Jason E

Just curious what my fellow flock of arrowhead enthusiasts are up to these days Now that my beloved brand is officially an orphan, I'm personally at a crossroads. My wife will not let me buy her a G8, because as she puts it, "I don't want to buy a car not even made." OK....

So, for us, the only real domestic option appears to be coming from the Dodge stable, in the form of a new Charger. I saw from my dealer rep today that for $29,995, I can get a 2011 Charger Rallye Plus with the 290hp V6, 5 speed AT, 18" polished wheels, heated front and rear leather seats, moonoof, 8.4" touch screen Boston Acoustics stereo, and a bunch of other crap I don't need

If the old, 250hp Charger did 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, I'm figuring this one should be in the mid-high 6s...a tick or two slower than her '04 GTP, but nothing else for that money is a ton faster. I'd love to step up to an R/T, but she doesn't need a Hemi. We both like the SHO, but that is nearly $10,000 more. We still plan to drive one though, to see if the extra money is well spent for a car we will have for a good 7-8 years.

For us, for the first time ever, GM is out. The Malibu and Impala are too bland, my wife isn't crazy about the Lacrosse (not entirely sure why, as I really like it), and the Regal is only a 4 cylinder across the board. We'd like a CTS, but I'm not "showy" enough for a Cadillac I guess...and that will cost as much as the SHO, or higher.

After owning a '95 Grand Am, '98 Grand Am, '01 Grand Prix, '02 Grand Am, '03 Ion, '04 Grand Prix, and my current 4 F bodies, I am saddened to not be able to find a V6, under $30k GM sedan with sporty styling and some goodies.

So, where are my fellow Pontiac brethren going? Buick? Import? Other domestics? I know you probably aren't going to a Chevy, so where ya headed?

With that said, I'm headed out to my garage to work on my '86 Trans Am. Pontiacs will always be alive and well in my own garage I'm actually considering selling my part-time driver, my '91 RS, for something different. And for the first time ever, I'm considering a FWD toy. In honor of what was pretty much my favorite GM car ever (aside from an F body), I've been scouring eBay for a clean, low mileage '97-'02 GTP coupe. With an added functional SLP Ram Air hood, nice 17" wheels, and a few other tasteful mods, it'll be a really attractive, comfortable cruiser on the cheap, that will do low 13s and keep my Pontiac streak alive

The sad thing is, GM makes nothing like it today

cmg06s

Mustang...

poSSum

The only recent Pontiac I've owned (I had a '65 Beaumont which was a rebadged Chevelle in Canada back in '78) is our '07 Pontiac Solstice ZOK which isn't going anywhere in the foreseeable future.

I didn't shed any tears over Pontiac being discontinued but I do wish that GM would have had a followup Kappa.

formula79

If I were in the market for a $30-40K car, my list would be as follows-

Sedan-
SHO
WRX
used CTS
used Bimmer

Coupe
Mustang or Camaro

If I were buying a car for my wife...I could also live with-
Mazda6
MazdaSpeed3
Pretty much any Acura car.

I know you make your living selling Dodges, but the last gen Charger was lame (especially the V6), and while the new one might be a nicer car, parts of it are 2004+ Grand Prix ugly.

Caps94ZODG

I am buying a Buick GS...hahaha..

not..probably going to look to get a G8 GXP. if I can find one for the right price in a few years.

But back to the buick thing..thats if the GSX is not out.

Slappy3243

I just finished paying off the GTO, so I am going to hold onto it for a while. The board talked me into it . Anyway, I have also only owned Pontiacs. I had a '99 Grand Am GT (loved that car!), a 2000 V6 Firebird, my 2001 10th Anniversary Firehawk (I still have it, link in sig), and my 2005 GTO which is my daily driver. If I were to buy a new car right now, it would be either a 5th gen or a new Mustang GT. The only reason I would consider the Camaro over the Mustang is because GM is offering to up my GM card earnings to $3000. Card earnings aside, I would lean more towards the Mustang.

If I had to get a new 4-door vehicle, I would consider a CTS. My mom has a 2004 model which I like and the new one is 10 times better. I would really like a new CTS-V, but don't we all? I like the new Regal and I could live with the 4-cylinder engine as long as it felt well-powered on the test drive. So yeah, I would consider a Chevy or a Buick I suppose.

Your wife does have a point about the G8 not being made anymore. I have already run into problems getting parts for my GTO. I had to wait for a new front bumper cover to come in from out west somewhere. The closest replacement headlamp was in Maryland. Those are the easy to find parts too. Sometimes, you have to wait for stuff to come in from Australia. That is why I am kind of worried about holding onto the GTO for a long time. Soon, used parts will be all that's left.

30thZ286speed

Our first Pontiac is our Torrent GXP, its my wife's daily driver and our weekend baby hauler. Its a fast and fun crossover that drives like a sports sedan. We love it even though its the first GM vehicle I've owned that has had major problems.

I am ready for a change, its time for me to move on from my beloved '97 Camaro Z28. I need something with a useable back seat that way the Torrent isn't our only vehicle when it comes to hauling the family around.

I am in the hunt for a low mileage G8. Its the only 4-door car on the road today that I love every line, I love how they stand out. I really want a GXP (love the wheels among other things) but I don't think prices of GXPs are going to drop much. I will probably settle for a GT next spring. I am really picky so it will take some time before I find the right G8.

If GM offered the Ponitac G6 Convertible with the G6 GXP powertrain (3.6L V6 and 6-speed auto), I really could see one of them in my driveway, I love an open top and I will truely miss the T-Tops in my Camaro.

I've came close to buying several Pontiacs over the years but never had until we bought our Torrent GXP in '08. I came really close to buying a '98 Grand Prix GTP Coupe right before I bought my Camaro Z28.

Jason, if you are considering 97-02 Grand Prix GTP Coupe. I would go with a '02 40th Anniversay Edition. I love the unique wheels, spoilers, and trim. It just sets them apart from all the other Grand Prixes out there, and you don't see them everyday.

Mikes25thAnnTA

We'll be buying something next year and right now this is the list I'm considering right now:

Malibu V6
Fusion V6
G8 GT
HHR SS
Grand Prix GXP

My first choice would be the G8 GT, but it's just on the outside of the range we're trying to stay in (fingers crossed that next year that won't be the case) while we save up for a down payment on a house.

Grand Prix is there only for me, because I'd prefer a little more performance, but it's older and likely won't happen.

HHR SS is a recent addition to my list. My wife used to drive an HHR for work and enjoyed it and the performance seems to be reasonable without sacrificing much fuel economy.

Malibu or Fusion V6s are most likely at this point. Newer designs, reasonable power, decent fuel economy, seemingly easy to find cheap used.

There are some others I'd rather have (Taurus, LaCrosse, Regal, etc.), but like the G8 GT, they're outside our current price range (and if they all weren't, I'd probably take the G8 over them anyways).

FUTURE_OF_GM

If I were in the market for a car in Pontiac price territory:

NEW sedans in order of preference:

1) 2011 Dodge Charger (Highly likely I'd buy this)
2) Ford Focus ST (I'm pretty excited about seeing this)
3) Ford Taurus SHO
4) Ford Fusion (although, if I went this route I'd just wait or the new one)
5) Buick Lacrosse (It's really nice, but it's highly unlikely I'd buy it because it isn't my personality)

NEW coupes:

1) Either the Mustang or Camaro. The test drive and amount of car for the money (aka GT500 vs. SS or Z28) would probably settle which.
2) Cobalt SS, if there are any left.

WILD CARD:

1) HHR SS

Honestly, I'd probably buy used as it's a better investment anyway an most of the cars coming out of Detroit are either bland or unattainable for my budget.

USED, in no particular order:

1) Pontiac G8
2) Pontiac GTO
3) 98-02 Pontiac Trans Am
4) 'New edge' Ford Mustang (just bought one of these)
5) Charger SRT-8
6) SSR
7) Mercury Marauder

HuJass

The G8 is absolutely still made.

It may not come to our shores and it may not wear the red arrow, but it is certainly still made.

What's your wife's concern about a G8?

Jason E

Couple things...

HuJass,
I am well aware the G8 lives on in other parts of the world. Personally, I love it. I've only driven one...a 10k '08 GT a customer traded for a new Wrangler. I thought it was great, if a little bland for the exterior. Her thing is, Pontiac is dead, and its an image thing with her. She works with a bunch of suits that drive Lexi, BMWs, Mercedes etc. She wants me to go to the auction and find her a 2-3 year old 5 Series for $25k. I told her over my dead, rotting, stinking corpse will I put her in a BMW. That ended that conversation No, I did not mind sleeping on the couch that night She has 3 horses out back that suck up enough money...I don't feel bad about stifling her kraut-wagen dream. At the same point, she wants something that is new and fresh...which in her mind is not a G8

David,
40ths are one option, but personally I prefer the '01 Special Editions better. Same car, no ruby red everywhere. I HATED the ruby red dash fascia on the 40ths when they came out. The Special Editions were available in white, red, black and silver IIRC, and had the same cool two tone seats, a silver dash fascia, and those asinine "roof fences." I'm not ruling out any GTP coupe. I can always replace the dash fascia on a 40th with a regular one. All that I know is, I almost shed a tear when I sold my '01 coupe when I started my job, and no longer needed it. I drove the crap out of it, always loved the style, and to me, other than a WS6, nothing says late-model-Pontiac quite like a GTP coupe.

Branden,
Where's that "wait until you see it in person" emoticon when you need it??? I think the new Charger looks great, personally. I wish they'd changed the nose more, but I love the sides and the rear, as well as the interior. Indeed, the '04+ GPs are no beauty queens, but you bought one, as did I It isn't so much the fact that I sell Dodge, as much as the fact that the LX chassis really is a very nice car. I love the NVH (specifically lack of it), the new Pentastar V6 in my mother's 11 Cherokee Limited is a fantastic engine, and they seem to have fixed every issue I had with the old LXs, namely the ugly interior and questionable styling in spots. I think it will sell well, but time will tell.

Mike,
I know what you mean about the GXP...same goes for us. I had an '06 in stock back in the Summer I wanted to buy her...dark cherry with 40k on it. It wasn't enough of a "boost" from what we have, in her eyes, so she killed the idea. I currently have my eye on a white diamond '04 Bonneville GXP with 55k at a local Buick dealer I'm trying to convince her is a cheap option as well (they're only asking $11,900 and its mint...I didn't know even GXP models were so cheap), but the same story there...

I just miss Pontiac. They always had something I wanted...

routesixtysixer

After having purchased five new Pontiacs over the last 23 years (87 Formula, 00 Firebird, 01 Formula, 04 GTO, 08 G8 GT) I just purchased a 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T.

92RS shearn

I had a GTO, now I have the Saturn Sky. So the only two cars I ever bought new are not from defunct companies. If I were to buy a car right now I would want either a used CTS-V, an HHR SS or maybe another Sky.
But now that we have a kid I doubt I could get away with another two-seater.

OutsiderIROC-Z

You sir, are a good husband!

Chuck!

Probably a 335, or save all my pennies and get a used CTSv coupe. Not sure I really want to carry a $600/mo car payment though. GM and Ford have a lot of really nice cars out now, they're just not my cup of tea.

The G8 GXP really was the perfect next car for me, but as much as I like Pontiac, I suffer from the buying-a-newer-car-from-the-dead-brand stigma. Hopefully the Chevy will be a hot car, but I dont really hold out much hope for the lwb.