Financially-strapped General Motors confirmed this morning what had been rumored for some time in automotive circles: The Pontiac Division will be discontinued after 84 years.
My late husband loved Pontiacs. We owned at least six when he was alive (two 1958 models, a 1963 Grand Prix, and a 1959 Star Chief with the wraparound glass), and I drove a Grand Am in the late 90’s – fun little car. Never had a GTO – always wanted one. Sorry to see them go.
Pontiac muscle-car afficionados probably already have this in hardcover, but it’s worth mentioning: John Z. De Lorean’s 1979 memoir On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors.
That explains why they are selling them so damn cheaply. Will warrenties/maintenance still be maintained by other GM garages? At the prices advertised, we were musing about giving a few models a test drive, though we aren’t really serious about buying a car right now anyways.
As I write this, I’m looking out the window at my 2005 Sunfire. Amazingly, at this point in its life, it’s the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. I’m not in the market for a new car right now, but if I were, I’d definitely have considered another Pontiac.
On the other hand, I also owned an AMC Gremlin, so I guess I have a soft spot for doomed marques.
The warranties will be honored at any GM dealership in the country. Most Pontiac stores are also Buick/GMC stores so any current customers can just continue to have their vehicles serviced at their current dealership. The Obama administration has already commited to backing the warranties in the unlikely event the GM fails completely.
I owned two AMC Gremlins, an AMC Hornet, and an AMC Pacer.
Yes, I’m a slow learner.
My grandfather was a great fan of Pontiacs. I have very pleasant childhood memories of riding with him while he drove like a maniac.
My first car was a '77 T/A in blue with T-tops.
Not that pukey, aqua blue, but a royal blue, just like this one.
'sniff…
Cool.
If I needed a car right now, I would run out and buy one. I bet you could get a heck of a deal from a bitter dealer muttering something about “where the heck were you last year?”
My 1998 Pontiac Sunfire, which I had before I got my current car, was an unreliable POS. I had recurring problems with the spark plug wires, making it run roughly and making the Check Engine light come on. I didn’t consider anything from GM when I was looking to replace the Sunfire. YMMV.
Scumpup the most amazing thing about your post is that from the first Gremlin and Hornet to the last Pacer only covers nine model years. Four AMC’s in nine years definitely qualifies you for either a medal or a free institutionalization.
Let me guess, you had a relative at a dealership?
I haven’t really done any reading on this, but I can’t figure out why this is the brand they kill off. Young people buy them (life-long branding anyone?), they’re smaller vehicles which would seem to be easier to be fuel-effiecient, and they’re more reasonably priced than Cadillac and Buick.
Kill Buick. The only people buying Buicks these days are old farts who will be dead in 15 years anyway.
Perhaps they are counting on the Baby Boomers achieving Old Farthood.
Nah. I got all of them used and didn’t own any one of them for long.
1st Gremlin got destroyed by a hit 'n run.
2nd Gremlin, actually a Gremlin X with Levis interior, had transmission problems. More expensive to fix than the car was worth at the time.
The Hornet I inherited from my grandma and drove for only a few weeks as a second car before I sold it off.
The Pacer my dad gave me and I drove it for a year or so, like many 70’s cars it had sever body corrosion and I just didn’t want to spend the time or effort patching and painting.
No peronal experience with Pontiac…but it is a shame. I guess GM will have three brands: Chevy (low end), Buick (mid-range) and Cadillac (high end).
I hope there is real brand differentiation. Anyway, it was overdue.
I hope SATURN makes it-I’ve been a loyal Saturn driver since they came out.
I think they’ve already done away with Saturn.
I was going to buy another Grand Am, dang it. 
Even so, who’s gonna buy more cars over the next 30 years: A 60 year-old, or a 25-year old? My money’s on the 25-year-old. The same 25-year-old who loves her G6 and/or Vibe, and who loved her Sunbird and Grand Prix before that. Now those young people are just going to buy a Honda, Toyota or Ford for the next 30+ years.
So GM is killing the two main brands that young people actually buy: Pontiac and Saturn. Which is even more proof that GM can’t see past it’s own nose. Isn’t that what got them here in the first place?
I figure that just as I woke up liking Jazz on my fortieth birthday, I and everyone else will wake up on our sixtieth with an uncontrollable urge to own a Buick. Maybe they put something in the water.
How did they end up with Saturn? I thought it was employee owned, a super affordable car for the average guy. I obviously don’t pay attention; hope I didn’t miss the test.
Buick is supposedly very popular in China.