New Or Used? : More Troubles With Old GM

by Steven Lang

Published: April 8th, 2014

A reader writes: I have a 2007 Pontiac G6 coupe which, up until last fall, had been a pretty decent car.Then, in October, I had to replace a clutch and a flywheel ($1,700). While the clutch was being fixed the driver’s side window stopped working and is now propped shut with wooden blocks. Within a week the check engine light came on. Friend who works at a GM dealership checked it (no charge) and determined it needed a air temp sensor. The OnStar report also indicates that the ABS and Stabilitrack is not working and requires attention. Then, about a week ago the key fobs and trunk release stopped working. At first I thought it was ironic that so many things could go wrong at once, but now I wonder if all these problems are interrelated and somehow result from some kind of electrical bug.Do you have any input on whether this could be the case and how expensive a fix could be?In addition to these problems, the car also requires a ball joint, a tie rod end, and 4 new tires by spring (I have winters on it now). This takes me to my second question, which is whether it is worth fixing this car or cutting my losses and buying something new.I am really not keen on having another car payment, but if I do buy another car I would be looking for something used in the $10,000 to $15,000 range. Because I live in Canada and have been experiencing the winter from hell, I would be looking for all-wheel-drive and would prefer a manual transmission. This seems to leave the only options as BMW, Audi, and Subaru. The only problem with those are the fear of ghastly expensive repair bills, particularly with the Germans, and especially considering these cars, at that price range, will have in the range of 125,000-200,000km on them.So, the questions are, should I dump the G6 now and move on to something else? Am I crazy for even considering the above-mentioned cars? Are there other options available?Steve SaysYour car is suffering from an acute case of Roger Smith syndrome.This is a chronic disorder that is attributable to a bacteria known as planned obsolescence. All cars have it to varying degrees. However, certain defunct GM models that only existed to placate a bloated bureaucracy of bean counters are now the poster children of this disorder.How do you cure your car? By taking the current issues to an independent mechanic who is well regarded, and pay for those repairs. Window regulators, ball joints, tie-rod ends, ABS Sensors, all of these have shorter lives in a harsh environment. None of this is fatal for your Pontiac unless you are compelled to pay the new car dealer premium for fixing them all.I would spend the $2000 (my rough estimate) since the car will likely sell for that much less with a propped up window, the ABS issue and the needed suspension work. If you just hate the car and want to go back to that merry-go-round of new car payments, that’s fine as well. But I am a card carrying member of the “fix-it” union, and your car is still worth far more alive than dead.So fix it. Consider a nice seat or stereo upgrade at a local auto recycling center or Ebay. Give it a good detail, and pretend like it just came off the showroom floor. Because you know what? More than 99% of the good within this once new vehicle is still there.You just have to bail it out… and remove those few parts that are old GM.

#CarBuyingAdvice #NewOrUsed? #OldGM #PlannedObsolesecnce #Pontiac #SteveLang #StevenLang #UsedCars #WhenIsItTimeToSell

Steven Lang

More by Steven Lang

Comments

Join the conversation

5 of 80 comments

Kaosaur on Apr 09, 2014

I'd say sell it and buy a Fiesta or a Mazda 2. Your car and your wallet will not survive another winter otherwise and you'll do fine without AWD. With all the horror stories I've been hearing from G6 owners recently, it turns out the car is kind of crap.

Like Reply
Akear on Apr 09, 2014

Lutz and Wagoneer produced cars like the g6. The ingnition recall were ultimately their responsiblity. The Cobalt was the first car that Lutz oversaw for GM. Roger Smith never produced cars that were deathtraps.

Like Reply
- See 2 previous
- NoGoYo on Apr 09, 2014
  
  Nope, he just killed Oldsmobile, nearly killed Cadillac, Buick, and Pontiac, and brought about Saturn. :P
  
  Like
- 28-Cars-Later on Apr 09, 2014
  
  No, but within a fiscal year of his retirement GM lost $23 billion in 1991 dollars. "His tenure at GM ended in 1990, one year after the release of the popular underground documentary Roger & Me, where many displaced GM workers called for Smith's retirement. Smith voluntarily retired from GM, and later toured the new Saturn facility in Tennessee, which he brought to fruition, in 1991." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Smith_%28executive%29 "In 1992, GM announced it had lost $23.5 billion in the fiscal year just closed. California's pension fund found itself over-subscribed on GM stock, and its influence on the Board of Directors led to the "palace coup." Finance guy Jack Smith replaced car guy Bob Stempel, father of the Oldsmobile Toronado, as the automaker's chairman." Read more: http://blogs.motortrend.com/suddenly-its-1992-gm-bankruptcy-next-week-2414.html#ixzz2yQxCyijF
  
  Like
- MRF 95 T-Bird on Apr 10, 2014
  
  @28-Cars-Later In the picture above Roger Smith is holding a Saturn prototype. It does look like a Cavalier. I guess restyling gave it its own unique look, though it did look like a downsized Cutlass Supreme.
  
  Like

Recent Comments

Analoggrotto *What's the most famous track you have driven on while Hyundai foots the bill?
2ACL I'm pretty sure you've done at least one tC for UCOTD, Tim. I want to say that you've also done a first-gen xB. . .It's my idea of an urban trucklet, though the 2.4 is a potential oil burner. Would been interested in learning why it was totaled and why someone decided to save it.
Akear You know I meant stock. Don't type when driving.
JMII I may just be one person my wife's next vehicle (in 1 or 2 years) will likely be an EV. My brother just got a Tesla Model Y that he describes as a perfectly suitable "appliance". And before lumping us into some category take note I daily drive a 6.2l V8 manual RWD vehicle and my brother's other vehicles are two Porsches, one of which is a dedicated track car. I use the best tool for the job, and for most driving tasks an EV would checks all the boxes. Of course I'm not trying to tow my boat or drive two states away using one because that wouldn't be a good fit for the technology.
Dwford What has the Stellantis merger done for the US market? Nothing. All we've gotten is the zero effort badge job Dodge Hornet, and the final death of the remaining passenger cars. I had expected we'd get Dodge and Chrysler versions of the Peugeots by now, especially since Peugeot was planning on returning to the US, so they must have been doing some engineering for it