Say 'hi' to Oldsmobile...

Growing up during the 1960s and 70s, having a father that worked as a mechanic at a car dealership and having two older brothers, I learned a lot about cars.

I learned which models were dependable from the Chief and which wheels looked good on a Chevelle from my brothers. It was a wonderful time of sleek lines and raw horsepower.

The Chief was a loyal American, Catholic and a Chevy man. Anything else was pretentious or not worthy of his time. The value system of the parents often get transferred to the child, and I realize that I should not be discussing taboo subjects like religion and car preferences, but I beg your indulgence, for there will soon be a death in the family.

General Motors, as part of its restructuring plan, has announced that after 84 years, in 2010 they will no longer make Pontiacs. Hummer, Saturn and Saab will cease production after this year if no buyers can be found. Pontiac will join Oldsmobile, which ceased production in 2004, as another memory of the 20th century.

GM's new business model involves keeping Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. They also plan to reduce the number of dealerships by 42 percent by 2010, cutting them from 6,246 to 3,605.

Closing nine plants and working a deal with the United Auto Workers' health plan will bring the break even point for GM to an annual U.S. sales level of 10 million vehicles, very near to the number of vehicles currently being sold.

The Chief must be rolling in his grave.

Through millions of dollars of advertising and careful branding, automakers indoctrinate the car-buying public into a nearly cultish devotion to their brand. If you don't believe this, get two farmers together -- one that drives a Chevy and one that drives a Ford -- and get them started on which truck is better.

There have been more polite discussions about religion than about cars.

And there have been wars fought over religion.

I worked for a couple years as the editor and ad salesman of a small and obscure antique car magazine in the 1980s. I enjoyed the work and learned much of the history of the car makers.

I enjoyed having discussions with the Chief about the history of American autos, as well as getting his opinion on the current cars that were being made. I believe that males, after marrying and starting a family, still yearn for excitement. Being bombarded by commercials for new cars and trucks, it is impossible not to wonder what it might be like to have a new car.

I went through this period, and referred to the car I was smitten with as my "whim of the week" whenever I spoke of this to my wife, explaining that I didn't want a different car, but I thought the current car I was fixated on was special.

Women don't share this mania, but I have an understanding wife.

The phase has passed, and I currently drive a Pontiac Torrent -- the fourth Pontiac we have owned. The first was a Grand Am, which both of my daughters drove. We did not meet my goal of putting 250,000 miles on the car, but came very close. Breaking the 100,000 mile barrier in the 1980s was a big deal, odometers only went to 99,999 in the early days, and cars were considered "worn out" after being "turned over." The car had Pontiac's 2.5 liter "Iron Duke" engine, which, when properly cared for, would run forever.

We owned a Bonneville (one of my whims that became reality) and a Montana minivan. Each had its own merits and flaws.

I can't understand keeping Buick while discarding Pontiac, but I am biased. It's a difficult thing to see your brand, your cult be discarded.

I do understand the need for drastic actions at GM. Time will tell if these amputations will be enough to save the patient.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.