# Patience pays off, finally got my GTO...



## 69bossnine (Aug 9, 2007)

Well, I pick it up tomorrow... 2006 6-speed, silver with red interior. Has the standard wheels, but I think I like those a bit better anyhow.

It's a 9,400 mile 1-owner flawless car, the owner was a 60-year-old dentist, and it's at the Caddy dealership his son is the sales manager of..

The deal worked out being my 26K-mile 2005 F150 Supercrew Lariat 4x4 trade-in + $2,000 cash (i.e. that includes taxes, title/reg, fees, everything), and I'm done... That's $5,000 better than the deal on the 3,300 mile automatic I was facing a month or two ago, when a few here insinuated that I was just being cheap and petty... 

Yeah, this car has 6,000 more miles, but it's got the sharp red interior, it's a 6-speed, and the miles were put on by a well-to-do senior citizen rather than a goofball typically-abusive dealership employee, and it spent it's life commuting between a garage at home and a carport at work, as opposed to the left-over dealer smegma out there that's been roasting and steaming in the elements for over a year, in-between joy-ride-test-drives...

I coulda done a bit better maybe, but not much, especially considering having to deal with a trade, so I'm happy...

Just thought I'd drop a line!! :seeya:


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Congratulations and enjoy the ride!


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## Tacmedic (Feb 24, 2006)

*I just bought mine a few weeks ago...*

..I was watching them for over a year and seriously looking for several months. It's amazing what you can find when you are willing to walk away from several in the process. You want to buy from a motivated seller and don't want to be labled a motivated buyer. Enjoy!


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## u-got-gto (May 19, 2007)

Congrats man... I think you will enjoy the M6 better anyway... It's just more fun to drive... Post pics after you pick her up....


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

congrats...enjoy!
Bill


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## cpowell (Mar 1, 2007)

congrats. welcome to the club. you will enjoy!


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## PEARL JAM (Sep 6, 2005)

Silver and red is a nice combo, CONGRATS!!:cheers


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## TORRED1 (Apr 1, 2007)

What your really going to love is the red interior, love mine, also the 6 speed is so much fun. just keep the wife or girl friend away from it, or you may never be able to drive it again, it will be her's by default. Just kidding, she does let me drive it when she is not using it.


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## CPO's GTO (Jul 1, 2006)

Congrats! Welcome to the herd.:cheers


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## snide (Dec 28, 2004)

Post up some pics!

:cheers


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## noz34me (Dec 15, 2005)

Congratulations, you will be patting yourself on the back later for getting the 6M, and when you get tired of the car, the 6M will be easier to sell.

I have the red interior as well, and I love it. Of course the red really looks best with the black exterior, :lol: but the silver/red was my second favorite color combo. 

I think there are some pretty rare silver/red car packages out there as well. There's a list somewhere on the forum that lists car combinations and how many were made, but I thought silver/red was one of the rarest. 

Good Luck!


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## 69bossnine (Aug 9, 2007)

Yeah, aesthetically black on red was my first choice... But it was really a toss-up, as this will be a "driver" for me... The silver won't be as sharp, but silver is SUCH a great color for always looking clean, even when it's dirty, and is overall a much easier color to deal with on a daily basis... Not as hot, doesn't show every imperfection, etc.... 

I own alot of black cars already, and it's my favorite color, and I obsess over their perfect finishes.... But for daily grind, I'll be happier and less-stressed with the silver. It just won't have the bling of the black...

Thanks all, I'm on my way to go get it... Looks like somebody else here has a '67 Goat as well!! I'll try to post a pic of my new '06 next to my Tyrol Blue '67 H.O. 4-speed....


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## noz34me (Dec 15, 2005)

69bossnine said:


> Yeah, aesthetically black on red was my first choice... But it was really a toss-up, as this will be a "driver" for me... The silver won't be as sharp, but silver is SUCH a great color for always looking clean, even when it's dirty, and is overall a much easier color to deal with on a daily basis... Not as hot, doesn't show every imperfection, etc....
> 
> I own alot of black cars already, and it's my favorite color, and I obsess over their perfect finishes.... But for daily grind, I'll be happier and less-stressed with the silver. It just won't have the bling of the black...
> 
> Thanks all, I'm on my way to go get it... Looks like somebody else here has a '67 Goat as well!! I'll try to post a pic of my new '06 next to my Tyrol Blue '67 H.O. 4-speed....


In your case, I agree 100%. I drive my car about once a week, on nice days. It's still a PIA. I keep a California duster hanging right next to it, and everytime before I go out, I give it a kiss and a promise with the duster.

Springtime with tree pollen is particularly nasty.


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## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

That's great. You make a really good point about buying a car that has been placed in service vs. one that has been sitting on a dealer's lot cooking in the sun for over a year. Anyway, you took your time and waited for the right deal before pulling the trigger -- that's how you buy a car.

Let the modding begin! Step One: Order a shift kit. B&M or GMM Ripshifter. Step Two: Remove the 13 pound Y brace from under the plastic air deflector just in front of the rear bumper. It's useless. Step Three: Order a lightweight Holden Skid Plate from Hunter Holden in Sydney (PM me for details). Step Four: Turn up the amp located on the right trunk wall as it helps the stock stereo sound a LOT better. Step Five: Clay bar and a fresh coat of your favorite polish and wax. Step Six: Put in a real dead pedal (search here for details). 

Man, I could go on for hours...


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## 69bossnine (Aug 9, 2007)

Well, I'm back...

I can use all the sound mod and improvement advice I can get, so thanks for the head-start!!!

Unfortunately, time is not my ally for the next 4-5 weeks, I'll be lucky to get the damn thing washed and the interior properly wiped-down by day's end, and then I'm not touching a thing for awhile due to schedule and family..

First impressions?

- Yes, the stereo is just O.K., I'll try the amp tip.. Any further details, or is it self-evident when I get to the amp?

- The car rides super... 

- My problem isn't so much the lack of a formal dead pedal, it's the tight space between the clutch and the kick-panel to rest my foot in..

- The shifter is rubbery as hell, but it doesn't fight you, and is good and intuitive.. I'm surely going to upgrade though...

- You put a big gulp in the rearward holder, and you can't open the console. You put it in the forward holder, and it's in the way of shifting...

- The climate control knobs look like they're from a premium car, but they feel and operate like they're from a Kia...

- Man, does the car "fit" well... The armrest and console lid just the right elbow-height, the adjustable column, the nice seats. I'm already at-home..

- Steering is super at highway speeds, but slow and heavy at slower speeds... Steers just like a C5 Corvette (which isn't really a compliment...) It's not bad mind you, just a tad heavy/numb, and slow to react off-center under 50 mph.. I'll live.

Overall, I'm pleased as punch. Not to mention the car really was PERFECT, not a mark, no abuse, brake rotors looked like the day it rolled off the line, engine compartment likewise, just a few grease smudges in the interior, likely from going through the dealer's service dept... It is in SO MUCH BETTER condition than the left-over lot-rats I was shopping that had less miles... So the strategy paid-off..

Gotta go, too busy to be forum-ing!!


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## Showgoat67 (Feb 16, 2005)

congrats and good luck with the goat.


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## 69bossnine (Aug 9, 2007)

Well, I got her washed-up last night, and everything looks good now that I've gone over it inch-by-inch... Man, is this car perfect... Very happy about that.

Now that I've done a couple "commutes" through rush-hour traffic with it, I've gotta say, the clutch pedal situation is indeed awful... Maybe if I had smaller feet, but as it stands, my size 12 1/2 wide has quickly developed a tempestuous relationship with the big honking clutch pedal, when it comes to getting my foot set to the side... It's like two 400 pound people trying to work the drive-in window together, constant and annoying ass-bumping...

For those of you who just leave your foot resting on the clutch pedal, that can be a sure-fire way to wipe your throw-out bearing prematurely, depending on how the factory has things set-up. There's gotta be a solution that gives me more room between the kick-panel and the pedal.. I don't think a formal dead-pedal is necessarily my problem, it's the narrow gap that I'm contantly kicking at. Are the pedal pads removable, and are there any aftermarket pads that shift the clutch pad over a bit, or are just smaller? The stock pad on the clutch pedal looks like it belongs on a Peterbilt.

That's my biggest nit-pick, the magazines were right, the engineers blew it on the pedals... My 40 year old cars have more thoughtful layouts... Any solutions??? Thanks!!


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## UdnUdnGTO (Jan 30, 2006)

69bossnine said:


> Well, I pick it up tomorrow... 2006 6-speed, silver with red interior. Has the standard wheels, but I think I like those a bit better anyhow.
> 
> It's a 9,400 mile 1-owner flawless car, the owner was a 60-year-old dentist, and it's at the Caddy dealership his son is the sales manager of..
> 
> ...



Ha, Ha, I am a 60 year old chaplain at a local hospital and I only got 18,000 miles out of my first set of tires. I am just a kid in a 60 year old body wandering what happened.


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## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

69bossnine said:


> That's my biggest nit-pick, the magazines were right, the engineers blew it on the pedals... My 40 year old cars have more thoughtful layouts... Any solutions??? Thanks!!


If you want a real dead pedal you can do this: http://www.gtoforum.com/showthread.php?t=2206&highlight=accelerator+aussie

However, that doesn't solve the width problem. You could try removing the clutch and brake pedals from their levers and moving them by fabricating new mounts -- but the issue to me is the size of the footwell itself as there just isn't much room down there. That, of course, is on top of the fact that the pedal levers make heel and toeing next to impossible...

Given the width of your feet, going with a shoe with as small as sole as possible will help.


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## snide (Dec 28, 2004)

69bossnine said:


> Now that I've done a couple "commutes" through rush-hour traffic with it, I've gotta say, the clutch pedal situation is indeed awful... Maybe if I had smaller feet, but as it stands, my size 12 1/2 wide has quickly developed a tempestuous relationship with the big honking clutch pedal, when it comes to getting my foot set to the side...


I've got the same problem. A friend of mine took a look at the pedals and we're going to figure out how to "adjust" the clutch pedal to the right an inch or two. Will let you know what we do.

:cheers


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## 69bossnine (Aug 9, 2007)

Super.... I'm getting a bit more "used to" it, but the little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that it's not unlike a Maasai tribesman getting "used to" being covered in flies..

Keep us posted!


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