a rental over the weekend while my parents were in town, what a hunk of crap... didn't accelerate very fast and it got about 20 mpg average. I think the only thing it has over the 8 is more leg room in back, but how boring... I'd rather drive my crapped out old saturn.

however, the XM satelite radio sure seems to be worth 10 bucks a month, I wonder if sirius is better (and no it's not just because of howard stern if you're thinking that)

 

I had a 2005 Grand Prix as my rental the last time I had warranty work done on my car. I'd have to agree with you ...after having driven the 8 for over 2yrs, the Grand Prix was a HUGE dissapointment. Braking, Acceleration, and cornering were all terrible compared to the 8 ...about the only thing it had going for it, was that it was a rental. ...so i didn't feel too bad about abusing it

 

Perhaps a rental-grade GP isn't a fair comparison. This is kind of like saying that the Evo is a piece of crap since the base Lancer is such a snooze.

How about taking the Grand Prix GXP for a spin? It's dead-even on price (cheaper, actually) and the "braking, acceleration and cornering" are far from terrible. In acceleration, at least, you wouldn't be disappointed... Unless you were hoping our beloved 8 had a snowball's chance in hell of keeping up.

 

a gtx runs a 15+ 1/4mile, how could an 8 not have a "chance in hell" of keeping up?

 

The Grand Prix is an entirely different car and is directed at a more mainstream car buyer who wants something that will be a little sporty but still more or less vanilla. The rx8 is more of a niche car and will not appeal to a large number of drivers because you actually need to DRIVE it to fully enjoy it. Most typical drivers find that to be work where people like us who own and love the rx8 consider it fun.

 

Makes a good rental, no?

 

I had a V6 Mustang for a rental when I went to Virginia last month... that was a POS.

 

I test drove the 303hp 06 GPX. It felt like a Transam in a Grandprix skin. Nothing special. It had good power and felt heavy duty. The Rx 8 is much more refined,agil and fun to drive. The 8 feels faster but is probably close in acceleration. I also test drove the Northstar Lucern. I was much more impressed with that car. Very nice tourer. I don't think the GPX is a value buy. It feels like the same old GM muscle car crap. I was not impressed.

 

GTX? Are you referring to the Grand Prix GT? That's a different animal. I'm talking about the GXP... Referenced above, the one with 303hp. An easily-repeatable 14.2-14.3 quarter with a 5mph higher trap speed than the '8... The GXP pulls the '8 at every interval from 0-top speed (which is also higher, btw).

It goes without saying that the RX8 is superior in every other objective performance category (and probably the subjective ones, too).

 

take them on a windy road pontiacs have such sloppy handling i used to drive the bonneville ssei supercharged takeoff was nice but turning was scary

 

You're preaching to the choir there, fella. If I wanted a honkin' V8-powered sedan, I would've bought one. I'm just pointing out that saying that Grand Prix are underpowered slugs is inaccurate if you choose the one that is properly equipped.

You'd also be surprised by the handling of the GXP. The '06 update includes unequal-sized tires front and rear and a set of Bilsteins, which with other bits makes for a pretty nice-handling sedan. I had a short spin in one when doing some car shopping with my GF, and it's a hoot. Not bad at all for the $27,500 that the dealer wanted for the car (luckily, my GF insists upon a manual so a G6 GTP is a more likely purchase, but I wanted to sample the Big Kahuna V8 GP). C&D tested one about six months ago and I believe they even referred to it as "the best sedan GM ever made", which may sound like faint praise but they were pretty positive about the car.

 

A rental GP is about as cheap as they get.

 

Rental companies classify the GP as a full size car. It was one of my favorite cars to thrash when I worked for Enterprise! They have some good cars but not many. In an affluent area they will have better cars but almost always the base model. Power braking the GP is about the only way to have fun, along with the Dodge Dakota.

 

I don't understand how people can't appreciate cars for why they are built and there purpose, even if they lack performance, and are built to get people to work comfortably and reliably. I've driven a base Grand Prix, and got a ride in a GTP, and I have to say, they are comfortable, and certainly make great rental cars. Just because I wouldn't buy one doesn't make me appreciate the car any less. My friend has a 1995 Grand Am as his daily driver. If you wanna start comparing it to sporty niche cars, and cars in a higher class, of course it's easy to bash, but for commuting, he has 160k miles on that and it's original engine and tranny. ice cold a/c and he's gotten more then his money's worth out of it. The car just keeps on going. Cars like that I appreciate at a different level, and I know better not to talk about them when comparing higher priced sports cars meant for performance, or if it's a car that doesn't fit my personality.

The GTP is actually a very nice car for what you get. It's comfortable, offers great luxury for the price, and suits a lot of your everyday person's needs, and for that I think it's a respectable car in it's own right. Lets not start comparing these types of cars, and talk down about them, because they are in a different class. If you have a car that's competition for the Grand Prix, then criticism is welcomed. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of narrowminded nonsense. It's all about respect, not disecting what a car has and doesn't have. It's built for a purpose, and it serves that purpose, and pleases many of it's owners. OK Im done lecturing.

 

i had a hyundai accent, very slow but comfortable and i got to admit, braking was excellent. Got about 20mpg but hey, i'm not complaining, when my 8 was out, i had something to get from point a to b. Thats all i needed rental car to be.

 

Of course. What I was saying is that it's the base GP.... probably as cheap as the rental company could configure it.

And VikingDJ, you're right on. All too often people are comparing these cars to sports cars which is just ridiculous. The GP is a bread and butter vehicle designed to get families around comfortably.

 

Rental cars are just replacements to get from point A to B. It sucks having to downngrade due to warranty or repair work and I understand the frustration.
If someone wants to compare them to the 8 as a venting mechanism It's fine by me. I find the best way to vent in a rental is to take it off road and hone up your skills on the old bootlegger's turn.