GM Announces it Will Phase Out Pontiac

Since GM announced that it would be discontinuing the Pontiac brand, there has been a fair amount of speculation as to what (if any) effect this would have on values of pre-1973 collectible Pontiacs. I don’t anticipate any sudden increase in classic Pontiac values. While there might be a temporary increase in Pontiac interest in the near term – while the news is fresh – over the long term, we most likely won’t see a dramatic increase in the value of vintage Pontiacs. Similar questions were asked when GM discontinued Oldsmobile, but we did not see an increase in value for vintage 442s, 88s, etc. attributable to the death of Oldsmobile.

It may be a slightly different situation with late model cars than with Oldsmobile simply because Pontiac is producing at least several cars that are more interesting than an Olds Alero or Bravada. Poor economy notwithstanding, there will undoubtedly be an increased demand for G8s and possibly the Solstice (especially the GXP editions) as these are highly regarded by enthusiasts and automotive journalists. We can only hope that cars like the Solstice GXP and G8 wind up somewhere else within GM. The G8 GXP would make a great Impala SS, wouldn’t it?

Also, these more desirable models are likely to end up better cared for since they are now irreplaceable as new cars. Because of this, resale values will likely remain high on highly optioned examples. The more utilitarian examples and less interesting models like the G6, Torrent, Vibe, etc. are likely to blend in with other used cars on the market.

Parts supplies for collectible Pontiacs are unlikely to be affected. GM’s licensing department and the collector car industry and hobby have done a tremendous job of making OEM and quality aftermarket Pontiac parts readily available for collector car owners. This won’t be affected by GM’s decision to phase out the Pontiac brand.