RichEd223

I've been thinking about what my next car will be and while on a limited budget I've concluded that this may be the best option. The Pontiac GTO, now normally I would never consider another domestic but it is not really a domestic but a Holden in fact. I've driven a few and they seem to hold up pretty well when it comes to build quality and with the 04 having a 350hp 5.7l LS1 and the 05+ having a 6.0l LS2 with 400hp it's a tough bargain to pass up.

They are heavy as **** though at 3700lbs but still run low 13s to high 12s. I've been told that they can actually be made to handle very well with some modifications. You can get them for under $13,000 now.

Some gripe about the styling, saying it is too Grand Prix, others seem to like it's subltle sleeper nature. I'm considering one though, what do you think?

HugeinJapan

iTrader: (1)

My brother in law has an 06. He bought it bone stock with 20K miles on the clock. The suspension, and all parts a like are GARBAGE. We put full KW coilover suspension in it, added all new poly bushings and installed a set of adjustable sway's. NOW the car handles the way it's supposed to. Power is stock and decent for now.

Other issues with it are a constant "shake" in the steering wheel. It's a documented issue with all these cars. Some don't have it, but most do.

Typical clutch problems include boiling the fluid and loosing clutch pressure. Bleeding the system usually fixes this, but it gets aggravating.


Bang for the buck the car's hard to beat. Just plan to dump a few thousand in mods to fix all the little issues. Oh, and there's not a lot of wheel well, so no giant rubber if you want to lower it .

evo@24psi

iTrader: (37)

Your wastin your time if you dont get the 6.0. The cars are def heavy! high 13's stock. Easy to get low 12's out of them with bolt ons and tires. I have 2 buddies with them.

boost_em1

they are pretty solid cars i got a buddy that has one and he beats the **** out of it and it holds on like a champ. also u gotta love the torque this thing puts out no more downshifting haha

Alterna

iTrader: (1)

I have one. Get the 6-speed.

Problems I've had:

• Rear differential had to be swapped under a TSB.
• Stitching on the rear leather seats came undone.
• Leather on front seats is thin. Has torn 3x.
• While the leather interior is nice, the glue which holds it in place is garbage.
• Aluminum-like bits on interior delaminated.
• It had Aus-spec power window regulators installed on a US-spec car at the factory. The Aus-spec window regulators are about 2mm too short. Wind noise and water seepage was the result. After 3 trips to the dealership, who kept getting the wrong replacement part, it was finally fixed.
• LSD comes and goes...
• Horn honks by itself, whenever it wants...
• Brake rotors are complete and utter garbage.
• Front-to-rear brake proportioning must have been calibrated by a mass-murderer, as the rear of the car wants to overtake the front of the car while hard braking over 120mph.
• Traction control automatically quits...But only during passing maneuvers. Nothing quite like lighting up the rear tire(s)-see LSD- when trying to overtake someone.
• Suspension-Better springs can be found at a Slinky factory.
• Suspension bushings-I think they are made of Jello.
• The factory lip is about 2cm lower than a standard US curb stop. Driving over the stop-no problem. Backing-off a curb stop=loss of front facia.
• Paint- I think they used rattle can to paint the car-seriously...
• Radio is junk.
• The "1-4" skip shift requirement is a pain.
• The negative camber/LSD EATS rear tires.

Other problems (not with mine):

• There is a place somewhere on the car that collects and reroutes rain to the floor of the car-and not just a little water.

Bottom-line: It is a straight line cruise missile, and there are better examples for less $ (example: BMW e31- It is everything the GTO wants to be. I have one of these as well).

ignatios

god I love that car, its so freakin sick.

sillyme

even though they're a domestic