I'm no mechanic.

Even though I am no expert I don't think you could throw a rock at a junk yard without hitting a pontiac. When was the last time you remember seeing an old pontiac driving around town? My bet is if you remember a particular pontiac is because it was in bad shape.

Upon some digging I found this forum solely dedicated to the g8 and it seems the majority of issues people are discussing are concerning the engine and transmissions. I see lots of posts about piston knock, gears slipping, poor acceleration, burning/leaking oil.

My advice is the next time you are out in town take a look around and count what kind and how many used cars are rolling around and take not of what shape they generally seem to be in. That it was I did when I was last on the market, but had little money to spend and I ended up bagging myself a ford ranger.

The Pontiac G8 is based on an Australian Holden platform and is actually one of the best cars Pontiac made in modern times. It's a shame nobody bought them and thus Pontiac got the boot as the failed GTO and G8 really hammered the nail in Pontiac's coffin.

That said, insurance is high because body panels cost a small fortune to replace and have to be shipped from Australia. Most guys have already beat up the GT models and just about every GT model on the planet, regardless of mileage, is overpriced as some people see them as a retirement meal ticket collectible, which they will never be.

Definitely get it checked out by a mechanic before you purchase and do your best not to overpay.