Exclusive: The Real Story behind Slow GTO Sales

"...It is simple business, they would rather turn away three buyer who would buy at MSRP and sell to the one who will buy for $38,000." Yes, and I'm certain there will be a few Pontiac dealers who will complain about poor sales, despite their overcharging for the vehicles. I guess you reap what you sow.

"...That being said, you don’t have to ask anyone at Pontiac to know they are not happy with the situation, however automotive dealers are independent companies, and therefore there is nothing GM can do."

I often wondered how powerless the automakers really are. Is it possible to write in clauses dealing with "overcharging" customers into their franchise contracts? Then again, I suppose that's why manufacturers clearly label the window sticker as "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price;" in the end, the dealer determines the actual price. I also would imagine that GM would find itself in a bit of hot water if when the Solstice arrives GM would simply tell said overcharging Pontiac dealer: "Gee, we seem to be all out of them for you." ...Maybe that wouldn't be so good for factory-dealer relations?!

Hmmm, maybe GM really is powerless to the dealers.

Article is about as much spin as the Clinton regime's press conferences.

The article suggests that sales will pick up (though it only bases that assumption on seasonality which was already accounted for in the original article posted on this board). The article does not even bother with the states which didn't have bad weather or winter climate and if one were to see any trends of seasonal doldrums coming to an end, you'd see it in consistent sales outside of the rust belt and cold weather climates.

The article doesn't even deal with the secondary stickers that dealers attach to these cars reducing their already marginal value. The article also doesn't even deal with the fact that many of the sales already recorded were probably pre-orders which further diminishes the saleability of this version of the GOAT. Subtract out those pre-orders and the actual sales of the GOAT would be quite embarrassing!

I read a lot of hope and prayers in the article but didn't see much to offer a glimpse into a world any different from what we are currently seeing.

The article also fails to account for $2 plus gasoline which will definitely place a huge chill on the sales of a car that isn't kind to fuel mileage.

I don't mean to rain on someone's parade, but you'd think that an article proporting to tell the real story would do so instead of spinning a yarn of fantasy over truth.

The best thing about the GTO is by far the engine and the performance it delivers. In reality there is no other car today with the performance, comfort, quality and the price you SHOULD be able to get one for. GM surely knows it made a boo-boo on the styling front. Granted the original GTOs were based on the Tempest, this was only to get around GM execs that would not have approved of the project had they known what the boys at Pontiac were really up to. The original GTO was based on the Tempest because it had to be. Considering this was a proven name with history and a following, I wish GM would have made the GTO a little more than an LS1 dropped into another vehicle and rebadged. It just deserved more and it was not nearly enough to satisfy expectations, even if we knew ahead of time what to expect on the parts front. Lets be honest, looking at the Monaro you knew it wasn’t going to have slab sides, but maybe you did expect something a little different. People don’t complain about performance, just style. What is so aggravating is that just about anyone could have told GM about the shortcomings in style and I am sure many did. They got it on the market and probably in the most efficient way possible and there is nothing wrong with that if some effort had been made to address styling issues. I saw that Monaro with a body kit and it looked great. I just wish GM had gone the extra mile with the GTO. It would literally take a few hundred dollars to make the GTOs looks match its performance and quiet so much unnecessary criticism. Like the GTOs performance but don’t like the style? Buy one and eventually get a body kit and you have an awesome vehicle that would require some real tough criticism to detract from it.

The argument that the 64 was also plain, or that the the 66-67 looked similar to the Grand Prix are both true. What I think may be missing is that through the 60's, cars had fairly significant changes every couple of years. In fact most of us can probably tell the differences in the 64/5, 66/7, 68/9, 70/2 GTO's. While the design of many of Pontiac's cars were similar among the make/brand, they each had their own niche, and each changed every couple of years. Had the 04 GTO been intro'd about 5 years ago with this body style, we might be hearing less complaints. As it is, it looks not just like a GP, but the previous generation GP. I think they are in the right ballpark with price, performance, interior, etc. But watching one go by does not induce that "gotta have" feeling (at least in me).