Bye bye Pontiac

The latest news on what's happening with the Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix.
Post Reply
KNINE
Posts: 2320
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:52 am
Location: Suffolk, Va.

Bye bye Pontiac

Post by KNINE »

"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
lovemyraffe
Posts: 4288
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 3:08 am

Re: Bye bye Pontiac (K-NINE)

Post by lovemyraffe »

March 2011 MOTMFebruary 2010 MOTM My GenVibe garage
epcIII
Posts: 685
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:00 pm

Re: Bye bye Pontiac (K-NINE)

Post by epcIII »

You would think they would take a look at the things Pontiac was doing right (like the Vibe) and use it as a Chevy or something.
ou.grizzly
Posts: 2660
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:26 pm

Post by ou.grizzly »

Sad day for sure; I believe I picked up one of the last 2009 Vibes, at least in MI from my understanding.
2009 Jet Black 2.4L Auto / Fogs / 17" Alum / Clear Bra / Camry Leather Shift Knob / GT Rear Spoiler
2013 Polished Metallic Honda CR-V EX-L Navi
KNINE
Posts: 2320
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:52 am
Location: Suffolk, Va.

Post by KNINE »

It truly sucks.
"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
ou.grizzly
Posts: 2660
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:26 pm

Post by ou.grizzly »

I just went out and checked the manufactuer date on the new 2009 I picked up, the tag indicates 02/09. Surely is on the of the last 2009's built.
2009 Jet Black 2.4L Auto / Fogs / 17" Alum / Clear Bra / Camry Leather Shift Knob / GT Rear Spoiler
2013 Polished Metallic Honda CR-V EX-L Navi
KNINE
Posts: 2320
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:52 am
Location: Suffolk, Va.

Re: (ou.grizzly)

Post by KNINE »

End of an era.
"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
CanadaUK
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:42 pm

Post by CanadaUK »

End of an era, perhaps. But if we were honest, they have no one to blame, but themselves. The only reason I bought a Vibe is BECAUSE it was made by Toyota. I owned a 2002 Pontiac Montana that was a piece of junk, 3 head gaskets, three a/c condenser, fuel injectors replaced Toyota. It died on the side of a highway, scrapped only 7 years old. Ridicious. They had a class action lawsuit costing millions to fix head gaskets and would do nothing for their customers. Hopefully my Vibe will last longer!!!! Is it any wonder why people once they go to Honda or Toyota, never go back to the big three?????
star_deceiver
Posts: 5800
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:49 pm
Location: Airdrie, AB

Re: (CanadaUK)

Post by star_deceiver »

Hey, there was nothing wrong with my 05 Sunfire. Regular maintenance, that's it! Personally, never been that big of a fan of Honda. I hope GM gets their act togeter and does something right. We'll see...
2019 Ram 3500 4x4 CCSB srw 8HP75
2016 Ram 3500 4x4 RCLB Dually w/stick (traded in - 05/10/19)
2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 Cheyenne 4x4 (Traded in - 03/30/16)
2009 Vibe. (Traded in - 12/12/12)
vibolista
Posts: 1519
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:34 am
Location: "Glacial", Maine!

Re: (star_deceiver)

Post by vibolista »

Hey Star... I started with a Honda as a second car for my commute way back in 1974 (Civic CVCC). Great car and fun driver... a lot like the original Mini. Ended up with a Civic in the garage ever since. They were all boring when it came to maintenance... change the oil, add gasoline once in a while, because they ran a long way on a tank of gas. The last one I bought was a '93 coupe EX. Light and fun to drive. Flawless. Still is. GM has to get it's act together... and it' already started down that road. I think their products are getting better. But they have to do a Vibe sized crossover and remember to make it fuel efficient. Soon.
'08 Manual, Sun&Sound, 17" Borbet Type CA wheels, 215/50 Summer Tires... 16" OE steel, 215/55 Snow Tires
CanadaUK
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:42 pm

Post by CanadaUK »

I also hope they get their act together and survive. A lot of workers in both the US and Canada depend on them. Hopefully they will take care of the customers, if and when the problems show up in their cars. I got burned by GM and their head gaskets in their 3.4 engines that they pretended did not exist, I hope I have not made a mistake getting a Toyota, opps Pontiac Vibe!!! Love the Vibe!!! It does look better than the Matrix, has a better warranty and has the very good Electronic Stability Control.
tnpartsguy
Posts: 1590
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:22 pm

Post by tnpartsguy »

GM Sucks. Pure and Simple.
Current Ride 2015 GMC Terrain SLT
2nd Vibe 2006 Vibe AWD Stealth Monotone "Recon" December 2005 MOTM
Original Vibe: 2003 AWD Abyss Monotone "Darth"
GM/ASE Certified Parts Manager.
michaelgt
Posts: 507
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 12:07 am

Re: (CanadaUK)

Post by michaelgt »

Quote, originally posted by CanadaUK »End of an era, perhaps. But if we were honest, they have no one to blame, but themselves. The only reason I bought a Vibe is BECAUSE it was made by Toyota. I owned a 2002 Pontiac Montana that was a piece of junk, 3 head gaskets, three a/c condenser, fuel injectors replaced Toyota. It died on the side of a highway, scrapped only 7 years old. Ridicious. They had a class action lawsuit costing millions to fix head gaskets and would do nothing for their customers. Hopefully my Vibe will last longer!!!! Is it any wonder why people once they go to Honda or Toyota, never go back to the big three?????I had a 98 Venture that went 160k miles, with nothing more than water pump change. I now have a 01 Venture that has 115k and is running great.
michaelgt
Posts: 507
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 12:07 am

Re: (tnpartsguy)

Post by michaelgt »

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy »GM Sucks. Pure and Simple.Thank you for your informative opinion. I personally think Toyota sucks. I can just imagine the gas pedal issue, the rusting frame, etc. I remember the first full-size Tundra at the North American International Auto Show, and the back of the seat was coming off.
tnpartsguy
Posts: 1590
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:22 pm

Re: (michaelgt)

Post by tnpartsguy »

Quote, originally posted by michaelgt »Thank you for your informative opinion. I personally think Toyota sucks. I can just imagine the gas pedal issue, the rusting frame, etc. I remember the first full-size Tundra at the North American International Auto Show, and the back of the seat was coming off.Ok, let's get this straight. I didn't say a word about Toyota good or bad. Maybe I'm wrong, but this feels like a personal attack on ME. That said, any moderator can delete this comment, but I wish to make myself PERFECTLY clear.Pontiac outsold Buick. Pontiac nearly outsold GMC. Pontiac outsold Saab, Hummer, and Saturn COMBINED. Yet, GM; in their infinate STUPIDITY, dumped Pontiac to keep Buick because of the damage they think it will cause in their precious Chinese market. They had a group of investors make a serious offer to buy the brand, and they IGNORED it, dismissed it out of hand. Now all their other little deals to dump brands have crashed and burned, except Hummer. The Chinese bought Hummer to get info on how to build better military vehicles. So, I stand by my earlier comment 'GM Sucks. Pure and simple.' They killed off the brand of vehicles that I have prefered since I bought my 1st car at 17. And they did it out of greed and short-sightedness.I have been on this forum for 4 or 5 years now. I have never had anyone attack me before. I can understand that someone might make an error and think that I'm a Toyota fan (I am, ok? I know that as long as I change my oil and take care of my Vibe, it will take care of me.) And yes, Toyota has a lot of problems now, more than they have ever had at one time. But you have to look at the history; back in the days when GM, Ford and Chrylser were recalling millions and millions of vehicles a year.... Toyota wasn't. Today's Toyota isn't up to the standards that they were 15 yrs ago. And GM's quality is way up, in many cases well over Toyota's or anyone else in the market. Nobody's perfect. But the track record that Toyota has over GM in the last 30 years (the time I've been driving) speaks for itself.
Current Ride 2015 GMC Terrain SLT
2nd Vibe 2006 Vibe AWD Stealth Monotone "Recon" December 2005 MOTM
Original Vibe: 2003 AWD Abyss Monotone "Darth"
GM/ASE Certified Parts Manager.
michaelgt
Posts: 507
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 12:07 am

Post by michaelgt »

You did not say a thing about Toyota. I stated my personal opinion of Toyota, like you posted your opinion of GM. I am commenting on your opinion, and the basis of your opinion, and not attacking you. I am merely stating a different opinion. GM made a global business decision based on a Global economy. They could not justify to the Treasury Department a business case to keep the brands they are closing. There are winding down several brands, and there are thousands of people who preferred those brands.I wish that people understood the complexity of the automobile industry. One writer commented on how Ed Whitacre was suprised at the amount of attention he is getting, that he never got at AT&T.
KNINE
Posts: 2320
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:52 am
Location: Suffolk, Va.

Re: (CanadaUK)

Post by KNINE »

[QUOTE=CanadaUK]End of an era, perhaps. But if we were honest, they have no one to blame, but themselves. The only reason I bought a Vibe is BECAUSE it was made by Toyota. I owned a 2002 Pontiac Montana that was a piece of junk, 3 head gaskets, three a/c condenser, fuel injectors replaced Toyota. It died on the side of a highway, scrapped only 7 years old. QUOTE]I had a Montana and really liked it. I drove it to Florida several times. I've had good luck with all my GM cars. Maybe I'm just lucky.
"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
User avatar
VforVIBE
Posts: 2835
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:44 am

Re: Bye bye Pontiac (K-NINE)

Post by VforVIBE »

Quote, originally posted by K-NINE »http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34...autos/*plugs ears* lalalalala... I can't hear you. Quote, originally posted by CanadaUK »End of an era, perhaps. But if we were honest, they have no one to blame, but themselves. The only reason I bought a Vibe is BECAUSE it was made by Toyota. I owned a 2002 Pontiac Montana that was a piece of junk, 3 head gaskets, three a/c condenser, fuel injectors replaced Toyota. It died on the side of a highway, scrapped only 7 years old. Ridicious. They had a class action lawsuit costing millions to fix head gaskets and would do nothing for their customers. Hopefully my Vibe will last longer!!!! Is it any wonder why people once they go to Honda or Toyota, never go back to the big three?????hmm.... about that largest recall in American history.... wasn't by the big three...http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... le...odels
“I live my life free of compromise, and step into the shadows without complaint or regret.”
Image
Viva la Pontiac! 2009 Jet Black GT
jake75
Posts: 4792
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:33 pm
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Bye bye Pontiac (VforVIBE)

Post by jake75 »

None of us really know the profitability of the various Pontiac vehicles. The two that seemed to be unique were the Vibe and the G8. Consensus is that NUMMI was never profitable. Certainly at the prices that I bought my two Vibes in 1-03 [13,700 + tax etc] and 1-09 [11,900 + tax etc] I am reasonably certain there was no profit. I doubt that Toyota would want to build Vibes in Canada for GM, and if they did the profit for GM would been slim to none. I suspect that the Australian made G8 made no sense either - and maybe now even less so given the weak dollar. Bottom line - maybe killing Pontiac was the right decision for GM. As for selling the Pontiac name - it wouldn't be the same, and GM does not need to create/perpetuate any more competition for itself. Vibe enthusiasts have choices - buy a Matrix, or something else. IMO at the price of a Matrix (or the Vibe without incentives etc.) there are other more appealing alternatives on the market now and more to come in the future. As for future GM offerings - I am not counting them out but rather hedging my bets by continuing to rebuild my GM Card rebate. A few years down the road a $3,000 added GM Card bonus added to other incentives may again permit me to "steal" one of their vehicles.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
Post Reply