[Held for Ransom]

With the demise of Pontiac, PHS has raised the price of info to $65.

[GTO JOHN]

Still a bargain at $65. The Chevelle guys wish they had the same info available for their cars. I'm willing to bet some guys would pay upwards of $200 to properly document their 69 Chevelle ss396.

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by GTO JOHN

Still a bargain at $65. The Chevelle guys wish they had the same info available for their cars. I'm willing to bet some guys would pay upwards of $200 to properly document their 69 Chevelle ss396.

If it was available for chevelles there would a Ton LESS LS-6 1970 Chevelles out there!!

[70Steve]

I think I'd prefer a better quality colour photocopy of the actual PMD paperwork than a generic sheet like the Marti report above. I like the fact that I can see "my paperwork". Many years ago I received a very nice colour photocopy as well as the standard black and white photocopy in the same packet. It was for a RA Firebird though.

I also miss the factory photo for the particular model too, that was a nice extra, over time I ended up with four different ones and sent in another VIN just to get a different picture.

I want to send in the numbers for some engines I have too, just to see exactly what they came in new.
I'd like to see the PHS on certain cars just out of curiosity too, eg first 70 GTO Baltimore built, the cars before and after mine, just to mention a few.

I'd like to know the record for most requested VIN! I seem to recall a few ebay type sales where JM must just leave the sheet out for a few days, or atleast run a few photocopies off and wait. Anyone care to guess at the car and number of requests?

I think I could see myself digging through the PHS filing cabinets as a full time job...I could be the "special request searcher outerer".

[JLHarper]

Whats Gavin Govier charge now for Mopars?

[dennis kirban]

I agree still a bargain since it documents your car which translates into value when you sell it.

Your rite Chevy-Buick people do not have the same opportunity not sure about Olds. I know Jim tried years ago to try and get others on board with no success.

[email protected]

[Txbobcat]

You cant get it from anyplace else.

[bigpop]

What ther others above say. It's a bargain ,considering the lose a buyer could suffer
on a bogus car. Larry B.

[Stuart]

My understanding is that they had been receiving some financial support from Pontiac, so when that went away they were forced to raise their fee.

[79TA455]

Is there PHS Documentation on Canadian manufactured cars too?

[steve v]

Originally Posted by 79TA455

Is there PHS Documentation on Canadian manufactured cars too?

GM of Canada can document our North of the boarder cars.

[79TA455]

Originally Posted by steve v

GM of Canada can document our North of the boarder cars.

That I was aware of and have done before but always wondered if PHS would have any documentation on them.

[The Boss]

It would be a steal at 3 times the price!

[J GLASGO]

Anybody ever wonder how many times the same cars papers get pulled? Wonder if they keep records.

[JLHarper]

Originally Posted by J GLASGO

Anybody ever wonder how many times the same cars papers get pulled? Wonder if they keep records.

I was wondering the same.

I bet there are "record cars" maybe from the good ole days around 06 when one came up on ebay.

[MikeNoun]

I don't believe PHS ever had support from Pontiac. Jim Mattison started this whole PHS thing on his own.

As for fees, yes, it's still a bargain at $65 considering you could be making a mistake buying a $30,000 65 GTO and find out later it's a $5,000 Lemans.

The Chevy guys have had rumors flying around for years that there will be a service like PHS for their cars, but so far, nothing yet. I would imagine 50% of the owners of high end Chevelle SS's, Camaros, and Corvettes would be thrilled to have something like PHS, another 25% will soon find out their car isn't what it was supposed to be, and the other 25% are trying to sell their cars before this service becomes available.

Back in the 80's, some shops were cranking out big-block Corvettes the way Lucy and Ethel were trying to keep the chocolate assembly line moving. Shops made Corvettes to the buyers specs, and they stamped whatever numbers you wanted. Now decades later, those cars have aged and appear original, so it's very hard to be sure of what you're buying.

I believe Joel Rosen of Baldwin-Motion fame charges something like $1500 to come bless your car as a "real one", so $65 for actual Pontiac documentation is still a bargain.

[Stuart]

Right from the horse's mouth:

Although Pontiac Division is sadly gone, we at PHS (previously called Pontiac Historic Services) have always been an independent company and will continue to supply information to the Pontiac hobby.

Over the years PHS has strived to supply the most comprehensive information package on Pontiac vintage and collector cars in the industry. Our ability to authenticate Pontiacs has become the envy of most all the other car companies and hobbyist groups.

Additionally, in previous years, Pontiac Division had partially supported our efforts. However, as the decline of the economy affected the financial stability of General Motors and ultimately the demise of Pontiac Division, we no longer have that support. However, we have tried to keep the costs of our information packages as cost effective as possible and have continued to do so for quite some time, even without Pontiac’s help.

As many of you know, effective October 31, 2010, Pontiac Division and its dealer network officially ceased all operations, although most functions had stopped many months earlier. Unfortunately, as our cost of our operation continues to increase, we are forced to implement a price increase effective immediately. The new pricing will be $65.00 for US orders and $75.00 for orders outside the US.

We would like thank you for your continued loyalty to the Pontiac brand and may the “Excitement” of Pontiacs continue on for many years to come!

Jim Mattison
PHS – Automotive Services

[68gtoMN]

Here's my one, and only complaint...

GET CLEAN COPIES of these documents and stop sending the same, old, terrible photocopies along with the packets. It's really not that hard. In fact, I have properly recreated several exact reproductions of these documents for the 1968 model year and these could be produced at fractions of pennies each at a printer.

We used to get a factory photo with the packets also...

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by 68gtoMN

Here's my one, and only complaint...

GET CLEAN COPIES of these documents and stop sending the same, old, terrible photocopies along with the packets. It's really not that hard. In fact, I have properly recreated several exact reproductions of these documents for the 1968 model year and these could be produced at fractions of pennies each at a printer.

We used to get a factory photo with the packets also...

I just ordered a packet and am REALLY disappointed.

Anyone have a copy of the AMA for a '73 Firebird?

[bdk1976]

Would be interested to know how "the cost of the operation continues to increase" since that is the reason given for raising prices. Are rent and power prices really increasing that much in the Detroit area? I can't imagine too many other factors that would affect looking up stuff on microfiche and sending it out to people. It's not like the cost for this service is tightly bound to oil/gas prices or pork belly futures.

I can understand and appreciate "I want to make more $$" or "I got used to high revenue during the 2000's muscle car boom and am raising prices in the downturn to maintain those levels" as reasons, but this one puzzles me a bit.

Don't get me wrong - as far as I'm concerned, he owns the company and doesn't need to make ANY excuses for price increases. But since he feels the need to voluntarily give a generic, semi-dubious reason for the price increase, it kinda rubs me the wrong way.