# New And Already Needing Help!



## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

It's been a dream to want a GTO. Ever since I saw the first GTO in the flesh, I have been salivating in my mouth to own one for the last 11 years. I made a deal with my parents and now it seems I'm very close to buying one and I'm super excited. I have read up and I know what I'm getting my self into and I can't wait. But in any case, I'm wondering if anyone from the Oxnard area will be willing to help me and dad make sure we lock in a good deal. I'm checking to see if I can fly down from San Francisco to Los Angeles then to Oxnard. I'm making a crazy trade off. I promised good grades (Check); and they told me I need to get rid of Wisdom Teeth (ouch!) so I need to go back home to get surgery and then drive back here with hopefully my new GTO!arty: 

Anyone down to help a fellow Pontiac fan? :seeya

This is the GTO I have in mind...
Cars for Sale: 2005 Pontiac GTO in Oxnard, CA 93030: Coupe Details - 304856122 - AutoTrader.com


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## nicayotte (Apr 4, 2011)

Other then the visual mods it seems ok, do you know if they have any other modifications past or present? One thing is that it says it is manual but in the seller comments it says automatic tranny? i don't know if that price is common with the area but i have gotten two 05 GTO's with less miles (25k an 28k) for 2k to 3k more then they are selling it for, maybe that is cheap in your area?


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Nicayotte, are you Nicaraguan by any chance? Just curious.

But yea, I did call the dealer and he told me no other aftermarket custom work has been done except the spoiler delete and the painted rims. The price is somewhat common, it's the LA area! And about the manuel auto issue, I made sure it was a manual. From the pics it looks like a manual and sure enough it is. He told me they also have a black GTO auto, so I suspect they used the highly technical tactic of copy and paste with regards to the technical descriptions.

But I have requested him to "hold it" and he is somewhat reluctant but thankfully they are closing shop soon (today). But he agreed he will hold it because I'm flying in from San Francisco just to see it. Or so he suspects. A deal should go down tomorrow and pics if all goes as planned will be up soon. Although I actually like the rear spoiler...I honestly can't wait!


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## fattirewilly (May 26, 2006)

It's missing the strut tower brace. Not a huge issue but it begs the question "why". 

Was a big Maggie (supercharger) previously installed? 

Was it stripped down for 1/4 mile or stop light to stop light racing?

Perhaps an aftermarket brace was installed and the previous owner simply "demodded" the car before selling?

Something to think about, but a lightly driven garage queen will be hard to come by. Make sure it has all the cats and emissions stuff for Cali.

Last, make sure you're up for it. Take some driving lessons, do some autocross, learn the limits of the car and yourself in a save environmennt and save the stupid stuff for the racetrack.


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Wow good stuff fattirewilly! I will ask. But I do know it's a bank repo so the drag queen idea makes perfect sense. And about driving, any recommendations? I'm interested in really learning how to drive the car so any suggestions for Northern Cali?


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Paying top dollar for a repo, I would take a good look at it, test drive it and note any issues with the clutch. I'm a Vette guy and know that a garage queen and daily driver go for about the same price, so finding one that is loved on compared to an ex race car with unknown history will cost you down the road. GTOs are available in my area, so you can be picky. I don't understand why it's so hard to find a GTO in Cali. Good luck, just really look it over, or pay a mechanic to drive it and check it out.
My buddy was a racer that LOVED nitrous, he traded the car, 03 Camaro SS, in at 16K miles and the engine was knocking, he had killed the car.. Felt bad for the next owner, that car was abused..


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## nicayotte (Apr 4, 2011)

I am not Nicaragual lol, don't know why you would think that but anywho don't have your heart set on this GTO because it is something you want. There will always be another one and honestly sacrificing something and buying this car because you made the distance or want it right now isn't always the best idea.


For example here is one i found withing 100 miles of your area....

Cars for Sale: 2006 Pontiac GTO in Fullerton, CA 92832: Coupe Details - 295830806 - AutoTrader.com
Newer then you were looking at, less miles, stock and just pennies more!


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## 6speedlover (Aug 10, 2011)

JohnnyRay, when i was ready to buy my GTO "The Love Of My Life" it took me over 2 months to find the one i wanted  Everyday for over 2 months i would come home and search AutoTrader. And one Saturday morning i spotted her,so i called them when they opened, and asked them to hold it and im coming down to look at it  It was worth the wait. It sat on there lot for 2 days only, it wasn't even detailed (thank goodness) Anyway, best of luck to you


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Went to check out the car...it was a disappointment to say the least. At least 100 different scratches, and not to mention my gut feeling screamed, "SALVAGE" or at least a really bad accident that caused the airbag to deploy. It was not worth my time and I didn't even bother asking for a test drive. 

Nicayotte; I figured nicaraguan because as a Nicaragua you call other Nicaraguan's, Nica or Nicoya's. And I did call about the call and it had already been sold...
;(

Sixspeedlover; I feel you on that. I know I need to wait but I just really want one! I'm anxious and impatient! 

What do you guys think about this one?
Cars for Sale: 2004 Pontiac GTO in South Gate, CA 90280: Coupe Details - 304574358 - AutoTrader.com

It has the exposed trunk but I would still prefer a LS2 over an LS1.


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## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Car Fax look clean and the car looks nice. Only concern would be the tires on it right now. That could be a sign of abuse.


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## 6speedlover (Aug 10, 2011)

I hear ya JohnnyRay, i mean, I REALLY HEAR YA MAN...... I was always an Impulse buyer, but when it comes to the car of your dreams "Good Things Come, To Those Who Wait" I was so F'en Nutz about getting a GTO, but after looking, and looking, it became a game to me. Remember one thing "They All Want Your Business" You will get one man  Btw, im sorry this car, was not the one


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

What do you guys think of these?

Cars for Sale: 2006 Pontiac GTO in Valencia, CA 91355: Coupe Details - 304985220 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2006 Pontiac GTO in Placerville, CA 95667: Coupe Details - 304880634 - AutoTrader.com

I don't know how but my mommy has been feeling nice lately. So if the miles are low (under 50k) she might consider helping me out with a little more wiggle room. So now 19K seems like the max...but I still want to make upgrades like car audio asap, and the usual dose of headers, catback, intake, possibly a cam...but thats further down the line. I just want a car I can be proud of. The thing is, the car needs to be at a dealer for those pesky monthly payments. I know I might be pushing my luck but ideally a car before the end of the week is ideal! And by the way, THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!


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## nicayotte (Apr 4, 2011)

Nothing major between to the two IMO beyond visual mods and rims which i like. ^_^. IT kind of is up to you now, i would if possible test drive a few and see what you like or how the ride is before you go further.


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

I will definitely try to get a PPI inspection before hand. Not to mention hopefully the car they are selling that does have the eye catching rims, is better since it's being sold at a Pre-owned Honda dealership.

Does anyone know anything about those rims? I know next to nothing about them...curious of the cost more than anything.


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## nicayotte (Apr 4, 2011)

Cannot tell what brand but they do look like they are off a honda, have you gotten any chances to go look at these vehicles?


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Were talking about it right now. I can only see the silver one with the said rims. But it sucks because my dad is in Vegas and I would rather have the car in his name(insurance) and he won't be back till Thursday night. And not to mention my wisdom tooth surgery is today in exactly 6 hours.


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## nicayotte (Apr 4, 2011)

JohnnyRay said:


> Were talking about it right now. I can only see the silver one with the said rims. But it sucks because my dad is in Vegas and I would rather have the car in his name(insurance) and he won't be back till Thursday night. And not to mention my wisdom tooth surgery is today in exactly 6 hours.


Not much you can do there, also remember these cars are not friendly on gas, premium at that and often more then none you cannot expect to buy this car without overhead cost. Please be sure you have a steady income and such so your dream isn't repo'ed.


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Strangely enough my Nissan is horrible on gas. My cousins Viper does better than my Z. I understand what your saying and I promise you my car if bought will not be repoed.


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## bvqsmgto (Jul 15, 2011)

Why not look for one in the Bay Area? I've seen several 2004-2006 on Craig's List. You can then inspect them for yourself.

SF bay area cars & trucks - all classifieds "Pontiac GTO" - craigslist


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Guys, we got a deal. We settled on the car with the aftermarket wheels. I checked it carefully and it has Jba headers, K&n air filter along with what sounds like a magnaflow or corsa exhaust. I'll check it more carefully as soon as I have it in my driveway. But for now, I'm getting my teeth pulled in a bit. Well pick the car up later this week. Thanks for all your help and photos will be up ASAP. Thanks again.


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

...Surgery over, mouth swollen. But, one other question. I bought the car from Power Honda. They are offering a Gold Warranty for 5 years. It covers everything. It costs like 2 grand. Do you guys feel it's worth it? The guy who was helping us was extremely knowledgable and he says he has a GTO himself. He claims he runs in the low 10's. He even gave me his cell so that if I have any questions no matter what we decided, he said he will help. And it showed, he knew his stuff. He recited out specific answers to my crazy questions like cam timing, cylinder heads, stroking out the motor and tons of other things even common mods he would recommend I do after I get use to car and it's power. In other words he was LS2, GTO, plethora of facts. He whipped out his phone and showed me proof of his car. It was freaking awesome. It was a twin turbo monster! All and all, as a GTO car nut, he recommended the warranty. He said he even has his track car under the same warranty, he claims there are loopholes. What do you guys think? I'm thinking it's a sound investment. I'm interested in hearing your opinion. 5 year coverage with Power Chevrolet? Hmm, sounds good, maybe even too good to be true. Please chime in. I have till Friday morning to decide. Not to mention Lo-jack...


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## TheRedThing (Nov 2, 2006)

Congrats on the find, it looks like a nice GTO! As for the extended warranty, I've purchased 2 of those in my car-buying experiences and both times they were a waste of money. One of them never got used at all, the other was one where I got 100% of the money invested in the warranty back if I never used it. The issue was that say the warranty costs $2,000 and you bring it to the shop and it needs $500 worth of work. If you use the warranty, then you wind up losing $1500 because you don't get the refund any more. So you take a gamble there, pay the $500 out of pocket and hope nothing else goes wrong and try to get the $2000 refund later, or use the warranty and hope something else goes wrong later on so you can convince yourself you made a smart decision. Hell, even if you don't get the refund, you'd be paying $2000 for $500 worth of work in that situation. It would be VERY unlikely that something major would go wrong with the car requiring that amount of money to repair, you're better off just not getting the warranty and winging it, at least in my opinion. Not only that, but you usually roll up the cost of the warranty into the loan so you wind up paying APR on it as well and it costs you more than $2000.


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## 6speedlover (Aug 10, 2011)

JohnnyRay, when i bought my gto 2 weeks ago, the only extra warranty i bought was a 2 year powertrain. Just in case the engine decides to go funky lol. Btw, nice find man  If you are getting the first one (the one with the wheels) Make sure they go by the price on the windshield, and not the price advertised. Either way, its a sweet Goat for the money !


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Hmm, my Godfather who is a BMW car salesman thinks the warranty is a good idea. I'll be on the phone with him when I pick up the car. Sixspeed, yea we got it for 18k not 19k...But it is clean. The thing I'm most happy about, it already has JBA headers and K&N filter and exhaust. Those were the exact mods I was going to do first...I guess I don't need to now! Not to mention it's squeaky clean! Suspension is next!


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## 6speedlover (Aug 10, 2011)

Dont get me wrong JohnnyRay, if you can afford that warranty, go for it man. It would be nice to have everything covered on a used car. Btw, im getting excited for ya man !!! Getting my gto, made me a very happy man


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## nicayotte (Apr 4, 2011)

congrats johnny, after to wash it up we need some pictures :seeya:


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks guys...as soon as I get back home to San Fran, and after a deep through wash and wax, pictures will be up. 

Iggy Pop - Lust For Life - YouTube


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## mebuildit (Jul 29, 2011)

Good deal JohnnyRay. I just picked mine up a few weeks ago too. Same color, except all original no mods at all.
Keep us posted on your progress. I'd like to see what you do to yours.


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Alright guys...Finally back to my city (San Fran), and wow. That was a great drive. Sure I noticed a few things that are wrong with my car.For instance, one of the buttons from the steering wheel control is loose, the sticking on the rear seat is coming undone, the rear suspension is almost about to go, it needs an expert alignment, and a couple other things that are loose. But that is almost to be slightly expected. Plus, I got an extended warranty that does cover everything...I'm hoping I can go to a Chevy dealer or great shop, and get everything fixed; all under warranty. Next thing though for sure, is of course the suspension. I need to upload the pics and move them over and figure out how to get them here but they will be up...


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## 6speedlover (Aug 10, 2011)

Glad you made it home safe Johnnyray. The only thing i can relate to is the stiching on the seats (i hear its normal on goats) As for the other stuff, im sure the other guys will be able to help you out. How does she run? Im happy for you man !! Nice find


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

So you ask how does she runs...I was riding with my old man, we took an exit nearthemiddleofnowhere California, hit an open road, and gunned it. I have never seen my dad with such a big ass smile, and soon after all the OH MY GOD's and HOLY ****'s, I smelled this looming scent that smelled familiar. It seemed as though my old goat got so scared he backfired and more than likely he is the reason for the ripped seat. In other words, she runs ****ing fantastic. Pulls hard and purrs like a pissed off lion. RAWR!


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## JohnnyRay (Aug 13, 2011)

Not to mention my dad used to own an Austin Heally, and had a friend who had a 68 Firebird and my pops says this car is true machine compared to them. He says it feels like a client of his Merc's V-12. Not too shabby. So when I finally got to town, I showed it off to one of my venezuelan friends (older guy) and I warned him to hold on. He refused and of course he head stuck to the seat like velcro, and continued exclaiming, "Oye, MAN! WOW! PUTTTTAAA MADRE!" This car purrs like a pissed off lion, and grips like an ox. But it's Goat! Love it! Thanks everyone! 

Oh, next question has to do with suspensions I can't decide what to use, and my dad is in agreement to going to performance driving school. I'm thinking about Jim Russell's school out here in Sonoma. Anyone have experience with it? Or any school for that matter?


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## 6speedlover (Aug 10, 2011)

Purrs like a pissed off lion !! Thats a good line  Glad your happy man, and Congrats to you !!!


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