What are your thoughts on the Pontiac GTO?

What are your thoughts on the Pontiac GTO?

Seems like an insane value (power per dollar) in 2006...

mememobile

I love them, but they are a little heavy. But normies see it as momcar or small sick v8 car.

well
in my area a lot of people crashed them. there are some well known issues.

LS1 ones had VERY undersized front brakes
the gas tank in the trunk, high center of gravity and SMALL
the rear suspension bushings were too soft from the factory. it made handling less predictable. hence the crashes.

i have no idea how you fix the gas tank, but its a must to get poly busings in the back. and the ls2 ones are a far far better car.

>small

Back seat and trunk

just like the f bodies

you could add a larger fuel cell but normies aren't into that kind of thing

yeah but most fuel cells are also in the trunk for the high center of gravity.
and waste of trunk space.

a lose lose situation

Manual was way more fun than the auto. Rear springs were shit, but easier fixed for $100 and some time in the driveway. Replace rubber with polly bushings. Get long tube headers.

in what v8 car is the manual LESS fun than the auto? what an odd thing to say.
anyway, its a good car but never leave it stock

Hello board warrior.

Perhaps you never thought that people looking to pick one up might settle for an auto rather than holding out for a manual? Perhaps people assume that because it is a GM and a V8, no manual was offered.

Do you have friends? Get a long with people? At all?

>projecting your insecurities

My friend has one and likes it a lot

Personally I'm not sure why you wouldn't just get a C5, better performance and less to insure

But I understand wanting something more unique +backseats

I DD a 2005.
As far as power/weight goes, it's a really close competitor to a 350Z, to the point where even a highway roll race's outcome is determined more by driver skill than anything else.

It has a nice exhaust note, and a gentle lope at idle. Mine has muffler deletes and an X-pipe, which probably the best budget exhaust option on these. Sounds great.

The interior is laid out well, but of rather poor quality. Expect bubbles in the silver trim and cracks in the plastic. The audio system sounds nice, but it only accepts CDs and the speakers are prone to cracking at this age. Window tint is a must if it's not stored in a garage, because the seams on the seats will get brittle in the sun and split.

The gas tank is relatively small, but I manage about 300 miles from a full tank on shitty KY country roads, and just over 400 miles on the highway. It also sits in the trunk due to safety regulations, which limits trunk space. I assume you could remove all the spare tire shit to expand the trunk downwards for your beer-hauling needs.

The shifter feels really nice for everyday driving. I usually drive with TC off, and it seems to make the car react more smoothly when releasing the clutch. There's also the annoying skip-shift, but you'll quickly learn its behavior and be able to avoid it.

I've found the car extremely easy to work on. Maintenance is a breeze. Most everything is easy to access.

All in all, I think an '05-06 GTO is a great buy. If you want a car to run down the 1/4 mile, get an auto. Otherwise, it's extremely easy to find one with a 6-speed in good condition. Low mileage is common, and usually you'll find them unmolested, or with very minor modifications (aftermarket clutch, one-piece driveshaft, intake, and shifter being very typical).

It's because amerilards don't let you have fuel tanks under the boot (trunk in burgerland), and due to the dual exhaust system, the fuel tank placement was kind of a knee-jerk reaction to get these things on the roads in the states ASAP.

It sucks, because in Australia the Z series (hood-scoop version you guys got) has the shitty fuel tank placement. The Z series has the best interior and exterior, too. It means you can't put a surfboard or a fishing rod in your car, or you have to get an X or Y series Monaro and put the good bits from the Z series on there (did I mention the sick paint options we got on the Z-series monaro?). America ruins things for everyone.

Back then, this was the undisputed king of power:dollar.

The IRS was shit and bushings destroyed from being strapped down too tight, heavier than the Mustang or old Camaro, zero nod to the GTO name or heritage, small interior and trunk for its size, boy racer styling with factory fake hood scoops.

love mine

My 05 was my first car, ive had it for 7 years now, bought at 80k for 13k, it now has 190k miles. I drive this thing hard, and drove it like an idiot for the first 2 years. Great car, minor issues. If you buy one replace the drive shaft with a single piece aluminum. Replace radiator with aluminum. Pull glove box out and re insulate the bcm harness as it rubs through on a beam due to poor placement. Get better shocks struts and bushings. Thats what ive had to do so far, not bad for 100k miles and 7 years. Buy an 05 to 06, build and engine make it better buy than an 04. Trim pieces are expensive so dont hit stuff.
The car drives great, has enough room to seat 4 adults, have to be patient to move up seats to get to back, it has plenty of power for a DD, and it doesnt do half bad in canyons. Def not on miata level but it still holds a corner well, and slides are very controllable.

Also easy to work on. Radiator took me 35 minutes to swapn drive shaft about 40. Oil changes are easy as shit, drain plug and filter are right next to eachother under a 4 bolt plate.

do you have a first gen? i'm thinking about doing work on mine but not sure where to start!

>I'm not sure why you wouldn't just get a C5, better performance and less to insure
C5s really are the ultimate bargain. It's almost impossible to find a car that matches the price of a used c5 along with its performance. Huge aftermarket as well.

That's a holden monaro