GM Offers Post-Christmas Fire Sale on Pontiac and Saturn Vehicles

Those people looking for after Christmas bargains on closeout items might consider a Pontiac or a Saturn. These "orphaned" vehicles are still taking up space on dealer lots and GM needs to move them off to replace them with the brands the car company decided to keep.

GM and Saturn dealers received a letter from GM headquarters promising to kick back $7,000 for any Saturn or Pontiac sold to rental fleets or individual car buyers. Knowing the $7,000 figures gives car buyers something to go on since the Pontiac and Saturn vehicles are already discounted well below their MSRP.

The fire sale offering for Pontiac and Saturn vehicles will appeal more to those who want a new car cheap and have the knowledge to keep them on the road for years to come. The typical car buyer might suffer from a difficulty in getting parts in the future, and also from the fact that dealers must list these brand new cars as "used." That "used" label refers to what is essentially a way for GM to deal with its balance sheet. The dealer essentially "buys" the car from GM and moves it into another category of sales. As such, it becomes a "used" brand new car. This means that, excepting the unlikely chance that the cars become collectors items, the "orphaned" Pontiacs and Saturns won't have much resale value.

Interested car buyers need to act swiftly if they're to take advantage of the situation. The GM to dealer offer is said to expire Jan 4, according to the Wall Street Journal. For GM, the rearrangement of its inventory will give it a better bottom line as America's largest car company moves out of bankruptcy.

For car buyers, it will be a matter of finding the right Pontiac or Saturn. My own favorite in the economy class would be the Pontiac Vibe, a highly recommended and reliable vehicle by sources like Consumer Reports. The Pontiac Vibe was made in a joint effort with Toyota, and is a "twin" of the Toyota Matrix, which will cost a great deal more. Good luck finding a Pontiac Vibe, though that prospect is better in the internet age than it was when you had to peruse the print ads.

A Wall Street Journal article quotes Edmunds.com in saying that there are approximately 4200 cars left on dealer lots which GM would like to move from the "for sale" to "sold" category. Dealers are likely to pass along the entire GM discount to customers who wish to buy the cars. The Pontiac G3 is GM's least expensive car at the price of $15,000. Under this sales incentive program, a Pontiac G3 could cost as little as $8,000.