NYTIGER

GTO = Australian for Musclecar.

I'll take MadMax over the fast and furious anyday.

HTRDLNCN

They live in a time warp..
All their cars for the most part are rear wheel drive,they have things like the wagon ,pickup and even 4x4 versions of our GTO ( Ford as well has V8 rear drive cars of all types! ) ,they use their cars as work and tow vehicles and SUVs are pretty damn rare and the few you see are much smaller than the cruise ships people drive here..
Its kinda like a throwback to what it was like here in the 60s,70s before wrong wheel drive and battletank SUVs.

Fast GTO

You are fvcking kidding me? They do not turn heads? HA! That is the biggest myth I have ever heard. You, sir, clearly do not drive a new GTO!

And that is all I, or any other GTO owner needs to say about that.

6SpeedWS6Formula

My dad has an '05 Goat. I have an '00 WS6 Formula. We both like both cars. But he Loves his GTO, and I Love my F-body. Granted he thought the 04 was nasty looking and I agreed(apple doesn't fall far from the tree) but in the end we both Love our cars for our own reasons. He likes a bit more refined, less maintnance, upscale, and yes more powerful car. I like the muscular "I'm gonna eat you" look of the WS6 hood, and the feeling like I'm in a race car. The GTO feels like a truck in seating posture compared to the Formula, and I feel a lot more comfortable in my car. Thankfully for my dad who lives in Chicago he likes that it feels like a truck, compared to the Formula, when driving through the snow too!

But in the end I think it boils down to an attitude, and a lot of F-bodies give the driver that attitude of a younger, more brash, unharnessed, youthful pride. And I enjoy that feeling, along with the power of an LS engine mated to a 6-speed Hurst shifter. GTO drivers seem more content to "let it be" and just use their car with more discretion.

Unfortunately the truth is the F-bodies are gone for a while if not for good due to GM's financial crisis. The next gen. GTO may not be something we all like. And yes the F-bodies were discontinued because the factory was not operating at maximum capacity, but the factory was designed to produce 100,000 units a year, a LOT more than the Holden facility is producing, so even at only 50% capacity the F-bodies were selling much hotter than the GTO's, but GM simply overestimated exactly how much hotter. And the GTO is a replacement for the firebird, so it's pretty set in stone we wont see that car forever maybe, unless GM survives another 30 years and goes "retro" again.

I biased though, and as much as I like the GTO, and the occasional drive I get to take in it, a WS6 Formula is every bit as rare as most any GTO(little over 1100 produced in a 5-year span) and much more pleasurable to drive for me. It may not be quite as fast, nor as reliable but I Love my Formula, and I still like the GTO's!

Firehawk0220

Outside of friends and co-workers that have come outside to see my GTO, I've never received a compliment and no one ever notices my car.

2edybrd

Firehawk, man I feel for ya. I've had guys cut cars off on the highway cutting across three lanes of rush hour traffic to scream questions and compliments to me at 80 mph. I've have guys yell from rooftops of three story buildings "Oh ****, that's a GTO!!"

I've been in a line of cars at 11 at night leavng Cecil and had a group of girls walk with the car to the gate asking questions.

I went to a get together at the beginning of last summer, I was the only GTO there with 12 other F-Bodies and a new C-6. After checking out the engine in the C-6, everyone hung out around the GTO. Hell, they even lined up to sit in the damn thing.

That's what I think is so wierd, I expressly bought the GTO because I liked the subtle styling of it. It's not so good looking in a photograph, but in person, something about it makes your hair stand on end.

I have never had a single bad comment about the looks of the GTO and it's been up and down the east coast from Pa to FLA and back a number of times.

I've run down sport bikes on the twisty mountain roads that parrallel route 81 through southern Virgina and Tennessee.

The only places I have EVER seen any bad remarks are pretty much on F-Body websites. It's like these guys have been personally insulted that the GTO came out instead of a new Camaro. But I've owned an '82 Berlinetta, an 85 Trans -Am, '86 IROC (5 Liter) a '96 Trans Am and a '99 Trans AM. I tell ya, I can't think I would ever go back to owning an F-Body, The GTO is just that good.

Now all this attention happened when the car first came out. It's quite possible, Firehawk, that people are just used to seeing them around.

I really, over the past six months, haven't gotten any comments on the car. Everyone's ready to see the next trick I guess. Speaking of which, I am very interested in seeing the Challenger concept this year. The 70 - 74 'Cuda and Challenger are cars I have been drooling over for decades, but never had the money to modernize one.

Neumonic2002

well every one else has said something so I might as well

I have owned 5 camaro's from 1970 to 1998 and now own an 05 GTO(throw in my 02 Z06 Vette as well)
as many intelligent people have already said they are different cars and so
on. I don't understand why any car person would bash another other than poking fun? WTF!!

I have had countless people compliment my GTO but who cares,
I am the one paying for the car! I bought it because it is a great DD and it has almost enough power for me, it handels very nice and is easy/fun to drive..

Man this is a new year and people "can't we all just get along"

2edybrd

Dude...it's the internet. We aren't supposed to get along.

DeepBlueZ

I owned a '94 Z28 and then a '98 Z28 which was a consistent 12.0 car...

My mom bought an '04 GTO new and after driving it, my Z28, though considerably faster HONESTLY felt like a rattley bucket of bolts. I'm sorry, this is not F-body bashing, but it did.

I sold my Z28 in July and picked up my 6-speed '05 GTO the day after the Z was loaded on the truck. I still miss my LS1 sometimes and I plan to pick up another clean Z28 after college to start a race car project, but that said, there is NOTHING about the GTO that is in any way inferior to an f-body.

As for those "purists" who are outraged that they called an aussie-built car "GTO".....

.....Get the f**k over it....It's immature, lame whining. If you don't like the car you don't have to act like the fact that it has a GTO badge on it physically hurts you.

I'll bet you that if Pontiac continued selling a GTO from 1964 straight through till now without the 40 year hiatus, it would look EXACTLY as it does now.
For the life of me I can't see how you can be angry that this GTO....


...doesn't look this GTO....


BUT nobody was angry about the fact that THIS trans am....


....doesn't look ANYTHING like this Trans Am.....



Why??? because the T/A made evolved gradually from 1st to 4th gen. If it wasn't for the simple fact that the GTO took 4 decades off, NOBODY would be complaining about how the new model looks...

If you've never driven an '04-'06 GTO, your criticism flat out DOES NOT COUNT. I didn't like them either when my mom brought hers home....drove it once, and I was SOLD.

If you don't get it, then you don't get it......

Hoss Ghoul

iTrader: (2)

The GTO is a real nice car. Great engine obviously, well built, much nicer interior than my Camaro(but I care very little for that personally, or I'd drive an M3 over both).

The styling of the GTO is a little bland/understated but so is my Z28(SS is more a head turner) in a lot of ways, neither is a Trans Am styling wise.

If the car was 300-400lbs lighter could fit larger wheels and tires with ease and had slightly more aggresive styling for $30K it would be perfect. I give it an 8/10 as it is now, same as an SRT8 Charger(SRT would be a 9 or 10/10 with less weight and two doors).

Hopefully GM will soon be producing GTO's, Camaros, Firebirds, Turbocharged Solstice's, Corvettes, etc...

Hoss Ghoul

iTrader: (2)

For the guy who started this thread though, quit acting all butt hurt because a couple of guys posted up kills with LT1's in the kill forum. It's ***** out nuts in there and lots of BS/**** talking goes on constatnly, you don't need to go crying to your compatriots about it.

The modded LT1 killing an 04 GTO is very believable by the way.

DeepBlueZ

I'd agree completely except I have a feeling that if it were 300-400 pounds lighter, it probably WOULDN'T be as refined as it is. A lot of that weight is in the sound deadening, features and interior appointments.

however, using a little fiberglass for a body panel here and there wouldn't have hurt....

2edybrd

Actually, alot of the wieght is in the chassis and suspension components. These cars were designed to handle Australian roads. The control armas are VERY beefy.

DeepBlueZ

well yes that's true (the damn skidplate you have to take off to change the oil weighs almost 20 pounds) but the seats alone are something like 50 pounds a piece.

they could have trimmed it up with some non-metallic body panels, less comfortable seats, less sound-deadening and lighter duty suspension components, but that wouldn't have been the point would it?

2edybrd

Exactly...if I wanted a stripped down, loud inside, hear the suspension clunk, pebbles/water/whatever hitting in the rear wheels wells, transmission banging into the well kind of car...BUT great weekend pound on it like you stole it...I would of stayed with the Trans Am. If I stiill had the Jeep to drive all week long, I probably would still have the Trans Am, And it would be deep into the elevens by now.

Caveman

iTrader: (2)

I would consider myself a hardcore Fbody guy, I`ve had 5 Fbodys (4thgen) but I also love the new GTO. The GTO is a very comfortable car, handles quite good and has the same LSx power that the Fbodys have. I have gotten many looks with the goat and get alot of thumbs-up. I drive both the 05 GTO and my 02 Formula as daily drives. The GTO is a nicer car to drive but I like the Formula better maybe cause I`m so used to that kind of car after 12 years of driving one.

AlphaEden

Great minds, think alike! Dude, I've been telling everyone that and people just tell me i'm crazy and they don't see the it. Their other excuse is that for the reason for the trans am is cause it's on the same body platform. I call it BS, same goes for all mustang drivers.

Tom@SpeedInc

iTrader: (5)

I have no excuse for or defend and don't care for any similarity to old vs. new GTOs, I went with the GTO cause I wanted 1. V8 holden 2. a sedan/coupe with a LS1. The GTO in some aspects is easier to work on then an Fbody, i'm lazy sorry. I like the holden look more so I put monaro bumpers on it.

The LS1 has evolved itself since 1997, the benifits are in the GTO.

perdieu

iTrader: (1)

well hmm I feel like a wasted 10 minutes of my life now..
Screw every one I got the car to be different.
As for my car 04 M6 hmmm 12.90 with just Dr's and a home made cat back 11.72 with a 100 shot all at 3900 lbs.. and the looks lets just say It can carry it's self at any car show!!!

GTO_Scott

iTrader: (3)

Tsk tsk, time to do some research

http://www.rga.org.au/