2005 GTO

[Black02Silverado]

A friend of mine just bought an 05 GTO with the 6sp. He let me drive it back to the dealer he bought it from, which is 30 miles away to pick up his truck that he left there. Then he let me drive it back to his house while he drove his truck back. What a friend. Let me tell you that GTO will move. Now remember the only performance vehicle I have ever driven has been, well never unless you can count a 95 Mark VIII with the cobra engine in it, an 05 SLS Caddy, or my 65 Impala. So as far as comparisons I don't have much to go on. But I do have an offer to drive the new C6 vette, I just need to get to Pa where my cousins husband owns the Chevy dealership.

 

Anyway, the GTO is one nice ride. Power out the waaazzzoooo and handles great. Now the 1st to 4th shift really sucks and it got me a few times. I think that feature would have to go if it was mine. I'm 6' tall and there seemed like plenty of room. One other feature that was interesting was that it has power locks but no switch to activate them. You have to push the lock on the door down and pull it up to unlock the doors, what's up with that GM?????

 

I think the best part is that you get a performance ride that is in an invisible body. By that I mean the car doesn't have the greatest body style. It looks nice but it doesn't scream speeder speeder, look at me I like to race. But if you want to run you can.

[LogixRat]

Is that a good thing or bad thing? I guess opinions vary. Personally I think people interested in buying cars with high hp are also interested in the attention that comes with them such a sporty bodies, wheels, etc.

 

Look at the new Mustang...it isn't the fastest out there, but it looks the part and they sell the snot out of them. In my opinion, GM really missed the boat by killing the Camaro and then making the GTO a "sleeper" with all those ponies. Perhaps some of this bad management is why they are making the news about closing plants.

 

I think the best part is that you get a performance ride that is in an invisible body. By that I mean the car doesn't have the greatest body style. It looks nice but it doesn't scream speeder speeder, look at me I like to race. But if you want to run you can.

 

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[gmcjoe]

I really like the powertrain setup in the GTO but I agree with the masses, the exterior design sucks. Looks way too much like the Grand Prix coupe.

Hopefully GM will do more to seperate the exterior from it's Australian counterpart

[CMNTMXR81]

Welcome to the pleasurable driving experience of this car.

 

It offers 99% at least of the performance of the F-Body

and

It offers 99% of the handling prowess of the F-Body

 

Where it shines, is that it does all this in a much better built vehicle, better interior by far, better ride compliance, quiet, and solid piece of machinery that the F-Body isn’t.

 

I loved my Camaro, but as I’ve said many times, the F-Body was a bull swinging an sledgehammer in a china shop. The GTO on the other hand, is a fine, precision, surgical instrument. It’s more BMW’ish in terms of it’s overall manners but still has the adolescent brute V8 grunt to be “youthful” when you want it.

[CMNTMXR81]

Is that a good thing or bad thing?  I guess opinions vary.  Personally I think people interested in buying cars with high hp are also interested in the attention that comes with them such a sporty bodies, wheels, etc.

 

Look at the new Mustang...it isn't the fastest out there, but it looks the part and they sell the snot out of them.  In my opinion, GM really missed the boat by killing the Camaro and then making the GTO a "sleeper" with all those ponies.  Perhaps some of this bad management is why they are making the news about closing plants. 

 

I think the best part is that you get a performance ride that is in an invisible body. By that I mean the car doesn't have the greatest body style. It looks nice but it doesn't scream speeder speeder, look at me I like to race. But if you want to run you can.

 

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Not true. I purchased my Z28 over an SS or overflamboyant WS6 Trans Am because I wanted affordable fast withouth the attention.

 

I bought the GTO for the same reasons. Although the bonus is the infinite 200% improvement over the F-Body the GTO provides.

 

I love the sleek, conservatively styled, yet handsome look of the GTO. Yea, it looks like a Grand Prix because it's part of Pontiac's "family" of vehicles. Kinda like how Chevy trucks sorta have a familiar styling theme...

 

Matter of fact, that sleek, conservatively styled, yet handsome look of the GTO is a HUGE reason I have it. I like my '04 more than the hood scooped and SAP optioned '05! The only thing about the '05 I like VISUALLY is the split tailpipes.

 

Even if I liked mustangs, I'd still rather have the GTO's style over the mustang's.

 

So your theory isn't entirely correct. Mine as well as about 36,000 GTO owners (18,000 made per year) of which 99% of them produced in '04 were sold and about 70% of '05's produced being sold would disagree with you.

[LogixRat]

I'm not disagreeing that the GTO offers something special to buyers like yourself. I'm just saying what what a shame that GM has such a product and it isn't competing online with the Mustang and similar sports cars.

 

I wonder how many of those purchases were made more on horsepower and less on body styling. Not saying they didn't like it, but how much more they would have liked something with more aggressive body styling. And possibly how many more would have been sold.

 

I dunno, just some food for thought. I'm just pleased that GM is producing a vehicle with 400hp! And for the record, I do think the body style of the GTO is nice.

[CMNTMXR81]

Once again though, if you ask those of us who actually own them, we DIDN'T want a mustang clone/competitor. Most of us don't even like the fact that they (the rags) constantly compare the two cars solely because they're V8 and RWD coupes. Don't get me wrong though, we love the fact that it still beats it.

 

Part of the reason Pontiac didn't market it like ford does mustangs is because they are limited to 18,000 of them produced by Holden per year per a UAW agreement. Even at that (18,000), that's nearly TWICE as many as Holden produces Monaro's.

 

Considering Pontiac sold 95% of the '04's produced and closing in on 73% of the '05's produced, I'd say Pontiac didn't need much help in that arena. There are a lot of other vehicles in GM's product portfolio that wishes they sold 95% of production with almost no advertising!

 

I had a mustang competitor. I loved every minute of it. But it was brutal, primitive and bordeline immature. I wanted to go to the next level. That's where the GTO sits on the ladder vs. the mustang.

 

We just don't have the "Gotta Have It!" factor that was the criteria for one rag's reason for calling the mustang the winner.

 

Seems to me though that those who know, know this car because it garners more attention than my Camaro ever did!

[PaulieK]

I dont know. I sort of like it but as I sit here looking at my friends original 1970 GTO Judge Ram Air IV with 64,000 original miles in polar white. I would have to say that even though the new GTO might be faster in the 1/4 mile than the 70 Judge (13.1) I still prefer the older style. Maybe I am turning into a geezer but I think the 1968-1970 body styles (lead sled) were the best. I have not really seen anything that makes me go (I gotta have one) except the 1996 Dodge Viper coupe. Now that is a fun car to drive.