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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • How's that Pontiac going to appreciate? 5/4/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, May 4, 2009 Pontiac line dies out, and it's sad By Mike Benbow, Herald Columnist I've always loved cool cars. I've just never been the kind of person who wanted to spend money on them. My first car was a 1960 Volkswagen Beetle, followed by a Chevrolet Chevette and then a long string of small pickups. Suffice it to say that nobody has ever stopped and stared in awe as I drove by. But I am a muscle car owner wannabe. Or at least I was. In high school I went to the drag races on summer weekends. And I hung out with people who liked to drive fast. More than one of them did so in a particular model of Pontiac that was lauded in song and later became a bona fide legend. I am talking, of course, about the GTO. It is a sad time, my friends. General Motors has decided to turn out the lights at Pontiac, its "We Build Excitement" division. Pontiac will be phased out at the end of 2010. The decision makes financial sense. Pontiac hasn't been really exciting for a long time, maybe not since James Garner tore up the streets in the 1970s in a gold Firebird in the television show, "The Rockford Files." Pontiac has had fits and starts of excitement since then, but Buicks have always been much more likely to put me to sleep. That's the problem. GM has way too many brands aimed at older car buyers. Something had to give -- so GM looked at its flagging sales and picked Pontiac as the sacrificial lamb. That was sort of the take of Paul Cooper of Lynnwood, a member of the Western Washington Firebird Club. Cooper likes Pontiacs. He has five of them, the oldest a 1938 street rod and the latest a 1998 Grand Am. In between, he has three Firebirds, a '68, an '80 and a '94. I said Cooper likes Pontiacs. Actually, he loves Pontiacs, but he said they just haven't been selling enough to keep GM happy. They're a bit of their own worst enemy in that many of the Pontiac models last a long time, Cooper said. "People are not buying enough of them," he said. "They're not replacing their cars." The decision to shut down Pontiac will be good news for collectors, but not so good news for regular car owners, Cooper said. "It's good for the value of the car," he said on Pontiac's planned demise. "It's good for people who already own one." Getting a deal on a collectable Pontiac now will be another matter. "All years will be collectable," he said. The other bad side is that Pontiac owners will have to start spending more to keep their cars driveable. "It just makes them harder to come by," Cooper said. "Parts are going to go sky high." While I can understand GM's decision, I won't pretend to like it. Pontiac has made some cool cars over the years, the GTO, the Firebird and the Fiero to name three. They were fast and even a little classy. The '64 GTO was one of the best cars ever made. It was small and light and its 389 cubic-inch engine and three, two-barrel carburetors could send it into light speed. You don't have to take my word for it. Just listen to Ronnie & The Daytonas "Little GTO" (later recorded by the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean). Little GTO, you're really lookin' fine Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389 Listen to her tachin' up now, listen to her why-ee-eye-ine C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out, GTO. Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459: benbow@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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