test drove 04 GTO

[chorb]

Yup bought it, its awesome to finally be the owner of a car I've been looking at for so long. Maybe I could have done a little better price wise if I waited, but this car has everything I wanted and was available now; yay for me.

maybe a picture or two later if I can find my camera.



----------------

I saw that a local carmax had a 04 GTO, 6MT, 28Kmiles, red leather interior, silver exterior, for a reasonable $17.9K.

I headed over after work and gave it a test drive, and I still have a big smile on my face.

That car was amazing, the power was always there in any gear at any rpm; if you pushed the gas pedal you'd better be dam sure thats the direction you want to go because it would physically push you into the seat and accelerate like crazy. I loved the interior, the seat just hugged my body, and the exhaust note sounded like angels singing (or grunting); plus it was the red and black leather, very nice.

I've been wanting a muscle car for some time now and I think this may be the opportunity I've been waiting for. Also, carmax has a 5 day no questions asked full refund should I change my mind, which makes the decision a bit less frightening.

Any one have any words of wisdom? Is the impending doom of Pontiac something I should be worried about, in terms of replacement parts down the road?

 

[fstime]

Always seemed like a car I would get sick of really quick.....

 

[zerocool84]

Try driving an 05+

You'll get an even bigger smile on your face. The 04 always felt underpowered to me but the 05-06 was great. It gave it the power it really needed but I hate the hoodscoops on the 05-06 models.

 

[LucJoe]

Go for the 05 or the 06. You really need that extra .3 liters and the hood scoops make your car-peen at least 3 in. bigger

On a more serious note, that price doesn't seem that great. When i was in the market 4-5 months ago I found an 05 with 30k for 15k. There were lots of 05-06s in your price range with low miles.

 

[coldmeat]

Too bad it's ugly.

 

[chorb]

Originally posted by: LucJoe
Go for the 05 or the 06. You really need that extra .3 liters and the hood scoops make your car-peen at least 3 in. bigger

On a more serious note, that price doesn't seem that great. When i was in the market 4-5 months ago I found an 05 with 30k for 15k. There were lots of 05-06s in your price range with low miles.

really? I've been looking at all 04-06s for the past few months and the 05 and 06s in my area (Los Angeles) are starting at $20k for 40k miles on the odometer for a 6mt (and not a hideous yellow or red color).

 

[lastig21]

No real comment on the GTO's. I've always liked them, but have never driven one. I would be hesitant buying a Pontiac, unless you know you are keeping it for quite a while. Once Pontiac disappears, so will the resale value.

I have a friend who purchased a car from Carmax. He had the car inspected, and the mechanic found excessive rust (probably from being owned in the north). The mechanic warned this could cause headaches in the future. My buddy returned the car to Carmax without any issues. He had financed the car with Carmax, and they closed the loan. No interest owed and no penalties. The 5 day worry-free return apparently is really good.

 

[chorb]

Originally posted by: lastig21
No real comment on the GTO's. I've always liked them, but have never driven one. I would be hesitant buying a Pontiac, unless you know you are keeping it for quite a while. Once Pontiac disappears, so will the resale value.

I have a friend who purchased a car from Carmax. He had the car inspected, and the mechanic found excessive rust (probably from being owned in the north). The mechanic warned this could cause headaches in the future. My buddy returned the car to Carmax without any issues. He had financed the car with Carmax, and they closed the loan. No interest owed and no penalties. The 5 day worry-free return apparently is really good.

Yea if I purchase it I plan on keeping it for a while, it'll be my daily driver for as long as I can foresee. I fully plan on getting it 3rd party inspected ASAP.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

too bad that car was shitty. they're ass raping you with that price on a used pontiac. pontiac's resale value is shit so u should be able to buy that car much cheaper. but keep in mind u get what you pay for, which is why pontiacs' resale values are horrible.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
too bad that car was shitty. they're ass raping you with that price on a used pontiac. pontiac's resale value is shit so u should be able to buy that car much cheaper. but keep in mind u get what you pay for, which is why pontiacs' resale values are horrible.

yes because a 400+ HP muscle car is comparable to your shit whinebox accord motor. When the fuck will you realize some people like driving cars that have tons of torque and power instead of some boring family sedan with OMG INTAKE MODZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ +.6 HP

 

[RedArmy]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
too bad that car was shitty. they're ass raping you with that price on a used pontiac. pontiac's resale value is shit so u should be able to buy that car much cheaper. but keep in mind u get what you pay for, which is why pontiacs' resale values are horrible.

You know, for as much as I can respect people's opinions, you have to be the biggest fanboy of foreign cars I've ever witnessed online. Sure, I love Hondas and Subarus and a bunch of other foreign cars, but jesus christ, grow the hell up.

You won't ever convince anyone on this forum to change their outlook on cars by going "LOLOL bad resale value!11!1!!! dumbestics ftl!1!!1".

What you should do instead is form a reply that's both coherent and well thought out. That type of response will actually offer something of VALUE to the thread. Then, and only then, will people take you more seriously.

I'm not exactly sure what's going through your head but this isn't some eternal war you're waging with you at the helm of the imports. You make all of us look bad when you troll the Garage forum just looking for your next victim.

Therefore, if you don't have anything worth saying, please go back into your hole and read your latest issue of Import Tuner. I hear there's a pretty sweet article on a tuned Honda Civic Type R. That should keep you away from this website for a while.

To the OP: I pretty much have to agree with everyone else, the 05-06 GTO looks a lot better and is worth finding. There's a few around here that people are selling but you're on the other side of the country. Too bad, but good luck with your search.

 

[Kadarin]

If you liked the 04 GTO, you should really consider an '05. More than just the hoodscoops, it replaces the LS1 motor with the LS2, adds a bunch of hp/tq, and gives you a true dual-exhaust system. If you have the urge, it's a car you can easily modify for huge horsepower gains, along with suspension improvements.

What I consider drawbacks:

Very small trunk.
No ipod hookup/integration in the stereo.
No nav.

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: PhoKingGuy

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
too bad that car was shitty. they're ass raping you with that price on a used pontiac. pontiac's resale value is shit so u should be able to buy that car much cheaper. but keep in mind u get what you pay for, which is why pontiacs' resale values are horrible.

yes because a 400+ HP muscle car is comparable to your shit whinebox accord motor. When the fuck will you realize some people like driving cars that have tons of torque and power instead of some boring family sedan with OMG INTAKE MODZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ +.6 HP

Awesome!, lets all hope ZV eventually bans this troll...

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: PhoKingGuy

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
too bad that car was shitty. they're ass raping you with that price on a used pontiac. pontiac's resale value is shit so u should be able to buy that car much cheaper. but keep in mind u get what you pay for, which is why pontiacs' resale values are horrible.

yes because a 400+ HP muscle car is comparable to your shit whinebox accord motor. When the fuck will you realize some people like driving cars that have tons of torque and power instead of some boring family sedan with OMG INTAKE MODZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ +.6 HP

aside from that, i was looking at GTO's in my area the other day, and they have held their value relatively well

 

[bruceb]

If you liked the 04 GTO, you should really consider an '05. More than just the hoodscoops, it replaces the LS1 motor with the LS2, adds a bunch of hp/tq, and gives you a true dual-exhaust system. If you have the urge, it's a car you can easily modify for huge horsepower gains, along with suspension improvements.

What was said above is mostly correct. 2004 models had some strut rub on the tires which was fixed on 2005 / 2006 model. As the dual exhaust, if you look under a 2004 you will see it is 2 seperate pipes from the motor all the way.
Only difference is they both exit at the same side of the bumper instead of being split apart on the 2005 / 2006. Personally I would take the 2006 model. And the price for a 2004 is a bit high, but if it is in top body / interior shape with that miles, it is not too bad.

 

[Pariah]

Strut rub was not fixed in 05-06 models. The suspension as a whole is a weak point for GTO's. 05-06 also come with better brakes, which is of some importance with 350-400HP under the hood.

 

[KentState]

I've been looking at getting one also as a weekend/fun car. I'm sticking with 05-06 as I've found plenty under $20k with around 20k miles on it in the 6 speed. I'm sure from there, I can talk them down even more since they really aren't moving quickly. If you can find an '04 for under $15k asking, remember that adding 50hp is pretty cheap and upgraded brakes are under $500.

I owned an '04 and purchased a set of '05 brakes off of eBay for $200 and had a friend install them for $50. I also found many ways to cheaply increase power, but never executed. You can also add an after market hood and buy a split exhaust system if looks are that important. The '04 I had really was well built and didn't have many issues over the 65k miles that I had it. Around 25k, something happened with the hand brake and I had that replaced.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: BouZouki
Always seemed like a car I would get sick of really quick.....

Agreed. It's basically a powerful jellybean. Very meh styling.

I test drove a then new '05 a few years ago and wasn't blown away at all...in fact, for a new car there were some noticeable problems with that car.

 

[chorb]

For those of you who say I can get a 05/06 for the same price, where are you looking? Autotrader (within a 500 miles radius of Orange County, CA) shows the later models at least $20K for 40Kmile cars, keep in mind im only looking at manual transmissions.

I prefer the 04 hood, and would not consider an orange, yellow, black or red car; very stringent I know.

This is one of the best priced/low milage cars I've seen in the past few months on autotrader with exactly everything I want. If someone can objectively show me I'm not getting a good deal, please show me.

 

[LegendKiller]

I wouldn't buy one. My buddy has an 04 and he's having tons of problems. Had to replace the rear diff among other major problems.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: chorb
For those of you who say I can get a 05/06 for the same price, where are you looking? Autotrader (within a 500 miles radius of Orange County, CA) shows the later models at least $20K for 40Kmile cars, keep in mind im only looking at manual transmissions.

I prefer the 04 hood, and would not consider an orange, yellow, black or red car; very stringent I know.

This is one of the best priced/low milage cars I've seen in the past few months on autotrader with exactly everything I want. If someone can objectively show me I'm not getting a good deal, please show me.

There don't seem to be too many of them available for sale. I only found 23 within 75 miles of me. Probably because they didn't sell all that well in the first place.

People are saying the the '05-06 models because they had 400hp which is 50hp more than the '04 model year.

Edit-I did find a 2005 with 22k miles on it in Fontana. The guy is asking $17k for it. It is yellow but it is a manual transmission car. Why no yellow or red? Those colors look pretty good on that car IMO.

Text

 

[scorp00]

I love my trans am with the same engine. No problems getting parts yet. My only suggestion is to check out a corvette the c5's have dropped in value a lot, have that same engine and handle like it's on rails.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: LegendKiller
I wouldn't buy one. My buddy has an 04 and he's having tons of problems. Had to replace the rear diff among other major problems.

Yea I knew someone with A civic that had problems. Guess no one should ever buy another civic right?

 

[StageLeft]

I am GUESSING you can do better than that price.

That said, it was obviously a silly thing to test drive that. Now you either will buy it or feel essentially what amounts to hunger pangs for several days until you can finally get it out of your head. This is why I avoid test driving fun vehicles

As mentioned above the styling is unfortunate. Otherwise I'm sure it's a nice vehicle, though the Pontiac badge is a concern now. How will spare parts be for this? Make sure you know what happened to other limited-sale (not many GTOs around) cars when the manufacturer went belly up.

I know this car is unique but for high teens I bet there are a lot of mustang GT options. I'd fell more comfortable with that car from a longevity perspetive although it's not as fast or unique.

 

[crosshairs]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1

Originally posted by: PhoKingGuy

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
too bad that car was shitty. they're ass raping you with that price on a used pontiac. pontiac's resale value is shit so u should be able to buy that car much cheaper. but keep in mind u get what you pay for, which is why pontiacs' resale values are horrible.

yes because a 400+ HP muscle car is comparable to your shit whinebox accord motor. When the fuck will you realize some people like driving cars that have tons of torque and power instead of some boring family sedan with OMG INTAKE MODZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ +.6 HP

Awesome!, lets all hope ZV eventually bans this troll...

I have been waiting,along with a bunch of other people I imagine...