# New prospective GTO owner with a few questions...



## veddersbetter (Sep 5, 2007)

Well Ive been looking for an well priced 05 for a while..I finally found one in the heart of Chicago. Its silver with black aftermarket ..kinda cheapish 18's. Some rear end minor damage...probably a parking lot bump....well that and some brain decided to dig an old dealer sticker out with a razor and dug to near bare metal

Anyway....I took the car home last night for the weekend. Nothing is set in stone yet...I noticed several small or maybe huge problems so I thought Id run them past you guys and see what you think....Im personally quite concerned.

#1 After getting the car on the highway on the way home there was a VERY noticable grinding noise coming from what sounded like the front right of the car....and it pulls to the right horendously. I checked for tire rub cause thats what it sounds like..and I really didnt see any. It pulls to the right at any speed but doesnt make any noticable noise until around 40mph

#2 Wheels appear to be on wrong IMO ( maybe reason for #1?) It appears to me that maybe there is 2 different offsets. Rear wheels being on one side ...front wheels being on the other. In other words....tires appear to stick out a little further on one side of the vehicle. I measured from the inside hub to the outside of the rim and theyre all the same???? dooms me

#3 Seems to vibrate a little in park or when stopped at a stoplight

#4 (Dont know if this is normal) Im a former owner of 4th gen camaros and I know in the autos when put in gear the rear end seems to move (up or down I cant remember...Im on zero sleep) It just seems MUCH more pronounced in this car

#5 This probably goes along with the goofy offset of the wheels..but the rear right tire rubs when accelerating hard. Im sure torque plays a role in the right side rubbing but.....the right side wheels seem to stick out a little further


All in all...its my possible dream machine...but I cant afford to make payments and be nickle and dimed to death at the same time. Its sad but I hope to god whoever owned this car isnt on this forum. It looks like they couldnt have given 2 sh!ts about the car honestly. Its very neglected for 25000 miles...it needs a little love ....just hopefully not alot of money..

Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated
Thanks
Nate


P.S.
Judge for yourself by the pics...
http://freedomautodepot.com/vehicle...17579&type=used&vehicle=2005-Pontiac-GTO-BASE


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## SANDU002 (Oct 13, 2004)

Well if you are buying this from a dealer, tell them it pulls to the right and needs an alignment done before you buy the car. On these cars they need an all wheel alignment (F & R).


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

*Hey Nate......

Have you checked the carfax history? The link on the site says 4 records, know what they are?

Are you confident there was no damage done to the undercarriage? The grinding noise could be many things but first thing that comes to mind are the struts. 

Vibration at stop maybe the normal cam lope. 

Front and back wheel alignment may fix the alignment issues. From what you state, its needed. Also get the tires balanced, It could be a wheel out of balance rubbing in the rear. 

The automatics will squat a little when put in gear this is normal.

As long as the car was purchased less than 36 months ago the factory warranty is in effect, however if there is any sign of abuse, or collision damage, you may not be able to claim warranty issues. 

IMO.... If you want this car, I would ask the dealer to take it to a Pontiac dealer and let them give it the once over. Maybe offer to split the cost. If the car fails for reasons you are not comfortable with then ask for your money refunded. Have this stipulated before an inspection is done. 

You will want to know if anything on this car will void the remainder of the factory warranty. You'll be furious if you buy the car thinking the warranty will cover you and find out the hard way if it won't if you file a claim.

You may also want to ask the dealer to get permission from the previous owner to talk to you about the car. If you have ANY negative reservations on this car, walk away from it.

The issues you raise is very obvious. What I don't get is, surely the dealer test drove this car and should have heard the noises and experienced what you have. How they could put that car on the lot without at least disguising the problems raises concerns.*


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## veddersbetter (Sep 5, 2007)

Thank you for the quick responses. Thats what I was thinking with the dealer....the problem with alignment and the noise at highway speeds is blatantly OBVIOUS. One wonders why they wouldnt fix it.

Ill check into all those things listed....anyone have a carfax account??


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## veddersbetter (Sep 5, 2007)

One other question....I have no owners manual at all...and I dont understand the audible beep when I reach 55mph....and the display O/Speed keeps blinking on and off on the dash?
thanks a ton guys :cheers


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## veddersbetter (Sep 5, 2007)

lol...nevermind..i am a newbee....and "search" is my friend:seeya:


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## Mike_V (Mar 10, 2006)

IMHO - don't buy it. I've seen too many 'better than new' GTOs for sale to settle for one with issues.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Mike_V said:


> IMHO - don't buy it. I've seen too many 'better than new' GTOs for sale to settle for one with issues.


:agree :agree​
There are several GTO's available in Chicago, I found an 05 with low miles in Oakbrook Terrace for $17K. Keep looking. Check out the Trader Publications


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## veddersbetter (Sep 5, 2007)

Took the car back Monday....they were rude when I told them the car needs help. 
I had to drive the car to work to realize just how dangerous it is ....... Go over a hill (something of which Chi Town doesnt have) and get the front end light...its everything I could do NOT to go in the ditch. (didnt "pull" to the right...it FORCED you to the right)
They didnt even look at the car....just put it back out for sale..
Hopefully someone doesnt have to get killed before they realize I wasnt trying to make sh!t up to get a better deal
:cheers 


Unfortunately as of now theres no GTO in my future


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

veddersbetter said:


> Took the car back Monday....they were rude when I told them the car needs help.
> I had to drive the car to work to realize just how dangerous it is ....... Go over a hill (something of which Chi Town doesnt have) and get the front end light...its everything I could do NOT to go in the ditch. (didnt "pull" to the right...it FORCED you to the right)
> They didnt even look at the car....just put it back out for sale..
> Hopefully someone doesnt have to get killed before they realize I wasnt trying to make sh!t up to get a better deal
> ...


*Thankfully you found out about this car before you purchased it. The next person may not be so lucky. Sounds like the dealer is like one of those featured in those investigative news shows. 

Don't give up on your search, keep your eyes open there are many out there.*


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## Tacmedic (Feb 24, 2006)

veddersbetter said:


> Unfortunately as of now theres no GTO in my future


Why not? Was the price that good on that one? I am glad you walked away from it, (I would have run). There are plenty good ones out there and the prices are right.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

i'd be very picky about a used goat. if you've been on the forums for long you realize that there are a lot of tools out there that never had a car like this and just beat the crap out of them. there are some out there that have been VERY well taken car of too. the price of parts on these cars are ridiculous so i'd make sure you had a reasonable chance of having a good one. good luck.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

svede1212 said:


> i'd be very picky about a used goat. if you've been on the forums for long you realize that there are a lot of tools out there that never had a car like this and just beat the crap out of them. there are some out there that have been VERY well taken car of too. the price of parts on these cars are ridiculous so i'd make sure you had a reasonable chance of having a good one. good luck.


:agree


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## veddersbetter (Sep 5, 2007)

Tacmedic said:


> Why not? Was the price that good on that one? I am glad you walked away from it, (I would have run). There are plenty good ones out there and the prices are right.


Yeah the price was pretty good. It was 20,500 with 25000 miles...and they were going to give me a reasonable allowance on my trade....problem is...car was abused at some point in its life....that and the dealer was HORRIBLE. Couldnt believe they were as rude as they were...

If you guys see any other 05s with that good of a price in the Illinois Iowa Indiana Wisconsin area please let me know
Thanks!
Nate


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## SloTymer (Sep 16, 2005)

veddersbetter said:


> One other question....I have no owners manual at all...and I dont understand the audible beep when I reach 55mph....and the display O/Speed keeps blinking on and off on the dash?
> thanks a ton guys :cheers


I have the owner's manual (for 05) in .pdf format. If you want it pm me your email address and I will send you a copy.


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