The GTO...what's the problem?

[Dyno247365]

Okay here's the scoop, I NEED a brand new car, or atleast -20k miles, because I've never had new technology at my fingertips before, I need it. I wanted a V8, and you can guess I can't afford the vette, but I think I could swing a leftover/preowned GTO. I understand that it had a very short run, didn't sell well and generally people didn't like. Well why?

The most appealing thing to me is it has the C6 engine (LS2), and so what if it's not a corvette? It has a BACK SEAT!!! I don't really like how it looks but it's not ugly. It's almost a cobalt with a V8 and rear wheel drive. But everywhere I look, people don't like it. Even with having the vette engine I could barely find a fast one on the net, I found a 9 second, but only one.

Other cars I thought about: Monte Carlo SS, because it's NASCAR, but it's front wheel drive, same problem with the grand prix, and that has no stickshift??? gotta be standard for me. The 03 mustangs look cool, but I don't like the new mustangs, at all. Did they stop in 04 or 05? It should be a practical car, speed is a must though. I want something almost brand new, or brand new. I always say I'm going to buy a car well this time I mean it. No more old cars for me, that I trust with my life.

[BlackGT2000]

No problem with the GTO. I drove one owned by my friend and not only is the interior amazing but the 400 hp is great. I love the car personally, but some people don't like the grand prix look to it. I would personally love to own one.

[G-man422]

The only problem w/ the car is the name. If Pontiac would have called it something else, it would have sold. People didnt see the original GTO in it, and therefore, didnt like it. I was the same way,....at first. But now i really like the car. I've heard great things about them, and thay look great too. Also you can get them pretty cheap even though it's a 400hp beast. i say buy one, de-badge it, and call it a Holden Manero.

[MclarenF1]

Yeah, the “failure” of the GTO is a crying shame, and I can’t help but wonder if things would have worked out better if they had called it something else. I guess I’m a weirdo, but I actually think the GTO is one of the best looking cars in GM’s line up, and probably has the nicest interior ever offered in the U.S. by GM this side of a Cadillac. The great thing about the general dislike of the GTO is prices you can get used ones for. Last I heard, dealers were willing to give a pretty good whack off of the price of new ones, too.

On the downside… I have also heard about some reliability issues from the GTO, and the last issue of Consumer Reports I looked at gave it a big black mark in that category.

There’s always gotta be a catch, doesn’t there?

[blakscorpion21]

i like the gto, a littel bland, but a cool car all around. if you have to have an affordable, new, v8 sports car, my first choice would be the mustang, but second would be the gto. although a slightly older corvette will prolly be close in price to the gto.

[DinanM3_S2]

As mentioned before, the biggest problem with the GTO is styling. For many sports car buyers, styling is more important then anything and the GTO follows the exact same design scheme as a Grand Prix or other mediocre Pontiacs of the late 90's early 2000's.

The biggest group of people that buy sports cars is men in their mid-life crisis (~40-55). They have the desire to relive their youth, but much more money to throw around. The names Mustang, Challenger, and GTO conjure memories of the 1960's and 70's. These same people crave cars to remind them of this era. When you see a 05+ Mustang, you can't help but think of the origional, but when you see a GTO you think, "thats not a GTO, thats a Grand Prix." Pontiac probably could have put the LS7 in that car and it still wouldn't have sold much better. Now, for people that actually want a powerful coupe with standard everyday GM quality, the GTO is a steal because of the huge surplus.

I hate to use this but use the "how many times will a girl look at you" factor. I would be willing to bet that if you drove a GTO past a group of girls you wouldn't get as many looks as you would get in a V6 Mustang non-convertable.

[BP2K2Max]

the only problem i have with them is the bland styling likeothers stated. it's hard to differentiate it from an older GTP from the front. the performance is there though. i heard they're going to re-release it in a few years after a restyling.

[DinanM3_S2]

Originally Posted by BP2K2Max

the only problem i have with them is the bland styling likeothers stated. it's hard to differentiate it from an older GTP from the front. the performance is there though. i heard they're going to re-release it in a few years after a restyling.

I heard the same too, probably on the same platform as the Camaro.

[BlackGT2000]

I heard that as well, it will essentially be replacing the firebird/transam

[blakscorpion21]

i beleive they are doing the new 09 gto in retro as well, big suprise eh, i think it looks kinda goofy from the concept ive seen. i say build off the current platform and add in some sharper lines and more aggressive styling.

[G-man422]

I saw an older concept of the GTO, but not the new one. I'll have to check it out.

[lamehonda]

If I was you, I would just buy the 5.7 and call it a day.

[Dyno247365]

I'm actually thinking about waiting to see what the new gto looks like, or maybe...the philosophized rwd Impala???

[crayzayjay]

Looks boring but is actually quite good. Go for it.

[Jimster]

The problem with the GTO is not the car itself, just the country that it was rebadged for.

The demographic that the GTO tended to be aimed at was the 40-65 year old buyer, GM'd love to tell you they had younger buyers in mind, but it just wasn't the case. This market are usually in the midst of a mid-life crisis and trying to think back to thier youth when the Chargers and Mustang fastbacks of this world roamed American streets, they're the type of people that are pushing this whole Retro thing, however the GTO looked NOTHING like the old Judge of 1970 with it's wings and hoodscoops, so the Yanks stayed away. The general market of America don't like change, it's why American makers have been aprehensive to try new technologies and it's why the cars designed for US consumption are mostly generic and boring looking.

However it was actually GM's best product at the time (Holden is by far GM's most competent division), it handles well, it is extremely quick, it's well built, comfortable and cheap (And I myself think quite good
looking). It was always marketing failure rather than an engineering failure

Hopefully when the VE Holden Commodore SS-V goes to the States this time around as the Pontiac Grand Prix (Looks like this deal is going ahead), people will be smarter and realise a good car despite its' lack of hood scoops and spoilers.