2008 Pontiac G8 GT: An American Car I Would Consider Buying

Delete the hood scoops, 6MT availablity, upgrade the interior and add more upscale features (HID's/SmartKey ETC ETC) Id have one in my garage! Is a sunroof available?

'Is a sunroof available?'

Yes.
- Ray
Just brought home a 2009 G8 GT...

"2008 Pontiac G8 GT: An American Car I Would Consider Buying"

I will paraphrase a post I put on the CTS with a slightly different spin to match this post...

Now if this were a Honda or BMW this quote would be "I would still consider buying this car even if the transmissions breaks (see Honda Fit; yes I know the Silverado did the same, yet Edmunds did not lead a story with the Fit on a tow truck), has hard plastic interior (See 2008 Accord), costs a fortune to repair (See continuing M3 saga) or needs brakes at less than 30k miles (See recent Honda Civic GX post)".

C'mon Edmunds. Do you guys even PRETEND to be journalists? We already know your PREFERENCES; you scream them out in every post. Can't you just say that you LIKE the G8 without all of the other personal preference crap? Did it ever occur to you that BMW & Honda do not do EVERTHING perfectly? Holy crap, the dash with the video game gages on the Civic would have been embarrasing in the 1980's, and the velour seats look like a throwback to the 70's. (But hey, its a Honda, so it must be retro-fashion!)

So whattya say: How about not following the pack and try to evaluate the G8 for what it actually is, and leave out all of the back-handed praise. Hell, Jordan did just that, although he couldn't resist going over the top, and look at all the Honda/BMW fanboy rage it brought out.

And hondacura4, I for one DON'T WANT "SMARTKEY" or anything else like it. Just another thing to go wrong, whether a GM car or anybody elses. And maybe some people LIKE hood scoops as well as the interior the way it is, like me. But I forgot; it does not follow Honda so it MUST be bad. I doubt you would ever actually buy something that did not have the hallowed H or A on it anyway. Fine by me; you are entitled to your opinion and can vote with your own $$$, as I will with mine. (No, I don't own a G8 or CTS, though I would love to own either one. Neither suits my needs at this time.)

American car? Really?

I wish I could get the GT with a manual. I'm going to consider stepping up to the GXP when I buy next year, if GM is still in business.

rlg86,

geez, what a ridiculous post... I guess the first question that comes to mind is 'what the hell is your problem?'.

The guy just told you why he likes this car, personal preferences or not - what the hell do you care? This forum is designed to give you exactly an owner's perspective on cars and there is nothing in this entry that contradicts it. Even if Ed hated G8's guts for no reason at all it would've been fine because that'd be his own perspective and who's there to blame him for it?

Just lighten up dude.

The G8 would be close to perfect with a manual. I actually like the hood scoops. Black, V8, manual, sunroof. Sounds like an 02 540i except with a warranty.

where do guys like rlg86 keep coming from? lol, well I guess it keeps things interesting to see a crazy rant once in a while.

rlg86: here is a hint for you - most people here would have no problem engaging in a lively debate about the merits or a vehicle/brand, but you need to be a little (or a lot) more reasonable. As is, no one will ever take you seriously.

I guess I am one of the "Honda/BMW fanboys" rlg86 was talking about. I think he makes some points here; they are said STRENUOUSLY and in a STRIDENT manner ...
I've always liked the G8. I'm seriously thinking about getting one in a year or two. I want to see the trend on oil in Obama's initial year before I commit. Hopefully Pontiac will put a manual in the G8 GT and not force me to stretch to the GXP.

Why does anyone want fake hood scoops? Are the ones on the G8 real? Do they actually help cool the engine bay or feed an intake? If not, then it's just lame.

Why doesn't this car have a 6-speed manual yet? It cries out for one.

And the smart-key is something to go wrong? Kinda like the chrysler-products throughout the 90's and early 00's that had ignition lock failures between 30,000-75,000 miles where one of the key-tumblers got locked up so there was no way to start the car without fixing it/replacing the ignition lock cylinder...like in my mom's ~2002 Dodge Neon at 50,000 miles when it left her stranded? Kinda like the electronically-coded key in my 2003 Saturn Ion having an electrical-shorting problem in very cold temperatures resulting in the car having a no-start for 15 minutes at a time due to the security system activating?

No, no. You are right. Nothing goes wrong with normal keys, and Smartkeys just add more to go wrong.

Ed - Thrashy V6? Really?

Joe

"I for one DON'T WANT "SMARTKEY" or anything else like it. Just another thing to go wrong, whether a GM car or anybody elses."

"No, no. You are right. Nothing goes wrong with normal keys, and Smartkeys just add more to go wrong."

Oh no rlg86... nothing ever goes wrong with conventional keyed ignitions, that's why the largest single manufacturer recall in history in 1996 was about 7 million Ford cars and trucks due to faulty ignition switches. But I'm sure that will probably happen to keyless ignitions too.

And don't forget the debacle with the 2000 Ford Focus that had problems with the ignition lock cylinder jamming.

I would have a tough time deciding between the G8 GXP and the BMW 335i. I know they are different animals, but they do compete on price, and it just seems like you get a whole lot more car with the GXP than you do with the 335i, and not just in size.

Joe, I don't know why I like the fake hood scoops on the G8; I just do. To me, they simply look good as a design element. I realize they are total frippery. Even though I was brought up on "form follows function," yada yada, it may have something to do with the real scoops on my crap-fire, oops, Cross-Fire Injected 1982 Z28. Those scoops flapped open at full throttle. I, then a 21-year-old idiot, thought it was cool.

The G8 has gotten rave reviews but sales have not followed. Its a shame that people wont give this car a chance and refuse to look past overpriced BMWs or generic Japanese luxury sedans. I wouldnt pay for Nav so I could care less about it not being offered but the car needs an 8 way seat, memory and HIDs. Then again, if it had all that it would make the CTS redundant.

Another reason why GM should primarily import cars designed by their international branches and forget about Detroit.

m_thrizzle - that's an ignorant comment you just made. GM Detroit has engineered some excellent cars recently: CTS, Malibu, Corvette (including the all conquering ZR-1), Volt, Enclave/Acadia/Outlook, etc.

OK I admit my statement was exagerrated to get a point across. And that point is that GM has been doing so much wrong for so long that it has finally caught up to them in a do or die situation. A drastic change in management is needed to set a strategic long-term plan. Perhaps a CEO w/ foreign brand experience would be a good fresh-eyed starting point to pull away from their historic ways.

Additionally, GM needs good small cars to get new buyers attracted to their brand and have a chance at having a life-long customer. New buyers also may be more receptive to GM as opposed to lots of older people with negative predispositions towards American brands. yes, there is a new Cruze on the way but the damage has long been done.

Stingray - I think it's alittle early to attribute anything to the Volt.

I pray that thing sees the light of day.

I could be wrong, but CTS and Malibu sales have been pretty solid in their segments, right? And Corvette too?

1487 - I think (think) the G8 hasn't sold well because it's got piss-poor marketing support, is sold alongside a questionable brand in a "channel" of buick and GMC dealerships, and has "Ok" exterior looks. Yes, some people love the exterior and some people hate it. But I think the majority feel it looks "Ok".

For me, there's no 6-speed and GM was being stupid when they dropped the voltmeter and oil temperature gauge (I said REPLACE the crappy gauges with nicer ones, don't drop them altogether!). :)

And maybe I'd like an LS6 in my G8 GT :)

Joe

I think the G8 is a great car it just doesn't sell because it isn't advertised and Pontiac is pretty much a dead brand. Take the Pontiac off put on the Bowtie and slap Impala SS on it and it would be a success. Also helps that Chevy could show that it shares the engine with the mighty Vette.