I don't understand the GTO hate

[mr_man]

I don't know where everyone gets the impression the interior is so nice. When I was at the dealership picking up my new, i sat in one for a while and was totally unimpressed, most uncomfortable seats I'd ever sitten in.

[MustangEater8251]

The car, if looking for a sporty car, I woudl pass on it, its a grand prix, hell I think the grand prix looks a little more aggressive.

Interior is ok, but nothing to make me jizz my pants and say its the all time best car.

My complaints... Its like a sedan. I don't use mirrors too much, I look over my shoulder, it feels like when I look over my shoulder driving my mom's sebring... not like any of my camaros, the vette, or even my girl's Cavis. You lose a little bit of the "cockpit" feel. It had a little roll in the corners but not too harsh, suspension was pretty nice and balanced, but I did expereince understeer, more so then the camaro on 235s. Another fault I had, was the traction control, you romped it and it felt like the car died, was sputtering, then gets going. The C5 even with TC on, doesn't have this problem, so its not the motor or drivetrain.

When you get aggressive on the car, seems like it fought you and pulled timing. When a local guy worked on a magazine at a local track, it only ran 14s all day long.

I tore into both an auto and a 6-speed a few rounds at autoshow in motion. It was nice, beautiful upgrade definitely over a v6 f-body any day... But after the markups I have seen of $35k, I woudl be going SC cobra, or even a cheaper nice sports car.

[Night Rider]

It's not a bad car by any means, but i do agree w/ stephan, that it's a sport sedan, NOT sports car.

It's on my list of cars that i'm contemplating for next purchase, but probably not my top choice. If i wanted a true luxary sport sedan & was willing to spend the dough, i'd probably just get an M3.

[F1GT]

Originally posted by Stefan:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Snuffalofogus:
its not supposed to be a sports car. its supposed to compete with M3's and other 'luxury vehicles' that have a good amount of power.

Right. And this is why people hate it. It is NOT a sports car, yet GM markets it like it is and people talk about it like it is the replacement for the F-Body.

And if you compare it to other high-end cars its a joke. Sorry GM, you've never known how to build a decent high-end car and you probably never will. Stick with cars for the "common man" and for old people (Buick, Oldsmobile, Caddy). GM doesn't have what it takes to make real luxury.

EDIT: Along those lines, the owners of real luxury/performance cars don't even think of ruining them by taking them to a dragstrip. Yet I'm hearing stories about GTO's being seen at tracks nationwide. Further proof that the new GTO is just a wannabe. Lame. </font>[/QUOTE]The F body is not a sports car either. Both of them is under the muscle car category. Just that the GTO is a Muscle coupe and that the camaro is a pony car. It has that image so people take it to track, and it's in the low to mid 30s so it's not that high end. And compare it to high ends the magazines did and they made comments of how it's like a BMW M3 or M5. And GM does make good high end cars, and caddy is the division for it. XLR and SRX got a lot of praise from the press. This is just the beginning and for Pontiac, right now all of it's cars are "transition" cars. So we will have to wait and see, but you can see some improvements at GM already. Though it did take them long enough.

When you made comments of how you rather have an F-body, you said you like the low slung interior and the affordable aspects of it. Well, the camaro is more towards the sports car side in this aspect(long, low, wide, quick), but the GTO is towards the muscle car side(regular car with big motor), albeit with some added maturity and luxury. Look at the Impala it sits upright and feels like an 80s Buick/olds/caddy. But people like it because it has the looks. Imagine an impala body with GTO underpinnings. Like infernal said, it's the looks that is killing it. You say you rather get a 25k car and have 10gs and you can blow away the GTO in every category, true, but then you have to spend a lot of time on it and you can't do much for the foundation. The main problem with the new goat is the limitations GM has with the design. If they never would have GTO-ified the Monaro, this uproar would not happen. I do agree with you that I rather have an F-body. But its really an outdated platform, thats the main downside to it. But people love it because you can do so much with it.
A lot of people see how an F-body can look when hopped up all sorts of ways. But not yet the GTO. It's like a when F body came out for 93, I hated the way it looked, I was still in love with the IROC-Z. I see the F-body and damn that front end is sharp and like a ramp. Sat inside, damn that dash is deep. Look over the shoulders, damn thats a thick pillar. But we love it because of the price/performace and looks.
I'm sure appearance upgrades will help a lot. The main gripe is the tall trunk and I don't mine a steeper price tag than the Fbody, but I guess that's the 2nd gripe people have with it.

If the F-body is still in production I would choose it over the GTO because of what it comes down to....looks and the price. I mean the reason it cost more is because it has more and better quality. The more expensive the car the less the chance people will use it as a hobby to fix up. This last paragraph are the reasons why people don't like it.

Watever, I gotta go. I'm not a fan either. I am trying to like it because of the nicer seats and the LS1. But I still like my maro, it just needs 2 more cyl.

[Tsaroth]

I'm not a big fan of how it looks. single exhaust. motor trend's article about it stated clearly 'it rides like an executive sedan'. the 0-60 is 5.3 according to MT. bah

[massivefirebird]

How in the world is this car a sedan if it has two doors?!?!? And a stock GTO running 13.2 a 1/4 is not impressive? I think it is, especially straight out of the box!

And who cares what people think, this is Pontiac's car... and it's their decision to put a badge on it and design it as they see fit. People can complain all they want about it not being their "ideal" idea of what the GTO is "supposed" to look like or perform like(even though they THINK they know what it performs like without test driving it first)... all of that means nothing to me.

This is a nice car.

[SolarYellow]

Originally posted by massivefirebird:
And a stock GTO running 13.2 a 1/4 is not impressive? I think it is, especially straight out of the box!

And who cares what people think, this is Pontiac's car... and it's their decision to put a badge on it and design it as they see fit.

#1. A 13.2 et is very good. How can anyone complain about that time?

#2. Your right it is Pontiac's car and yes they can design it as they see fit but ultimately, the consumer is the most important player. If the consumer does not like this car and won't buy it, Pontiac is in trouble. Ultimately, the needs and wants of car buyers is what really matters and car companies need to understand this.

[jc Kyle]

i highly doubt it runs 13.2s.. maybe some freaks.. heavier car with a single exhaust.. than z's and trans ams.. while they run mid to low 13s? I dunno.. looks kinda plain.. and I thought the old GTO's were really ugly? It's just a car

[Mogobs30th]

I like the new GTO. The simple fact is that we are not going to get a car that looks like the muscle cars of the '60's-'70's. That time has died. Those cars have died. But the nameplate that is on those cars still lives.

Imagine what first gen F-body owners said when the introduction of the 4th gen car came out. They probably sounded just like the whole lot of you.

I do want another F-body, but I never wanted an LS1 or LT1. My next f-body will be a six, like the one I had. If I want an LS1, I would most likely get a GTO, even if the F-body was still being produced. I have never been impressed with the Z28's and WS6's and the SS's. Yes, they are great cars for the looks, but everyone seems to have an LS1 or an LT1. I like the originality of the looks of the GTO as they are now. May look a little ricey to you all, but eventually, every car will look a little ricey.

[FloydSummerOf68]

Originally posted by jc Kyle:
i highly doubt it runs 13.2s.. maybe some freaks.. heavier car with a single exhaust..

The GTO has true duals
I for one didnt like the GTO either...but then when I got a chance to see it in person and get in it I liked it a lot.
I for one would definatley take that car...I do enjoy the F-body more, but it isn't a bad car at all

[Infernal]

Well, I gave a black 6-speed a test drive tonight. And, I have to say, the thing does not handle like a luxury car by any means. It could run circles around my Z28.

It does feel a little softer on the straights, but I think I'm just used to my SLP Bilsteins which are more stiff than the stock Z28 shocks.

It doesn't feel as fast as the Z28, but it definitely has a lot of power. I'm not sure if its the weight or torque management or both, but it doesn't have that "kick" that the Z28 has when you romp on it, even with the high rear end ratio (my Z28 feels stronger even with 2.73s in the back).

I liked it a lot. And yes, the interior is MUCH nicer than the Z28, for those who doubt. [img]smile.gif[/img]

The only thing that freaked me out a little is that sitting in it felt exactly like sitting in a Mustang. The posture you take in the seat, etc.

[57s98Camaro]

Personally I like the GTO. It may not exactly look like a sports car, but what counts is under the skin.

Do you all wanna be ricers and have a fast looking car that's slow, or a slow looking car that's fast! [img]smile.gif[/img]

In one of the recent Motor Trends, they compare it to the $70K Mercedes Benz CLK55 AMG. It holds up great in just about every test.

[95fbirdkid]

The old school GTO was a sedan w/ a big engine.

The new GTO is a sedan w/ a big engine.

It is what they ment it to be. Its the new GTO, not a retro GTO

[MustangEater8251]

Originally posted by Infernal:
Well, I gave a black 6-speed a test drive tonight. And, I have to say, the thing does not handle like a luxury car by any means. It could run circles around my Z28.

It does feel a little softer on the straights, but I think I'm just used to my SLP Bilsteins which are more stiff than the stock Z28 shocks.

It doesn't feel as fast as the Z28, but it definitely has a lot of power. I'm not sure if its the weight or torque management or both, but it doesn't have that "kick" that the Z28 has when you romp on it, even with the high rear end ratio (my Z28 feels stronger even with 2.73s in the back).

I liked it a lot. And yes, the interior is MUCH nicer than the Z28, for those who doubt. [img]smile.gif[/img]

The only thing that freaked me out a little is that sitting in it felt exactly like sitting in a Mustang. The posture you take in the seat, etc.

Exactly alot fo the same thoughts of mine... As for outhandling an f-body, It has some pros and cons, comparing it ot an f-body. I am not sure if it handles better... but its not a slouch.

I agree with the torque management or whatever it is, I tried to light up the tires and it felt like I just slammed the gas on a 4-banger, takes ALOT of fun of driving it.

Interior(I think peple woory too much abotu interiros)

but the feel, its not like a sporty car, whcih is what I like, its like drivng a sedan(I know its a 2 door coupe) But, go drive a brand new V6 accord EX 6-speed, feels very much the same, feels gutless do to the torque management or whatever but has topend but not much grunt down low.

Its nice but for the money I think there are other alternatives.

[SolarYellow]

Originally posted by Mogobs30th:
I like the new GTO. The simple fact is that we are not going to get a car that looks like the muscle cars of the '60's-'70's. That time has died. Those cars have died. But the nameplate that is on those cars still lives.

Your second statement is something not understood by GTO fans who criticize people for disliking its looks. It is 2004 and not 1964 and the styles change. Back then it might have been perfectly ok to sell a plain jane ugly car with a powerful engine but that isn't the case today. From hearing people give their opinions here and on other boards, the styling is not acceptable. It is rather blah looking. Personally, I think it looks god aweful in person no matter what color you see it in. It has performance but it needs some major restyling. For $33K+, it should be both powerful and attractive.