# whyd you get your gto?



## RiceEaterFordBeater (Feb 28, 2005)

i got mine cause i lost to one in my 99 a4 trans am. sometimes i regret it but the goat is a good filler at a good price, besides it had to go one day it wouldnt stop breaking down


----------



## b_a_betterperson (Feb 16, 2005)

Lease on the company car was up.

Bought the GTO because of its understated design, outstanding drivetrain and incredible build quality. The fact it was available in Pittsburgh Steelers black and gold didn't hurt, either.

Other factors included that a domestic manufacturer produced the car (even though it was screwed together by some blokes down under) and it was an absolutely, positively incredible deal. Looked at a Cadillac CTS-V -- and just couldn't justify forking out another $20K for a depreciating asset.


----------



## Duck916 (Nov 12, 2004)

Mine's a replacement for my C5 Corvette. The GTO has about 80% of the performance but is much more comfortable to drive. It's also a lot less money. I also looked at the CTS-V, but couldn't justify the extra $20K, nor the worse interior in the Caddy. I also hate runflats.


----------



## GM Kid (Mar 21, 2005)

I've got two young kids, so keeping my '01 C5 was an increasingly ridiculous indulgence. And for me, owning a C5 meant I needed a second personal vehicle (an Astro van, of all things) for days when the C5 just didn't fit the bill. That's an expensive proposition, so to solve the problem, I swapped both vehicles for the GTO.

I retained the outrageous acceleration of the C5, gained a back seat for the boys, freed up a spot on my driveway and made my wife very happy about our lower auto insurance bill.

And hey, GM--if you're listening, these are all reasons to bring us an F-body replacement of some sort, or to keep the GTO around. An affordable, four-seat musclecar just works better for some people. I'm one of them.


----------



## Buffalo (Jul 22, 2004)

I've been through the C5 route also. The interior on the GTO really struck a chord with me and is very comfortable. I had a 2002 Silver C5 coupe with Torch Red interior and the Red Hot leather in the GTO is a lot more subtle and not so in your face like the Torch was. The Vette also had red carpeting and I like the black in the Pontiac. 

I took the GTO on a 600 mile trip the other day (300 miles one way) and came back refreshed and ready to go again. On one leg of 208 miles, I drove it at 75 and still got 29.8 MPG. :cheers


----------



## Vader953 (Nov 21, 2004)

three reasons.............interior, value and performance. 

I honestly wouldn't have bought it if the inside wasn't so sharp


----------



## GTODEALER (Jan 7, 2005)

Vader953 said:


> three reasons.............interior, value and performance.
> 
> I honestly wouldn't have bought it if the inside wasn't so sharp


I agree, my SRT-4 was a full second faster in the 1/4 mile(GTO being stock)and it got 20+ mpg!! I got tired of the 3" downpipe and exhaust (VERY FRIGGIN LOUD!!) and front wheel drive torque steer. The interior sold me, yeah I knew it was rwd, V8 powered, and had a 6 speed but the interior blows away anything I have ever owned. I miss the SRT-4 sometimes, especially the power to weight ratio but it would be a good run now with the mods I've got done to the goat. :cheers


----------



## Groucho (Sep 11, 2004)

My beloved 323i was getting long in the tooth (160k miles)...I had been looking for some time at her replacement. I had all but _bought_ a VW R32 (a very-limited production, AWD, 240hp "Golf from hell"), but had nagging doubts re: VW quality...on top of that, the dealer was jerking me around. The other possibility was an RX8...but I found the rotary's gas mileage-to-output wanting. My wife, being from Ohio (GM country), suggested that I think GM. Pffft...I had discounted just about all "domestic" cars for all the obvious reasons. "The only GMs I would want in the Corvette I can't have (we have four kids between us), the CTS-V I can't afford, or...._this_." I pointed at a picture of the GTO in the paper. "It's fast, and it's Australian."

"Let's go drive one."

So I did. It made all the right sounds at all the right speeds. That accelleration, wow. It didn't handle like a truck-- no live rear axle bullshed here! And comfortable to boot! My wife loved the way it sounded. I was hooked.

The salesguy at the dealer was a true gearhead, a nice guy and very knowlegeable. He had a pair of '04 customized and sitting on the showroom floor...including my future car. I put down the deposit, and picked my Yellow Jacket monster a week later.

:cool


----------



## Zoomin (Mar 26, 2005)

I also am a C5 owner and was on one of the Vette boards where someone had started a thread about the incredible deals to be had on left-over 04's. I had looked at them when they first came out but the dealer had them roped off complete with Adj Mkt Value stickers. Nothing will get me to do a 180 than that. 

The combination of build quality and bang for the buck has it in the garage next to the Z.


----------



## GumbyGoat (Sep 24, 2004)

It was cheaper than trading my Wife in on two 20 year olds...and all the other things everyone else has said...build quality, non-pontiacized interior, sleeper effect, not a mustang...you get my drift... :cheers


----------



## NoBMWforME (Apr 12, 2005)

I was merrily going through my life with a cherry 2000 BMW 528i that I had owned since new fully loaded with only 36K miles when we hired a new person at my company that had a very interesting car. I had never seen one of them and I was intrigued. It is a BRIGHT yellow 2004 GTO. I found myself looking at it more and more and fascinated with the thought of it basically being a Corvette with four seats. I talked my friend into giving me a ride and I was hooked. The next weekend I slipped out of the house to test drive a 2005. It took me almost a month to talk my wife into letting me sell the BMW for a Pontiac. I had sworn off the very thought of purchasing another GM after the transmission burned up on our 1997 Tahoe with only 85K miles. WOW what a car that GTO is! The things I liked better than the BMW were:

1. The LS2 engine. A corvette with four seats.
2. The build quality. The interior is well done. Nice fit and finish and materials.
3. The car handles really well, not quite a Corvette, but I don't think my driving is going that close to the limit anyway. I really wanted a GT, sporty, yet practical in important ways.
4. I love the sleeper look. It is a good looking car.
5. I don't think having a BMW is all that great any more. Too many people that don't know squat about their car have them. I liked the enthusiast element of the GTO adds a lot of fun to the mix. GTO owners definitely know what they have, not true with BMW owners.
6. The seats in the GTO are more comfortable for me. My BMW had optional "sports seats" that were a drag on trips of more than say an hour or so.
7. Obviously, the price. I was coming out of the BMW. I looked at another BMW and having seen the GTO, there was NO COMPARISON. BMW's are nice, but the more I knew, it was obvious I would be a fool to pass up the opportunity to own a GTO.
8. No real competition. The Mustang seemed to be chasing a different crowd, not really me (But, I do admit to being a fan of the new GT. I was really tired of that old design.) The Asian cars do not have "Soul" for me in the way the GTO has it.
9. I feel a bit patriotic purchasing a car from an American Car Company. I also feel good about supporting Australia in some small way as an appreciation of their support of American ideals.


Thanks for asking and reading MY FIRST POST!!


----------



## Groucho (Sep 11, 2004)

Ah, yes...a fellow BimmerHead who "gets it."


Excellent post, for a n00b.  

Welcome!! :cheers


----------



## 75coug (Apr 8, 2005)

Another C5 owner here. I kept mine, though. For me, the GTO is a replacement for my '03 Cobra. I love the performance, but the constant shifting in heavy traffic just got on my nerves. I figured that the GTO looks cool, has comparable performance AND an automatic transmission, so it would be a perfect fit for me.


----------



## Braman'sGTO (Mar 14, 2005)

I basicaly got mine for the same reason everyone else on here did, how may other cars can do 180mph bone stock and hold 4 people while doing it. 
I wanted a 2002 Camero SS but have never liked how cheap the build quality and feel of the pony cars, same reason why I did'nt want an 05 GT. Also I was somewhat limited as far as who I could take with me in my RX7 or on my Harley. My only other requirement was that I needed a car that you dont see every 500 feet to take and show my product ( www.ultrashield-hr.com ). One of the bigest reasons why I got the GTO is its " LIMITED PRODUCTION ", I dont know about anyone else but I dont want a car that 130,000 other meat heads have (mustang).


----------



## GTO-Quikls2 (Mar 21, 2005)

I was ready to add to my 99 WS6 and really what else is there that a working man can afford. I looked at the Mootang and it just doesn't cut it right now.


----------



## greg'sgoat (Mar 19, 2005)

got mine because i wanted somthing with power, a car nobody else had, and a very, very awsome car. plus i was tired of driving the old 88' grand prix.


----------



## toyotatom (Nov 14, 2004)

2 reasons, price and pulse red color


----------



## Scissors (Jul 27, 2004)

Wanted something to supplement my aging C5.


----------



## toddhson (Feb 20, 2005)

Two door, V8, rear wheel drive, 6 speed, not a Ford !!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## anmracing (Feb 9, 2005)

I needed more debt........  :lol:


----------



## bluhaven (Jan 24, 2005)

NoBMWforME said:


> I was merrily going through my life with a cherry 2000 BMW 528i that I had owned since new fully loaded with only 36K miles when we hired a new person at my company that had a very interesting car. I had never seen one of them and I was intrigued. It is a BRIGHT yellow 2004 GTO. I found myself looking at it more and more and fascinated with the thought of it basically being a Corvette with four seats. I talked my friend into giving me a ride and I was hooked. The next weekend I slipped out of the house to test drive a 2005. It took me almost a month to talk my wife into letting me sell the BMW for a Pontiac. I had sworn off the very thought of purchasing another GM after the transmission burned up on our 1997 Tahoe with only 85K miles. WOW what a car that GTO is! The things I liked better than the BMW were:
> 
> 1. The LS2 engine. A corvette with four seats.
> 2. The build quality. The interior is well done. Nice fit and finish and materials.
> ...


Glad to see you appreciate and can recognize a good car,its true once you drive it , and feel that power,its all over,you have to have one, i took a test drive just to look and it happened to me too came back and started dealing, i had a 69 gto years ago and its still an awesome car, its so different from other cars , they stand out,you feel so good driving it...Enjoy!!!!!!!


----------



## jons04bluegto (Nov 9, 2004)

Early this year I sold my 78 Martinique Blue Trans Am because I realized that I was never going to get to restore it(and it was a POS from having sat out on a gravel driveway for the last 6 yrs). I have a 3yr old son and I still wanted something, well, me. :cool I looked at the WRX, Grand Prix, R32, 325i, etc. Then the wife and I drove a goat. Me likey. 0% for 6 yrs. Wife likey. Blue goat in garage. Nuff said.


----------



## sboylan (Nov 14, 2004)

Originally I had looked at getting a BMW 325Ci for my wife until one day we passed the Pontiac Dealership and said I wanted to check out the GTO. When they ran the numbers I couldn't resist, took delivery and then worried about selling one of our now 3 vehicles. 2 months later we were vacationing in Vegas and my dad calls me informing me that he has now been quoted at $124/month for a 24 month lease; at first I was pissed as it was $175 cheaper per month only 60 days after I got mine. But then my :confused turned into  when I decided to get a second one. On the way home I then realized I had 3 vehicles on my hands again.  No regrets so far! :cheers


----------



## SpunkyRacer (Nov 9, 2004)

I was missing a muscle car in my life. I saw the color and said I want it. And now 6 mo and 3k later I'm still loving it.


----------



## SStoGTO (Apr 13, 2005)

I have always liked the GTO and when they said they were bringing it to the U.S. as a "re-badge" of a Holden, I did not mind. To me it was just another GM vehicle and so what if it was made overseas. I grew up a GM / Chevrolet fan and owned mostly Chevrolet cars and trucks. I have most recently owned an 1996 Impala SS that I was well underway to make it a solid 13.5 to 12.5 second car and I regularly drag raced it. I was even part of a racing organization ECIRS (East Coast Impala Race Series) and even have a "Fan Page" (http://www.ecirs.org/racerprofiles/30.htm)... But one night while I was up at 2 a.m. it hit me like a rock... I want a GTO in a bad way... I thought; when else is there going to be an opportunity to buy a 400 hp 400ft lb tq. car for 30K. So I looked around on the internet for the dealers in my town to see if they had any 2005's. Just got lucky and a dealership that I had bought several other cars at just recieved two of them the previous week and had them on the showroom floor. I asked if I could come down and test drive one and they said NO WAY! Stated that they would only let someone do it if they were far along in the purchasing process. I asked how far along... they said approved and almost done with the paperwork... I told them I was on the way and that we will see about the paperwork part. 

To shorten this long post I will say this. The dealer said they were not going to let anyone drive it, and they were not going to budge on the price (but that is another story for another post)... I got them to change their mind on both accounts... I know that I was the first person to really drive it since there was only 3, yes 3, miles on the odometer... Oh, last thing. in the state of Maryland, you have to have a front lic. plate, but I saw how it mounted and was horrified. It was the same way on my PT Cruiser where they just put large thread lag bolt looking things right through the from bumper cover with no real backing. I told them to immediately call down to the shop where they were doing final PDI on my car and tell them to not mount the front plate holder or I would not buy the car and that I will mount it myself. I folded the bottom two inches of my lic plate under and mounted it offset to the passenger side of the lower grill.


----------

