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Pontiac Grand Prix GXP 2006

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Comments

  • erichthecatterichthecatt Member Posts: 37
    You said it well! When something is just handed to you, why take care of it when you can just get another from mommy or daddy? Earning it and appreciating what you have earned really teaches you the value of the dollar, which lessons go far beyond the automobile.
  • smallegansmallegan Member Posts: 10
    I am really interested in finding this out too. I just got my GXP a few weeks ago and I have had it up to 120 but then backed down....it felt like there was quite a bit of power left but I was a chicken :blush:
  • erichthecatterichthecatt Member Posts: 37
    Better a little chicken, than smashed road kill twangled with plastic and steel. hmmm might make a good fortune cookie. Chinese anyone??
  • smallegansmallegan Member Posts: 10
    Hey we aren't all old :-P

    21 years old here and I am on my 5th pontiac! What can I say, I just keep coming back for more!

    Bought a 96 Grand Am SE when I was 16, totaled the car when I was 17 and got a 99 Grand Prix GT. Kept that for a couple of years and then got a 2001 Aztek Sport. Gave the Aztek to my fiance last July and got a 06 G6. Then about a month ago the Aztek started having gasket problems around 80k miles so I gave my fiance the G6 and I took ownership of the greatest of them yet the GXP!!!

    Has anyone added aftermarket audio to their GXP yet? I find the bass to be rather weak compared to the G6, anyone else notice this? I may go check another GXP just to be sure that it isn't something wrong with my car.

    Cheers!
    Ryan
  • smallegansmallegan Member Posts: 10
    haha yeah! I think I will stick with being a chicken :-)
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    If i do try and see what she will do i will do it under a controlled enviroment like at the track...i wouldnt want to jeopardize anyone on our expressways! :)
  • splatsterhoundsplatsterhound Member Posts: 149
    Hmmm, in dog years I'm......

    In human years I'm still young enough to slam a basketball (but old enough to think of my 501k)...
  • rayainswrayainsw Member Posts: 3,191
    repost:

    Some time ago (oh, back in early 1998, I guess) I ran my 1997 GTP at Maxton-Laurinburg (North Carolina) in an ECTA sanctioned top speed event. If you live anywhere near this venue and are serious about a safe and legal opportunity to test how fast your GXP (or any other car) will go, I highly recommend this as the best possibility East of the Mississippi. (More information / link below.)

    Point here is that with my S/C 3.8 GTP and only a 3.5” pulley, I was right at the speed limiter at the 1 mile mark (from a standing start) where the timing is done. My best speed was 126.761 mph – an E / prod record at the time - coasting through the end of the speed trap, with the motor disabled by the limiter.

    If you have never done anything like this, it is a unique experience. Many of the participants (and their vehicles) are very interesting - and many will be helpful to anyone there for the first time.

    I found it very interesting, at the time, that I had previously run 95+ mph in the quarter, and it took nearly another three ‘quarters’ to hit 126 and the limiter in my ’97. It took a lot longer to build the second 60 mph than it did the first 60! Running on the highway at 80 or so and then punching it, can certainly bring up 100 pretty quickly, but only the most powerful cars keep accelerating at a really brisk pace beyond 120 or so. And IMHO the public roads in the US are not the place to try this . . .

    But I would be very interested in seeing results from anyone with a GXP and with access to such a venue as the unused runway ECTA uses . . .

    - Ray
    Addicted to Torque – and speed!

    FYI:

    http://www.ecta-lsr.com/faq.htm#q09
    2022 X3 M40i
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    Is that 501k something new..... :P
  • smallegansmallegan Member Posts: 10
    Hehe yeah I think it is about 100k better :-)
  • splatsterhoundsplatsterhound Member Posts: 149
    yeah yeah yeah....it's sort of a mix between a 401k and a 503b. So I make a mistake.... ;)

    I don't drool, however.
  • rmozolrmozol Member Posts: 124
    There's a sport called "open road racing" too. You can enter your own car, and pick a speed class that you try to AVERAGE the entire race. There are classes from 90 to basically unlimited. With these cars, we would be limited to a maximum speed of 124. If we added a 5/6 point harness, then we could go up to 140! They actually close the highway for these races, and some are 130 miles long. They are mostly in Nevada, with a couple in TX, and one in Nebraska. Check out "openroadracing.com" for more. Pontiac made the Ventura too. It was their version of the Nova. I think it best known speed movie was "The Seven Ups".
  • erichthecatterichthecatt Member Posts: 37
    1960 was the first year for the pontiac ventura. Pontiac had the bonneville, starchief, ventura, catalina, and canadian Parisienne. All 2 1/2 ton full size cars. All the same body style. First year for the 389, whick took it all the way to the gto's. 3 two's were an option.
  • chats1chats1 Member Posts: 158
    Let me ask you something. My brother had the original 1964, I believe, maybe 1965, GTO (anyway whichever was the first) -- a convertible in saddle bronze metallic. In your opinion, do the newer GTO's, now in production, even compare to the original? Thanks.
  • erichthecatterichthecatt Member Posts: 37
    I dont think theres any way to compare a new gto with the old. They're just two totally different species. I think gm could have done a better job in the design of the new one. The fronts not so bad, but the back is dog ugly.
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    My take on comparing most cars of today is this:There is no comparing something that is virtually all plastic and aluminum with what detroit was makin back in the 60's....close the door on a car today its so soft,when closing a door on a '65 goat is so solid!!! the metal is cheaper as far as the guage goes,but america is the original muscle car makers of yesteryear.Todays gto looks like a chevy cavalier i would rather pay 35k for a nicely restored '65 gto than 35k for what they make today.

    My gallons worth
  • chats1chats1 Member Posts: 158
    My brother totally told me the same thing as you said. I agree too. Thanks.
  • chats1chats1 Member Posts: 158
    When the new GTO's first came out, my brother said the same thing. It couldn't compare to his 65. He loved that car and wished he still had it. He has the 1995 Impala SS and refuses to let his wife get rid of it. It can't compare to the new Impala SS's. And, he keeps saying "no" we are not selling it. Thanks.
  • erichthecatterichthecatt Member Posts: 37
    No comparison. Sure they may have all the bells and whistles of a pontiac or higher end car, but the rice burners suck on crash tests. Theres not much value for your buck, if you take yourself out driving one of those.
  • chats1chats1 Member Posts: 158
    Now, OnStar is free but I always renew it after the first free year so my car is being monitored. If I call them from the car they call me by name and they are always monitoring the car. If you are in an accident, they know. The hissing sound from the speakers stop with the doors open. When I am cleaning the car and I have one door open, I hear the hissing, then it goes out -- door is still open. Then when I go to the other side, door open, hissing sound, then goes out and door is still open.

    My brother is an electrical engineer and insists it's the OnStar doing this. He explained the whole works to me but I really didn't understand it. He explained to me about the microphone in OnStar, etc. Do you really believe that GM would admit it was OnStar? I don't. The problem is that I don't think that OnStar is compatible with the Monsoon Speaker System. I had the Bose in my 2002 GTP and, of course, OnStar, no problem. I don't think keyless entry has anything whatsoever to do with this. Also, if you don't renew OnStar they certainly wouldn't be monitoring your car. If you pay for the plan, then your car is being monitored. thanks for your input. Have a good weekend. Chats1
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    Ok i was one to complain about the hissing too but I have given that up cuz life is too damn short to worry about petty stuff like that any longer...this world has much much more problems than that!!!!
  • ocmike3ocmike3 Member Posts: 232
    Hmmmmm... lots of complaining in this forum, most seem like nits to me...
    - I got 23mpg in my last tank of mixed driving.
    - My service experience with the dealer I've been using since 1999 has been excellent. They are very good and never make excuses. (In fact they submitted a TSB to GMC based on info I provided on my GMC Canyon - their algorithm for the outside thermometer is slow)
    - My 2005 GXP has been good to me; my only nit is the trim piece around the sunroof I didn't want buzzes. That'll get fixed in my next service.
    -The A/C button doesn't bother me a bit\
    - I've only seen one other GXP in my neck of the woods - silver. Mine is Dark Cherry & I LOVE it! :):D :shades:
  • dav2006dav2006 Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know if there will be a 2007 Grand Prix? I am in southern california and pontiac advertises and pushes the G6 and solstice but there is no mention of grand prixs in any adds. Have they given up on it like the Bonnie?
  • rmozolrmozol Member Posts: 124
    I'd be surprised if they did. I see a bunch of them on the road, and this LS4 is a new engine, being put in a lot of GM cars now. This is only May also. I think they dumped the Bonneville GXP since they were so much more than the GP GXP.
  • 303hp303hp Member Posts: 3
    Has anyone given any thought to the heat this tranny might be under? I am from the Toronto area and its only in the 20 C or 70F so far outside but the tranny on my car is close to 100C. I have checked all the fluids and the rad has the right amount in it. I think that the car companies make all cars to the engineers closest possible tolrence that they can get away with, operating temps being one of them.
    On page 5-23 it says the operating temp should be
    82 C -93 C
    I have had a 1988 taurus and put a cooler in it and never had a tranny problem but that year of car had many of the there tranys were falling apart. I am thinking its because of the cooler temps the trany was running under all the years.
    Now I have this V8 stuffed in this front drive performance
    car, tranny temp might be something to think about. I'm not saying its going to break down tomorrow but over time if you want to keep the car it might be something to think about.
    Remember cop cars have trany,power steering ,engine oil cooler on them .
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    I'm afraid you're right to be worried. Even though there already is a tranny fluid cooler, I wonder if it can handle the tremendous torque of the V8. That transmission was known to be short-lived (+/- 60000mls) even in the milder supercharged version.

    The tranny used by Cadillac could handle the V8 torque and some. It was used in the Bonneville GXP, but it shares a platform related to the DTS'. Perhaps it doesn't fit in the GP, or being beefier has a price that GM couldn't afford. I just hope that you don't have to afford it... :(
  • ocmike3ocmike3 Member Posts: 232
    I read somewhere a few months back that this generation GP was going through the 2008 model year and then it (at the time of the article) was going to be replaced by something developed from one of the new global platforms. But with GM in constant restructure now... who knows. My bet is at least one more division will be deep sixed. I'd think Buick or Pontiac were the most vulnerable (since Saturn has already been identified as moving to an Opel rebadge) Pontiac outsells Buick, but Buick seems to be getting more new vehicles so.... the new Camero, the Saturn Sky... what else is left unique to Pontiac???? not much.

    ps: For those complaining bout this GP and comparing it to Maximas/BMWs/G35's; at MSRP you have a bit of an argument -but for the price I paid on my GXP - Not one of them is even close to the value or raw fun... :)
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    Actually, Buick and Pontiac are in the same ball-park, but Buick is more profitable. Granted, most of Buick buyers won't be alive to trade their current purchases, but it seems to me that it's written on the wall that Pontiac will be axed. GM displays Buick concept cars and no Pontiac ones; it feeds the buzz on upcoming and current Buick models, but mums on Pontiac ones... :(
  • splatsterhoundsplatsterhound Member Posts: 149
    Ummm, I think there are two cars called the Solstice and the G6 that seem to be in the news a bit.... :blush:

    I don't think Pontiac is going anywhere. The line will get smaller, but it's all part of the Buick/Pontiac/GMC lineup. Buick gets the upmarket mellow, GMC gets the fancy trucks, Pontiac gets the more youthful exciting cars -- all in one showroom. The Grand Prix isn't going anywhere for a couple years at least. Have you looked at sales figures for the car? It is in the top 20 month in and month out.

    Continue to dig the GXP. MPG keeps going up as the engine breaks in, and so does the power! Holy Cripes this thing is fast.
  • splatsterhoundsplatsterhound Member Posts: 149
    ps: just saw a Solstice out cruising tonight through a park. Dang, that thing looks good. I saw more people trying to see what kind of car it was than any other vehicle...and that included a Lotus.
  • sahoward1sahoward1 Member Posts: 19
    The Solstice looks awesome... I absolutely fell in love with it in my dealer's showroom. For $23K, I think we'll be seeing quite a few on the road. Right now it only comes in stick shift, but there will be an automatic model coming out in September. With my kids grown and gone now, I think I may go for it for my next car. We'll have to take my husband's grandpa mobile (Buick Lucerne)whenever it's more than just us. So if GM ditches the Grand Prix, I'm going for the Solstice. Much cheaper than the BMW roadster.
    By the way, I just went over 2000 miles on my new GP. Should I change the oil early? A friend told me it was out of date to change a new car oil too early, because it was special oil with abrasives in it.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    The Solstice may be, but not the G6, except when yawning about it.

    In spite of the Solstice being such an attractive car, it won't make buy any other Pontiac. What puts me off about them are those coarse OHV engines. I don't want to hear about any explanation of how modern those OHV engines are: they still sound horrible, lose steam when revved and are quite heavy, no matter the gimmicks added to them lately.

    I don't know what Bob Lutz was drinking when he said that he wanted to make Pontiac GM's BMW line-up.

    Mind you, I own an '02 Bonneville SLE.
  • geetdafugawageetdafugawa Member Posts: 3
    Does anybody have an accurate count of 2006 GXP manufactured?

    P.S. The cure for the Hiss is proper positioning of the right foot... ;)
  • ocmike3ocmike3 Member Posts: 232
    The Solstice looks very good; but I also saw the new Sky at the Saturn dealer - I actually like the styling and the interior of the Sky better than the Solstice. Its going to give the Solstice a run for sales.
    Still loving my 2005 GXP.
  • rmozolrmozol Member Posts: 124
    You guys know that you can bolt the new LS7 engine in the new Solstice, right? GM makes all the parts for the install. Talk about no traction! :)
  • dblducedblduce Member Posts: 58
    The G6 is a replacement for the older styled GRAND AM, which was a "mid-sized" car. The Grand Prix is a "full-sized" car, so i dont think one or the other will be going away any time soon. I did hear rumors though that the bonneville line might be discontinued for lack of sales though. that would leave their "compact" Solstice, G6, and Grand prix in the lineup. Since GM likes to "cross platform" their cars, ie, Grand Prix GXP w/ the LS4, and now the Impala SS (LS4), Monte Carlo SS (LS4), i wonder how long it will be until their buick division decides to make a car with this engine? maybe they'll come out w/ a limited edition coupe again like the Regal SS or something, lol.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    The G6 is a compact, the GP is a mid-size and the Bonneville was a full-size. Its production ceased about a year ago. :cry:
  • dblducedblduce Member Posts: 58
    What would the Solstice be classified as then? A sub-compact, or would it be considered a "sports/performance" car, like the GTO?
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    Does anybody know what the normal operating temperature for the transmission should be on the gp gxp? my 06 is running around 188 degrees F...Is there a transmission cooler with these tranny's??
  • ocmike3ocmike3 Member Posts: 232
    Somebody over at the Car Connection must be monitoring this forum - they just put out an update to the rumor mill. They are hearing Pontiac will go exclusively RWD:
    http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Daily_Edition/Daily_Edition_May_30_200- - 6.S173.A10476.html
  • ocmike3ocmike3 Member Posts: 232
    188F is not bad, most automatics today run in the 195-210F range, which is cooler than automatic trannies 10 or 20 years ago. Pontiac did have to beef up the transmission for the V8 so I expect they improved the cooler also.
  • rmozolrmozol Member Posts: 124
    I've had the EBC "Red Stuff" pads on my GXP about week now, and 300+ miles. The brake dust is a LOT less, than the stock ones. It isn't black either. it's more tan in color, so it doesn't show as much. The front and rears get dirty at the same rate too. They seem to stop better in city driving, and grab quicker. Concerning trans fluid temps, even 220 now a days isn't a big concern.
  • rayainswrayainsw Member Posts: 3,191
    Mine runs below 200 even on a hot day (Atlanta area) at highway speeds, but will exceed 210 in stop \ go traffic.
    - Ray
    Just back from driving 700+ miles in 2 days . .
    2022 X3 M40i
  • geetdafugawageetdafugawa Member Posts: 3
    Aside from the already pounded to death "missing features" like auto dimming mirror, Bose Speakers(that don't hiss),
    You would think that knowing that this vehicle would be spending quite a bit of time at the pump, GM should have included a cap holder on the inside of the gas door. Does anybody else find that strange? Hate to let the cap dangle on the paint, look pretty silly standing there holding the cap during refill. Has anybody come up with some clever solution? Short of cutting the tether that is...
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    How about sticking a piece of velcro to the inside door and placing some on the cap somewhere??? :confuse:
  • sahoward1sahoward1 Member Posts: 19
    There is a white slit on the cap, that can be clipped onto the inside of the gas cap door. You just slip it on, from the top down. It's easy. I like the way the tether automatically goes inside when you shut the door--so no worries about clipping the wire with the door. I really like this car, but in case I haven't said it enough times, I think it is totally ludicrous that the AC automatically defaults to "ON." No explanation from GM can possibly convince me that is "correct operation of the vehicle." The AC should default to where the driver left it--like the stereo. Period.
  • geetdafugawageetdafugawa Member Posts: 3
    Very Nice! The cap will sit on the hinge without a problem. Thanks for the info and your keen observation.
  • gxpjoeypgxpjoeyp Member Posts: 38
    How do I post pictures on here??
  • chats1chats1 Member Posts: 158
    I wish I could help you, but I'm not good at that. I have beautiful pictures of my GXP which I would love to put on my CarSpace page, instead of the Mercedes, but I can't seem to do it. People when they look at my page must think I'm nuts showing a Mercedes picture, when in fact, I have this beautiful 2006 GXP. I have them in my hard drive and did send them to a carspace friend on his regular e-mail. I would love to share them instead of that Mercedes (which actually I wouldn't mind owning at all!!). Oh, well. At least when I'm sitting here at work I can look at my beautiful car in my hard drive!!! Or take a walk downstairs to the parking garage!!!
  • rayainswrayainsw Member Posts: 3,191
    See Help (below Rules of the Road) on left . .

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/rayainsw/GXPresizeP1070229test17xtopost.j- - - - pg

    My GXP.
    Photobucket (one of several free services for saving digital pics) does not reduce the size of photos, in my experience, as much as Snapfish does - that is the one my Daughter uses.

    Enjoy,
    - Ray
    Happy driving - or taking pictures!
    2022 X3 M40i
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