Aratinga

Oh damn. I knew I shoulda slept in this morning....

But NOoooo! I got up bright 'n' early and headed over to the General Motors AutoShow in Motion. I thought it might be fun for me and the b/f John to drive a new C6 Vette, even a Caddy CTS-V. Icon cars that I know I'd never dream of actually buying. Drove 'em and yep -- they were fun! So was the Hummer H2 on the "offroad" course (large steep piles of dirt and gravel... I didn't know you could lean a Hummer over that far without it tipping like a cow!). We took pictures of each other in the Vette. We wondered if we'd ever be old enough to really want a Cadillac. We were almost ready to go home dumb and happy...

But they also had the Pontiac GTO there. Six speed, of course. 350HP. 365 ft.lbs. torque. LS-1 motor. Shhhheeeeeit! BIG mistake driving that baby. NOW I know what torque really means. Now I know what I've always wanted a car to sound like. And John, instead of reminding me how much I enjoy Roxy and how I should be loyal to her after all she and I have been through, is furiously trying to figure out how he can transfer his purchase points from his GM Visa card to me so I can swing a down payment.

We were actually so smitten with this plain-Jane-on-the-outside, rumbling-V8-torque-monster-on-the-inside car that we started calling Pontiac dealers on the way home. Found out that most of the 2004s are gone, and 2005s are just starting to trickle in. Get this... the '05s have the LS-2 Corvette motor, making 400 HP! And I thought 350 was orgasmic enough.

I found a new black on black 2004 GTO at a dealership. Sticker: $33,190. Very first "out the door" quote (in writing): $31,905 (this includes tax, license, fees, etc) -- and I'm sure there's still wiggle room there. John, a longtime fan of GM musclecars, says this is only new car in 20 years that's ever given him that musclecar rush -- and yes, we've both driven the new '05 Mustang GT.

What do I do? HELP! Don't let me be sucked over to the dark side....

cgrx

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

Is there still a huge rebate running on the 04 GTOs?? last I remember people were getting them for around 26k(!) out of door for the LS1-powered GTOs!

Aratinga

Yes on the rebate, from what I can find online: $3500 cash back on the '04s, thru Jan. 31. The dealer I talked to knocked $4K off the MSRP without even being asked. If I could find one for $26K out the door I'd buy one tomorrow.

Speed-ER doc

Bah, the dark side is fun. I would guess that 99% of the miles you put on a car are in a straight line anyway, so F the twisties. How often have you really taken your car to the track anyway? Not just thought about it, but done it?

Oh, and the GTO has 400 hp, not 350. But Cobra >> GTO.

Zoom-zoom? Buh-bye.

blksf8

plowing through corners will be sweet in the new GTO!

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

the 04 GTO has the C5 LS1 350hp motor
the 05 GTO switched to the C6 LS2 400hp motor
hence the $3500 rebate on 04s :o

cgrx

I don't think you guys are helping

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

oh yeah all these talk about horsepower isn't really helping your cause of NOT getting this car huh lol

Aratinga

Oh, that's okay... keep talking....

Speed-ER doc

Probably gets better gas mileage than the 8 too. :p

blksf8

hope the airbags work bc they'll be needed if you want to take any turns like you are driving the 8

Aratinga

I don't have to F*** the twisties -- I've still got the two Miatae, remember? Three if you count John's '90. I've had each of my Miatas on the track at Willow Springs once, and I always reach for the Miata keys when my drive for the day involves twisty roads. I've never pushed Roxy the way I push the Miatas; maybe because I'm just too paranoid about something else happening to her. The Miatas have both been bulletproof and I never worry about anything with them.

As for the 400HP -- if 350HP takes my breath away like it does, I can't imagine what 400 feels like. And the sound of that V-8! It's music, I tell ya. I don't even care if the dang GTO has a radio; I'll just leave it off so I can hear that throaty rumble.

Is it possible to have a crush on a car?!

cgrx

it looks like a Honda Accord - buy one

Speed-ER doc

A little musk air freshener, and you are all set.

If you are that interested in the big gun V8s, I strongly recommend that you track down and compare a 2004 Cobra before you buy that "big Cavalier."

The Cobra is much faster, better-looking, more moddable, and not much price difference either. It's fun to own the road.

Fanman

One big thing you also have to worry about on the 04's is the brakes are absolute crap. The 05's they made dramatic improvements including the upgraded/new engine, upgraded brakes, upgraded rims & tires, revised hood, dual exhaust. If you can definitely wait for the 05's to go down in price. I personally really like the car. What is insane is that they already have supercharger kits for the 04' (and probably 05's already) that will push the car to 550hp+. If I was looking for a musclecar-type vehicle that still has a decent interior this would definitely be a car that I would look at.

I had a Mustang GT, the interior is absolute rubbish. The seats are awful. Can make boatloads of hp, but then again personally I would think that 550-600 hp from a blower kit would be enough for me. I was pleasantly surprised on how nice the interior was on the GTO. Both shifters are pretty pathetic.

Overall it's a nice modern day musclecar. If your goal is a high hp straightline car it makes a lot of sense. If you want a car that is a good overall car (handling, braking, track car, etc.), this is not it.

Aratinga

Y'all are soooooo much help! :D :D

I've got to sleep on this. Doc, I dunno about the Cobra... If there's a Cobra in my future, I'd much rather it look like the new '05 retro Mustang than the old '04. I know, I know -- if I'm considering a GTO, how could looks even come into play?! I'm confused. I'm going to bed now....

shaolin

Well, it's a cool car, and it's definitely fast, there's no doubt about it. However, at the end of your day, when you've drag raced every stop light, and snapped your neck back a gazillion times with all that torque, are you really gonna be satisfied? Maybe. For me though, it's always a good feeling to know that I have one of the most unique cars on the road. Speed is just one dimension of a multidimensional experience. If that's what's important for you, then go for it. But if you really want my opinion (I've had many love affairs with muscle cars namely a certain 69 camaro SS...10.2 sec quarter) I feel that the new GTO is a very cool car, but does little to be unique and looks like just about every other pontiac. I was a little disappointed with it when it came out because I was expecting more than the Aussie's Manaro...however, it is one of the most respected cars in Australia for a reason...it's been winning on the circuits there for years.

It's really up to you, and what you consider important in your driving experience. Sorry, but from my view, the GTO just doesn't get the same response from your average curbside onlooker as an 8, but I know that the 8 would be staring at the GTO's *** all day long on a straight enough road.

Ike

I grew up racing karts, karts that pull more Gs than just about any road and it would/will anihilate just about any road car on a twisty course. As I came to driving age I did track days in M3s (E30 and E36) and my TSi. Want to know what the most fun part of racing other than beating someone else or making a nice pass? You got it, rocketing down the straights.

I get sick of all the twisties talk sometimes, twisties are great and can be a lot of fun, but how often do we really test the limits of our cars on the streets when a turn in involved, and how many people are even capable of doing so? How many people here that talk about what an incredible handler the RX-8 is will ever have the RX-8 on a racetrack, or any other car for that matter? However on a daily basis I can mash the gas pedal on the highway, or take off from a stoplight and test the limits of my cars acceleration.

The GTO handles plenty good enough for the type of driving that a very large % of people on this forum do. If you want that extra kick in the pants go for it, it's a lot of fun! But do yourself a favor before you buy, go testdrive an Evo, STi, 05 Mustang, and Cobra before you do just so you make the right choice. You get more the best of both worlds with the STi and Evo, even if you can't stand how they look, people often change their tune and start thinking those cars look pretty damn good after a drive.

Speed-ER doc

The interior of the GTO looks like it has some rx8 styling cues.



Like you said, most would be afraid to push their 8 on a track anyway. Heck if they get a scratch or some bird poo on it, most owners flip out. It's pretty, and they want to keep it that way. I don't have to wash my Cobra every week to feel good about it.

I would still love my new ride if it had a mismatching quarter-panel, and a scrape down the side. All anybody would be able to see would be my taillights anyway, after a second or two.

PaulieWalnuts

I've owned 5 RX-7's. They all had the same issues as the RX-8 including so-so gas mileage and lack of torque. Every time I sold an RX-7 to get something I thought was better I was disappointed and ended up buying another RX-7. What drew me back to the RX-7 was the overall semi-exotic feeling and connection that you won't get in most other cars. That's probably what you'll miss most.

You already have 3 cars. Keep all of them and get the GTO too. If you need to get rid of one, then decide which one should go at that time.

therm8

A lot of people saying the GTO handles bad. Have you guys driven/ridden in one? I think it handles pretty darn well for how heavy it is. I mean, it's no S2000, but on the other hand it's no '78 Buick either. Stock, I would say it handles better than a stock F-body car (which handled pretty good as well).

jsh1120

Only someone who lives in Houston could say "F the twisties." You might try the hill country sometime.

rxeightr

My vote is not to go the new GTO route - styling is just not there, unless you want to be invisible.

Sounds like the RX-8 has got to go, and one of your Miatas. Then go find yourself an original muscle car - 66 GTO, 69 Super Bee, 71 Malibu big block, or what I have for stoplight-to-stoplight acceleration, 64-67 Corvette Stingray.

Then you will have torque, power & good looks.

Speed-ER doc

So true, there's a lot of straight lines here. I did take it to the track in College Station. The Cobra is a wonderful track car, and dominated the 8 in the Car and Driver comparo, on the track anyway. The 8 won the nice and pretty part of the comparison.