RIP PONTIAC

What's a yoot?

 

Marisa Tomei was good in that, but how the hell did she win BSA?

 

I thought maybe this was about the city, which is Detroit, on a smaller scale. Same bickering, same incompetence, but smaller and with the Silverdome.

 

The other four nominees were all Brits in the sorts of films expected to get nominations. Tomei's performance would have stood out.

 

My family was all about Pontiacs.

Had a 62 Catalina wagon that my parents were riding in when it got hit by a deer, of all things. We also had a
- 63 Bonneville wagon
- 66 Catalina wagon
-68 Firebird

Later, Mrs. Lono and I each had fabulous Catalina convertibles. She drove a bright red 1965 (as pictured) and mine was a '68. Mrs. Lono's was so nice she even won best in class at a regional Pontiac show. And there was the '69 GTO that I still wish we had. Sigh.



My best story?

I used to be editor of a glossy magazine that printed at 0 dark 30. The production manager and I used to have to drive to the printer, about half an hour from home, to do the press checks.

We were on one night when the call came about 1 a.m. to go to the printer. I drove my Catalina to her house, where she was waiting with her girlfriend.

We spent the next half hour driving to the printer, all three of us in the ginormous front seat, the top down on a warm, cloudless spring night and under the brilliant starry night, the two women making out nonstop like they were a couple of high school girls. I can only describe the moment as surreal.

And at the risk of sounding sexist, or something -ist, it definitely qualified as girl-on-girl action.

The hot part? Not so much.

I learned it only counts as hot girl-on-girl action if it's two women you'd actually like to see together. So, guys, be careful what you wish for.

 

Don't miss Pontiac either.

PLEASE...reconsider on that Neon. It may be alright now at 39,000 miles but those have a rep of breaking down at 60,000.

You SHOULD be concerned about getting parts for a Dodge Neon with 39,000. Tread carefully.

Buy a 2002 Civic or Corolla instead. Trust me.

Just too many lines coming out GM. They should just go with Chevrolet/Cadillac/Buick. That's their lifeline. All others are unnecessary.

I shed no tears for Pontiac just as I shed no tears for Oldsmobile. My parents insisted on driving Oldsmobiles all throughout my youth. That damn 1978 Diesel, followed by 1982 Cutlass Ciera (mom's) and the 1981 Delta 98 (dad's) broke down so soften that I got to know the names of the repair guys at the dealer.

In fourth grade, I missed the damn Little League championship game. Dad was out of town, the awful Cutlass Ciera (and this is 1983 on an '82 model) lost an alternator and we were stuck on the side of a highway in the heat. Only Gordon Gekko had a cellphone then -- and you needed the car to be running to use it, which would have been pointless with a bum alternator! -- and I'm sweating in my polyester uniform, complete with the black stirrups and the cleats.

The Big Three are now paying the price for decades of sub-par vehicles.

Oldsmobile lost me forever that day when I was 8.

Just as Ford lost me at 15 because we all had those friends with POS Escorts. My girlfriend's (and later my wife) experience with her Dodge Neon breaking down prematurely completed my "punch card" to avoid the Big Three.

There's nothing patriotic about being stranded on the side of a road because of mechanical issues.

Have driven Toyotas ever since I was 22. That was 13 years ago. Haven't had a car payment in six years. Spend about $400 a year on each vehicle in work (including oil changes)

C'mon over to Toyota/Honda. The water is warm over here.

 

Yup, they usually do fall under one of two categories:
- Women who used to show up on Howard Stern's TV show on E!
OR
- Female softball/golf coaches or the inspiration behind "Philadelphia Freedom".

Not much middle ground.

 

What my old GTO looked like:

 

In defense of the Neon, a guy I work with has one and he's at about 225,000 miles on it. He's in the market for a replacement now, but then again, he has 225,000 miles on his car.

 

When GM nuked Oldsmobile, the division was making its best lineup of cars ever.

I owned a 2001 Alero, which dollar-for-dollar has been the best car I've ever owned. I replaced it with a Cadillac CTS, and questioned the decision most of every day.

The Intrigue was a great car for the price. The Aurora, had it been properly marketed, could have been an excellent Lexus ES350-beater (and, for that matter, properly marketed, might have made the CTS unnecessary, allowing Cadillac to concentrate on truly upmarket vehicles and/or the V series). The only awful badge-engineered clunker in Oldsmobile's product mix was the Bravada SUV, and it was the brand's last survivor.

GM whiffed by not allowing Pontiac to take full advantage of the work the Aussies did on the Holden Commodore. GM whiffed by not copying basically every inch of the Mazda3 for Pontiac's fuel-efficient sporty car, and instead rebadging a Cobalt and calling it "Excitement."

Anybody whose livelihood depends on GM making a rational product decision ... I'm sorry.

 

What he said. I had three different people tell me those little Neons are basically indestructible. Two of the three said theirs have been going strong for 10 years or more and the other said her daughter was still driving one that's nearing 200,000 miles.

I just need it to last three years. Not that I consider cars disposable but I want it to at least outlast the loan. Perhaps even by a bit longer than seven days.

 

The first car I bought was a '94 Grand Prix SE in the summer of 01. Nice car, nothing fancy as I always wanted the GTP edition, but couldn't find one. Regardless, sold it for $600 cash right after buying my current car, 2000 Monte Carlo SS. The SS is paid for and I'm debating trying to sell it and get a decent 4x4/AWD or just ride this out.