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Pontiac GTO

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Comments

  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    Do you know how many '05s have been sold so far?
  • 442man442man Member Posts: 210
    Get the Impulse Blue 2005 GTO with Bermuda Blue leather interior. Supposed to be the rarest of the 2005 GTO's. other then maybe the midnight blue!
  • gottabgtogottabgto Member Posts: 95
    The midnight blue was my first choice but no one had it.
    After that, the cyclone grey or the black on black.
    Couldn't take the yellow or red - I could just see the tickets ;~}
    Colma does (or did) have the lighter blue with blue interior.
  • 95mushroom95mushroom Member Posts: 230
    Thanks a bunch for everyone's help. The tranny on the Aurora finally gave out after an Autocross-type run the other day. :sick: The dealer wants more then its worth to fix. I don't think I can budget 530 a month for a new GTO between rent payments and college payments. Maybe a lightly used GTO on ebay for 25k I could afford. The parents will probably help with the car. We're a very tight family. :)

    Thanks a lot more for the heads up on the engine management stuff. I suffer from similar issues on my Aurora, it destroys performance...
  • kcflyerkcflyer Member Posts: 78
    One of the posters on the GTO board reported an average 12.5 mpg. (the 05 model) I realize this is a seriously powerful car but that seems low even still.

    I know people don't buy cars like this for their fuel economy, but I'd like to know if others are getting similar milage. I need ammo to sell the Idea of a GTO as a family friendly muscle car to the wife. Help!
  • oldboboldbob Member Posts: 41
    05 m6 current avg 16.8. best avg was 19.1. 2000 mi on car.
  • sensaisensai Member Posts: 129
    05 M6, I average 18.5 to 19.5 in mixed driving, and I do hammer the car pretty frequently. Best was 23 on a long highway trip.
  • sportgtosportgto Member Posts: 14
    05 M6 and I'm getting at least 14 in city traffic, 19 in mixed, and 23 on the highway going 80+. I don't try that hard to conserve fuel, so I'm sure better MPG could be easily achieved.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    I have an '04 A4, and I don't keep my foot out of it that much (just shy of 1500 miles - barely broken in). Have a short 6 mile commute to work, max 45 mph but 3 stoplights and a couple of stop signs. I don't take it on the freeway much except weekends. Haven't used the A/C very often except for helping with defrost assistance, and I'm averaging 19.7 mpg. Went to one of the Chicago GTO gatherings a couple of weekends ago and averaged 21.5 mpg, mostly 60-70 mph freeway with some urban congestion once I got off the tollway (average speed for the round trip was only 48 mph). Must be all of the coats of Zaino on the car :-)

    Average temperature also has a big effect on mileage... it's been mostly in the 50's and 60's around here. Wonder what others are experiencing...

    --Robert
  • coresellercoreseller Member Posts: 40
    I have an 04 6 speed that I picked up over the holidays last year. Over 15k miles. 17 to 19 MPG mixed and 22 to 24 MPG strictly highway at 75 to 80 MPH. No problems so far.
  • gottabgtogottabgto Member Posts: 95
    Only have 375 miles so far (2005 Automatic), but avg. 19 per at this point.
    Better than I expected.
  • iwantonetooiwantonetoo Member Posts: 86
    I went to the GM Auto Show in Motion today. They have most models from all GM divisions available for a very brief test drive on a closed parking lot course. It's free to attend, you get a free lunch and a free T shirt when you leave. I'm in MA and it was held at Gillette Stadium, home of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Ok, couldn't resist!

    They had an 05 GTO set up on a dyno which ran a simulated quarter mile and gave HP and torque readouts for each run. They must have made this run 10+ times while I was in that area. There was actually piles of shredded rubber behind the car form the tires. I think this showed confidence in the durabilty of the car to make maximum perfomance runs all day long for the 4 days the show was here. I sure wouldn't want to buy that car!

    They were also using 6 GTO"s for the test drives, 3 auto and 3 manual. And the lines were long all day for both. I thought I was going to fall in love with this car as soon as I got behind the wheel. But I was very disappointed with the steering input on the tight low speed turns. There was noticeable lag or understeer, like a slight delay before the car responded and turned in. It was very pronounced and I drove several other cars and did not experience this, the Grand Prix and even the Bonneville had tighter handling. Is this normal for these cars or was the test track magnifying the issue?
  • dat2dat2 Member Posts: 251
    '04 GTO 6 spd approaching 10k miles. I get 17-19 mixed and 22-25 hiway. Best on the hiway has been 25mpg at constant 70mph and cold temps.

    Does anyone else think the 29mpg for the 04 6spd hiway must have been bought from the EPA??? :confuse:
  • mick1mick1 Member Posts: 84
    check out current Motor Trend, the 2008 GTO is coming
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    I think that was the Zeta car that got killed by GM North American management (good thing IMHO as that was pretty ugly, IMHO - not a fan of anything based on the '99 GTO concept).

    Latest rumor is that Holden will continue to build the Monaro/GTO (as well as the Statesman/Ute) on the VZ chassis for another couple of years. So, 2006 may not be the last year GTO on the current platform:

    http://goauto.carsales.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/57C117F6E1D19405CA2570060008263D
  • bigdaddycoatsbigdaddycoats Member Posts: 1,058
    Robert -

    Have you noticed that one of the changes for 06 is that the seat motor speed has been increased - because of consumer feedback. It is ridicously slow.
  • tolenashtolenash Member Posts: 52
    i would pay to have those new motors installed in my 04...
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I would like to see climate control and the 2 dashboard gauges on top of the center stack standard.

    Got my 2005 hood installed about 3 weeks ago.
    makes the car IMHO.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    Have you noticed that one of the changes for 06 is that the seat motor speed has been increased - because of consumer feedback. It is ridicously slow.

    No, I hadn't (only perused the GM Fleet PDF which had some new GTO highlights).

    So far, we know the '06:

    1) has a second power outlet under the radio (can get one now if you order the Smoker's Package, I believe)
    2) has a button on the dash for power locks
    3) drops Midnight Blue Metallic and Yellow Jacket/Devil Yellow for Flame Red and Brazen Orange. No orange interior, just black with orange stitching on the shifter, darn it!
    4) has darker taillamps (myself, I just ordered some smoked Monaro CV8-R tails from JHP - http://www.jhp.com.au)

    Anything else new for '06?

    --Robert
  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    When I went to that dealer I mentioned there were two Impulse Blue GTOs. One was a manual and the other an auto. I drove the manual which was pretty cool but it seemed a little slow to respond to the throttle. It could be my imagination. It had over 350 miles on it though so it has been around. The auto had some paperwork that said it was from Seaside which is almost a hundred miles from here so I figure it has more than a few miles on it. I'm not interested in that one since it's an auto. I do like that color though.
  • adroege1adroege1 Member Posts: 3
    So here is my question, I just graduated college and need a new car. I am really interested in the GTO would love a 05 but im thinking a 04. I can get one for like 22000 off of a internet site. I am just wondering what you guys think the resale will be on these in like 3 years. Hopeing to get 10g out of the car still. Any other ideas besides this car? I am looking for a fun car since im am single and want something quick.

    Thanks
  • bigdaddycoatsbigdaddycoats Member Posts: 1,058
    I would really think that you would still get $10k out of it in ten years. Use the Edmunds tools and see what calculations they come up with.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    Depends. If you take care of the car, both maintenance-wise and exterior/interior care-wise, and don't put 20k miles/yr. on, yes, it should be worth 10k in 3 years. It's really hard to predict GTO resale... could go somewhere between these extremes:

    1) The good - the GTO gets viewed like the '94-'96 Impala SS and becomes a "wanted" used car by GM performance aficionados
    2) The gasoline situation spirals out of control... can't give muscle cars away (just like in the early 70's)

    The truth is probably somewhere in between...

    --Robert
  • mitsurobmitsurob Member Posts: 38
    Just wondering if any of you have experienced the GTO in winter/snowing driving conditions.? And if so, how does it handle for a rear-driver.?

    Also, I haven't seen any reports of any major problems with this car...or is it still too new at this point?
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    Well, I may not be the guy to ask since my first GTO was "exchanged" by GM due to problems. Frankly, most of them were caused by a problematic dealer service department. Replacement car has been solid.

    The engine in the 2004 is the tried-and-true LS1 which has been in use since 1997/1998 in the Corvette and F-body. The 2005 has the new LS2, which is significantly changed, and probably too early to pass judgement on as far as reliability. There was an issue with coolant leak from freeze plugs on the LS1. On the LS2, the GTO uses drive-by-wire (i.e. no throttle cable), and there's a problem with this system - only a handful of '05 owners posted about it on another forum - new part is in development/should be available by mid-June (car goes into reduced power mode when this happens).

    There were a number of teething issues (thunk in the trunk, rear axle bolts, door lock assembly) which were problematic on '04's. There are a number of Technical Service Bulletins out for the car. Later built cars (my first one was 281xxx, replacment 301xxx) have these fixes and seem to be a bit more solid. '05's are very solid, with the only questions being the drivetrain (due to its newness). Remember, this is basically a 2-door Holden Commodore (same chassis since 1998 or so), and the Monaro's been built since 2001/2002, so this is not a brand new platform.

    Since it uses Holden's V-chassis, it's not familiar to a lot of U.S. dealerships, and many of them frankly don't know how to service/troubleshoot the car. I would probably not have purchased my GTO from the dealership that I did had I known this... suggest you look around, ask other Pontiac owners, and see if you can find a good one.

    Having said that, my replacement car's been my daily driver now for 2 months, and I'm finally going to take it in for a couple of cosmetic problems (nothing mechanical). Very pleased.

    --Robert
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    if the GTO is anything like the 5 Z28s & firebirds i drove through about 20 new england & upstate new york winters, it will do just fine in snow, but only if you put 4 good snow tires on it. i used blizzaks on my recent Z28s and at stoplights was often be able to out-accelerate the 4WD/AWD vehicles that did not have snow tires. more importantly with the blizzaks, i could out-brake most cars& trucks on snowy or icy roads. but i had to be careful with the braking, due to the ever-present tailgators !

    as for problems with the cars, from what i've read, not many, not major, nothing unfixable... i plan on ordering a 2006 (or 2007?) at some point, hopefully at invoice price!
  • kevm14kevm14 Member Posts: 423
    Agreed. I put Dunlop Graspic DS-2s on my 95 Camaro Z28 last winter and it was amazing in the snow. I literally was flying by 4WD/AWD vehicles on the highway. However, these tires had dismal performance in normal dry conditions. There's always a tradeoff.
  • gottabgtogottabgto Member Posts: 95
    Has anyone else had the problem with the fog lamp indicator staying on when the fog lamps are off?
    This is the only problem I have encountered so far in this incredible car (900 miles, 2005, automatic).
    Guess I'll go to the dealership and get it fixed - such a minor thing, but it is annoying.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    that comparison was weird.

    One car is a GT/muscle car while the STi is a rally car.

    I only enjoyed the sound of the GTO's V-8 in that video.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    TGR (The Racer's Group) will run two Pontiac GTOs in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series at Daytona International Speedway on June 30.

    Only four weeks away!

    :)
  • mparis1mparis1 Member Posts: 107
    "if you want a GTO.....you better get one by 2006"..... :cry:
  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    The '05 is nicer so if you can afford the additional $10K go for it. Otherwise, I think $22K is a darn good price. I'm assuming it's new? I've been offered $23K+ plus for mine to upgrade to an '05. So as you can see, you are ahead of the game if you start at $22K.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    With the new "GM Employee Pricing for Everyone", if your dealer participates, you should be able to get a 2005 M6 car for around $30,300. A4 is around $30,600. No other incentives, and GMAC loan rate is 6.25%, but the price on the new car is fixed... AND you can use any GM Card dollars, up to the maximum ($1k on the GTO)...
  • mitsurobmitsurob Member Posts: 38
    With the GM employee pricing, does that provide any attractive leasing deals or are those discounts applicable to purchase only.
    I also assume the dealer cannot offer any dealer discounts in addition to the GM employee pricing..right???
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    I don't know if there are any special lease or SmartBuy promos out. I know there are no incentives or conventional financing offers. I doubt you'll find a dealer selling for less than GMS as GMS is less than their invoice pricing (they are reimbursed by GM, I believe 5% - not sure if that's of invoice or MSRP) - unless you'd be talking about something like a "demo" car...

    --Robert
  • gottabgtogottabgto Member Posts: 95
    Robert, I went whole hog and bought out the Zaino store.
    What a great job this stuff does on a new car - I'm very pleased.
    I also used it on my old Honda Civic (98) and it gave that car a new lease on life.
    I thought the Perfect Tire Gloss could have done a better job but that was my only complaint.
    I did not buy the gloss enhancer and now I want that so I'll be going back to their web site.
    Thanks very much for the excellent tip.
    I'm hooked on Zaino for life.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    i 'reserved' a 2005 grey M6 today... what's this you say about $1k max gm card! ?
    i say no way, no $1k max (please).
    i want to use $3k from my GM card . i don't think there is a limit for the kind of GM card i have (original).
  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    It was in the paper today. Ford and GM are both cutting production. And anyone gets GM employee pricing. I'll take anything off I can get. And I got a GM card just for this purpose but it doesn't have much on it yet. thanks
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    You may be right. I know the limit on the "new" cards is $1k, except some folks have whined and been able to use up to $1500. Best to call the GM Card Redemption Center to find out for sure (don't depend on the dealer).

    --Robert
  • adroege1adroege1 Member Posts: 3
    why do you guys call the GTO a M6?
  • crushercrusher Member Posts: 16
    M6 is the transmission type i.e. manual 6 speed.
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    You have got to get the Grand Finale spray. MY GOODNESS. That stuff is phenomenal! It makes the Z6 Gloss Enhancer look like junk in comparison. It also makes your car shine like you've just put 3 coats of Zaino on, not to mention it's slick as ice. I Zaino'd my GT last weekend and took it out for the day. Normally I would have to break out the California Duster, but with the Grand Finale spray, the dust didn't stick at all! There's barely anything on it.

    Your results may vary, but these are the steps I used on my GT:

    1) Z6 Gloss enhancer
    2) Z8 Grand Finale spray sealer
    3) Z1 Polish lock
    4) Z2 Show Car Polish charged with ZFX show car polish accelerator
    5) Z6 Gloss enhancer
    6) Z8 Grand Finale spray sealer

    I use Zaino on my other car, too. We've had rain all week. After having used the Z8 Grand Finale last weekend, you can barely tell that the car has been driven in the rain. At the next washing, all I'll need to do is pressure wash it and reapply the Z6 and Z8.

    So far, I've got to give Zaino two thumbs up on the new Z8 Grand Finale. The only thing is it's kind of pricey; but it's worth it.
  • gottabgtogottabgto Member Posts: 95
    Oh, okay - gloss enhancer and grand finale spray.
    I did this:
    - Wash with the Zaino car wash (nice stuff, smells like shampoo)
    - Z2 with ZFX, two coats
    - Tires with the tire stuff
    - Interior with the leather cleaner
    - Buff out the exterior with clean, white 100% cotton towels (edges trimmed off)

    This worked great on my black GTO. I notice that after a few days driving it has picked up a lot of dust and is looking dirty again (what is a Ca. Duster?).
    I did not buy any of the enhancer or finale spray but will be doing so today.
    I used the Polish Loc on my Civic - worked well on that but I didn't think I should use that on a brand new car so I went with the ZFX/Z2 combo instead.
    Trying to get that ZFX out of the applicators and bottles is no easy task.
    As I understand it, you only need do the ZFX & polish about every 6 months.
    Do I have that right?
    What is your ongoing Zaino regimen?
  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    MY GOODNESS is right. Do you have time to drive your car after all that washing and polishing?
  • gottabgtogottabgto Member Posts: 95
    Hey Sputter - how's it going?
    You should check this stuff out.
    It really does do wonders for the appearance.
    And although it sounds time intensive, that's only when you do the original sealers, etc. Once you've got that done, for the next 6 months all it takes is a quick wash, dry, applying some spray products and you've got a car that looks better than it did on the showroom floor.
    The original treatment took me about 3 hours.
    I would say that it is definitely no more time consuming than a wax job and the results are superior to any wax job I've seen.
    In case you want to check it out, go to www.zainostore.com
  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    You too?

    The only thing that touches my paint is water and 100% cotton towels (the color varies). (Besides dust, bird poop and road grime.)

    Dust? Long ago here in San Jose you could wash your car and it would stay clean for a week. Nowadays it's covered with dust the next day. I read one time that most of the particulate matter in the air is ground up rubber from tires. With 3 million or so cars in the area it makes sense.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    Yes, I do drive the car. I have used Zaino for 4 years (first heard about it here on Edmunds - of course, I first heard about Holden and the Monaro on Edmunds as well :-). I find it to be the absolute best exterior care product I've ever used - it would take a lot for me to use something else.

    Here was my regimen with my GTO once I got it out of storage on April 1 (it had 42 miles on it - my second car, after the first was exchanged).

    1) Washed with Dawn to strip any existing wax
    2) Used a clay bar (and some Z-7 and water mixture in a spray bottle) to remove contaminants (believe you me, after 3 months of traveling across the Pacific, and then across the U.S. on trains and trucks, then sitting at a dealer for 3 months and in storage for 3 months, I got a lot of crud off my car). You can tell the paint is smooth by putting your hand in a plastic baggie and running it across your paint - try this on an unclayed section and then on the part you've clayed and washed - you'll feel the difference).
    3) Washed again with the Z-7 wash (I find this to be exceptional - really helps the car shine and the water sheet off of it)
    4) Mixed up some ZFX and Z-5 swirl mark remover (my car must have gone through an automatic wash at least once). Applied two coats, VERY thin (1 oz. should do the car twice - it's not like wax, you barely see any haze). The Zaino dries in no time (temperature and humidity permitting), and comes off very easy, unlike wax.
    5) After each coat of the Z-5, used the Z-6 Gloss Enhancer. This stuff is awesome - helps the shine pick up. It also has antistatic properties - without using it, my car does become a dust magnet, particularly the rear end below the spoiler :-(

    That was about 4 hours. Went to work on the interior cleaning.
    Next day washed again with Z-7, then mixed up a couple of ounces of Z-2 and ZFX. Applied each coat, waited, dried, and used Z-6 in between/after coats. Also used the Z-6 on the windshield and glass, and the wheels. This really helps water bead off the window (kind of like Rain-X, except it doesn't get nasty if you don't keep applying it, unlike Rain-X), and keeps brake dust from biting into the paint.

    Another 4 hours spent. Car looks awesome (had it into the dealer yesterday, and they couldn't believe the shine). My maintenance routine is that I can wash the car with Z-7, a microfiber wash mitt, an Absorber, and a microfiber towel. Can do it in 25 minutes, 35 if I spend the time to wipe down under the trunk lid, inside the doors, et. al. If I have another 30-45 minutes, I'll knock out another coat of Z-2/ZFX. As an aside, to clean out the little bottles you use to mix the stuff, run cold water in them (hot will "set" the leftover polish) and put some Dawn in. Let it sit for awhile, if necessary.

    My car will NEVER see an auto wash. I only work on it not in direct sunlight (with my driveway orientation, that's before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m.). I do have the Z-8 but have only used it once (I think I posted a picture of the car a few posts up). Zaino is great stuff! No I don't sell it or profit from it.

    And, I'm sure the hosts will be here shortly to say that there's a (fairly dormant) Zaino discussion over Maintenance and Repair.

    Hope this helps,

    --Robert

    P.S. Their leather stuff is the best I've used - I even use it on my leather furniture. I didn't like the tire dressing, but am told it makes a great dash protectant. I use Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance and am pretty happy with it.
  • sputterguysputterguy Member Posts: 383
    It looks like I responded to your note but our posts crossed in the mail. After reading Taylords post I almost wanted to try that finale stuff thinking once that was on all I would have to do is hose it down and wipe it off. But no, you still gotta wash it and apply some more stuff. Does it ever end?
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    My normal regimen is a good pressure washing and blow drying [leaf blowers have more than one purpose ;-) ]. I then follow it up with a Z6 Gloss Enhancer application and now a Z8 Grand Finale sealant application. I reapply the polishes maybe 3 times per year. Once in the fall, once in the spring, and maybe once in the middle of summer for some extra UV protection. I do a Zaino leather treatment about every other month. I your the Perfect Tire Gloss, but it doesn't look as good as the Meguiar's Natural Shine. It lasts a long time, though, and keeps your tires nice and black. And you don't necessarily have to reapply it after washing the tires.

    Sadly, Zaino polish application is an all day event for me; all weekend if I'm doing multiple coats. Then again, I am doing two cars, and I do a Z6 and Z8 buffing between each and every coat of polish. But I have plenty of time to drive my car, sputterguy. Yeah, it's a lot of hard work when doing the polishing, but the way people gawk at your car after a Zaino treatment makes it well worth it. Matter of fact, I can't wait to get two more coats on my GT! :-)) I can't tell you how many coats I have on my 300M Special. It's almost 2.5 years older than my GT and shines better; then again it's black, and NOTHING shines like black.

    gottabgto, a California Duster is a handheld dust mop whose fibers are fused with parafin wax to pick up and trap dust without scratching your paint. You can pick one up at your local Wal-Mart's car care section or any auto parts store for less than $20 for the large one.
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