NY Pontiac Dealer Bait and Switch on G8 V6
The 6.0-liter G8 is a wonderful car. But I was curious about the V6. Supposedly, the smaller engined variant will account for the majority of sales. And RF's been bugging me for a review of the "entry level" G8 ever since the Aussie-built sedan first hit the showroom floor. Getting a G8 V6 via the GM press fleet is as about as realistic as dividing by zero. So I hit up NY-area dealerships. Two weeks, no joy. A regular check of Pontiac.com eventually revealed two G8 V6s at Cunningham Buick Pontiac GMC in Bayside, NY. Upon arrrival, I discovered they had no G8s or any kind, sort or description. "But give us your number, and we'll call you this Friday when we get several more delivered– including a V6." Great. On Saturday morning, a salesperson called. "The V6 G8 is here!" When I got there in the early afternoon… no G8 V6. "Oh, we must have sold it this morning." Yes, in the course of a morning, a G8 V6 was arrived by a truck, found a buyer, got prepped and left. In four hours. All without the salesman's knowledge. The G8, in eight-cylinder form at least, is a kick ass car and a great deal. But with dealerships plying the ole' bait and switch, product excellence doesn't matter. [NB: this is not the first report of this c'mon down oops no V6 we've heard. Has anyone even seen one?]
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
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The Pontiac dealer (yes - solo Pontiac dealer) by me in Delray Beach had more than a few G8 V6s...I was perusing the lot Sunday (because...I love pain?). $27,945 on the sticker of most of them. I didn't drive them (because I was in a hurry), but they looked to be a huge improvement over the old FWD offerings in styling, fit, and finish. That might be damning it with faint praise, though.
We were in Colorado Springs a few weeks ago and Mike Shaw Pontiac Buick GMC had a couple of the V6s on the lot. The V8 was out front for all to see. We went to the dealership after hours. No salespeople. My 'out' at a dealership is that I work for a leasing company (which I do) and we only buy fleet. The sales people will then leave you alone.
"But give us your number, and we'll call you this Friday when we get several more delivered– including a V6." Great. On Saturday morning, a salesperson called. "The V6 G8 is here!" When I got there in the early afternoon… no G8 V6. "Oh, we must have sold it this morning." Yes, in the course of a morning, a G8 V6 was arrived by a truck, found a buyer, got prepped and left." Car probably arrived sometime on Friday. Car is hot. Probably sold and delivered. I don't think it's fair to slam the dealer for doing his job. All before you could waste their time by writing a review for TTAC.