Firehawk0220

That thing stinks of S2000. Not my bag. I am glad the GTO is more true to muscle car roots than that kind of car.

I don't get the Solstice's popularity. Or cars it competes with either.

dgformula2k

iTrader: (2)

From that angle it looks like a 350Z vert to me. I like it, wouldn't get one though. It would have to have at least a six in it to attract me. I think GM is making a mistake going after Miata buyers. Youre not going to convince them anymore than talking a Mustang buyer into buying a GM car. Won't happen. They should be making an affordable BMW Z4 killer.

Firehawk0220

Nothing wrong with going after the Miata buyers. I have nothing against the Solstice. However if they based a Firebird or GTO off that platform, I would start vomiting unconfrollably.

All the current information suggests the new GTO in 2008 will be based on the Zeta platform, or whatever will be the designated new name for the revamped Zeta platform.

I think GTO sales are low for the same reason the Firebird/Camaro sales were down. That particular type of car is a niche market item and fewer and fewer people are interested in such things. Especially when movies like the Fast and the Furious depict Honda Civics and other $20k vehicles as performance cars. People that are interested in these types of cars are typically not in a position to by them due to the price point. Cars like the GTO are throw backs to the muscle car age and that is simply a concept that is fading from American culture. So between price, and market perception, the public just isn't going for them. I think Dodge marketting some 4 door 300C/300M clone as a Charger is a bad idea, but likely the four door utility of such a thing will likely be what saves its sales. Older guys with families will buy those cars for their performance, and their wives will say ok, because it looks like a family sedan. A four door Holden Monaro based GTO would work equally well for this reason I think.

The Mustang endures because fat white chicks love the V6 models because they are cheap enough and "cute".

codename Bil Doe

iTrader: (2)

local dealer here has a Solstice for sale @ $34899 including the $10k dealer markup

GTO_Scott

iTrader: (3)

Let's see, all of the performance Mustang, GT, GTO, Corvette, Viper, Charger, 300C SRT8, etc have increased HP and TQ, not to mention most are bumping up displacement. New 505hp Z06 out now, hotter turbocharged Vette, Shelby Mustang, Challenger, Camaro, and upgraded GTO coming out within the next few years.

Looks to me like its only been getting started lately. There are now a lot of new 2005/2006 GTOs on the street in the last few months here in Denver (Lots of temp tags and people I haven't met yet). I see 2005+ GT Mustangs everyday now on my 1.5 mile drive to work.

Firehawk0220

Ahh but the Charger and 300C are four door cars. They aren't simply targetted at performance, but rather marketted as a family car with some punch. The same thing was done for the Impala SS and Ford Marauder. Cars like that appeal more to the practical middle aged man and not someone such as myself. I will have nothing to do with any car that has more than two doors.

The Corvette and Mustang always endure popularity no matter the situation. Those two cars are cultural icons. As to the Challenger, it hasn't been released yet, and Dodge is likely to screw it up and make it another four door piece of crap like the Charger. No one knows what the new Camaro will be like. Those pictures of the retro designed Camaro are NOT it, and as to the GTO, there is very little information on it. Those cars aren't sucess stories until we see some sales figures.

00'WS6Rocket

iTrader: (3)

true dat!!

hey I know its not a chevy or pontiac but I think sweet looking, imo

GTO_Scott

iTrader: (3)

I didn't realize a 425HP engine in the SRT8 package, which is marketed as a high performance vehicle in the 1/4 mile, was actually a family car with "some punch". That's 100 more hp than were F-Bodies were rated at and these cars are running close to mid 12s in stock trim in good weather conditions. The 300C and Charger SRT8 blow the doors off a factory 426 Hemi Cuda or Challenger both being stock. Even the little SRT4 Neon is damn fast. Also consider the current Viper and the new SRT10 version coming. Only an increase in power over the last few years.

The Impala SS was what, 275hp in the LT? Not sure you can compare that with a 425hp 6.1 Hemi engine in the SRT8.

The Vette and Mustang have only seen increases in power over the last few years and coming up. The base Vette is now at Z06 levels with the LS2 and the Z06 is 100hp over the last generation. There will be a 600hp f/i Vette out in just a year or two. The Mustang went from a low 200hp engine in the GT to now 300hp. The V6 model is almost at the same power levels as the V8 was just in the 90s. There will be a production 450hp+ superchargerd Shelby soon and of course we're going to see a Mach 1 edition.

The point is, all of the performance cars that have come out the last few years and will be coming out shortly all are stepping up the horsepower, torque. To me it seems like you are still living in the late 90s and being pestimistic because they ended the F-Body production. Performance is greater now than anytime, including the 60s and 70s.

00'WS6Rocket

iTrader: (3)

yes I agree on the above post the hp on cars are going up up, and we can only mod our cars so much to keep up. when i saw the hp ratings on the new gto, charger, mustang I was blown away, and these where stock engine hp, just think when they start modd'in their cars!

Firehawk0220

If it didn't only come in a four door configuration it would be fine.

No I agree with you on alot of points. What upsets me is that two door sports coupes and cars are practically a thing of the past. Neon SRT-4's=4 doors, Charger=4 doors, 300C=4 doors. If the Challenger comes out with 4 doors I am going to puke. The Corvette, Mustang and GTO are the last hold outs of more "pure" performance vehicles. I don't like this trend that puts 4 doors on everything. I can't get past thinking 4 doors=family car. I am old school like that.

The thing I can't stand about the Dodge/Chrysler cars is they all look the same. I can't hardly tell a 300C from a Charger.

00'WS6Rocket

iTrader: (3)

Ya that is true I mistaked a 300c yesterday for a charger, it took a few looks and a stare to get it right. and i agree with you on the 4 door thing I also hope the challenger doesn't have 4 doors.

TA Jack

Impala SS of the mid 90s were 260hp (iron heads). 05 GTO production was cut off early so 06 GTOs could be in showrooms in Sept/Oct like other cars. Max production of GTOs are 18000 unit per year. That is the capacity that was not being used at the Holden plant. New domestic GTO will be the sister car to the new Camaro. Firebird name is gone forever.

Firehawk0220

Never say never. Who knows when Pontiac/GM will chose to bring it back. It's just that right now there are no current plans to do so.

TonyGXP

Yeah, I never thought when I bought my GXP that it would be performing better then the LT1 cars, and approaching LS1 numbers, stock?

And this is just a Grand Prix (many mods over the GTP, but still) with a 325cu motor in it..(327's second coming???)

Firehawk0220

The base Charger also comes with a V-6 Really the only Charger the Goat guys have to worry about is the SRT-8. The rest are all considerably weaker than the 2005-2006 Goats. Even then, the SRT-8 may be more powerfull, but the Charger is alot heavier, and they have almost equal straight line performance.

DavidNJ

Maybe if it had the Solstice price, 2/3rds of the GTO.

BTW, the model year discount is only worthwhile if you keep it long enough, or with a hard enough life, to lose 50-60% of its value. Otherwise, the year-to-year depreciation is greater than the discount.

USMC Devil Dog

The man put that to rest at the very beginning. He said in plain english that the bird is dead for the VERY foreseeable future. We all knew the Camaro name would return and with the GTO still here don't be lookin for the bird to make a return.

I like the Solstice and the idea of attacking the Miata head on. Its about time to start taking the ground that Mazda stands on. And with the Solstice's outlook looking very good I don't see why you would say that? Infact, I wouldn't be surprised if we see 230Hp to maybe 300HP Solstices in 2-3 years, and hey, how bout Mallet and his LS2 monster?! GM is really watching him closely.

And I wouldn't be rubbin the Mopar boys to hard either. The SRT program over there makes me VERY nervous. On the SRT boards over there the "respected" members are saying that its VERY possible to see a 500HP 6.4L Hemi hit the program very soon. This makes room for the 6.1L to be optional on R/T models which is evident on the upcoming Challenger concept (an R/T with a 6.1L). Besides, if that Challenger is built like the 70 looking prototype in the photos I'm going to put my order right in for one. Oh yeah, that Viper ain't staying at 510 HP for long!

The muscle car wars are definitely coming back.

Semper Fi,

Rob

2004 blue gto

i wanna say some thing in australia there is a holden monaro and in middle east there is a chevrolet lumina ss=v8,s=v6 and it like the gto and the same engine the same look and there is 4 door gto with ls1 engine and the same look.
if anybody wanna know any thing about it just ask

Firehawk0220

I know all this. Fortunately the GTO doesn't exist as a V6 or as a four door vehicle. The four door Charger makes me sick. It's wrong. The 69 Charger is one of my all time favorite vehicles. What Dodge has done to the new one is pitiful and sad. It shares nothing in common with the original car. It should have been a two door coupe and never have been coupled with a V6. The new one looks like another goddamned 300M clone.