My first car



1970 Grand Prix Model J (Pontiac loved ripping off premium car names) with a 455 and 400 Turbo. My parents bought it for me in 1979 for $1800. They wanted a lot of car around a new driver, especially out in front--the nose doubled as an aircraft carrier. My friends called it the Rhinomobile. Very fast--I remember at age 16 being too scared to actually push the pedal all the way to the floor for the first couple months I had my license. Got over that fear pretty quick, though. One that got away but oh the memories...

 

I have to say Pontiac has always been a brand I most identified with and I'm sad to see them go. Unfortunately, this demise has been a work in progress for some time.

My first car was a '90 Sunbird that did everything it was supposed to (fuel eff, durable, A to B) plus took a little extra beating at times. Looking back, I'm probably lucky I started out with a "low stakes" 4-cyl car. When the time came to get a fun car, it was a '93 Firebird Formula with the LT1. After that, an '88 Fiero Formula and after a few cars in between, I'm back with a daily runabout in an '03 Vibe GT.

The car I always wanted, and I know I'm not alone, was a black '98-02 Trans Am WS6. Despite the "boy racer" stigma and body cladding, the car was bad a$$ with more attitude than anything else cheaper than a Viper. Even the commercials were creative and fun. By the time I could probably afford one, my tastes and needs had evolved some.

Pontiacs in the era I grew up with--80s and 90s--were unique with a clear, sporty identity. Red guages, "performance" styling (vents, wings, popup headlights), and typically a legit performance edition of each model. Driving Excitement.

To me, the demise began with two decisions:

#1) The designers started appeasing the critics and not the buyers (Pontiacs were selling more 10 years ago, fleet or not). We didn't need "cladding/ribbing" forever, but it should have evolved and stayed in a sporty identity. This is not different than what Mazda is or Scion today. Successful, sporty brands minus 2-4 cylinders.

#2) They dropped/misused historical and popular namesplates, again trying to fit in and fight their identity. I like Bob Lutz, but this was part of his doing. Ford did the samething at the time with the Taurus. I guess everyone thought it was easier to rename a car with a shamed rental image than replace it with something competent using the same name. And then we had the GTO to top it off. A good car, but subdued and confusing presentation when everyone wanted something like the new Dodge Challenger.

After these decisions, it's no surprise we're at Pontiac's wake. Anonymous cars rebadged from other cars and given anonymous names in a market with too many better options. GM arrived at a point when they were too embarrased to offer the Pontiac everyone wanted, to the extent they'd just as soon let the brand die.

 

^^ Well written. Despite the fact I wanted to keep this post more light-hearted, you did hit the core reasons of Pontiac's demise, IMO...

 

I always loved Pontiac.

My dad had a couple. A 1965 Parisienne 4 door, in that green/blue color. He used to leave the house for work about 20 minutes after my mom and the kids, and still pass us (like we were standing still). My mom drove a Pinto! He traded the Parisienne (100,000 miles, never needed any repairs, nothing) because he was bored with it, and got a 1976 Lemans (bad decision). That car fell apart in two years, rusted, etc. He was so disappointed.

My elementary school principal had a mint condition red 1975 Grand Prix. I always thought the Pontiac interiors were so much nicer than the comparative Olds, Buicks, Chevys.

My first Pontiac wasn't really a Pontiac, it was an Isuzu dressed up as a Pontiac. I bought a 1985 Pontiac Sunburst, and drove it for a couple of years. Fun little car, and got great gas mileage. Sort of a Chevy Sprint with four doors.

After owning a 1987 IROC-Z, I traded it in on a mint 1991 Trans Am GTA. Loved the car, but missed the T-Tops. It was a hardtop 5.7L, loaded to the gills. Only owned it 6 months, and then bought a 2000 Camaro SS.

Finally bought the ultimate Pontiac (for me), a mint 1999 Trans Am Firehawk.

I'm going to miss Pontiac. They had a lot of style and substance. They were my favorite brand.

 

Reading all of these make me want to throw up. I can't believe that this stupid country has been brain washed into the old 80's cliche of american cars being crap. I have driven only american cars (chevy, ford, pontiac) while my inlaws swear by their awesome toyotas. I have had to work on those pieces of crap 10x more than I have had to touch my own vehicles. Yeah, thats what I want to own.

Anyways, I currently own three Pontiacs and a GMC. An 04 GP GTP, a 67 Firebird Sprint, a 97 T/A WS6 and a GMC Acadia. I bleed GM, and this current situation their in kills me.

 

I agree with a lot of the above... Pontiac did offer a lot of character and unique flair in their cars. I still get a kick out of the flip-up headlights on my TA, and the T-tops etc. It's really quite a package for the price it sold at, in the day.

GM definitely lost their way with Pontiac, what with the G5/G3 for example. Nonetheless, they had it right for so many years - and people will still be enjoying them for many years to come. I know I will