coming out of best buy i saw a soccer mom and her umpteen kids getting out of a new pontiac GTO. for weeks i've been scouring the streets for the pontiac logo on an unfamiliar body and i've finally laid eyes on it. though its remarkably understated and much less aggressive in styling than previous pontiac offerings, its whats under the hood that does it for me. it definitely has that "sleeper" look...especially when soccer mom takes jr to buy the latest gamecube game. in this best buy parking lot you definitely see a lot of integras, rsx's, and civic si's. few respectable, most others riced. i'd gladly lose in the cockpit of a GTO than win in a honda ricemobile.

on a side note (re: rant), driving home from hanging out with my friends, a fart cannon civic and integra were showing off their noise by dropping to a lower gear, revving the rpms, and then finally the turbos would spool up and they'd try to speed away sounding like a gassy man coming out of a mexican restaurant. i respect the almost stock-looking impreza wrx owner who's car growled louder than most mustang cobras who decided not to show up the ricers. some people drive fast cars; others speed in loud cars.
-meGrimlock

 

The GTO is a bloated cavalier with just enough grunt to make you think it has a V8 under the hood.

GM billed it as the rival to the Mustang Mach1....Not even close. The Mach1 automatic is .4s faster in the quartermile and the 5spd is .2-.3s faster than that. I've seen bone stock Mach's running high 12's at the track.

GTO = 2 Little 2 Late

 

I know a guy running 13.17's with his GTO. Spare removed, and let a little air out of the tires. The car is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the Mustang as far as build quality goes.

 

say that when the '05 Mustang hits the streets! Mustang build quality has never been a hig priority with Ford, but I was just telling you what GM said about their own product. If you're friend ran a 13.17 then he's right about where i said he would be. The Mach 1's are running in the 12's.

p.s. Holden makes nice cars...it's why GM ripped this one....in the same manner that Mazda makes great 4 cylinder so ford snagged them!

 

holdens suck ***

 

no really.....don't hold it in, just tell us how you feel!

 

ok then holdens suck dirty *** and then lick *****

 

ok, that was a little much , how about cleaning it up a little.

 

what... the dirty *** or his language. but seriously when they first started talking about the GTO's i thought they were going to be pretty nice but i'm not impressed so far.

 

no'one is.....gm abandoned the F-body for this bloated tub?!?!

 

the current mustangs have not changed drastically since the '78 model. there have been many revisions and body changes, but essentially still the same. in that respect the GTO is ahead of the mustang. but the new mustangs will be a new and different design although housed in a very retro-looking body. i cant wait. the aging cavalier is supposed to get the boot in favor of a newly designed cobalt.

the monaro is actually one of australia's fastest street cars. i've seen modded monaros run in the 11s. i dont know much about the GTO, but with that corvette 5.7L you might have a worthy competitor, one that GM is hoping will fill the Camaro/Firebird void.

 

The only reason GM has stayed in business with the camaro and firebird is due largely to the "Redneck racer" crowd. How many "Bubba's" do you think are going to be taking their $35K GTO's out to the track?? None. How many of them do you think are going to buy the 4500lb, 300hp SSR?? none. GM is hurting right now. I wish them the best of luck releasing the Pontiac Solstice as a supercharged 2.4L RWD roadster under $20K....if they can't they won't be competing in ANY market.

 

i cant speak for all the rednecks out there, but living in a high-redneck population, i can safely say that slightly more than "none" will take their cars to the track. if youre the type to buy the SSR, youre about as likely to see the racetrack if you bought the Chrysler Crossfire. heck youre about as likely to go off-roading if you bought a Lincoln Navigator. i mean, there are a lot of people who take their $30k 350z to the track. granted the soccer mom wont take the car to the track, but nothing is stopping nascar dad from doing so.

the z28 and trans-am started about $30k, and the GTO starting at $33k isnt a huge difference. i'm sure many individuals will spend more on aftermarket mods. i dont know GM's current financial status, but the domestic market is in a minor slump altogether. sales are not climbing, but earnings remain high. i'm excited to see american muscle try to make a small comeback, the japanese market has definitely taken away a lot of that business.

 

Really? Redneck racer crowd could afford $27-$35K cars? Negative. And trust me when I say GM wasn't depedning on the F-body to stay in business. Did you also know that the most expensive F-body made in 2002 is an easy $5K more than the GTO is now?

GM is far from hurting. Where the hell are you getting your info from?

Let me know when you find a clue.

 

MrGTO, Do not put words in my mouth OR come to this forum with a bad attitude. I said (AND I QUOTE)..."How Many Bubba's are going to take a $35K GTO out to the track?". I NEVER said anything about affording one.

Get your facts straight, your head out of your butt and either enjoy this forum or go to the GTO forum.

I go to the races every weekend and I live in Alabama. I know a thing or two about the redneck racer crowd and NOT one GTO has been there. I don't expect to ever see one there. It's more of an upscale cruising rocket than a sports car. I don't remember seeing it advertised anywhere as a sports car.

GM is far from hurting?? Oldsmobile is out of business.....Buick isn't far behind them....Pontiac had tanked there last 3 models and GM has abandoned the camaro/firebird with NO replacement. You think sales of the malibu and cavalier are enough to keep 3 automakers afloat. Oh and also the F-150 has outsold the chevy's for like the past 10 years according to the magazines.

Let me know when you get the chip off your shoulder because I don't like the GTO.