I think it's fugly as all get out.

By the way, I just read the above posts.........I didn't see any instances where someone got their numbers wrong? Please explain that comment. "Just sayin'" :confused:

[HOWARD O]

These are pretty reasonably priced right now. But maybe due to the economy, still unobtanable.
I like Continental Mark II's also.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=45349&d=1240762669

That Mark II is a beautifully styled car. :yes:

[Cuda]

The most skeered I've ever been in a car, was when I was about 14, crossing the Bay Pines Bridge in a 70 goat 400. I'd been faster in a car, but this guy was high as giraffe puzzy (so was I), and all I could see was the headlines in the paper the next day. "Two youths die in speed related accident" :eek:

[smbarcelow]

I'm jonesing for a G8 GXP. :yes:

[RedDog]

I had a couple of mundane '90s vintage Pontiac - Grand Am and Grand Prix.

Currently have a '04 Bonneville GXP w/Northstar. I love this car. Nice and tight, good acceleration, good handling, lots of comfort for a big guy - it's the wife's car and she hates it (it's a mental thing. Her dad was a Pontiac salesman for years and she relates to the '70-90 versions of the Bonneville he used to bring home. She calls this 300 HP car a grandma car

Also - its a shame but her brother (and his wife) is now the used car manager at the Pontiac dealer. They also sell GMC and Jeep, but are likely to close the doors soon.

And so how is all of that stimulus money helping out? It is being filtered through the federal bureaucracy and not getting out to help now when it is needed. The funds should have stayed in the consumer's hands via tax free holidays. Then we the people would have spent the money and perhaps kept the car makers afloat.

[HOWARD O]

but this guy was high as giraffe puzzy (so was I),



:rofl:

[mjw930]

I'm jonesing for a G8 GXP. :yes:

I agree, that's one of the few American (I know it's built in OZ) 4 door sedans that could tempt me away from a C350 or a 335i. Too bad the baby gets thrown out with the bath water.

Maybe the platform will be resurrected in Chevy form as an Impala SS......

[Craig S]

I'm jonesing for a G8 GXP. :yes:

I was towing my boat yesterday evening, and got behind one. Geez, that's a sharp looking car.

[smbarcelow]

Motor Trend is also speculating on a reworked G8/Commodore to become an Impala for police duty. I think selling a V8 powered rear-drive car to the public looks a bit risky for GM right now, with the feds looking over their shoulder and firing execs as they see fit. I just hope GM survives and can eventually get the government back out of its day-to-day business. May be like trying to put the genie back in the bottle.

I'm glad I've held on to my Bird. I've been toying with the ideas of running my Grand Am up to 300K now...the original plan was 200K but I'm having trouble with the thought of parting with one of my Pontiacs, even if it is just a Grand Am. I wish I could afford to pick up a G8 GT or GXP right now. :garfield: