iMuf

Hey everyone, so I currently own a 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. It's a nice car, but mine in particular has some pretty bad rust problems as it was a northern car that made it's way down south where I got it. That and it is a FWD, it's good in snow but that is about it. The tranny is the weak part in my car, it's rated for 300HP and my car puts out 303HP. So you really have to baby the car otherwise you can do a lot of damage. I just recently turned 20 and picked this up. However now that I now I can pay for a car like this I'm looking at doing a trade in and getting a GTO. I was looking at trying to find a 2006 and I would go with either an auto or a stick. Personally I really want a stick but in the area I'm in I think I would get really sick of a stick pretty quick. Anyway, my question to all of you is, what are the goods and bads of a GTO? Is the tranny pretty good (both auto and manual) unlike my Monte's tranny? Is there anything that has been known to go out? And then for those who have a stick, how is it? I have driven a stick a few times. By no means am I an expert but I know how to drive one. I know it just takes practice and then I'm sure it's like second nature. But for those who drive it as a daily driver, do you get tired of shifting? Any information would really help me out guys. Oh and one more thing, How is the trunk space? I am going to be starting up a detailing business soon and will need to carry around things like a small vacuum, polishers, etc. nothing to big, but I will need some halfway decent trunk space. But anyway, I would rather come on a forum like this and have you guys answer all my questions then go to someone like a dealership who is going to be really biased and just say anything to get me to buy it if that makes sense. Anyway, thanks guys.

silver04goat

I love mine. Havent had any major issues in a year and a half of ownership. I have a six speed and personally love it. Its my preference i live in a very metropolitan busy city and there are many who say they would go auto. Nothing against the autos at all but i feel in daily driving the auto loses a little fun factor. If you are going to the track frequently and want consistent et's auto is 100% the way to go. Lastly i would not reccommend this vehicle for yourbusiness unfortunately. The trunk space is somewhat limited and you really cant fit much init to be honest.

iMuf

Aside from trunk space it sounds like a really nice car. I think that may be what is happening with my Monte. When I first got it I really enjoyed it. But now it's just like any car. And I'm starting to learn things about it that I didn't know when I got it. Such as the rust issues. And things like that. It's just tough to make a choice and go from one thing that you at least know of the problems but have to fix them to something that may not have any problems but that may have problems. My whole thing is I don't want to wait and have my car rusting out in the next few years and not have any value. At this point it would be more to fix the rust then the car is worth. I guess I have something thinking to do. I know this is a stupid question because you aren't in my position, but let's say you are, would you go for a GTO if you were currently sitting on a rust bucket that is also known for transmission problems (taking out the fact that I am looking to do mobile detailing).

Rich-L79

Certain parts of the suspension are the weakest points. If they haven't already been replaced, the front radius rod bushings and front strut mount bushings are most likely in serious need of replacement on any car with more than 30k miles on it.

Both transmissions are pretty solid on any car that hasn't been pounded on or hasn't had a lot of added power output.

Jared H

iTrader: (1)

Strut mounts are probably collapsed due to shipping tie down methods used from the land down under ... this leads to uneven tire wear in the front. The springs out back tend to sag rather quickly leading to uneven tire wear out back ... getting these two things corrected are probably the biggest issues ... some have a random horn honk which is weird ... mine does it from time to time ... took me a while to even realize it was coming from my vehicle ... it's a great conversation starter in the drive thru line

iMuf

I appreciate it. Yea my Monte tends to turn heads and I enjoy the car. I'm just tired of FWD. I think I had more fun driving my 96' Ford Thunderbird then my Monte Carlo. I just can't do anything in the Monte. I take great care of my cars but when I want to get on it I want to be able to get on it and not worry about causing massive damage to the trans. That and I just don't want to sit on a rust bucket. Right now just looking at it you would never be able to tell that it has any rust except for the small rust bubbles on the 2 rear quarter panels but I took it to a body shop and it turns out my entire quarter panels are starting to rust out. Not to mention the exhaust and the entire underside in general. The rust is at the point where it is way more to fix and fix right then the car is worth. Which is my main thing. I just don't want to get stuck with a car 2 or 3 years down the road and have it be absolute trash

WhyHelloOfficer

iTrader: (5)

Bear in mind... these are cars that are nearing 10 years old and have been modded and driven. Combine that with it only being available for 3 model years in the United States, it is your decision.

I love my GTO, I'm not trying to steer you away. It just sounds more like you're trying to convince yourself and only looking at the glass being half full.

TriShield

They are fun to drive cars and nice in every respect. I would not recommend them as a dedicated drag racing platform, there are a billion better cars for that.

The suspension and steering is definitely the weakest links as mention before. One thing I didn't see is that the undercarriages rust like crazy on these cars, unlike anything I've seen on a fairly modern vehicle. Even if the car was garaged religiously everything that gets chipped or wasn't painted will corrode.

The fuel tank is also in the trunk, this along with the subpar sound system were the big bummers on mine when I had it new from 2006-2008. I sold mine and bought a G8 new which is an improvement and a little more modern.

LS BRAVADA

iTrader: (4)

In my opinion the only thing bad about a Holden GTO is I don't have one. I have read that the rear ends are a bit weak but not as bad as the CTS-V

mk2vr6t

i tend to wonder if your corrosion issue is a fluke or maybe only affected a few cars, because mine is garaged in the winter, i bought it used, now have owned it for 4 years and i drive it in the rain, spring, summer, fall and has even seen a few freak snow storms and salt. the underbody is extremely clean. but anyway...

stock clutch is weak. mine let go @ 30k, replaced it with a monster stg 3. Also replaced the clutch master which made this thing a beast to drive in traffic. not fun.

someone already mentioned the radius bushings and the upper struts. my car has about 55k miles on it now and they are both done. replacing with poly.

rear seat stitching lets go - due to the constant bombardment of the sun shrinking the leather through the rear glass, it pulls apart the stitching.

ignition cylinder sticking in hot weather - the fix is relatively cheap and easy, but it can leave you stranded if its a hot day and it decides to stick and you either break the mechanism or your key off in it trying. Carry one of those bottles of canned-air (CO2) that you use to clean out keyboards. turn it upside down and spray it into your ignition cylinder if you ever find it to be stuck in hot weather. it can work in a pinch (sometimes)

clutch slave is weak - as it is on most LS/T56 combos. change the fluid in the resevoir every oil change to help prevent premature failure

the paint chips if you look at it wrong. certain colours are worse. weak clearcoat.

rear diff fluid needs to be changed on a regular basis. old fluid will leave you with clunks and whines in the rear diff and the clutch-pack style lsd not locking

I came from a loooooong line of VW's before i bought my pontiac. This is by far the most fun car i've owned. If you want something quick and fun and still has a real nice interior for daily driving, this is a good car for it. I know i mentioned a lot of the negatives, but they are mostly minor or easy fixes. I've spent a good amount of money making this car faster and handle better, and to be honest, if i were to do it over again, i wouldn't. This car is great as a GT style car. I dont use it as such, and i basically cruise and race with it. There are far better cars to do what i do with it. I still love it though, and being in Canada where they never had these, i always get thumbs up and comments on it which is nice once in a while.

C4 Silver Guy

iTrader: (2)

Bads
-Suspension is weak
-Trying to put meatier tires (275+) on is a bitch
-Waiting for the damn seat to move forward so someone can get in
-Banging your head on the A-pillar during the first 6 months of ownership
-Everybody telling you that your car looks like a "insert generic looking car name here"
-Sound system is kind of blase but that doesn't really bother me
-Shifting is slow and sloppy (blame shifter linkage)

Goods
-Great seats
-Don't see them on every corner
-LS1/LS2
-You can get one relatively cheap if you are patient