General Motors on Monday announced plans to cut 21,000 U.S. factory jobs by next year and phase out its storied Pontiac brand -- maker of the iconic Trans Am.
Still, Ron Schultz of Oak Lawn says he'll always remain a "hardcore Pontiac Firebird guy."
The 49-year-old hot rod aficionado says the coming death of Pontiac is a sad day for guys who love great cars.
"It hurts me to see Pontiac go away. It hurts American heritage to see Pontiac go away," says Schultz, who has three vintage Trans Ams and a cherry Firebird Formula in his garage.
"Pontiac has always been the more refined and nicer-built car with better lines, just an overall better sports car," he said.
Schultz still has the Mayan Red 1978 Trans Am he bought new after graduating from high school.
"I remember seeing 'Smokey and the Bandit' at the Bel Aire Drive-In . . . and I just had to have that car," Schultz said. "It's given me a lot of good memories. I was born a Pontiac man, and I'll always be one."
But in a few years, folks won't be able to buy a brand new Pontiac anymore.
GM -- Pontiac's struggling parent company -- is surviving on $15.4 billion in government loans and faces a June 1 deadline to restructure and get more government money. In addition to laying off workers and closing Pontiac, the automaker's restructuring plan includes asking the U.S. government to take company stock in exchange for half GM's government debt. If the restructuring doesn't satisfy the government, the company could go into bankruptcy protection.
The guys at Mike Haggerty's Pontiac, Buick and GMC dealership in Oak Lawn already have fielded a few calls from Pontiac buyers wondering how the end of the line for Pontiac will affect them.
But Pontiac owners have no need to worry, general manager Bill Haggerty said.
"There is no drawback to buying a Pontiac. You still have the parts, the best warranty in the business, 100,000 miles. We'll still provide service. And none of that goes away," he said.
The phase-out of Pontiac -- like Oldsmobile before it -- could take two years. Haggerty says it's business as usual. "We sell more Pontiacs than anything else, and we've still got a lot more to sell," Haggerty says. "We heard the news on CNN Saturday, and one of our salesmen said his wife asked him what he was going to do. He said, 'I'm going to get up, take a shower, go to work and sell a car.' What else are you going to do?"
