Why did you get your Pontiac?

[KR1ST1N_X3]

I was driving a piece of shit Ford Taurus 1990 (I think) Tranny started slipping and I had money saved up, went to see a guy I know that's a Ford dealer (I know, shut up lol) and he was showing me some cars and then I saw it there with a broken corner lens.. lol best looking car that was in that side lot, all the way in the back. They had just got it in and it was a 1 owner.

[BANDITCAR]

My story in letter form to GM about the discontinuation of Pontiac, reposted from my introduction thread:

Dear General Motors,

This letter is in reference to the recent decision to cut the Pontiac Brand from the General Motors line up of American vehicles.

I will start by stating how upset I am with the executive decision to remove Pontiac. I will do my best to explain why the decision upset me to such a degree as to write this letter. I know this letter will most likely do no good to undo that which has already been done, but your company needs to know how this decision has affected their American consumers and supporters.

I can only write from my own experience, yet I can say my feelings do resonate throughout the community of Pontiac, as well as GM supporters.

My fascination with cars started like so many others at a young age. By playing with small die-cast vehicles as a child and dreaming that one day I would be able to drive and own one of these fantastic vehicles. As a child I didn’t have any conciousness as to the companies that made cars. I only knew that there were certain design elements or names of vehicles that I affiliated with what made a “cool car”. The top two favorite cars that fully engrossed my imagination were the Corvette and the Firebird Trans Am. The Corvette of the 1970's had such bold curves that made it out to be so exotic. Whereas, the straightlines and no nonsense performance of the Trans Am could not go unnoticed, especially with a large mythical bird of fire emblazoned on the hood. What kid wouldn’t be fascinated with either of these cars?

Years later, I started to look more at the real cars that would pass by or that I would see as my Mom drove us around in her 1983 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. We would pass a car dealership whenever she had to pay the electricity bill. In passing this dealership I would notice the cool and futuristic looking vehicles. First there was a little sportscar that for the longest time I thought to be a Ferrari only to find out from friends that it was actually called a Fiero. There was also another type of passenger vehicle at the time the likes of which I had never seen before, The Trans Sport. It looked like it was made by NASA since the long slanting windshield made it resemble the shape of the Space Shuttle. Finally there was the Trans Am. The vehicle that I knew so well from movies and television. The Trans Am represented the ultimate car for me.

It was then, after noticing all these wonderful cars on the same lot that I looked up and saw the sign with bright red letters that spelled out PONTIAC. At that moment was when I made the distinction that any car with a Pontiac nameplate was the car to have. Something in the name spoke to me and made me want to know more. Every time afterward, as we would pass the dealership, I would look for more new and exciting vehicles from Pontiac.

Then came a time in my life where I thought Pontiac had taken their designs a bit too far in the early 1990's. The Trans Am that I had grown to love had a long pointy beak and I lost interest in that car as well as seing these others like the Grand Am and Grand Prix that I just didn’t attach myself to like other models from decades before. I had to ask myself, “Did Pontiac lose their way?”

Then something happened. An event that would forever change the way that I lived my life. That event, as small as it might seem to most, was a television commercial for the new 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. On the screen, I see this beast of a shiny black car come out of the mist to threaten the existence of a little foreign exotic. Then what happens was not expected, as the Trans Am completely consumes the exotic and expels a belch followed by the tagline, “The Muscle Car Lives”.

I was floored. Never had I seen such an amazing looking car. Pontiac had once again captured my attention and luckily enough at that time I was saving to buy my first new vehicle.

So in 1999, I walked into a dealership with $9,000 in cash and laid it down telling them I wanted a new Black Trans Am with Six Speed and Chrome Wheels. With that down payment and a little waiting I soon took delivery of my 1999 Trans Am. It was not a Ram Air car, but I would take care of that soon enough by adding a WS6-style hood and 30th Anniversary Trans Am dual stripes. I now had a car that was well known in my city and definitely stood out from all the other American cars and imports. It was at that point that I became a Firebird enthusiast. Attending and winning many car shows. Finding a car club that shared my enthusiasm for the same car and making new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

Then the first fateful blow comes in 2001 as General Motors announces that there will be no more Firebirds after the 2002 model year. I become deeply saddened by that news, yet I had hope that something good would come of it. Something good did happen. That announcement led me to making my next and most profound new vehicle purchase ever. I was finally able to realize a lifelong dream on January 5th, 2002 as I drove off the Pontiac showroom floor the last Special Edition Trans Am to ever be built. I was thrilled knowing that I was now the proud owner of a screaming yellow Collector Edition Trans Am WS6.

After getting my Collector Edition, I then discovered I had a need for more to compliment my car and that led me to the online store of PontiacMall.com of which I purchased every item with a Collector Edition logo on it. Adding to that, myself and another CETA owner founded a website to document the heritage of the car as well as give a gathering place for other CETA owners around the world. Through the message board of that site I met many of my now best friends and continue to this day to have a relationship with them.

Yet that is not the end of my story. I have to take a step back to 2002. After the production on Firebirds had stopped and I thought Pontiac had nothing else to offer me, GM and Pontiac surprise me with a car that made me once again fall in love with the Brand. The Pontiac Solstice concept vehicles were unveiled to the public and received critical acclaim and won best of show. I told myself that hopefully one day I would own that sporty little roadster that so reminded me of what an American car was.

Now fast forward to 2008 and I am participating in a Pontiac dealership car show with my CETA. Walking around the lot looking at the show cars I spy tucked behind the dealership a line of Solstices in varying colors. A salesman approaches and asks if I would like to take one for a test drive?

How could I say no? I took the Brazen Orange GXP Solstice out for a drive and fell in love. I had to have one. With fuel prices tipping the scales at almost $5 a gallon, it only made sense to get a 4-cylinder American roadster to help settle some spending. I placed an order for a new 2009 Solstice in Aggressive Red with the only option I thought necessary for a roadster in Louisiana, Air Conditioning. After months of waiting, my Solstice was built and delivered to me on September 13th, 2008. I was very proud of my new purchase and fully documented the addition of a second Pontiac vehicle to my collection. The Solstice is my daily driver and I get looks and questions about it every where I go. What can I say, I love the attention that driving a Pontiac gives me.

Then Monday April 27th, 2009 becomes one of the darkest days of my life. General Motors makes the official announcement that Pontiac will be no more after 2010.

Now, the only American car brand I have ever identified with is going away. Sorry to say but there is no other GM brand that has soul to it like Pontiac did for me. Even though GM’s other brands still make some outstanding vehicles, I will not be buying any new vehicles from GM.

With the discontinuation of Pontiac you , as a company, have lost a consumer, a supporter, a fan and a friend of the Greatest American Car company in the world.

Sincerely with Regret,

Paul M. Myers

[dangerranger67]

well.. i have owned a lot of cars, mostly ford. and a couple others.. but i was about 17 when i had picked up a 1994 grand prix for about 400 bucks off a lot.. didnt need much.. i had put it on the road and driven it about maybe 3 times.. it was pretty quick.. and sounded pretty snotty but being a FWD auto just wasent for me.. so i re did the body stuck some steelies on it with some new rubber and sold it to a buddy of mine for 1500 bucks.. needless to say.. i was incredibly surprised at how reliable it was for him.. and he would still be driving it to this day no doubt if it didnt get plowed by a garbage truck

so on to where the torrent came from

well about a year ago i had bought my 93 ranger

( i had wanted to build a ranger since i was like 5 years old) so i went out and got my hands on a little daily driver.. a 2001 hundai accent.. parked the ranger and started to gut her but left the 4 banger in it just in case i needed a back up vehicle ( not fond of imports ) so needless to say it only took me about 8 months to blow up the hyundai just long enough for me to order most of parts in for the ranger but not long enough to do the work.. also just before winter.. no way was i about to finish my ranger and then let ontario winter wreck it on me..

so i drove the ranger as was for about 5 months before the 2.3L started to give out (390,000KM) so i knew what i had to do

i had to go to a lot and sign on the dotted line.. i went to lot after lot looking at ford trucks, and boy had i not realized what a fashion accessory trucks had become.. i mean.. 20, 000 hamiltons for a 10 year old truck?!?!

so i was just about to give up hope when a dealer ship had called me and said.. we think we found something that might be suitable for your needs, so 40 minute drive later they had presented me with a 2006 pontiac torrent.. i had to laugh a little i was in my work clothes covered head to toe in grease while they gave me the grand tour of this thing needless to say, once i had run it by a few buddies and looked read online about them for a few days and dealt with the soccer mom jokes i had remembered back to my 1994 grand prix that was so incredibly reliable.. so.. i went back and signed the dotted line

couldnt be happier with my torrent.. ... well unless it was true AWD, with a v8

[NEWMAN]

Had a 2006 Toyota Tacoma XRunner and have being stationed in Korea for a year my welcome home gift from my at the time "wife" was she wanted a divorce. So I traded in the XR for the GXP. Its been a fun vehicle and looking forward to making it a unique ride.

[Ringo64]

Had a 2006 Toyota Tacoma XRunner and have being stationed in Korea for a year my welcome home gift from my at the time "wife" was she wanted a divorce. So I traded in the XR for the GXP. Its been a fun vehicle and looking forward to making it a unique ride.

Ouch sorry man. Least you got a Pontiac out of it!

[Kendra]

My brother had a Grand Prix SE and I tended to want to do what he did... So when it came time for me to get a car I started looking at a Grand Prix. The first car we looked at, which become my first car, was a Midnight Blue Metallic Grand Prix GT. Absolutely loved that car! My parents hated the color, but I loved it.

So I guess in the end I got into Pontiac because my brother had one. Of course after I sold my GT it wasn't too long before I bought my GTP last may

[G6shift]

well lets see...i started out with an s10. my friend got a red grand prix gt from his grandparents and treated it like crap but i absolutely loved the car. he got tired of it having problems and traded me for my s10. and i have never looked back pontiac FTMFW. it also helps my grandpa is a GM retiree

[AaronGTR]

Well, I went through a string of used cars including two Pontiacs, an Oldsmobile, a Chevy, and a Buick.... all of them from the 1980's except the Buick (a '92 park avenue). After a while I just got tired of driving crappy old cars that always needed fixing. So for one summer I got a job as a temp for the City of Warren, MI sanitation department. Mostly picking up yard waste and recycling and sometimes trash... it sucked... but they paid me $14 an hour! I'd never do that job again (nor will I take the garbage man for granted), but I made enough that summer for a big down payment.

I looked around at several different GM brands, mainly 'cause my dad was parts manager at a GM dealer so I had a hook up for GM parts and service info. I liked the current Pontiac offerings. I could either afford a loaded Grand Am, or a mid-range Grand Prix. I couldn't afford a GTP so I decided the Prix was out. I was tired of driving "boats" and wanted a smaller car. The grand am had almost as much stock HP but was lighter, smaller, and a newer chassis design. Plus I decided if I was going to pay 20+k for a car I wanted all the toys, so I got a GT1 coupe with leather, which meant it had every option available for the car. I'm still happy with the decision. After driving a '97 GP GT for years now as my daily, I can definitely say the GAGT chassis is better.

[dxdean3]

not really any special story to me getting the sunfire, i had a 96 2 door awfulmatic sunfire at the time, really nice, smooth running car, turned out the rear sub-frame was rotten and the car needed ALOT of bodywork(never found out till after buying it) it also go run into by a tractor, so i kept that sunfire to make a buggy out of, and i started looking for another car, so i went to my buddy todd, who owns a dealership and junkyard, and i seen this goldish colored sunfire sitting there, i asked todd about it, its a 98 2door 5spd 2.2L, so i took it for a test drive, and loved it, it handled great, lots of pep, and very comfortable interior, so i asked him how much, he said $1500 inspected, or $800 as is, i payed him $800 and took it as is, its been more than a year since he's seen the car, and its come along way from what it was, Todd even asked me if it was the same sunfire LOL

day after i bought it

a few dasy ago

[Twenty]

Long story short: I got my Pontiac because I grew up with it and wanted to keep it.

Long story long: My Grand Prix was purchased brand new by my parents in the spring of '93. Aside from having the dealership install a tape deck, they bought it as-is, right off of the showroom floor. My father had always wanted a Grand Prix, and they needed a car (To go along with our Suburban), so they bought it. I was about a year and a half at the time, so nearly my entire life the GP's been here.

As I grew older, my father started teaching me how to drive with the GP, by either letting me steer from the passenger seat (When we found ourselves alone on a road) or by letting me do laps in an empty parking lot. When I got my learner's permit, my parents let my use the GP as I didn't like driving the truck, and my father's car ('98 Lincoln, inherited from his father) was off-limits at the time.

Fast forward to my driver's test, and the GP was the car I used. I passed and my parents let me have the car since a license wouldn't do much good if I didn't have something to drive. By that time I knew I wanted to keep it, so I started working on it to make it my own.

18 months later, it's got multiple new parts, the rust has been removed, and I still love driving it as much as the first day I got my license.

[star_deceiver]

Got my Vibe brand new on June 4th/09. Out the door for $16'7XX. Base model, no options not even A/C!!!

[Crimson]

Well I started off by buying my parents very used 2001 grand prix from my mom and dad that had about 141,xxx miles when i first got it. Had that car for 2 years and it never failed me. The only thing I did to that car was a sound system. THEN FF to 2 years later when i was 18 and the Prix was up to somewhere around 155,xxx and It was running okay but I was getting concerned with it becoming a hole with future problems. I was working enough to afford a new car so i decided to go shopping. Had my heart set on a Charger R/T and shopped and shopped and shopped, test drove a fully loaded R/T and I loved it. Got the papers on that car and then I called a day later saying I wanted it and they told me they sold it. SOOOOOOO back to the shopping board. So my dad suggested G6 coupes because I had mentioned to him before that I loved them as well. I said, well the R/T was a V8 and the G6 is a V6 so if i get a 6, it better be fully loaded and everything that I want. Well what do you know I found a fullly loaded GTP only about 8 miles from my house. Test drove it, loved it, bought it 2 days later. As you all witnessed modded it till I dropped and then decided it was time for the GOAT. and you all know the story from here and That i got my goat and i love the car soooooo much!!!!

[valid]

Once upon a time my grandfather worked for Chevrolet. Then, he worked his way into the handy position of Manager of Special Vehicles for Pontiac. He worked on concepts such as the Sunfire Speedster and the Fiero. (As in, he was going to work on suspension for the '90 Fiero, but then that project was cancelled.)

My dad's first car (which he bought in high school and still owns) was a '77 Can Am. His winter car he bought in college was a '74 Open Manta (which he also still owns). Since he has gone through a few trucks (we own a farm) and a few minivans and bought an '88 Fiero in 1999 for $1500 as a surprise for me. Since I was 12 at that point he would drive it around and I would happily be the passenger. When I turned 16 I had moved to CA with my mom and my dad was still in WI so they mutually agreed (with the assistance of my grandpa) that I needed a new car that was guaranteed reliable for CA. I was torn between an Aveo 5 door (practical, but I really wanted a Pontiac) and a Sunfire. My dad found two Sunfires at his local dealership, a red one and a beige on. I picked the red one because, well, it was red!

Since moving back to WI I now own both of my babies. My dad still drives the Fiero when traveling between farms and I have the Sunfire with me up at college. Once I graduate in May I plan on Ecotec swapping the Fiero.. yum!

Two years ago I also owned an '87 Sunbird hatchback as a winter beater. Awesome car but it crapped out on me in the spring so I sold it to a guy who put a Cavi front end on it and wanted to v8 swap it.

I have always loved Pontiac and always will! I was born in Pontiac, MI after all...

[codybirchem]

Well my first car was a 1991 Buick Regal Custom Sedan... I loved the Sport Series 3.8 but the trans hated me. I was 15 when I bought that beast for $200, put about $4000 into work and gave up, donated it. Back at square one with nothing but my feet and a job. Went out shopping, had $6000 approval to buy a "new" car. Mom had a 1999 Bonneville at the time, 198,xxx miles. We both started looking at matching 2001-2003 GP GTP's, I desired blue, she wanted a silver, or black. So we're looking, looking... found me a silver one and she found a black one. I was in buy mode on the silver, but the guy sold it. Soo, I started looking at a 2005 Bonneville SE... Silver, Gray Interior, Mint exterior, Faded stereo buttons and armrest. Didn't know what I wanted anymore, lost hope, test drove an electrically challenged Buick Regal GS (If the Headlights were on, radio wouldn't turn on... Would only start if you turned the headlights on) nosirrr not going into another mess. Test drove the bonneville my mom encouraged me to look at and LOVED it. The next day I went to my Grandpa's to find it parked in the garage! So as I'm jumping up and down, get in the car to drive home and as I pull up the driveway my mom opens the garage for me to park.... NOT, revealing a 2007 Grand Prix!! So now we both had new Pontiacs!

Well the Bonneville was a short story. 2 days later, it got me my first speeding ticket. 86 in a 60, thankfully that cop caught me on the slow down because I had found about a mile previously... my 107 MPH speed limiter. well, about 9 days after THAT, it kissed a tree with it's passenger door.. actually it did a little more than kiss it, more like the tree gave it a sideways rape. 3 more days had passed, I received a check from the insurance company, and started looking for cars, 2005, less than $6500, because that was all I had.

Drove our 99 Bonnie for a while... beat on it, slid around in the snow a little bit in parking lots, but on the street I was a very careful driver as seeing the tree come at me was probably the scariest thing I ever seen while thinking "this is how people die!"

January rolled around and after my Christmas vacation from shopping, I went back to work on the internet. As many people have criticized me for, but I thankfully know what I'm doing, Craigslist brought me heaven.

2005 Pontiac Montana SV6, $8,998 OBO I scan across the top. Thinking, I got a few hundo in the bank, plus, got the check from the insurance company. Hm... I'll toss this guy an offer for $6000. Sure enough got a call back from a fellow with a 2005 SV6 taking a $6,300 offer out the door. After 3 test drives she was all mine. Fully loaded, it's caused me no problems!

Summary -- I started in Pontiac's because they're sporty and my mom surprised me, I continued with Pontiacs because the drive in the '05, and the month in the '99 (even with 200k) caused me to fall in love with the --now late-- brand!

[hotcarmaster12]

Bought my 04 Grand am almost 4 years ago with 70000 miles for 9 grand, knew exactly what I wanted and it had to be a grand am cause I loved the 99 my mom had. Today it just turned 96000 miles and its been good driving back and fourth to college....

But as soon as im done with school i'm getting my G8GT =)

[Kstorm43]

My '90 Grand Am was a hand-me-down from my dad when I turned 16 and got my license. Seeing as how I rode in that car my entire life, it was kind of neat having it as my own. I loved it, but after driving it for a while it started to develop problems, rust, turned into an electrical nightmare, ended up spending more than its worth in repairs in a matter of months. So we all kind of agreed I needed a newer more reliable car.

That's when the search started. I was looking for something a little faster like a GTP or a Cobalt SS and some other stuff, but there weren't any available at the time at a decent price that weren't beat to hell. Then my dad came across the '05 SC/T on Auto Trader one day and showed it to me, I loved it but it was 5 hours away in CT. So I started looking around for some local Grand Am's, I wanted a GT but almost all of the ones I found were SE's, and the GT's I did find were all overpriced or in shitty condition (usually both), and there were absolutely none to be found within a few hundred miles (except for this one) that had the full SC/T package. So we decided to make the drive up, and while it was a bit expensive, we decided to buy it. I kind of miss having a stick shift, and it's not exactly a rocket, but I'm glad I bought it.

The '90 LE was on Auto Trader for months, it was a little pricey, and it was all the way out in Wisconsin. But since these things were so hard to find (let alone in running, and mint condition), we decided to buy it. My grandpa flew out there (for some other reason, don't remember what) and drove it back for us. It's kind of a garage queen but I'm glad we got it.

The LeMans I found on Craigslist one day. I had a few thousand saved up for a project car and had the itch to go spend it on something. I wasn't specifically looking for a LeMans, or even a Pontiac, but after looking through a million rust bucket engine-less Camaro's and Mustang's, I came across the LeMans. It needed some work, which was fine, but it ran and was drivable which was a huge plus. We went and looked at it, it was the middle of winter but it still managed to start and I drove it around the lot once or twice, and everyone thought I was crazy but I kind of fell in love with the thing. It didn't have a huge engine, and it was this horrible ugly green color with a green vinyl top. I still liked it though. And the guy said unless they sold it they were gonna tear it apart for parts to restore a GTO. So I decided to save it, paid him for it right there and got it towed back to the house.

[danmccormick87]

Hmmm, the Grand Am because at the time, I was in a rut and needed transportation, the G6 because I had just returned a 2005 Mustang GT for being a sh^&*y car, and saw her sitting on the showroom floor, and fell in love with the price, look, and practicality and potential!

[gandhi_2006]

i bought my 98 Grand AM SE after my chevy malibu got hit and had to get a new car, i saw her, drove her, and bought her for around 4600 about four years ago, and i have 170 thousand miles on her now and hvae never had a problem i couldnt fix within a day for under a hundred dollars. absoluty love it. i would deff get another one if i had too.

[G0VTCH33ZE]

In 1999 my mom had just bought her 2dr GAGT, I fell in love and wanted one badly. Fast forward to late summer of 2005, came across a 2dr silver GAGT1 fully loaded, I bought it. Had it until august of 2010 when I sold it, most reliable car I've owned to date.

Dec 15 2010, my dad and I had been at Buffalo Wild Wings for a while, and I was almost loaded. We stopped by Don Wessel Honda and spied this in their used section...

My dad & I took it around the block, I was approved & signed the papers before my buzz wore off. Probably not the smartest move, but at the time I figured "FORD it, I'm single now, so why the hell not". Picked it up the next day, haven't regretted it since.

[Kane]

Well as the title says "Why did you get your Pontiac?" so why did you?

I had a new red '94 Formula back in college. It had a 4L60E and a factory 3.42 rear- so I built it up with a custom CAI, full roller 1.6 rockers, free-flow exhaust, a JET stage II chip, and the list goes on. I put nearly 100k miles on it in 3 years- it was a beast of a car back in the days when the LT1 was still new and the aftermarket hadn't caught up yet. I sold it because I needed a 4x4 at the time- but I missed it every day.

Over the years, I've owned several Vettes and even a 4.6 GT Mustang. But I never forgot the Formula.

When we found out we were having our second child- it was a great excuse to sell my resto-mod '80 Vette for another fray into the 4th gens. I missed having an LT1 4th gen Firebird. But this time around, I wanted the MN6 and a Trans Am. I found a one owner '95 and after driving an hour to see it, it was to be mine.

Two years later- I still love my '95 and have NEVER regretted selling my '80 Vette for the '95. My '95 Trans Am is so much more car than my '80 Vette could have ever been.

[markpetersonii]

I had just came back from Japan and was stationed in CA. As some people may know that either have been here or are from here. You need a car to go anywhere in CA. Well, I had just got my license here in CA and I needed a car. So, I went and got one. My G6! I love it, it's my first car and I'm not going to get rid of it anytime soon!

Well, so much for that... It was sold 5 months later and now the GTO is about to go.

[Ringo64]

Well, so much for that... It was sold 5 months later and now the GTO is about to go.

What's the longest you've had a car Mark?

[Jean-Seb]

I bought mine because it was the nicest car I've seen when I was shopping, and also in my budget, lowest mileage, shiny paint and all.

It was a limousine compared to the other cars.

[havoc1482]

Well. I've always had a lust for Pontiacs ever since I was little. My first car was/is (I'm 17) a 1978 Pontiac Phoenix. I love the thing. I'm gonna play my cards right and keep it as a hobby car, maybe throw some Antique plates on it and buy a daily driving Pontiac.

[Ringo64]

Well. I've always had a lust for Pontiacs ever since I was little. My first car was/is (I'm 17) a 1978 Pontiac Phoenix. I love the thing. I'm gonna play my cards right and keep it as a hobby car, maybe throw some Antique plates on it and buy a daily driving Pontiac.

Definitely an awesome first car!