AlexLs1

iTrader: (1)

To each is there own: from reading this post for sometime now. Different stroke for different folks.

Black99LS1WS6

Top 5 GTO over F-Body:
1. Build quality is night and day between the two.
2. I don't feel like I am sitting on the ground in the Goat.
3. No mile-long dash.
4. Compliments on the car come from people of all walks of life.
5. More comfortable ride, less noise (no rattles!), more European car-like.

F-body over GTO:
1. Seems like all the GTO's where I live are owned by 50 and 60 year old men.
2. Trashy bleach blonde young women loved it.
3. Solid rear axle.
4. Totally intimidating looks.
5. My F-body was an M6, GTO is an A4 (but that is my fault).

JRodFireHawk

i got a 2 fbodys a 3rd gen and a 4th gen the 3rd gen im not planning to get ride of but i was thinking of trading in my 4th gen ls1 hawk for a 04 gto. THe hawk got 345hp stock the gto got 350hp i know the hawk is faster and weighs less and is a collector but the gto is so much more roomy and yes sqeak and rattle free. I loved the gto i test drove and considering trading in my hawk for a goat? what should i do? ps i like how the gto isnt as low so easy to get out and in. but the sifter and clutch kinda loose compared to the hawk.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

After about 4 months of owning my GTO, I have a new opinion than what I posted previously. I miss my Camaro. Period. The GTO is great - for a sedan. This is not a sports car. It's a barge with a big motor. It's under-tired, under-braked and under-suspended (does any of that make sense?). If you buy a GTO thinking it's going to be a great track terror, then it's probably not the car for you. Can it be? YES, but at what cost. Let's see, the suspension is crap. You need to invest at least $1500 in parts alone to make up for the crap shocks, strucks, springs and bushings. That price isn't even to get you the "best" stuff. Next up is that IRS. You can build it up, but that's expensive half shafts, $800 gear change (which doesn't even include a beefed-up diff), and you need to replace that 2 peice drive shaft. Forget doing a solid axle swap unless you want to spend big money. Oh yeah, you want to run anything wider than a 9inch wheel? Get out the hammer and your wallet for expensive offset wheels (which still can't get enough meat on them). Don't forget the weight of the car (it is based off a 4 door sedan, afterall).

Enough of my rant. I really do think the GTO is great, but basically, it's just not that "raw" feeling you get from the f-body. Many people like that about the GTO. I am more of a redneck, so I prefer the spartan f-body. For those that are tired of the f-body harshness, the GTO could be for you. If you want a refined 4-seater Corvette, then the GTO is your car. If you just care about going fast, then stick with the f-body.

I do enjoy the GTO as a daily driver as it is more BMW-ish on the inside and is great for my daily DC commuting. It's small tires and heft DO have an advantage for me since I drive it in the snow. The softy suspension is forgiving on the highway, but I do fear what decision I will have to make when it comes time to replace any of it. The thing is, I am not putting money into modding it as I'd prefer more of a "single" purpose car for my craziness (IE: f-body). Now, as I say that, you'll probably see me saying I just put full exhaust and a cam in

Anyway, just make sure you do your research and think about what you want from a car. In my current situation, the GTO works good for me. If I had room for a 2nd car (and didn't live in an apartment complex without a garage), I'd be back in an f-body instantly and have a daily driver.

z-ya

iTrader: (1)

Well I kept my 2001 z28 and added a 2005 pbm m6 gto.I'm glad I didn't sell the camaro
because this mush bucket isn't going to scratch my itch. I got the goat because the camaro was starting to become to narrowly focused to be a daily driver. The gto fills
this roll well but it aint never gonna yank the fronts on the street.

GQ

iTrader: (5)

it seems most have it covered pretty thoroughly.. having owned two of each ill throw in my 2 cents. i love both equally, with the nod for better car going to the gto. my reason being the goat is more suited for me. with a majority of my wheel time being dd duties, carting around a 16 month old, highway etc. i feel the gto is a better car hands down. theres only a handful of things i miss about the f-bod: lighter weight, t-tops!!, and the badass look of a trans am. everything else... GTO

surfinjoe

iTrader: (1)

GTO
1) Great ride. The smaller 245 tires vs. the 275 tires on my SS track better in the Michigan ruts. My SS was a beast (sub-frame connectors, strut tower brace) and it was not a daily driver kind of car. She would rattle your fillings loose! Completely out of control on the highway. It took two hands on the wheel to keep her in the lane. I could never talk on my cell phone and drive (bad idea I know, but sometimes the job requires it).
2) Great interior. My SS just seemed a little cheap and the rattles drove me crazy. The long-*** dash is a bitch to clean.
3) Great ingress/egress. I no longer have to ‘fall into’ my car. The SS was like dragging your *** on the ground.
4) Awesome back seat! My two girls no longer bitch about driving in my car. The SS made them feel like they were driving in a box (no windows in the back).
5) True dual exhaust from GM. The SS had two into one exhaust (even if the one was a 3” pipe).

2000 SS
1) Fast *** car! It just seemed fast. Maybe it was the M6 (GTO is an A4), but it rocked my world.
2) Awesome handling when the roads/track are smooth. She cornered like she was on rails.
3) Great mileage! The M6 kicks the *** of the A4 in mileage (28 vs. 21).
4) Fit like a glove driving experience. This is part of the ‘falling into’ the car thing. Bad for a daily driver, but once you are in it’s a great feeling.
5) Mean looks. You gotta love the big hood scoop, fat *** tires and clean lines. This is and was one bad-*** car and was the best bang for the buck in 2000. The only downside is the redneck factor, but who cares! They don’t pay your car payment!

~LS1_TA

Actually at present I have 1 of each.
GTO
Newer car
Solid build quality
More advanced instrumentational features
Great looking engine compartment
Very TAME
THE MOST DIFFICULT AIRFILTER CHANGE EVER !
NO T-Tops
Tiny cargo area.
I do love the car.

99 T/A
LOOKS
Throw you back power
Excitement
T-tops
Way more storage
Cracking door panels

I am very happy with both cars all in all !

NA$TY-TA

iTrader: (21)

A Good Read here.....

Im looking into an 05 GTO as My DD.
Seams like from what most have said it will fit me perfect....
Keeping the TA as a Drag car so i will get my Fix there......
I was up in the air about a C5....., but the wife and my son couldnt tag along....
Ill wait a lil longer till the pricing of the 05's come down a lil more and then ill get one.....

Kyle

S8ER95Z

iTrader: (3)

AHAHAHA>. I love how it looks like you listed Cracking door panels as a positive!!!!

I've had a ton of seat time in my bro's 06 GTO (hours of driving to and from Chicago, etc) and was looking to buy one before I found my current ride, so I don't know if my 'view' of things count but here goes anyways....

A4 LS2 GTO - Pros
Smooth ride
Upscale interior with a lot of little features to play with
better factory sound setup than my crap
Low key.. people might know what it is but most times people wouldn't even notice you.
Positive comments when people did recognize the car
No stupid hump in the floor
More legroom in the back
cake to launch at the dragstrip, car just planted and went (1.8 ~ 2.0 60fts all day long)

M6 LS1 Camaro - Pros
Harsh, 'trackcar' feel to the ride
simple 'cheap' interior but everything is easy to reach and adjust
easy access to the back seat (been moving the daughter in and out since she was born for the past 2 years now)
high speed it feels planted... gto gave me a 'floaty' feeling..


Overall the GTO is a much better car... but I am glad I didn't end up getting one. Little quirks that turned me off using it as a daily driver (I currently daily drive my Camaro).. slow seats (I move the daughter in and out constantly, it was a PITA waiting all the time when we would go places in the GTO and that was rare occasion not every single day), no storage area (we get groceries all the time with the Camaro and seem to have just enough room), floaty suspension (just too soft for me...perfect for 99% of the population though).

Toss in gas mileage (I drive 50 miles a day for work and average 25mpg for an entire tank right now [320+miles per tank/12.5 gal per fillup]) and the fact that my car was much faster at the track and I can overlook the negatives of my Camaro.

1badlsx69

Hi, i am the guy that sold my SOM ws6 for a gto. GTO is a 2005 m6 red interior. I miss my ws6 PERIOD! It also was a m6. The Gto is faster but because the ws6 had no mods. More torque than anything in the goat. Now a ls2 transplant into the ws6 and my world would been happier. I will have another f-body. Looking now as we speak. Probably a roller so i can do a lq4 transplant with nitrous. The goat is a nice car dont get me wrong. but the f-body has somethihng about it that wont leave me. I personallly love the NBM SS camaros and SOM firebirds. White also in the SS camaro. 98 up of course.

Now i hear horror stories about goats not hooking. Rear tires no fit worth a ****. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY. But there are a few impressive gtos out there but lots of cash spent i bet.

Let me change the pace a little. Classics, no joke. Put a transplant into a classic and you will recover your money. You know everybody loses on the mod thing when they sell but i have yet to sell a transplanted lsx classic and finished or not recovered my funds, actually make money sometimes. Camaros any year up till 81, novas, chevelles and some others like older goats. Love my new goat but i realy miss the old ws6 and i think i loved the TRANS AM hands down more, imho.

gtoman713

Not sure what you mean about having problems with the T56 in a GOAT. I've had 2 and both were M6's and the shifting has always been butter.

cmccully04

iTrader: (2)

great, just got a Z-28 and yall making me want a GTO now

SICKGTO

2005 GTO weighs 3625 with me in it.

Priest

I went from a LT1 M6 Fbody to my '05 M6 GTO.

The things I miss about my Fbody:

1. Seating position. You may have to fall in it, but once you are, you feel like you are sitting in a race car.

2. The looks. My '95 Z28 looks completely badass. (a good set of rims really brings out the Fbody.)

3. The sound, of course my LT1 just sounds awesome with a flowcrap exhaust and my GTO is stock, so that's easily fixed.

That's about it, really, my GTO beats it in every other aspect. My GTO gives me a thrill when I drive it, although I hate the frickin stock shifter. Damn thing is so vague and horrible

F-Body_4_Life

does anybody like or dislike the weight difference???

svede1212

iTrader: (3)

the weight difference altho mentioned a lot isn't huge. about 225#. if you take out all of the things that make it a solid, quiet car and make it a rattly bucket like the F-bod and you're right there. and yes i owned 2 F-bods. the only thing i miss is the T-tops and that's only when it isn't raining . the GTO has faults for sure but they're not big ones nor can't be fixed. tires too small? the F-bod had the same size tires on 16" rims. you can get 285s on the back of the goat and 255s on the front fairly easily. the car is easy to work on so you can save a lot by doing stuff yourself. the suspension needs springs, struts and shocks but so did my F-bod. the only other big downside is that parts, besides the engine, are a little pricey if you go the mod route. still, the ride, quality and the fact that you don't see three other ones at a four way stop like the mustang make it a great car. i also like the fact that it's a sleeper and the police hardly notice it (when i push the clutch in and coast by )

Bring the Noise

Previously Owned 2 LS1 T/A's
First one was a 99 Black T/A with gray leather A4, only mods were SLP Lid and Flowmaster cat back. I traded that Trans-Am in on a built to order 02 WS6 M6 (ordered in 07/27/01, delivered to dealer ship on 09/11/01, picked up on 09/13/01).
The 02 actually had the 1LE parts on it (as I ordered the 1LE option in July, before GM adjusted the 02 order form) but the sticker and price did not show the parts/price (took it to my friends shop and all the 1LE parts were there, go figure). I traded the 02 in on a 05 GTO on 10/31/05.

Ironically, I went to get an oil change on the 02 T/A at the dealership... While waiting for them to finish up I test drove a QSM M6 05 GTO.
On the return trip I broke all 4 tires loose doing a hard right merge onto I-240 (Summer Ave to I240 west heading back to Covington Pike/Memphis). 3rd gear and 80 in a hard right turn (I was trying to get ahead of a big rig that was coming off of I40).
It was during the test drive that I decided I'ld buy the GTO, and I haven't looked back.

Oh and I'm just at 6ft and over 230lbs, I'm not much for strait line driving (I love curvy mountain roads, man I miss east TN)...okay enough with the preliminaries.

/rant
Things I don't like about the GTO.
BMW M3 wheels (01 to 04 have the same bolt pattern and back spacing).
Trunk is to small for more then 2 or 3 bags/suit cases.
Doors are too short* (I don't park on the far right in parking spots so now I get door dings on the left door from idiots that park next to me).
No T-tops (I don't use the a/c and typically drive with the windows down and I miss the T-top option that I had on the T/A's).
I would say the seat is to slow but I put it to where I want it and rarely move it (except when I take it to the dealer for an oil change and they move the damn seat forward).
Non-Functional Hood Scoops *

Things I didn't like about the T/A's
02's rear main seal keep leaking (actually blew the rear going down I240 because neither I nor the dealer ship caught the leak and the limit slip cluster packs went boom, unit was rebuilt under warranty).
No trunk space when the T-tops were in the back, not alot of space when they were not in the back, but the back seats did fold down).
Spare tire = Donut
Long doors - PITA when someone parks just over the line next to you and you drive a fbody.
I felt like I was sitting on the ground, and the ride was a little harsh.
Non Functional Hood Scoops*
Y-pipe and Single line Cat back system carried over from the 3rd gen that dates back to the 84 F-body design.
Ash tray was behind the shifter (I quit smoking in mar of 05 so I don't have an ash tray in the goat).
Live axle rear with lower control arms and panhard bar setup that date back to 84.

Things I want to do to the Goat.
Suspension: Either Pedders Street II kit
Or a combo of Energy Suspension bushings master kit, King springs, new shocks & struts, and Hotskins sway bars (total for parts comes out less then the pedders and you end up with 2 sets of poly sway bar bushings).
Engine: fast 92 or a typhoon + Vararam + pull the plugs out of the hood (*then the scoops become functional).
drive line: LS7 clutch + maybe a new drive shaft.

I don't drag race (I've never been down a 1/8 or 1/4 mile track in any car), hell my cars rarely see 5+ to 10+ over the speed limit.
I don't red light race, but I do lead foot it at red lights up to the speed limit.
I like curved roads with lost of twists and turns.
I actually like sitting up in a car -vs- sitting like I was in a jet fighter (better for 2 to 8 hour drives, less back pain).
I have no desires to go back to a 4th gen fbody, but that's me and my own belief.

The next vehicle I had planned on purchasing was going to be the G8 ST (Ausie UTE / G8 Truck). But that vehicle was slated for 2011 and Pontiac will not be around to make it.
If GM makes it I'll probably get a CTS-V Coupe as that would fit my needs the most -vs- the retro Gen 5 fbody.

**** I would have purchase a G8 Coupe if GM would have produced one (as it has everything I like in the GTO along with a larger trunk space, and better suspension design and a damn sun roof).
If I didn't hate 4 doors so much I'ld probably get a 09 G8 GXP.

To each his own.
Some love the raw feel of the 4th gen, some like the softer easier to live with feel of the GTO. Both have there good sides and bad sides.
It will all boils down to you the drive as to which you like more.

/end rant

Dreamcastin

you too huh, i love when i see the cops looking around like "where the **** did that loud mustang go"

and for the f-body/gto debate, its all personal opinion. i like both cars alot, but just felt the gto fit me better. and although not the opinion of the masses maybe, i feel the gto looks better. driving an f-body is what got me hooked on performance cars in the first place though.

millertime034

I had a 95 lt1 fbody and the only thing i really miss about the fbodys would be the hatchback as well as ttops other than that both cars have pros and cons thats a given just personal preference. I get more looks/ compliments on my gto than i ever did in my ta. i'm completely content with the goat. Would I ever go back to a F-body, yes but I wouldnt sell the goat for one..