If it were easy, third-parties would find some way to route air from the 2005's scoops to the airbox (MPD's hood is designed to do that).
Doubt there will be much splash at GM's booth at the NY Auto Show regarding the GTO. Probably have the same 2 cars, one with the optional 18" wheels, that they had in Chicago.
If you order a Holden Monaro or HSV Coupe in Australia, this is the "OEM" sunroof.
I want one for my GTO, but will probably wait a couple of years, for $$$ reasons, plus I want to see how they hold up. Pics look great, though. Also want to sit in the car and make sure this doesn't compromise headroom too much (though at only 6', that's typically not an issue...)
I thought the issue of lack of side airbags in the GTO was due to differing regulations between Oz and the U.S.? Would have cost $$$ and time to re-engineer/re-certify.
Don't know how much differences we will see for '06. And, GM just officially let it be known that they killed the Zeta platform for North America, which was to be the chassis the 2007/2008 GTO would ride on:
Might take GM until 2010 to sort out their sedan and coupe lineups (this is assuming Pontiac is even around). So, the '04-'06 GTO may be more rare than we thought :-(
--Robert still happy he has his - just wish this @#@# winter would end so I could drive it again
Just ran across this article which I had forgotten about. It's from the May 2004 issue of Motor Trend, I guess back when MT thought the GTO was a good car. Anyway, it's a road test between the two cars. The Mercedes is slightly smaller, a little lighter, and a few more hp. It clocks in about a half second faster in 0-60 and a little more in the quarter mile. All in all, a very fine automobile. However, if you don't have $80K then the GTO is comparable and costs less than half than the Benz. There is even a photo of the two cars (they took the spoiler off for this comparison) and they do look similar. I think the GTO actually looks better, especially without the spoiler. I also forgot that they showed me a brochure at one of the dealers with this comparison. They were really playing up the similarities although personally I think it looks more like a BMW. They were marketing the GTO as a low cost alternative to the Mercedes and other overpriced euro cars. And there are about 16K of us that bought into one part or another of this.
if GM killed the new 2007 platform for the GTO....i believe this is the end after 2006...so enjoy .....just like the song...."this is the end my friends"... no more camaros: no more GTOs, dodge chargers look like hearses : firebirds gone: trans ams gone. all that is left are the japanese swissh motors...GM WILL BE GONE... enjoy this party will be over.....time for fishing hole.... at least i will put my GTO embelm on my wheel chair in the home.
GMNA's production agreement with Holden to produce the GTO in Australia expires after the 2006 model year. It is believed that Holden will still build their Zeta cars, but they weren't planning on coupe production, expecting that to be done in the U.S. So, it appears that both the Monaro and the GTO will disappear after 2006 model year.
GMNA is trying to sort out their big sedan and coupe lineup... if there are to be coupes, they will probably be MY 2009 or 2010. I am assuming that by then, both Pontic and Buick will be hurting even more than they are now, and that one or both divisions will be gone.
So, things look very bleak for a next-gen GTO. I think this is good news for owners of the 2004-2005 (and eventually 2006) models, as they will probably be "in demand" as GM's last "affordable" RWD coupes (just like the '94-'96 Impala SS stayed in demand as GM's last big affordable RWD sedans).
As an owner of the first-gen Oldsmobile Aurora, I should expect nothing less of GM to whack the only cars I liked. Sad to say but, after my repurchase experience (terrible customer service), and now this, my current GTO is probably my last GM vehicle (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me :-)
Doesn't mean I won't enjoy driving it... just happy that I got the chance to own one :-)
enjoy everybody....look at how GM IS ADVERTISING THAT cheap /crap COBALT.APPEALING TO THE YOUNG CROWD.... so they can turn them into japenese lawnblowers on NITRO.....LIKE IN THE MOVIES.... they then advertise that Chevy SSR...PLEASE A YELLOW TRUCK... WHO WOULD DRIVE THAT AROUND...LOOKS LIKE A TOW TRUCK.................I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE , NOT ONE GTO advertisement..???why the hell did they bring it back????they could of had a terrific sport coupe....who the hell is running GM.....no wonder they are in trouble....
thanks for all the info - it is helping me to plan whether/when to order my next GM product. i've sured missed owning my Y2K hurst-Z28 after having driven an f-body for almost all of 1982->2004. looks like i'll have to decide by the end of this year whether to order a GTO - i expect i'd have to order one to get the color & no-hood-scoops that i would want. either that or i'll try to order a 1SX/base corvette, probably with magna-ride. i can get GMS pricing but i want to find a dealer which will give me GMS price without using actual GMS - because i'll have $3000 or $3500 to use from GM card. late 2006 / early 2007 might still be to "early" to get a vette for that low price. but maybe it would be do-able to find a dealer which would sell me the GTO for invoice price at that time. on the other hand, if gas prices continue to go up up up, and GM comes out with some sort of nifty diesel car by 2007, maybe i'd consider that instead of vette/GTO. it's nice to have choices. any of you GM experts out there, if you have an idea on how soon will a dealer sell a C6 at invoice plus $500 or so - please let me know. maybe it's not realistic for me to think that a C6 at that price is possible any year soon. ? C6 invoice price is $38k & change. plus 1500 for 1SX, and $1500 for magnaride - $42k or so. am i totally dreaming or what? if so, the GTO is a fine fallback. i too am not happy with the absence of side-airbags on the GTO. i'd prefer switchable stability-control too, but that's less of a worry because my countersteering skills are well-honed after driving V8 f-body cars for >20 years. ps - what's wrong with a yellow SSR - call me color-blind but i really like GM's yellow and would actually consider it as a GTO or vette color. cheers to you all. this is a wicked awesome forum , thanks to edmunds and you all for making it so!
I agree, the HVAC controls are an abomination. I think they cheapened the car for the US because if they didn't then the Aussies would be wondering why they pay $45K and after exporting it here it only costs $33K. They didn't take $12K out of the vehicle, so I think they are paying way too much for it over there.
Like you, I know where I'm going so no need for NAV. More importantly, I won't pay for it. Same for the xenons. They're nice but I'm not gonna pay for them.
The silver trim? The secret is to get the Quicksilver with the black interior. Then it blends in and you don't notice it. Actually, I got the silver because the other colors, while beautiful in the evening, during the day they are like dayglo to me.
Have you seen (in person) the new cyclone gray? WOW! I love it. Plus, it comes with metallic-gray faced gauges. My phantom black has the red gauges (not wild about it, but don't hate it either) and would have much prefered just black with white numbers (call me old if you want). I checked with an aftermarket supplier and they want $309 for just a gauge overlay (!!) to switch my red to gray. Not THAT unhappy with it...
Confirming what Robert said, I picked this up from another site. Looks like '06 is gonna be it. Been said a number of different ways already but these are dark days for GM and they may just go down the tubes before they can turn it around.
To: Vehicle Line Executives
As part of our efforts to address the current business situation we are facing today, we have had to make some difficult product portfolio decisions.
As a result, we are canceling all vehicles planned off of the Zeta architecture. Since the recent announcement of the Global Zeta Development Team and Gene Stefanyshyn's Global VLE appointment has been widely covered by the media, it is important to proactively position this decision internally and externally. The message should be clear ? we are not abandoning rear-wheel-drive vehicles and we will continue to evaluate our future RWD plans.
In addition, we are canceling the Hummer H2 MCE and GMT361/371 right-hand-drive vehicle and delaying the GMT267 Cadillac SRX. There will be other reductions in concept and show vehicles, SVA/HPVO activities and some annual discretionary content.
These cancelations and delays allow us to realign resources to accelerate some of our key strategic high-volume product launches.
It is very important that you communicate these decisions to your teams, and that work stop immediately on the programs affected.
We find ourselves in tough times, but with the entire team working together, we can get through them.
I drove a dark grey '05 and it was absolutely beautiful. The gauges had the same red background that my quicksilver has which I don't like but can live with. At night you get a dull red glow from the gauges. It's barely noticeable but I notice things like that. The blue background lets only the white light shine through crisp and clean. And I prefer that.
Haven't heard from the dealer yet about upgrading to an '05. I guess it would still be too expensive. It's only a matter of time before incentives come out so I'll have to bide my time until then.
With all due respect to Mr. DeLorean's family, the value of the DeLorean just went up. And yes, they are still out there. And yes, they are still holding their value.
A lesson to the folks that think the GTO is going to lose its value.
I think this is good news for owners of the 2004-2005 (and eventually 2006) models, as they will probably be "in demand" as GM's last "affordable" RWD coupes (just like the '94-'96 Impala SS stayed in demand as GM's last big affordable RWD sedans).
Kinda-sorta. The Tri-9 SSs seemed to have sort of a runaway popularity that the GTO isn't currently enjoying. Behold the production numbers:
Well a Delorean in primo shape can be had for $20,000, which is still below its MSRP, and that took 23 years, so really, if you want to store a GTO for 23 years and get back $20,000 dollars in 2028 money, be my guest, but if I had a nice scoot like the GTO I'd just drive the hell out of it until it can't go no more.
I don't think you can make that comparison yet, if at all. DeLorean made about 17K cars total 20+ years ago. It's estimated that only about 6K are in circulation. The rest are in collections or wrecked. Those cars have a tremendous cachet due to who made them, how they were made (ie stainless steel skin, gull wing doors), that it was used in the Back to the Future movies, etc. The new goat has a long way to go to reach that plateau.
Frankly, with the price of gas what it is and the mess GM is in, I'm having second thoughts about buying a GTO. I guess time and OTD pricing in the fall will tell the tale.
Thanks for the info! picked up my 05 yesterday! 31,400.00 good deal and good finance black 6 speed, love the power, seats, shifter, ride only thing the stereo is a so so , but i can remidy that
The current GTO has absolutely no tie to DeLorean. I think it's a very huge leap of faith to say because he's now passed, that the '04/05 GTO will somehow be worth more.
Now, if you're talking the cars he had a hand in, like the DeLorean or the early GTOs, then yes, they might get a temporary bump in value.
But, as Shifty says, if I owned a current Goat, I'd be driving it to at least get some enjoyment out of it.
I remember the DeLorean going for $18K at a time when the f-bodies were going for $12K. That was a lot of money back in those days. 50% was quite a premium to pay for stainless steel sheetmetal and gullwing doors. And keep in mind that there were no high performance parts used in it.
The point I'm making is that at some point the relative scarcity of GTOs will increase their value. And unlike the Delorean (its appearance in a movie notwithstanding) it has more to offer than gullwing doors and no paint.
And I don't think that anyone will drive their GTO into the ground like you would if you had one.
What happens with its future (or lack thereof) and future value really don't matter. If you like it, drive it.
The Aurora had a nice short model run. They'll be pretty scarce in due time. But, I don't think anyone would consider it a collectable. Same can be said for the Allante...it might have a future as a collectable since it was designed here and made in Italy, though (or was it the other way around?).
The point here, I don't think the passing of John DeLorean is going to have any affect, whatsoever, on the value of recent GTOs. He had no hand in them (probably many wish he had, though).
I didn't mean "ruin it" I meant "don't save it" because it's not going to be a serious collectible. All you'd do by babying it and storing it is to preserve a depreciating asset. Seems senseless to me. Put 100K on it and sell it to another GTO enthusiast. You'll get a fair enough price I think. Any car with horsepower and a stickshift will be of interest to someone.
They only made 8500 Deloreans (give or take a few).
And I would be willing to bet that a lower percentage of Deloreans will make it to old age collectible status than current generation GTO's. Why? How does one fix body damage on a Delorean? You can't massage out the body panels, apply some filler/primer/leveler/paint etc. etc. to make it look new again. It's bare metal. Many original Deloreans with the type of body damage which could be fixed on any other car were scrapped instead. Therefore, in the future, you will see very few unmolested Deloreans (ie. more valuable) compared to cars like the current GTO.
If you have a GTO, don't bother trying to baby it with an eye towards some mythical collector status 30-40 years from now; just drive the thing.
I didn't say the GTO was a collectible. I said it would retain its value. I doubt whether anybody is babying their GTO. But you did make one of my points. "Any car with horsepower and a stickshift will be of interest to someone". At some point as it depreciates someone will buy it because it has 350hp, comfortable leather seats, it's well built and it handles great. At that point it will not drop further. The only question is where that point is.
You say they only made 8500 Deloreans. Someone else said 17K. Big discrepancy. Will the Delorean go up in value. Not really. Anyone who wants one has one. And that's like the GTO. The people who wanted one have one. It doesn't matter, what you paid, what other car may be faster or not, residual value or whatever. Whatever limits the number of GTOs to me is good. Like cancelling the next generation. It will tend to keep that point I was talking about higher or at least to keep from going to low...
NOT ONE ,NOT ONE miserily mention in the NY TIMES AUTO SECTION about the GTO at the AUTO SHOW....................ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.....i am more convinced than ever the GTO IS blackballed by the auto magazines/ and GM ITSELF...WOW....... "OUTLAW GTO"
BRIANDELSOL...........where did you buy your 2005. i paid 33100 for automatic with sport grilles??
Shifty....you could be right. The Solstice can live on since Saturn is bringing out a clone. Bonny is dead. GTO's future is dead. Vibe is a Matrix. Whatever Pontiac is calling its minivan is a clone of Chevy's minivan. G6, while being hyped relentlessly, has been tepid, and is being rebated already. GP is getting long in the tooth already. Aztek was/is an abomination and is on its way to extinction. No Cobalt clone on the horizon to replace the hoary Sunfire.
Buick has the new Lucerne and the LaCrosse. Plus, they also have a reputation (rightfully or wrongfully) of building very reliable, quality cars.
It will be interesting to see if the predictions are correct. I haven't seen them do much in recent years to give Pontiac a fighting chance, so maybe the decision is already made, yet no one is stating the obvious.
I was going by memory from an article I had read re his death. After doing some checking Shifty is much closer with 8500, although the number does seem to vary somewhat by the site you check. In any event I think it's safe to say that '04 GTO production alone is more than total DeLorean production.
The GTO is 3725 pounds. The Corvette is significantly less (I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think it's around 3000 or 3200 lbs). So the 'Vette gets better mileage.
the Allante's body was made in Italy and then shipped to the US. Nice car too my dad had a 89 silver with red recro seats. The dash was awesome I can remember people at stop light breaking there neck to get a look at that dash at night. Fun car to drive too.
it's only the slushbox GTO that gets the gas guzzler tax! also the gas guzzler tax for 2005 GTO slushboxes is $300 more than the 2004 tax. am i right or am i right? ok, or am i actually wrong? lemme know!
Yes, only the A4 gets the guzzler tax, and the '05 (LS2) gets a $300 increase over the '04 (LS1) in the guzzler tax. If only we had a 6-speed auto...
The coupe Vette is 3179 pounds and its LS2-powered A4 is rated at 18/26. The GTO is 3725 pounds and its LS2-powered A4 is rated at 16/21 - same as the LS1-powered A4 2004.
In reality the Automatic GTO is only about $650 more then the manual tranny and well WORTH it to me because the slushbox GTO is slightly faster 0-60 then the 6spd manual in GM's booklet. 4.6 seconds for auto vs 4.7 for manual, LOL! 1/4 mile was about the same for both at around 13 seconds. With auto you don't have to worry about a missed or messed up shift either at the dragstrip. With the traffic in my area, North Jersey by the GW bridge, don't want a manual. I don't really do highway driving, the extra 4mpg of manual on highway doesn't matter for me. I'm mostly in town driving. I only drive a bout 7k miles a year anyway.
Why NO 5 spd automatic like the new 2005 300hp Mustang? That would add a few mpg to highway rating and probably have dropped the gas guzzler tax.
GM needs to get on the ball with 5spd and 6spd auto trannies.. Also imagine the extra performance from 5spd too?
GM and Ford do have a joint venture to build 6-speed trannies. I believe that MY2006 will be the first vehicles that will use this 6-speed (any other 5 or 6 speed auto GM or Ford are using now is probably outsourced).
Don't know if the GTO will get a 6-speed auto, but I kinda doubt the current car will get it. The next-gen would have, but that seems to be on hiatus, if not cancelled.
Having driven both on '04's, the A4 seems "sluggish" or makes the car seem "heavier" than the M6. This is torque management - can be removed or reduced - and makes the A4 seem like a totally different car. Bought the A4 due to traffic/wife issues, don't really regret it. Last year the A4 to M6 build ratio was 60-40 in favor of the auto, this year it's approaching 60-40 the other way.
For '05 the auto tranny was reworked, and it's a much better performer than the '04 A4 - as you said, gunit, it actually outperforms the stick car.
There were "around" 16k 2004 GTOs built. There will be 12,000 2005 cars built (production ends in June). If they only build 12k more 2006's you'd be looking at total production of 40k cars.
There are supposedly close to 1000 2004's left on the lots. I don't remember the sales breakdowns for the '05's in January and February, but there must be a slew of built cars that are on the way or something (IIRC takes 5 weeks to go from Australia to Benecia, CA; cars then have to get the spoiler applied, and sent to railyards; from there to various GM distribution centers, and finally trucked to plants).
2006 cars won't start assembly until September, meaning they won't be here until December (great timing AGAIN!)...
The local paper here did an article and took a test drive in the '05. It was so positive I think she either read the Pontiac literature on it or just took the word of the salesman. She said that getting on the freeway she went from 0-60 in less than 5 seconds. I hope she was only using poetic license. I doubt whether any '05 has enough miles on it to put it through that kind of stress. I think I'll mosey on down and check it out. This was one of the dealers that didn't get my business because they wouldn't move off that Dealer Markup business. Maybe I will rub it in their face.
Hey got my Goat here in Sacramento at Davis GMC pontiac a GREAT mom and pop dealership, small maybe 5 salesman, no pressure I went to the pontiac site and requested quotes got back to me with in a hour! I got 4 quotes all under msrp, mine is a six speed
Comments
Doubt there will be much splash at GM's booth at the NY Auto Show regarding the GTO. Probably have the same 2 cars, one with the optional 18" wheels, that they had in Chicago.
--Robert
Not sure how legal these kits are, but I traded emails with someone who has one, and he loves it.
--Robert
http://www.webastoshowroom.com/pontiac_gto_710.htm
If you order a Holden Monaro or HSV Coupe in Australia, this is the "OEM" sunroof.
I want one for my GTO, but will probably wait a couple of years, for $$$ reasons, plus I want to see how they hold up. Pics look great, though. Also want to sit in the car and make sure this doesn't compromise headroom too much (though at only 6', that's typically not an issue...)
--Robert
Don't know how much differences we will see for '06. And, GM just officially let it be known that they killed the Zeta platform for North America, which was to be the chassis the 2007/2008 GTO would ride on:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0503190255mar19,1,5924456.story?coll=chi-tech- topheds-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
(go to http://www.bugmenot.com if you don't want to register on the site)
Might take GM until 2010 to sort out their sedan and coupe lineups (this is assuming Pontiac is even around). So, the '04-'06 GTO may be more rare than we thought :-(
--Robert
still happy he has his - just wish this @#@# winter would end so I could drive it again
GMNA is trying to sort out their big sedan and coupe lineup... if there are to be coupes, they will probably be MY 2009 or 2010. I am assuming that by then, both Pontic and Buick will be hurting even more than they are now, and that one or both divisions will be gone.
So, things look very bleak for a next-gen GTO. I think this is good news for owners of the 2004-2005 (and eventually 2006) models, as they will probably be "in demand" as GM's last "affordable" RWD coupes (just like the '94-'96 Impala SS stayed in demand as GM's last big affordable RWD sedans).
As an owner of the first-gen Oldsmobile Aurora, I should expect nothing less of GM to whack the only cars I liked. Sad to say but, after my repurchase experience (terrible customer service), and now this, my current GTO is probably my last GM vehicle (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me :-)
Doesn't mean I won't enjoy driving it... just happy that I got the chance to own one :-)
--Robert
Like you, I know where I'm going so no need for NAV. More importantly, I won't pay for it. Same for the xenons. They're nice but I'm not gonna pay for them.
The silver trim? The secret is to get the Quicksilver with the black interior. Then it blends in and you don't notice it. Actually, I got the silver because the other colors, while beautiful in the evening, during the day they are like dayglo to me.
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John Z. Delorean: 1925-2005
R.I.P. John....
To: Vehicle Line Executives
As part of our efforts to address the current business situation we are
facing today, we have had to make some difficult product portfolio
decisions.
As a result, we are canceling all vehicles planned off of the Zeta
architecture. Since the recent announcement of the Global Zeta Development
Team and Gene Stefanyshyn's Global VLE appointment has been widely covered
by the media, it is important to proactively position this decision
internally and externally. The message should be clear ? we are not
abandoning rear-wheel-drive vehicles and we will continue to evaluate our
future RWD plans.
In addition, we are canceling the Hummer H2 MCE and GMT361/371
right-hand-drive vehicle and delaying the GMT267 Cadillac SRX. There will
be other reductions in concept and show vehicles, SVA/HPVO activities and
some annual discretionary content.
These cancelations and delays allow us to realign resources to accelerate
some of our key strategic high-volume product launches.
It is very important that you communicate these decisions to your teams,
and that work stop immediately on the programs affected.
We find ourselves in tough times, but with the entire team working
together, we can get through them.
Thanks for your continued support.
Bob Lutz
Haven't heard from the dealer yet about upgrading to an '05. I guess it would still be too expensive. It's only a matter of time before incentives come out so I'll have to bide my time until then.
A lesson to the folks that think the GTO is going to lose its value.
Kinda-sorta. The Tri-9 SSs seemed to have sort of a runaway popularity that the GTO isn't currently enjoying. Behold the production numbers:
http://www.impalasuperstore.com/naisso/history/history07.asp
I'll detail them here quickly.
1994: 6303
1995: 21434
1996: 41941
Now that's what I'd call a smash hit. This is why the resale has stayed so high, even 10 years later. I don't see the GTO mirroring this.
Frankly, with the price of gas what it is and the mess GM is in, I'm having second thoughts about buying a GTO. I guess time and OTD pricing in the fall will tell the tale.
Now, if you're talking the cars he had a hand in, like the DeLorean or the early GTOs, then yes, they might get a temporary bump in value.
But, as Shifty says, if I owned a current Goat, I'd be driving it to at least get some enjoyment out of it.
The point I'm making is that at some point the relative scarcity of GTOs will increase their value. And unlike the Delorean (its appearance in a movie notwithstanding) it has more to offer than gullwing doors and no paint.
And I don't think that anyone will drive their GTO into the ground like you would if you had one.
What happens with its future (or lack thereof) and future value really don't matter. If you like it, drive it.
The Aurora had a nice short model run. They'll be pretty scarce in due time. But, I don't think anyone would consider it a collectable. Same can be said for the Allante...it might have a future as a collectable since it was designed here and made in Italy, though (or was it the other way around?).
The point here, I don't think the passing of John DeLorean is going to have any affect, whatsoever, on the value of recent GTOs. He had no hand in them (probably many wish he had, though).
They only made 8500 Deloreans (give or take a few).
If you have a GTO, don't bother trying to baby it with an eye towards some mythical collector status 30-40 years from now; just drive the thing.
I hate to say it but if I were GM I'd probably retire Pontiac.
And I believe we are all enjoying driving our GTOs.
You say they only made 8500 Deloreans. Someone else said 17K. Big discrepancy. Will the Delorean go up in value. Not really. Anyone who wants one has one. And that's like the GTO. The people who wanted one have one. It doesn't matter, what you paid, what other car may be faster or not, residual value or whatever. Whatever limits the number of GTOs to me is good. Like cancelling the next generation. It will tend to keep that point I was talking about higher or at least to keep from going to low...
BRIANDELSOL...........where did you buy your 2005. i paid 33100 for automatic with sport grilles??
Buick has the new Lucerne and the LaCrosse. Plus, they also have a reputation (rightfully or wrongfully) of building very reliable, quality cars.
It will be interesting to see if the predictions are correct. I haven't seen them do much in recent years to give Pontiac a fighting chance, so maybe the decision is already made, yet no one is stating the obvious.
Some sources will quote up to about 9,000 Deloreans give or take but wherever you read 17,000, that's definitely wrong by about double.
But whether 9,000 or 17,000, those are HUGE numbers when you are talking about "collectibles" of anything.
What did we say total GTO sales were so far?
The coupe Vette is 3179 pounds and its LS2-powered A4 is rated at 18/26. The GTO is 3725 pounds and its LS2-powered A4 is rated at 16/21 - same as the LS1-powered A4 2004.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2004_Pontiac_GTO.shtml
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2005_Pontiac_GTO.shtml
--Robert
Why NO 5 spd automatic like the new 2005 300hp Mustang? That would add a few mpg to highway rating and probably have dropped the gas guzzler tax.
GM needs to get on the ball with 5spd and 6spd auto trannies.. Also imagine the extra performance from 5spd too?
Don't know if the GTO will get a 6-speed auto, but I kinda doubt the current car will get it. The next-gen would have, but that seems to be on hiatus, if not cancelled.
Having driven both on '04's, the A4 seems "sluggish" or makes the car seem "heavier" than the M6. This is torque management - can be removed or reduced - and makes the A4 seem like a totally different car. Bought the A4 due to traffic/wife issues, don't really regret it. Last year the A4 to M6 build ratio was 60-40 in favor of the auto, this year it's approaching 60-40 the other way.
For '05 the auto tranny was reworked, and it's a much better performer than the '04 A4 - as you said, gunit, it actually outperforms the stick car.
--Robert
There are supposedly close to 1000 2004's left on the lots. I don't remember the sales breakdowns for the '05's in January and February, but there must be a slew of built cars that are on the way or something (IIRC takes 5 weeks to go from Australia to Benecia, CA; cars then have to get the spoiler applied, and sent to railyards; from there to various GM distribution centers, and finally trucked to plants).
2006 cars won't start assembly until September, meaning they won't be here until December (great timing AGAIN!)...
--Robert
The local paper here did an article and took a test drive in the '05. It was so positive I think she either read the Pontiac literature on it or just took the word of the salesman. She said that getting on the freeway she went from 0-60 in less than 5 seconds. I hope she was only using poetic license. I doubt whether any '05 has enough miles on it to put it through that kind of stress. I think I'll mosey on down and
check it out. This was one of the dealers that didn't get my business because they wouldn't move off that Dealer Markup business. Maybe I will rub it in their face.