2000 Pontiac Grand Am Sedan 4-door 3.4l on 2040-cars

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Distracted driver crosses center line and hits police car

Attentive driving and quick reflexes saved the life of a police officer in Hudson, WI, when an oncoming driver drifted into the officer's lane and struck his cruiser. According to KMSP, the officer was patrolling along a busy road through Hudson on March 31 when the crash occurred. Dash cam video from the patrol car which was released to local media shows the dramatic collision unfold. As the officer came around a mild left-hand curve, a white, 90s-era Pontiac Grand Am continued straight through the curve, across the center line, and directly into the officer's path. The officer was able to avoid a head-on collision, but the Pontiac still struck the driver's side of the patrol car. "Both the officer and the other driver are ok, however, this accident could have been much, much worse," said a Hudson Police Department official on the department's Facebook page. "So please remember to pay attention to your driving at all times when behind the wheel." Minnesota's Department of Public Safety estimates that one in every four crashes in the State of Minnesota are caused by distracted drivers. DPS believes that the actual number may be higher, but police often have difficulty proving distracted driving as the cause of a crash. Government/Legal Pontiac Driving Safety Coupe Police/Emergency

This Hoonigan mechanic's twin-turbo Trans Am is wonderful

What do you drive when you work on rally machines for a living? Probably a Subaru WRX, and that's what Gregg Hamilton had for a while until working on his car felt too much like his day job. So when he moved from New Zealand to the US to work for Ken Block (with a few stops along the way) he bought something entirely different. This is Gregg's 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. It's a throwback to another time, but it's anything but stock. It has that magic combination of a big V8 with a manual transmission and rear drive, just like the tin-top racers Gregg watched in his Kiwi youth. He bought it sight unseen from its previous owner in Alabama, and has been tinkering with it ever since. There's something about the flared wheel arches and the classic Firebird gold-striped black livery that has us smitten. Scope out the six-minute clip above from Petrolicious and see if you don't fall for Gregg's Pontiac as well.

Pontiac Aztek enjoys rebirth thanks to Millennials

Apparently, Millennials – those between 18 and 34 – aren't afraid to look different on the road, and they like performance, too. A new study by Edmunds is discovering some surprising vehicle choices by this group. Among them, the long-derided Pontiac Aztek is getting a new day in the sun with 25.5 percent its buyers coming from this generation in the first half of 2015. For comparison, Millennials represent an average of 16.8 percent of used car purchases. The Aztek is slowly shaking its reputation as a styling abomination, which seems tied to its appearance on Breaking Bad. The show premiered in 2008, and the Pontiac has been on this list for four of the past five years, according to Edmunds. It even led the pack in 2010. A recent Retro Review from MotorWeek also showed that the crossover wasn't always so hated. While it's still a shock to see the Aztek on any popularity list, the awkward-looking crossover only ranks sixth among Millennials. The vehicle with the biggest portion of buyers from the generation is the Dodge Magnum with 27.6 percent. According to Edmunds, the bluntly styled wagon is especially popular in Detroit and Chicago. The Chrysler Pacifica comes in a close second at 27.3 percent. When it comes to used cars, value and utility appear to trump just about anything else for many Millennial buyers," Edmunds analyst Jeremy Acevedo said in the report. Young buyers aren't afraid of sporty rides, either. The Subaru WRX has 26.4 percent Millennial buyers to rank third place on the list, and the Volkswagen R32 takes fifth at 25.7 percent. Just a few points lower in seventh place is the Nissan GT-R at 25.4 percent, and the final performance machine in 10th place is the Lexus IS-F with 24.7 percent. Related Video: