Pontiac G8 2008-2010 - G8 GT vs. LS6 Cts-V (Reliability)

Okay guys here is the situation. I am looking to sell my 2001 Z28 and pick up something a little more practical. I graduated last year and am working now, I was going to keep my Z28 and pick up a dd, but I always have wanted a vette, so down the road I am shooting for that.

In the mean time I need something until then, I still need something with some balls and it comes down to these two. (GM for life)

I am looking for past experience from past/present owners of these two cars.

{LS6 CTSV compared to the G8 GT}

I am not concerned one bit about performance but I am concerned about what car is better in the long run in terms of things breaking down.

I used to have a 2004 GTO and got rid of the car with 39k on it because of front suspension bushing issues, the radio was crapping out on me, power seats were failing. It was not a pleasant experience that I DO not want to repeat.

The G8 does worry me considering my past experience with Australian cars but I have never owned a G8 so I am open to all suggestions.

My main concern with the two cars is: (Transmission longevity (G8) suspension issues, electronical issues, navigation issues (CTSV) Brembo brake replacement (CTSV) and every little thing in between.

PLEASE tell of any serious design flaws that plague either of these cars, this is what I would like to know and hopefully at the end of our discussion I can choose one of them...

Thank you all in advance, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your input.

I dont want to have to buy a STi lol

no one

i wouldnt settle for the 5.7 V, id go LS2 or bust. power may be the same, but there is no replacement for displacement and in the end, the ls2 is a newer, better engine.

Thanks man, it does make more sense

As far as the G8, does anyone have experience with these cars as they get higher in mileage?

Any past issues: Suspension, electronics, power/heated seats, stereo?? Any info would help greatly

Skip the sunroof if you can, otherwise no complaints.

I had a whole ton of problems with our "certified" 09 GT with 21k on the clock. its all sorted out now, but holy fuck was it a huge PITA with drawn out fights between us, the dealer, and gm.

the G8 is a very nice car, but buyer beware, parts are hard to come by, repairs get expensive, and the front end is prone to the LCA problems.

to me, as far as G8's go, GXP or bust. so much more right off the bat, and so many less problems

Skip the sunroof if you can, otherwise no complaints.

What were your issues with the sunroof? How was the stereo, I had a GTO with the Blaupunkt stereo and hated it

I had a whole ton of problems with our "certified" 09 GT with 21k on the clock. its all sorted out now, but holy fuck was it a huge PITA with drawn out fights between us, the dealer, and gm.

the G8 is a very nice car, but buyer beware, parts are hard to come by, repairs get expensive, and the front end is prone to the LCA problems.

to me, as far as G8's go, GXP or bust. so much more right off the bat, and so many less problems

What are the big differences with the GXP besides the LS3.

How is the 6 speed auto transmission and rear diff on the G8 Gt?

My dad has a 09 GT with 70,000 on it and the only issues he had with it was the common lower control arm issue. My buddy works service at a GM delaership and he said GM revised the design of the control arms and 30k later no new issues with them. My dad is not kind to is G8 ither, runs 87 octane in it and just changes the oil every 5-6k. So I think its a great car.

What were your issues with the sunroof? How was the stereo, I had a GTO with the Blaupunkt stereo and hated it



What are the big differences with the GXP besides the LS3.

How is the 6 speed auto transmission and rear diff on the G8 Gt?

GXp has LS3 vs the 6.0 L76 in the GT, and NO AFM (huge plus, and a $2000 project to remove)

brembos all around (not a simple swap over either)

Beefier rear end

Better suspension

6 speed auto and manual are the same in both cars

I have a G8 GT with 53000 miles on it and they replaced the lower control arms at 20000 miles and they are still ok. Other than that I had no other problems with it, its the best car I ever owned and highly recommend it.

Mine has 46,000 on the clock and is daily driven, rain, snow, or shine. I've had to replace the lower control arms (warranty,) and also had to get new lifters (warranty.)

It is a very solid, reliable car. The only major dislike I have, is the stupid DoD (displacement on demand) system it has. I had DoD fully disabled in my tune, and it's had no impact on my fuel mileage. Actually, since doing headers/exhaust/intake, then getting dyno tuned, the car gets better mileage than it did stock.

I have a G8 GT with 53000 miles on it and they replaced the lower control arms at 20000 miles and they are still ok. Other than that I had no other problems with it, its the best car I ever owned and highly recommend it.

Mine has 46,000 on the clock and is daily driven, rain, snow, or shine. I've had to replace the lower control arms (warranty,) and also had to get new lifters (warranty.)

It is a very solid, reliable car. The only major dislike I have, is the stupid DoD (displacement on demand) system it has. I had DoD fully disabled in my tune, and it's had no impact on my fuel mileage. Actually, since doing headers/exhaust/intake, then getting dyno tuned, the car gets better mileage than it did stock.

Thanks for the input gents, how do you like the stereo, enough power?

I personally like the V alot more then the G8. I got the V because I wanted to be back in a 6 speed and the G8 was starting to bore me, seemed to rattle alot more than any other car I've had and mine only had 50,000 miles on it, and paint is extra thin on these cars every week I had a new rock chip.
The V has a better feel everything seems to flow well and it tends to get a few more looks then the G8 did. The G8 has the V beat as far as space goes so if you carry alot of people around I would go G8 I'm 6'3" and could have someone that was 6"7" sit behind me in the G8 but the V someone at 6' isnt to comfortable sitting behind me. The V's have a few problems Motor mounts go out quick, radiator leak and the rear end isnt worth a shit most people have the motor mounts and radiator fixed under warranty.

If I could do it all over I would have bought the V before the G8 cause I like it alot more. Both are great cars cant go wrong with either of them

Thanks for the input gents, how do you like the stereo, enough power?
The stereo cranks pretty loud and sounds good once you tweak the bass & treble and turn up the gain on the sub amp. I like the MP3 disc playback since I can load up 6 discs with about 100 songs on each one and have over 500 songs to listen to without swapping CD's.

I have a 09 g8, i've driven CTS-v's as well. I decided on the G8 as it was a tad bigger and newer than the years of CTS-v's that I could afford.

I've had no issues so far. They do not have navigation so no issue there. A driving factor is the resale value of the G8, There are many owners selling their low to mid mileage G8 GT and GXP for near the price they paid for it. Some owners who got a great deal have almost made a profit owning it. I could turn around and make about 2k on mine, but its not for sale. lol.

Suspension issues. By now most if not all G8's have had the faulty LCA's replaced under warranty with the new part. There was a gas cap and air bag recall, most should of had that done as well. The transmission has left a lot of people disappointed but its strictly a factory tuning issue in my opinion, I took care of mine with hp tuners. I love it now.

Edit: Its true I got more attention in the V. A lot of people have no idea what a G8 is, but that causes it to get some looks as well.

Mine has 46,000 on the clock and is daily driven, rain, snow, or shine. I've had to replace the lower control arms (warranty,) and also had to get new lifters (warranty.)

It is a very solid, reliable car. The only major dislike I have, is the stupid DoD (displacement on demand) system it has. I had DoD fully disabled in my tune, and it's had no impact on my fuel mileage. Actually, since doing headers/exhaust/intake, then getting dyno tuned, the car gets better mileage than it did stock.

How does yours do in the snow? This problem with St. Louis is every time is snows it mixes in with ice or its barley freezing when it snows, melts and then turns to ice. No car is good on ice and I don't trust the people around me. I decided to keep my truck for beater work unless I need the cash.

I 2nd your opinion on DOD, I can go 75mph down the highway with DOD active or 85, which is too fast for DOD and get the same average MPG.

I call DOD "disappointment on demand", it's gone. Useless in hill country.

Snow and ice: get a beater. Not because the G8 can't handle it (it can), but because the idiots around you can't handle it and you'll end up getting hit.

Most G8 owners are approaching the inflection point where selling their G8 and getting a nice used '09 CTS-V is not a huge cost but is a huge upgrade. I fall in that camp. Would not look at a gen1 V as a result.

brembos all around (not a simple swap over either)

Front Brembos only.

Thanks for the input gents, how do you like the stereo, enough power? I like it. I'm not a huge stereo guy on the other hand though. I listen to hip hop, rock, metal, etc, with the volume way up, and it's loud enough for me.

How does yours do in the snow? This problem with St. Louis is every time is snows it mixes in with ice or its barley freezing when it snows, melts and then turns to ice. No car is good on ice and I don't trust the people around me. I decided to keep my truck for beater work unless I need the cash.

I 2nd your opinion on DOD, I can go 75mph down the highway with DOD active or 85, which is too fast for DOD and get the same average MPG.

Best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow. I have a set of Blizzaks for the winter months, and it's gotten me through some serious winter storms without a problem. Traction/stability control actually works in these cars (unlike many.) Combine that with good driving, and you'll be fine.

Probably will end up getting a beater for this winter. I'm getting sick of swapping wheels every winter/spring :bored:

Mine has 104,500 on the clock. By tomorrow 105k, and no issues. Love my g8!!
And that's with kooks mid length headers with HFC, 3.27 diff., and thumpr cam 219/233 553/536 114 lsa

It is a very solid, reliable car. The only major dislike I have, is the stupid DoD (displacement on demand) system it has. I had DoD fully disabled in my tune, and it's had no impact on my fuel mileage. Actually, since doing headers/exhaust/intake, then getting dyno tuned, the car gets better mileage than it did stock.

Same here, After headers, full exhaust, intake I got around 28-29hwy!!! No DOD. Then added a cam, down hill from there...
The G8 is a great car! Drives better than first gen CTSv and feels more solid. Can not compare to second gen CTSv.

Like a bunch of others, I have had many issues with my '09 GT (bought new). I toughed through them, but am still awaiting the dreaded lifter collapse. As far as reliability, I don't know much about the V's, but they can't be any worse than the G8's.

That said, I love the car, but it is a PITA sometimes.

I'm at 56000 miles driven very hard and heavily modded and have no complaints at all. Especially in stock form( only for a day).

I'm in this same dilemma, but I will add another peice of weight, I am considering a used GT, GXP or CTS-V; or debating if I should wait and see (if/when) Chevy's new SS sedan. I don't want to go too high into payments, but I have a 2007 accord... that is boring me to death. I let a 71 Chevelle go a few years ago when I relocated jobs, and have not had any fun vehicles to drive since. What are pros and cons to each vehicle? I am trying to hear words directly from the mouths of those with, so I don't have any surprises, but then again there is no guarantee I will even like what Chevy does to the G8... Any words of honest advice? Complaints you don't want to publicize? Please inbox me.

I would imagine the Chevy SS will be $35K or more so a used G8 GT makes more sense if you don't want a high payment. I bought mine used for $20K and it's $300 a month, so a new car will cost over $500 a month unless you come up with a big down payment.

I have no issues at all with my G8 GT except it eats up tires very quickly in the rear. :burn: Pontiac replaced the lower control arms under warranty, but other than that all I did was put front brakes and a set of tires on it in 55,000 miles.

If it's 35k for a brand new one, that isn't too bad. I hope it's about that range, but if it's anything like what they did when the camaro came out, they will jack up the price and screw up the sales market for a year... meaning less profit and less survivability of the model! I was talking it over with my wife today anyhow, and she said for 5-10 grand difference, I would be better of just buying it new, the way I want, or I won't be happy. But then again, if that ends up being 15-20k difference... to the used market I go. Anyone have an idea when the SS Sedan is supposed to debut? Detroit Auto Show is my guess....

Used G8's are going for $20K and if the Chevy SS is $35K that's a difference of $15K, or an even larger difference if the car cost more than that.

True, but GXP for 30-34k, or low mileage G8 GT is about 25-27k. If I pry and play the dealer game, I could walk away with one about 40-50k miles (which isn't much but it's more than I'd prefer), maybe 22-24k. I should have referanced I was more leaning toward the GXP when referring to price point. Her rationale was 25-30k for a 4 year old car, or 35-40 for a new one. If it's more toward 40, I'll be looking for GXP, but given their rarity (I cried a little seeing the exact GXP I wouldve bought, a couples cities away, sold yesterday before I saw it) it may be a GT. Ultimately I want the LS3. But you do have a valid point.

Here's a blue 09 GT with 24K miles for $20K so that $25K price is way too high. I see a lot of them in the low 20's with low miles.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=86206253&listingRecNum=245&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20035%26stkTyp%3DU %26mdId%3D21186%26kwm%3DANY%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtF lds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D60099%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dpric e%26requestorTrackingInfo%3DRTB_SEARCH%26kw%3Dgt%2 6sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26rpp%3D 250%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national&listType=1

Each has their issues, once you replace all the mounts int he cts-v you will be good to go for 100k+ no problem. The weakness in the cts-v is the crappy motor mounts, trans mount, and diff mount. I drove the absolute hell out of my cts-v with 20k miles of spraying and never once had a problem.

Really comes down to whether you want a 6 speed or an auto. The auto bored me like no other so I went with the V.

One other aspect to consider is the G8 will respond better to mods then the V. the V is a handling car and really will NEVER make a good straight line car.

Michigan is a bit far for me to go, but you present a great argument. I'd hate to even mention the G8 GT as being a settle, as any of those options are better than my current Honda Accord... It's just deciding if committing to a GT when I really want just one step higher. There is nothing I can fault the GT for other than not having the LS3, slightly better tuned suspension, transmission and upgraded brakes. I am positive that I could always add or one up the stock items, but then the limited production value will always allow the GXP to retain more value. Rumor has it the Chevy SS sedan will also be a limited run... they haven't revealed how limited yet. Spending more does not always mean better value, but spending less requires more work to equal the same output.

id go with the CTS-V. autos are really boring to me and the gxp g8 is way to much. I also like the interior / size / exterior of the cts-v over the G8. The only reason i don't have a CTS-V is i couldnt find one with the miles, price, etc when i was ready to buy.

I actually just bought an 04 GTO m6 for $10,500 that is our new family car. two forward facing car seats in the back, it actually has tons of room. the only downside ive found is our nice big stroller wont fit in the trunk unless i remove spare tire and the carpet around the fuel tank. sorry to hear about the problems you had with your GTO, hope mine works out better *knock on wood*

The cts have several issues starting with the weak rear end, car feels clunky the interior will come apart and the sunroof will be in issue, the car looks great but not good over all the g8 is a better choice.