is a Toyota. GM trims Pontiac to just one model for 2010 I also just had to throw in this quote from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_11/b3824102.htm from Bob Lutz. "[FONT=arial,helvetica,univers]We want to make Pontiac an affordable, American BMW."[/FONT]
That isn't surprising. The Vibe is built at the Toyota / GM joint venture in California. No doubt GM has a contract for a minimum number of vehicles from that plant.
Heh. Nearly bought one of those (new '09 Vibe) instead of my used Prius last month, but GM wouldn't sell to me cheap enough, so I spent $3k more and bought the used Prius. I wanted to buy American, but not badly enough. It's like a Toyota Matrix with a 100k mi govt-backed warranty. -->Adam
More (not surprising news on this): General Motors to stop making Pontiac Vibe at California plant it shares with Toyota GM to end Pontiac Vibe production at Calif. plant - Yahoo! Finance
Who would buy a car from a company that's going out of business? Maybe the government will back the warranty, but who's going to do the actual repairs, and where will you get parts???
If the local Pontiac dealer disappears the warranty will be honored at any other GM dealer. GM & its dealers aren't going to go out of business and there is enough of an installed base for someone to make parts.
I believe that manufacturers have to supply parts for ten years after a model goes out of production. Heard that in the 60's so it might have changed??
Yes, manufacturers must supply parts for a set period of time. However, that doesn't apply to those that go bankrupt. GM could choose not to supply any parts for Pontiac if they wanted to. I don't see that happening though. Most of these parts are shared with other GM models so GM will have them in stock. They are currently still supplying parts for Oldsmobile vehicles and any GM dealer will service an Oldsmobile.
How much parts commonality is there between the Pontiac Vibe and the Toyota Matrix? For the mechanicals (engine, drivetrain, suspension, etc.) it should not be hard to fix the Vibe because those parts are identical to those in the Matrix, right?
I believe they share everything except the front clip, rear tailights, and some interior parts. Mechanical parts should remain very easy to find because Toyota parts can be used. Body parts may become scarce if GM decides to stop supplying them.
There may be parts availability due to commonality with other cars. There may be other dealers willing to do warranty work. GM may be disposed to recognize responsibility for a defunct division after a bankruptcy which relieves it of financial responsibility for pre-bankruptcy obligations. But that's a lot of "maybes." Do you really want to buy a car with so much in limbo, when there are so many other car choices available?
That depends on the price. If the dealer wants MSRP or close to it I would purchase a Matrix. If the dealer is willing to discount a Vibe a significant amount I would say it is worth the risk. That said, the risk is small. Warranties are backed by the federal government. Independent shops will work on cars of any make Historically parts have been available for decades after brands have gone out of business.
This is why i sold my crossfires, they could not be worked on the people who took the classes, are all gone from chrysler. Can't imagine now...and benz will not touch it
