Standing in the middle of a parking lot, I looked down at the hood of a 1957 Chevy Bel Air with fascination. It's been years since I last saw one of these; yet, here she is, a vintage beauty from the early 1960s, sitting before me as if a drive-in were just around the corner. A Pontiac GTO from the mid-2000s sat in the same parking lot as an Olds Aurora, parked on the other side of it. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean the GTO seemed, considering its reputation for being covered in cheap plastic and flimsy trim. The passage of time, on the other hand, might have been more kind to the Aurora.
The sight of these three vehicles parked side by side in a parking lot sent my mind racing. How many automobiles have been introduced as a replacement for a void only to become expensive collectibles? Likewise, what about the vehicles that came into the world with a clear mission and purpose but failed terribly. In that parking lot, I saw the finest of both worlds: the city and the countryside. When it came to the GTO, the mid-2000s model was meant to reflect old-school muscle and re-establish Pontiac as a serious player in the automotive industry. Because of this, Oldsmobile's Aurora was tasked with saving the company's reputation.
Many cars have met the same fate, and others have become classics entirely by chance. In this article, you'll learn about eight General Motors models that didn't live up to the expectations placed on them and quietly rose to the status of classics.
8 2004 – 2006 Pontiac GTO ($5,000-$8,000)
The mid-2000s saw a significant resurgence in muscle cars. With the Pontiac nameplate, GM had no choice but to join in on the fun again. This was done incorrectly, though. GM imported the Holden Monaro from Australia with Pontiac and GTO badges, while Dodge and Ford came up with fresh designs for the Charger and Challenger.
Many people didn't like it since it was too pricey and didn't appear flashy enough for what it was supposed to be. However, nowadays it’s dirt cheap, and can be gotten for anything from $5,000-$8,000.
7 Saab 9-7x ($3,000)
There was a lot of badge engineering done to Saab while it was a GM company. The Saab 9-7x was a badge-engineered variant of the Cadillac SRX, and it was sold under the Saab nameplate. It existed only to boost Saab's sales in the United States, the company's largest market. No way would happen, and Saab ended up going bankrupt shortly after GM sold it to Spyker, where it was discovered face down in a mountain of bankruptcy papers.
Outside of the dull inside, it wasn't necessarily a poor car, but as Car & Driver points out, it was up against Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW for the top spot. The 9-7x didn't have a chance of saving Saab because of its hefty chassis, built-in Mexico sticker, and poor fuel efficiency. Although the specified price of this Saab was over $42,000, you can find many of them in the range of $3,000-$4,000.
6 Pontiac Aztek ($3,000)
Pontiac's (and GM's) next great smash was meant to be the Edsel, but it entirely turned out to be something else. While GM's entry into the crossover industry was a smart move, the market is thriving now, and this particular model strayed too far from the original concept.
Times had reported that General Motors designers had revealed that the Aztec's design has been tinkered with, costs had been slashed, and other compromises made. GM didn't want to spend any money, so we got this instead, designed for those who lead active or severe lifestyles. It looked unattractive, but below all that rust sat a capable crossover - it's a shame no one gave it a go. The Aztek could preserve the Pontiac brand, but it was discontinued in 2005, and Pontiac soon followed suit. Now it sells for less than $3000.
5 Chevy Citation ($3,000)
Forget about the Citation's aesthetics. Despite the fact that it wasn't the most visually appealing vehicle, its inclusion on our list has nothing to do with its aesthetics. It was a significant milestone for GM, as it was the first Chevrolet to be offered with front-wheel drive. The Honda Accord and Volkswagen Rabbit were among the vehicles it was supposed to compete with.
A stain on the history of General Motors, it is widely considered to be a total design failure yet came dangerously near to becoming an important model for the company. It was America's best-selling automobile for a while. While this may seem unbelievable, it's the truth. After barely five years on the market, Chevy Beretta and Corsica took their place. Some have been "cited" to go for less than $3,000.
4 Chevy Bel Air ($2500)
In order to go against the flow, Chevy created the Bel Air. In the past, similar-looking models came and went, leaving no traces behind them. For more than two decades, the Bel Air would be synonymous with luxury since it debuted at a period when Chevrolet was at its most opulent.
The Bel Air, in a variety of body configurations, can now be found at almost every vintage vehicle event. They also turn up in large numbers at Chevrolet auto exhibitions. What was once simply another model is now one of the most well-known and highly sought-after classics of all time... Luckily, we found some for as little as $2,500!
3 Chevy SSR ($ 2,000)
Introducing the Chevrolet SSR was unquestionably a blunder for General Motors. Like Chrysler's Plymouth Prowler, it was an effort to get into the "hot rod" market. The SSR, like the Prowler (and the GTO), was only in production from 2003 to 2006.
It was designed to appear like a modified 1950s pickup truck, but with the powertrain of a modern sports car, according to Edmunds. To make things worse, it weighed a lot and cost a lot of money. In the end, General Motors discovered that a corporate-built hotrod could not be sold, and it has remained away from this market ever since. While the original price tag was about $45,000, you can now find one at a meagre price of $2,000.
2 1982-1988 Cadillac Cimarron ($1,200-3,000)
GM built a sport sedan in the early 1980s because it was worried about losing luxury sales to the Germans. When it debuted the Cimarron, a vehicle the size of a BMW 3 Series but cost almost twice as much as a brand-new Chevy Cavalier, it didn't develop anything that handled or performed well.
However, during the height of the import boom, the general public had seen straight through GM's deceitful ploy to seize the market. Despite the Cimarron's demise in 1988, Cadillac's fortunes continued to deteriorate for over two decades after that. Now this flop can be found for as little as $1200.
1 Pontiac Fiero ($800)
This time around, we'll be discussing a vehicle that General Motors made an effort with: the Pontiac Fiero. It wasn't a badge-engineered catastrophe or a shoddily constructed vehicle, but it quickly earned a reputation for being unreliable and costly to repair. As Motor1 points out, it was criticized for being unnecessarily complicated or under-engineered in certain respects. Although it was heavy and sluggish (11.3 seconds to reach 60 mph slow), a surprising number of people (135 people reported engine fires to the NHTSA) were affected.
A mid-engine sports vehicle like the Fiero might have been very competitive for General Motors had it been equipped with the correct engine and design. However, although it was a big hit in the marketplace, it failed to live up to its stated goal of becoming GM the genuine rival in the sports car market. You can pick up one of these at around $800.