Last Chance for Canceled Models

The automotive world has turned upside down. Your last chance to buy some wonderful vehicles models is fast approaching. Since the Internet is forever, by the time you’re reading this, these opportunities may have long passed.

2009 Pontiac G8

Imagine a Pontiac Trans Am or Chevrolet Corvette that seats four super-sized adults and one slightly cramped kid. That’s the Pontiac G8 GT and G8 GTP. The Corvette seats only two. While the Trans Am had five seatbelts, only pre-teens could be comfortable in the rear. The 2009—there will be no 2010—G8 GT has a 355-horsepower, 6.0-liter V8, while the GTP’s 6.2-liter V8 pumps out a whopping 415 horsepower. So long as your Value Meal friends aren’t riding along, the G8 GT will run with any Trans Am ever made, while the GTP will embarrass all except the latest Corvettes. The G8 dies along with the Pontiac brand. Talk that it might be resurrected as a Chevrolet appears to be just that: Talk.

2009 Honda S2000

Arguably one of the best sports cars ever made, the S2000 was crushed under the weight of America’s infatuation with huge SUVs. Or perhaps Americans thought sports cars had to be unreliable and leak oil. With 237 horsepower pushing a light 2864 pounds and extra grippy Bridgestone tires, the 2009 S2000 is nimble and precise. Without squealing a tire, it’ll go around corners far faster than is prudent on public roads. It provides the you-are-the-car sensation found in single-seat racecars. If you want a real sports car, grab an S2000 as 2009 is its last season.

2010 Pontiac Vibe

The only 2010 Pontiac is identical to a Toyota Corolla, except it’s cheaper and has more features. Both the Corolla and Vibe are built on the same Fremont, Calif. assembly line. It’s available with either a 110-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder or a 144-horse 2.4-liter four. Plan on keeping this orphan forever as resale value will stink, but independent shops that specialize in Toyotas can repair the Vibe. Except for a few bits of body trim, it employs readily available Toyota parts.

2009 Hummer H3

As this was written, the Hummer brand was to be sold to a Chinese company. Your guess is as good as ours as to what that will mean to the Hummer lineup. Regardless, the Hummer H3 with the optional “off-road adventure package” can go places few other vehicles can travel. This package’s iron-cased, locking front differential, super tall 33-inch tires and skid plates can mean the difference between an entertaining back-country romp and a long hike back to the tractor shed. Its more-svelte width allows it to slip down logging trails and through boulder fields better than its larger H2 sibling. Maybe the H3 will continue, but maybe not, too.