Pontiac G8 GXP, Solstice Coupe - Future collectors items? [w/POLL]
2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Like so many former GTO or Trans Am owners out there, will there be a day when you look back at the 2008 Pontiac G8 or Solstice as "the one that got away?" Probably not, according to Rob Hunting, General Manager at AutoTrader Classic. Despite the fact that the G8 GT is an excellent performance car, it's not really all that rare. Same goes for the Solstice. Furthermore, neither nameplate carries a significant amount of cachet – incidentally, that's something that was completely lost when GM inexplicably dropped classic names like Bonneville, Grand Prix and Grand Am.
We're not going to disagree with that assessment, but it may not be the whole story. If sales figures alone can predict a future classic, perhaps we should rush out and put a new Solstice Coupe GXP in our driveway. We spoke with Pontiac's media relations manager, Jim Hopson today, and he informed us that "well under 5,000" 2009 G8 GXPs are expected to roll down the assembly line before it's all said and done. Even more rare will be the 2009 Solstice Coupe. Somewhere between 750 and 800 total Solstice Coupes will be built this year (interestingly, all with sequential VIN numbers), and about three-quarters of those will be optioned with the high-performance GXP trim.
We're not making any recommendations here, but if any current Pontiac vehicle is ever likely to become collectible in the future, we'd put our money on the 2009 Solstice GXP Coupe, followed closely by the 2009 G8 GXP. Care to make any predictions of your own? Take our quick poll below and drop your fellow commenters a line.
Gallery: 2010 Pontiac Solstice Coupe
[Source: USA Today, Pontiac]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Hondaman Calgary 3:10PM (4/30/2009)
I can't see it.
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Soul Shinobi 9:51PM (4/30/2009)
MAYBE the Solstice if the Miata didn't exist. But the Miata MX-5 does exist.
Spiel 8:04AM (5/01/2009)
I agree! Plus, give GM a couple of years (tens of years maybe) to return to profitability, and they will go back to their old habits and resurrect Pontiac (and the others they killed) and go at it again with rebadging.
Hey, once an addict, always and addict, they just need the opportunity.
Dakotart 3:11PM (4/30/2009)
........not the G8 due to it being a rebadged Holden
It's a freaking sweet car though, sad to see it go.
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thomas 3:43PM (4/30/2009)
Agreed - but for that reason I see it coming back as a Chevy.
But if it doesn't what do you think will happen to immediate resale values? I'm thinking if they mirror Oldsmobile it'll see a drop. As such, I'm thinking to be in the market for a slightly used G8 come March 2010.
Thoughts?
Yaroukh 3:12PM (4/30/2009)
"Thanks for tip, DerekD"?
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mikemaj82 3:13PM (4/30/2009)
lol no way.
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BoxerFanatic 3:15PM (4/30/2009)
Why even bother?
If they are going to can the brand, why would they build another Pontiac Car at all?
Let alone the Solstice GXP Coupe. How scarce will replacement parts for the unique pieces of that car?
the G8 GXP is less of an issue, because it is basically an HSV vehicle, with a Pontiac bumper cover on it.
But still, from a practical standpoint, the brand is done. Why not shut off? They have more inventory than they can sell, they will probably be shutting down plants for weeks over the summer. Why continue to build a dead product, that will require warranty and parts support?
I didn't want to see them dead, but now that the decision is made, make it a clean break, for pete's sake.
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Talisman 5:17PM (4/30/2009)
They have to have warranty and replacement parts anyway. Pontiac dealers will still be around until the end of 2010. There is no reason to stop producing cars that will bring them money later. And they cant do that to their dealers immediately. People will still go into the dealership and try to order one. Also, they have to at least produce the Solstice coupes that people have ordered. I have yet to see a single one on the lot(although I have heard reports they are at some dealers) and deales in the Detroit area have not recieved theirs. I would like to purchase one myself and I will most likely need it built to order because of the options I want.
Sea Urchin 5:19PM (4/30/2009)
I am not a fan of Pontiac, but Sky's do look great. Why would anyone bother with them? Because both are gourgeous and are relatively affordable and in about a year both will be very very limited. So at the very least you will have an ecotic car.
Jrejre 5:28PM (4/30/2009)
Because they already had loyal fans who ordered solstice coupes and are waiting for them. I've got a lot of respect for them to actually build and fulfill those orders. Meanwhile Chrysler has shut the Challenger plants down multiple times even though they have people who've been waiting on orders for almost a year.
BoxerFanatic 9:22PM (4/30/2009)
GM is closing dealerships, and laying people off...
What do a few Solstice coupe deposits stack up to in comparison?
If they build those cars, will they be obligated to support the coupe's unique parts for 10 years, and warranty them for the full term? They are spending MY TAX MONEY on that right now.
Sorry, but if they cut the brand, they cut the brand. STOP. I don't think they should have cut the brand. But they did it to cut costs. SO CUT THE COSTS. Give people their deposits back, and say, Sorry. No more pontiacs. No more pontiac.
This riding the fence and spending tax dollars to do it is no kind of plan. If Pontiac is dead, than as of the date of the announcement, when everyone who has invested in their livelyhood with Pontiac dealerships, or faces losing their jobs, or whatever... lose the prospects that they had previously, then corporate activity on forward motion for that brand stops, and the process of closing the doors is all that is left. Not accruing more warranty liability by manufacturing more pontiacs after the decision, or spending more money on forward motion, which continues to burn through taxpayer dollars.
jimmy glick 3:16PM (4/30/2009)
Collectible or not, that last pic = deal breaker
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-p-oandn-tiac-s-ol-sti-ce-c-oupe/704854/
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Stumpy 3:23PM (4/30/2009)
What are you talking about? I think people want a hatchback that is not a hatchback..
errrr....
Hamhock 3:18PM (4/30/2009)
What is a concours quality 1988 Fiero GT going for these days? I think that answers the question.
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StickShift 3:30PM (4/30/2009)
Last nice 88 Fiero I saw on Ebay went for about $10,000, which is a bit less than similar vintage IROC-Z Camaros and Fox body Mustangs were going for at the time. And that was before the economy imploded.
Oh, hey, look at this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-PONTIAC-FIERO-GT-V6-5-SPEED-MANUAL-12000-MILES_W0QQitemZ230339095528QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item230339095528&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A317|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
80's cars aren't collectible yet, but the rare ones are in demand. The same will happen with the G8 and Solstice one day. My money is the G8 being more in demand of the two. The mid 90s Impala SS shows just how popular a rear drive, V8 powered family car can be on the used market.
Rick C 3:40PM (4/30/2009)
My money is on the Solstice. After all, it's currently doing a pretty good job of cleaning up in the SCCA Solo category it competes in. You just may see them pulling road racing duty in vintage 30 or 40 years from now.
Brian 8:58PM (4/30/2009)
While that '88 Fiero at $9,000 is still semi-valuable, remember that it probably sold new for about $16,000. And that's $16,000 in '88 dollars--or about $25 - 30,000 in today's money.
The Solstice and G8 should do something similar. They'll hold some value, but if you're looking for a pure automotive investment, you'd be better off buying Ford stock.
Dan from Delaware 3:21PM (4/30/2009)
The G8, maybe. While it's a good car, it never took the US by storm. So I think it'll be about as collectible as the recent iteration of the GTO. Which is to say, not too much. Now the Solstice, that'll be as collectible as the Fiero.
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P.V. 5:42PM (4/30/2009)
Au contraire. It has actually been selling quite well and its numbers have been rising each month, if you look at the numbers that is.
The Solstice, on the other hand, was a poor seller (especially compared to its almost-as-hot sibling the Saturn Sky).