We've owned 3.

A 1988 Grand AM with the Quad4 5 speed package. Really quick for the price ($12,500 OTD) and stayed that way until the O2 sensor went out and I blew the head gasket. It was never the same after that and got traded for a '95 Celica vert.
I loved that car though.

A 1990 Sunbird for Barb we bought because I was tired of paying the tow and repair bills for her BMW 320.

A 1993 Grand AM (different generation) we bought for Barb after the Sunbird got rear ended. Automatic, nice car, sold it when we bought the '02 PC Cruiser.

I for one will remember the brand fondly.

 

I don't think I was so much the hottie as was the car.

 

My mother owned a 1963 Tempest LeMans coupe - 326 automatic with the irs transaxle. With its light weight, V8, and irs rear end you could have a lot of fun on wet corners - the joys of being young.

My cousin owned a 1964 LeMans 326 auto convertible which we eventually bought -- a great cruising car as long as the road was straight.

My wife-to-be owned a 1969 Tempest with the OHC 6 -- nice enough appliance that got replaced by a VW microbus when we got married.

 

That's what I wanted to hear. Comfortable seats is a must. I want it to replace my 97 Explorer as a winter beater.

 

^ how long will parts be available for it?

 

My dtr in Boston is shopping RIGHT NOW for a new car....as her '89 Accord needed big $$ repairs ( thanks for the repair shop recommend'n, Legal Bill... LUU was helpful on phone consultation ) Sold on Craigslist for 400 bucks....

She has zeroed in on an '07 or '08 Certified Honda Fit but maybe I should tell her to shop for a Pontiac Vibe

 

Mine had a 350 with a 2 barrel and a 2 speed power slide, and a front bench seat. Couldn't get out of its own way, but it sure handled well.

 

I have never owned any cars other than Hondas.

 

My first exposure was the 67 Gran Prix that my Father bought for my Mother used. It had a 335 HP 400 CI engine that could smoke the tires on that 4200 pound car that was a true "wide track" Pontiac. It had a back seat wide enough to be a teen agers dream car. Unfortunately, my parents has a waiver on their insurance coverage that no one under the age of twenty-five would drive it. Yes, I would sometimes sneak out in it in the early day light hours on a Sunday morning. It could smoke the tires for about forty-five feet when one put the three speed automatic transmission into Super mode

Then in the fall of 1970 after I got drafted and was stationed at Fort Dix, NJ my parents did not feel comfortable with me traveling on the NJ Turn Pike with a 40 HP 1963 VW Bug. A recently returned Viet Nam Veteran that had let his license expire while "in country" that lived in the apartment building on the opposite corner decided that the 1969 Firebird with the 4.1 Litre Overhead Cam engine, which at the time had the highest redline of any American made production engine (that I am of aware of) at 6,500 RPM, was costing him too much money for insurance as he was in an "assigned risk pool" (because his license had expired while in Viet Nam and was considered a newly license driver) (which is not a fair treatment of a veteran in my opinion). Living in Queens NYC he had put a total of 3,300 miles on the car (as he took the bus and subway to work) and put it up for sale. On the morning of Sunday, 31 Oct his insurance was going to expire. My Father was in contact with him and on that morning before his insurance would expire paid him $3500.00 cash for it. I remember sitting at the kitchen table in my parents house as my Father counted out the thirty-five one hundred dollar bills to buy it. My Father was a WWII Navy veteran and was proud that I, the youngest of his three sons was serving in the military. I pulled number nine in the first draft lottery in 1970.

I put another 116,000 miles on that car until the right rear wheel bearing self destructed. The biggest issue that I had was a leaky rear window that would cause the trunk to fill up with water when it rained. I fixed that problem with sealant around the window. But had an ongoing problem with the tail light assembly leaking. I use to have to change the sockets on a rotating basis when they rusted to the point that the bulbs would no longer work.

In the end I sold the car to a Father and son that were going to stuff a 400 CI engine into it for $400.00 in July of 1976.

I wish that I had that car now. Just think how rare a 4.1 Litre Over Head Cam straight six 1969 Firebird would be worth now.

 

The new GTO is over, but I'm curious about the future of the Holden that is sold here as the G8. LSx engine with beaucoup hp/torque. Or a V6 that is a nice Accord competitor. And, they had announced for future import an El Camino-like pickup on the platform. I do wonder what will happen: the Holden as a Chevy Caprice; the pickup as a Chevy El Camino or GMC Caballero?