I test drove a Pontiac GTO this afternoon.

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: RGN
The radio is typical GM? Name another GM with a Blaupunkt. Name another GM with a real (not pleather) leather interior for under $30K. Yeah, I said under 30K, it can be done. I bought my '04 almost a year ago for $27K and new '04s were cleared out at $24K. Opps, did I just spill that I'm a GTO owner? 😀 THe interior is what sold me, for the $$$ there is no other even close. The 350z? nope. The G35? close... The Mustang? Gimmie a break.

Stock wheels are 17" and there is an 18" option. Wheel rub sucks, the dealer should be smacked.

No sunroof because the LS1/LS2 would have its way with the chassis.

Bitch all you like but I thought the interior was cheap and cheesy. I liked the gauge cluster but thought the center console looked like typical cheapo GM crap. I don't buy the engine will twist the chassis with a sunroof BS argument. They make the Corvette as a convertible and that is a hell of a lot more car than the GTO. Fvck, the Viper came with an open top 12+ fvcking years ago! With the amount of trunk space lost to whatever lies between that panel in the trunk and the rear seats they could stiffen the chassis quite a bit (there must be 3-4 cubic ft of wasted space back there for god only knows what-I asked the sales goon, he was clueless).

Don't even get me going on the leather. It was decent but it wasn't German or British car quality...not even close.

I agree that the Mustang interior is crap though. God did Ford ever cheap out on that interior.

Edit-I think the G35 chassis is 10x better than the GTO. I've driven both and that is my opinion.

 

[RGN]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Bitch all you like but I thought the interior was cheap and cheesy. I liked the gauge cluster but thought the center console looked like typical cheapo GM crap. I don't buy the engine will twist the chassis with a sunroof BS argument. They make the Corvette as a convertible and that is a hell of a lot more car than the GTO. Fvck, the Viper came with an open top 12+ fvcking years ago! With the amount of trunk space lost to whatever lies between that panel in the trunk and the rear seats they could stiffen the chassis quite a bit (there must be 3-4 cubic ft of wasted space back there for god only knows what-I asked the sales goon, he was clueless).

Don't even get me going on the leather. It was decent but it wasn't German or British car quality...not even close.

I agree that the Mustang interior is crap though. God did Ford ever cheap out on that interior.

Edit-I think the G35 chassis is 10x better than the GTO. I've driven both and that is my opinion.

Good leather is hard to come by. I've got a quality custom leather installed in my Maxima, and my 944 is factory leather. I think the GTO leather is some if the higher quality available in a factory configuration. German and British leather will cost more than the high 20's that the GTO is. Not the same market. The point is that for the dollar, the GTO is pretty good bang for the buck.

An yes, the engine twisting the chassis seems like a BS argument, but its the only one I've heard. There are aftermarket sunroofs being installed in the cars with good results. Your argument that the Viper and the Vette have open tops and therefore the GTo should isn't really right on. The Viper and the Vette were designed from the ground up as a stiff chassis sports car. They are top shelf performers in the american market. The GTO pretty much a luxery touring car that has been stuffed into the performance arena.

The space behind the rear seat and the trunk is the gas tank. It was moved there by American engineers to meet some sort of safety requirements.

I didn't like the G35 seats. That is the main reason I didn't buy it. It didn't help the case for Infinity when I drove the GTO, the intoxicating acceleration and then the cost sold the car.

 

[RGN]

and I wasn't bitching. I don't really care if you hate the car. Don't buy one. GM has almost sold out the quantity of 05's for the year.

 

[dug777]

are they still all made here by Holden?

 

[EvilYoda]

Originally posted by: RGN

Originally posted by: EvilYoda
yeah, hardly any 19s fit our cars stock w/o rubbing...there's a guy who bought a fender rolling kit that's being sent around the country right now for people that wish to run larger tires. The most I'd ever bother with would be 18s. As for wind noise, I've found it surprisingly quiet as have my passengers. Comparing it to the Charger and Mustang, the overall fit and finish is in another league, although the price is certainly higher.

And that's why I loves me GM discount 😉 😛 Overall, I'm one happy 23 year old.

I've not been around here for a while. Hows your car? I've not even got 3K on mine yet. I also ordered the Autocross grills and an '05 hood. They are ready to be painted, but I've not had the time to work out those details.

Mine's...been through some rough times, but none of it was the car's fault. flat tire from crappy Flint roads, a truck blew a flat in front of me on another highway a week or so ago and the rubber landed on it's side, which I had to drive over because I was boxed in on the left and right. I'm at about 8650 miles right now, had it since September. Tint, K&N CAI and maybe an exhaust are all I'm going to do to it since it's a lease.

I have, however, picked up a bunch of cleaning products and detailed the car twice so far since the Michigan winter's been over. The paint sucks due to Australia not having to worry about 4-5 months of snow/rain+salt...I have chips all over the place that are not looking very pretty, to say the least.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
Nav systems are cool for about a month. Then you realize that you really have no use for them, and that spending $2000 on something that doesn't make your car preform better was fvcking stupid. I mean, for christ sake, do you really need your car to tell you where the local Chinese restaurant is every time you go?

I use mine all the time. They really show their worth when you make a wrong turn or just get lost in a foreign area. Perhaps you never leave the 15 mile radius in which you live, but some of us like to explore.

 

[duckdown]

i love my grand am

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
Nav systems are cool for about a month. Then you realize that you really have no use for them, and that spending $2000 on something that doesn't make your car preform better was fvcking stupid. I mean, for christ sake, do you really need your car to tell you where the local Chinese restaurant is every time you go?

I use mine all the time. They really show their worth when you make a wrong turn or just get lost in a foreign area. Perhaps you never leave the 15 mile radius in which you live, but some of us like to explore.

i have a map in my car for that...😉

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
Nav systems are cool for about a month. Then you realize that you really have no use for them, and that spending $2000 on something that doesn't make your car preform better was fvcking stupid. I mean, for christ sake, do you really need your car to tell you where the local Chinese restaurant is every time you go?

I use mine all the time. They really show their worth when you make a wrong turn or just get lost in a foreign area. Perhaps you never leave the 15 mile radius in which you live, but some of us like to explore.

yea gps is rather freeing. reroute on the fly..even in places you don't know or when you want to add another destination to your errands or whatnot. or to find the next mcdonalds or bank or whatever.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
yea gps is rather freeing. reroute on the fly..even in places you don't know or when you want to add another destination to your errands or whatnot. or to find the next mcdonalds or bank or whatever.

Definitely. In fact, last weekend when I drove home from school (PA to CO), I left with no directions. I just entered the destination into the navi, and was home 24 hours later. I used it along the way to find my hotel, gas stations, and restaurants. Sure you can do all of this with paper maps, but paper maps don't give turn-by-turn directions or automatic re-routing, and aren't even close to being as safe or reliable as the new digital counterparts. The last thing you want to be doing while driving in a foreign area is fumbling for a map or trying to catch small street signs.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: RGN

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Bitch all you like but I thought the interior was cheap and cheesy. I liked the gauge cluster but thought the center console looked like typical cheapo GM crap. I don't buy the engine will twist the chassis with a sunroof BS argument. They make the Corvette as a convertible and that is a hell of a lot more car than the GTO. Fvck, the Viper came with an open top 12+ fvcking years ago! With the amount of trunk space lost to whatever lies between that panel in the trunk and the rear seats they could stiffen the chassis quite a bit (there must be 3-4 cubic ft of wasted space back there for god only knows what-I asked the sales goon, he was clueless).

Don't even get me going on the leather. It was decent but it wasn't German or British car quality...not even close.

I agree that the Mustang interior is crap though. God did Ford ever cheap out on that interior.

Edit-I think the G35 chassis is 10x better than the GTO. I've driven both and that is my opinion.

Good leather is hard to come by. I've got a quality custom leather installed in my Maxima, and my 944 is factory leather. I think the GTO leather is some if the higher quality available in a factory configuration. German and British leather will cost more than the high 20's that the GTO is. Not the same market. The point is that for the dollar, the GTO is pretty good bang for the buck.

An yes, the engine twisting the chassis seems like a BS argument, but its the only one I've heard. There are aftermarket sunroofs being installed in the cars with good results. Your argument that the Viper and the Vette have open tops and therefore the GTo should isn't really right on. The Viper and the Vette were designed from the ground up as a stiff chassis sports car. They are top shelf performers in the american market. The GTO pretty much a luxery touring car that has been stuffed into the performance arena.

The space behind the rear seat and the trunk is the gas tank. It was moved there by American engineers to meet some sort of safety requirements.

I didn't like the G35 seats. That is the main reason I didn't buy it. It didn't help the case for Infinity when I drove the GTO, the intoxicating acceleration and then the cost sold the car.

My point is that it shouldn't be that difficult to stiffen the car up enough to put a sunroof in. It would take nothing more than a few more welds and possibly a slight redesign of the roof structure. It wouldn't be that difficult. A luxury tourer should have more options than the GTO does IMO.

BTW-I hate the Bose audio in the Infiniti G35 and the way it is designed you cannot put in an aftermarket stereo either.

I didn't mean to come off as though I HATED the car. I just think Pontiac could have done so much better with it. My .02