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Sedans Pontiac G8 2008 Pontiac G8
1265 messages, Last post on Jul 21, 2009 at 10:14 AM
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Replying to: mrpushrod (Apr 26, 2009 3:17 pm) “They tested the G8 GT without the performance tire and wheel option. How lame.” I know there are always CR haters around - but I subscribe - and I was ( pleasantly ) surprised that: 1 - CR tested the GT \ V8 version, not the V6. and 2 - They actually had quite a few very positive comments!! Including: “Highs Acceleration, transmission, steering, handling, ride, rear seat, value.” "As a bargain sports sedan that can challenge the performance of models from BMW and Mercedes, the Pontiac G8 is a success." and: "The G8 is a fun car to hustle through corners and has agile handling. The steering is quick and well weighted and gives excellent feedback. At the limit, the G8 is stable, well balanced, and responsive." Even ** WITHOUT ** the [ Sport ] performance wheel & tire option... I found their comments interesting - particularly since CR is ** NOT ** an enthusiast magazine... Cheers, - Ray Enjoying the 'responsive' aspects with each drive.... |
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| Fritz Henderson, in answering an Australian reporter, said the G8 will be phased out by end of this year... | |
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Replying to: rayainsw (Apr 27, 2009 3:01 am) G8 -- 75 Maxima -- 83 Avalon 89 -- The Avalon had the lowest speed through CRs accident avoidance The vehicle uses the air bag as an integral part of accident avoidance. Safety takes a back seat when Toyota and Honda are concerned. CR is a biased magazine that has an agenda to suit the demographics of their readers in order to sell more magazines. They use the biased reliability data to further insult the American nameplates in the magazine. Why can't they do a fair survey like Powers and others and send the reliability surveys to a random audience? If they did the results would be more in-line with Powers and others. CRs data is tainted and biased. I suggest anyone looking for true reliability ratings to look elsewhere for reputable sources such as J. D. powers who use integrity to collect data. CR leads the witness to sell more magazines. CRs Vehicle ratings G8 -- 75 -- Bottom of the head. Avalon 89 -- This vehicle uses the air bag as an integral part of accident avoidance Maxima -- 83 Ect, etc, etc. Now if you look at motortrend, edmunds, Edmunds owners survey or any other reputable publication, the Maxima is not a superior vehicle. Furthermore, notice how poorly the G8 did on braking without the performance tires. Over 19' longer. CR should be recommending the tires as a safety feature. Consumer Reports does shabby work and is sinking the big three to sell more magazines. |
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Replying to: mrpushrod (Apr 27, 2009 6:02 am)
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Replying to: mrpushrod (Apr 27, 2009 6:02 am) Clearly you have strongly held views on the magazine. Fine. I have no interest in that debate. As an appliance, I do see areas where the G8 GT falls short. I rarely even look at their ‘overall score’, as their priorities and the weighting of various vehicle attributes are [ rather significantly ] different than mine. If one [ primarily ] views an automobile as an appliance, I doubt the G8 GT would rise to the top of a desirability list. With 6,000+ miles on my 2009 G8 GT, and having recently purchased a car with an MSRP over $50K [ a Corvette ] I think that if anyone is – or expects that they might soon be - in the market for a car with the dynamic abilities of a BMW 535 or 550, you at least owe it to yourself to drive a G8 GT. Clearly, if certain features that are not available on the G8 GT are critical to you [ NAV, AWD, HUD ] the G8 GT is a non-starter. But if the size, acceleration, handling and overall performance abilities are your highest priorities, I think the G8 GT deserves at least a thorough test drive. If you can afford a BMW 5 series, and you like the interior & exterior styling of the current generation 5 series – and what the BMW 5 series does offer that the G8 GT does not seems worth the additional $$s, to you - well, good for you. If you want much of the performance ‘goodness’ of a $50K - $60K+ BMW in a bargain package, I believe the G8 GT is worth a close look. I replaced a car with a current MSRP roughly comparable to a BMW 535 with a few options. One could therefore argue that I could ‘afford’ a BMW 5. I chose a G8 GT – for $20K+ fewer dollars. Will there [ potentially ] be service issues in the future for the G8 GT, possibly – though due as much to the Australian origins as to the brand being dismantled, I’d guess. Will the depreciation \ resale \ trade-in value be hurt by the Pontiac brand’s demise – probably. But I bought mine with that expectation. And I will likely buy a GMPP extended warrantee \ service agreement to allow myself the option to drive my G8 GT until the disposal value is so low that any added ‘hit’ from the Pontiac brand issue will be nominal. Right here, right now – and looking as far ahead as I can – I still see this as an opportunity to buy a very competent, RWD, V8 sedan that is an absolute joy to drive, at a very reasonable price. For me [ biased, obviously ] the G8 GT provides 90+% of a BMW 535 or 550 performance experience for [ way ] less $$s spent. I am not sure anything that depreciates as quickly as a[ny] car can be called a bargain, but for me, the G8 GT comes very close indeed. YMMV. - Ray Sad that the brand I recall from GTO & 2+2 days will be gone . . .
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The G8 will be an early casualty, with production ENDING late 2009. The G8 will not be moved to a different make. Incentives will be increased as needed to clear dealer inventory. Makes no sense to me, but here it is: http://www.leftlanenews.com/pontiac-g8-production-to-cease-this-year-with-no-pon- tiac-models-to-survive-beyond-2010.html |
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| GM could have sold way more G8's if it had a lower price for the base sedan, it was priced too close to the GT and should have been $25-26k instead of $27-28K starting out. | |
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Replying to: cracovian (Apr 27, 2009 8:13 am) I would say stopping 19' shorter from 60MPH is a safety feature that can save the vehicle (avoid an accident, lockup on the highway) and can also in rare cases save a life. That said, unfortunately you are learning this from me and not the haphazard testers  Consumer Reports. Those clowns tested a G8 listing for $33,660 against a golden (Toyota brand) Lexus ES which they optioned to the hilt listing in at $41,289. To add insult they did not spring for the optional tires in the Pontiac. Of course not. Check it out for yourself Ray. You are too trusting. If Consumer Reports did opt for the tires, then they would have had to rate the Pontiac "Much better than average" on braking and lets not forget the Pontiac carries an American nameplate. Bad for business because CR's subscriber demographics are largely Toyota, Honda and Nissan. Now take a reputable vehicle testing publication like Motortrend or Edmunds. They opted for the tire package. CR is has a very slippery agenda to sell magazines even if it means blind sighting the customer into not knowing about a safety option. I don't know anyone happy with an American nameplate vehicle that does not ignore and dismiss their reliability surveys. As a matter of fact, a lot of people stay away from CR because of their biases period. Thankfully, J D Powers is quickly becoming the gold standard for reliability ratings. Even Obama sited J. D. Powers (NOT CR) in one of his speeches.
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Replying to: rayainsw (Apr 27, 2009 9:05 am) Most people would strive to eliminate torque steer and the unbalanced feel of a Japanese appliance if they had the opportunity to alternate between a FWD & RWD vehicle as we have. The G8 is no vette, but it makes an excellent daily driver for the NE cities where people tend to drive very aggressive. The NAV is no big deal, Garmin 880 is an excellent portable NAV. Wish it had the FORD sync system though. The onstar phone is a nice touch. That said, if I owned a Accord, Avalon or Maxima both my wife & I would be wishing for different chassis. I remember the GTO days too. Very sad. I chalk the failures to the dumb deals made with the UAW which no longer serve any purpose. Ford the second made the comment in the 70s that the American car companies would die in 30 years when he witnessed the Japanese transplants move in. Americans can no-longer rely on pensions and free health care. It is a global economy and we can't expect to earn the best wages and healthcare and drive our Nissans to shop at Walmart where everything is made in China by people earning $50 a week without healthcare. |
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Replying to: mrpushrod (Apr 27, 2009 4:13 pm) rds owe it to themselves and not some magazine that is mostly quite objective (gotta give them credit for destroying Suzuki and Isuzu in NA though) I didn't know you could pick and choose your options with the G8 as opposed to grabbing what's on the dealer lot... They took whatever the commonly-stocked car comes with. |
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