[psycho-squirrel]

RANT ON! :willy:

Thank God that the bloody EOP is done with......I have been annoyed by all of the EOP hype at this site, get over it people, you can still buy a Solstice AFTER the 1st 1000, it's not like GM is going to cease production of this vehicle any time soon! The EOP was a gimmick, but you can still buy a Solstice, go order one for petes sake!

That being said, I think GM has a dilemma, albeit a good dilemma, judging from the Apprentice show and the current "buzz", the Solstice is going to be a BIG TIME hit imho. Like the early Miata, it could really re-invigorate the roadster niche of the market. Solstice, new Miata, Sky, VW roadster all coming to a dealer near you soon. But I digress, the Solstice "buzz" is creating such a demand for the product that GM may have seriously under-estimated the sheer numbers of cars that could and should be produced. IMO the Solstice could easily do 25,000+ cars a year, but that has always been the upper limit for this vehicle (limiting sales = continued demand). Production limitations be damned, get this car BUILT, pronto!

If GM bean-counters had half a brain they would pump out alot of cars ASAP to supply this demand before it dies (see GTO and G6 launch for reference). I also hope that GM will develop new options, colours, and upgrades for the Solstice, to keep the public interested long term.....can you say GXP?

RANT OVER

 

[sebgib]

I agree, and im done whinning now

just a little let down is all. I waited this long, whats a few more months.

 

[jimbo]

The EOP frenzy is understandable. Most of us have long accepted the Solstice would be a runaway
Grand Slam hit. The introduction of a brand new American Classic is no small feat. I think GM has the right attitude with this car, which seems to be, "lets hope we have a huge selling hit that will spark interest in other Pontiacs but lets not count our chickens in a very soft 2-seater market". I too hope they crank up production to meet the initial demand.

 

[brentil]

When the Superbowl comes around remind me to tell you not to be excited.

 

[sebgib]

When the Superbowl comes around remind me to tell you not to be excited.

ha ha ha


gosh I really hope someone out there on the first 1000 ends up having crappy credit.

 

[drew2002]

RANT ON! :willy:

Thank God that the bloody EOP is done with......I have been annoyed by all of the EOP hype at this site, get over it people, you can still buy a Solstice AFTER the 1st 1000, it's not like GM is going to cease production of this vehicle any time soon! The EOP was a gimmick, but you can still buy a Solstice, go order one for petes sake!

Except for the technical problems of the EOP ordering this afternoon, I think that the EOP program was a good attempt at creating a fair, lottery-style method of to let enthusiast buy a Solstice for MSRP. Without this program, you can bet that many of this first 1000 cars would be sold with a hefty dealer markup, to people who might not be enthusiasts, but could afford to pay whatever the extra cost.

I think that GM/Pontiac deserves credit for attempting such a program. Though not being in the market for a Solstice right now, I feel sorry for those who couldn't get through on the computers this afternoon. I bet that Pontiac/GM will be learning a lot from the outcome of this. And to make sure they do, if I was one of the unlucky ones this afternoon, I'd be sending a note to GM voicing my disappointment. With enough of this feedback, perhaps their IT dept. will be more prepared the next time (Sky?).

All that aside, I think that psycho-squirrel has a good point, that there is life (and more Solsti) after the EOP

That being said, I think GM has a dilemma, albeit a good dilemma, judging from the Apprentice show and the current "buzz", the Solstice is going to be a BIG TIME hit imho. Like the early Miata, it could really re-invigorate the roadster niche of the market.

Remember though, the market conditions now are very, very different than in 1989 when the Miata was released. Back then, there had been a pent-up demand for a reliable and inexpensive roadster. The miata was the first. Fast forward to today, where you have the Miata, S2000, the Z4, etc, all of which have been available now for years.

If GM bean-counters had half a brain they would pump out alot of cars ASAP to supply this demand before it dies (see GTO and G6 launch for reference). I also hope that GM will develop new options, colours, and upgrades for the Solstice, to keep the public interested long term.....can you say GXP?

RANT OVER

Here is where I'd probably side with the bean counters (not that they need any support but I think it'd be really expensive to ramp up production for thousands of cars over a short period of time. You're talking about huge amounts of capital equipment expenditures which must be ammortized over a short time.

With any luck, the Solstice will not only be a gourgous looking roadster, but fun and sporty to drive, and reliable. It will be these enduring aspects that will help keep sales up.

 

[Fformula88]

I cannot say I will miss the 10 EOP threads a day we have had lately either. That is a selfish statement too. I admit it. I wasn't going to order a car through EOP.

Time will tell how much of a hit the car will be. With any car like this, its going to be a hit initially. However, time will tell if it can sustain sales over time. Hopefully, it can sustain enough to remain on the market, but not so much that they start jackjing up prices, and dealers can easily gouge.

 

[psycho-squirrel]

GM needs to get this car to market ASAP.

They ought to be able to sell quite a few Solstii before the fall/winter 2005. But any delay of initial production will hurt GM, since sales of convertibles are bound to be slow/slower during the winter months, then pick up again next spring.

Like I said before, any delay will also affect the "buzz" this car has, remember the Oprah G6 marketing event? No product at the dealers, no tires to kick = little to no sales despite all of the publicity. Likewise, any delay of the Solstice would likely divert consumers towards the soon to be launched new Miata, GM cannot afford to lose business in this battle.

 

[1 Sly Sol]

The urgent thing for me was getting in on the EOP because I knew the dealers would jack the price up beyond reasonable and then I would not be getting one. After I got in the EOP the dealer said he expected these cars to go 3-5k above MSRP and he was going to get whatever the market would bare. That is a sad thing for all the people that have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this car. Pontiac has a winner but the dealers are going to kill it.

 

[solli4me]

gosh I really hope someone out there on the first 1000 ends up having crappy credit

guffaw, guffaw, :lol: My sentiments exactly! It's amazing where your thoughts will go when you've just been locked out and you're still peering through the window...

Anyway, last news was there'd be 16,000 - 20,000 cars in production so we all still have our hand in...

 

[Fformula88]

The urgent thing for me was getting in on the EOP because I knew the dealers would jack the price up beyond reasonable and then I would not be getting one. After I got in the EOP the dealer said he expected these cars to go 3-5k above MSRP and he was going to get whatever the market would bare. That is a sad thing for all the people that have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this car. Pontiac has a winner but the dealers are going to kill it.

I hope he doesn't gert that much over MSRP for them. I can understand asking that much if they can find buyers. I just hate it when people pay those increased prices! I'd be willing to wait for prices to come back down to MSRP.

 

[ho2go]

If GM bean-counters had half a brain they would pump out alot of cars ASAP to supply this demand before it dies (see GTO and G6 launch for reference).

On the other hand, if you flood the market then the value and consumer interest of these cars will plummet after the initial hype. Although it'd be shrewd, GM can maintain high interest in this car if they're careful to keep supply slightly below demand.

But I guess you're right - with their half a brain the beancounters probably *will* pump out tons of cars ASAP.

 

[psycho-squirrel]

I did not say to "flood the market"

I would suggest that they MEET DEMAND within reason.

Car compaines are businesses, they are supposed to make cars AND profits, if the Solstice is a winner and profitable (likely) then why not build them to meet demand?

Demand won't last forever either, cars run in cycles, new models trump old ones, this car is new and hot, it's time for GM to strike.

nuf said.

 

[ho2go]

I did not say to "flood the market"

I would suggest that they MEET DEMAND within reason.

Car compaines are businesses, they are supposed to make cars AND profits, if the Solstice is a winner and profitable (likely) then why not build them to meet demand?

Demand won't last forever either, cars run in cycles, new models trump old ones, this car is new and hot, it's time for GM to strike.

nuf said.

I totally agree, I was just having some fun! :jester: Didn't mean to offend or twist what you said. I think I'll have to start surrounding my jests with <joke> </joke> tags. :lol:

 

[todd_raleigh]

Except for the technical problems of the EOP ordering this afternoon, I think that the EOP program was a good attempt at creating a fair, lottery-style method of to let enthusiast buy a Solstice for MSRP.

I think you are wrong. The enthusiasts are the people who have been watching and waiting for over three years. GM should have done something for all of us tracking this car before announcing it to the world on the Apprentice. I understand that GM wanted to create demand for the car, but they could have done that and taken care of the enthusiasts at the same time. I don't think they really care about the enthusiasts. But, that's business. People will forget about it. How many people who have been waiting for this car are NOT going to buy it now? Probably not much, but one of them may be me.

 

[C5Vette]

Well, let me preface by saying that I got an EOP order (in fact my small little dealer actually got 4), so I may have had a different opinion if I lost out, but I think the contest was a good idea and fair in theory. The only place I think they screwed up was by having server problems.

The way I see it is this was a contest like companies run all the time. Take for example the On-Star Hot Button contest...if I go in and push the button and don't win, will I hate GM and never buy one of their cars? Of course not!

Now I can understand a lot of people's disappointment because I too was at the dealer all morning and had basically given up when I didn't have an order by 2:30. My blood pressure was through the roof and I was very disappointed and upset. I even made the same comment in anger as many of you: "maybe I won't buy one of these stupid cars at all". But in my heart I knew I loved and wanted the car and my dealer already told me if I didn't get the EOP I would be getting his 1 car allocation for the first quarter. There was really no way I was going to give up my shot to own this car.

I think most people should be mad at their misinformed, unhelpful dealers instead of GM. Even with the server problems, it really wasn't any more unfair, it just took longer for the process to play out. It was still random/hit-or-miss whether or not a dealer would get through with an order. We all knew from the get go that with 2200 dealers trying for 1000 cars there is no possible way for every dealer to get even one. As far as the dealers not knowing what to do, you can't blame GM. I saw all of the manuals, literature and training calls that GM provided for the dealers. It was all spelled out very clearly and all questions were answered. If the dealers actually took the time to go through the materials and paid attention they would know what was going on (heck, my small town dealer pretty much knew everything about how to order before I educated him...although I still went through it with him one more time ).

In the end, is it fair to boycott or punish GM because you didn't get a car in the EOP? Absolutely not. Is it fair to boycott or punish the dealer that didn't get you a car? Possibly, if they didn't treat you right. If they truly tried from 2pm and were sitting there refreshing and doing everything they could to get you a car and you still lost out, I'd say too bad, luck of the draw. If you had one of these dealers that waited until 2:30 to start or had three terminals and you were number 1 and lost but numbers 2, etc got a car, I think you have a major complaint and I probably would never patronize that dealer again.

Just my humble opinion of course. Everyone is entitled to think what they want which is what makes this country great!

 

[Small Dealer]

I think you are wrong. The enthusiasts are the people who have been watching and waiting for over three years. GM should have done something for all of us tracking this car before announcing it to the world on the Apprentice. I understand that GM wanted to create demand for the car, but they could have done that and taken care of the enthusiasts at the same time. I don't think they really care about the enthusiasts. But, that's business. People will forget about it. How many people who have been waiting for this car are NOT going to buy it now? Probably not much, but one of them may be me.

Todd, First as I have stated elsewhere, I feel your pain and anger. You and others talk about how long you have been watching and waiting. I see members here with spring 2004 join dates. And you say the GM should have identified these enthusiasts and accommodated them. How could GM have identified them? Should GM have come here and picked out the 65-75 or so that replyed to the pole that they would order and give them cars?

Let me tell a story form Friday. When I arrived at work, sitting in my office was a man that I have known for many years, on a first name-hi how are you passing in the supermarket basis. Turns out he was a closet Solstice fan. We talked about it from birth to now. He read all the articles (saved them in fact), seen all the pictures, had pictures of his own with the car at auto shows (an not the local ones). He had actually gone to see the car during his vacations if a show was in the town he was in. He was deserving. How was GM to find him? Produce a February 18th, 2002 copy of Autoweek or the April 2002 Car & Driver and get a car?

I believe with all that is left of my heart, that the idea behind the EOP offered more people, including the Solstice enthusiast, a better chance of getting a car earlier in the build proccess then any other system GM or Pontiac has ever used and that I have seen in 35 years.

Keep the faith.

 

[240ZRX7MiataSol]

GM Responsible For Server Issues

I've ranted a bit about yesterday, even after getting one of the first 1,000. Mostly because the process was unexpectedly chaotic and stressful, and because, while I got one as the dealer's #3 guy, the #1 guy didn't and I felt terribly for him. My frustration is squarely with GM--not my small dealer. My dealer was ready and did everything they could in the days and moments leading up to 1:00 (Central time), even ordered pizza for us. The pain and chaos was due to server problems alone, at least at my dealer. GM simply should have been ready.