Feedback on the 05/06 GTO's

[Tonys99RamAir]

Been a long time F-body guy, well I am only 20 but have had 5 (still have two of them) f-bodies in my span. I am about to get rid of my 99 Ram Air and jump up to a LS2 goat, was wondering what those of you that have them think of them? Typical things such as comfort, ride quality, dependability, and of course power and handling and those sorts of things. Kinda hard to tell from a test drive, plus I have driven a LS1 and not a LS2 yet. Figured i'd ask some of you guys who have had them a while and see what ya'll think of them so far. Thanks for the help.--Tony

[GOAT6SPD]

I know exactly how you feel Tony. I too was an F-body owner for 8 yrs. I've had a 89 IROC, 96 Z28, 99 Z28 and a 02 WS6. In 04 I bought a 00 vette.

A week ago my Vette was stolen. I waited for the cops to find it and nothing

I had a choice to make. I wanted a new car and looked into getting a new Vette. After extensive reasearch I realized vettes were still quite expensive.

I began looking in to GTOs, I had been on a few local cruses and seen a few of them. I asked around and GTOs are really only heard of around our neck of the woods. Meaning not alot of people know too much about them.

Well, needless to say I got a 2005 GTO. I like it very much. I am however still learning about them. I learn someting new everyday.

The Power is there. 400 hp is alot of power. You feel the the torque grip and you launch into first though sixth gear.

There are alot of diffrent mods you can make on these LS2s and more are comming everyday.

In conclusion, again I know how you feel and I honeslty feel that you will be very happy with a New Goat.

Yes it will take some getting used to. As you drive it you will begin to love it.

For strong depenable power, you cant go wrong.

Good Luck in your search. Let me know if I can do anything else ok.

[Tonys99RamAir]

Thanks man, appreciate it. Anybody else wanna throw in their $.02?--Tony

[Sarge]

No squeaks/rattles/cheap ass plastic on these cars man.....like driving a Mercedes with a LSX in it:) And that is good.....folks shit themselves when I launch on em....cuz you know...it looks like a Cavalier and all:)

[TexAgDevildog]

IMO the car is well built. I don't really see any resemblence to the old GTOs, but whatever. One of the greatest things about it is there aren't too many on the road. Definitely not like mustangs. Few people recognize it's a GTO and fewer recognize what's under the hood, and most people won't until you do launch on them or down shift a couple of gears and disappear.

[Apostle]

I traded in a 2000 model Firehawk for my GTO. I wish I could have had both, but I don't have the kind of money Sarge has.:unhappy: I really enjoyed the in your face attitude of the Firehawk. I couldn't hear any squeeks or other such problems that people say, probablly due to an obnoxious sounding exhaust. I have really enjoyed the GTO. It is a more refined car and hadles better too. I don't regret the purchase.

[FreeBird]

The '05 GTO has plenty of go fast power and off of the line performance that you'd expect in this type of car. I think that it compares very well with my '99 Formula in terms of performance, not so much better as just as good.

All of the go fast mods. that work for the fbody well generally work for the GTO. So there are many paths to go down depending upon where you want to go. BTW, you can actually get to all of the spark plugs without skinning your knuckles. :yup:

Comfort and ride quality? It is very nice in that respect, there are none of the squeaks, creaks or rattles that the bird had. The car is well behaved on the road, even when the roads are rutted and in poor condition. It is a car that I can see myself taking on long road trips and then dreading getting to the destination. ;)

I can't speak for dependibility yet. There have been a few guys reporting leaks in the steering rack and problems with the pedal position sensor. Of course, people don't usually post that they aren't having any problems so you have to take the reports with a sense of perspective. The only problem that I have had so far has been a loose clamp on the PS cooling line causing ATF to leak.

While I loved the bird, I am equally as in love with the goat. The GTO is one of the few cars that I don't see coming around the corner every day.

Regards..

[snaggeltooth]

I get so tired of people saying." Well, its not a old GTO ". Welll duh. In the august issue Musclecar Review put a 05 against a 66. And of course the 05 cleaned its clock. 13.3 at 106. The tri-power 66 ran a 14.9 at 99. If you want to have a car that you sit around and look at get a 66. If you want one to drive get a 05.

[Sarge]

Well put man...^^^

[camaronx]

I love it---i had a nitrous powered lt-1 94 police pkg camaro and then an ls1 pwered 99 t/a and i am almost at 992 miles on the odometer on my 2005 gto red/red 6 spd and already have magnaflow catback on---like sarge said---no plastic just aromatic leathers and brushed nickel surfaces---regular leather and suede ingulf you---It is almost as if gm had taken some of the finer points that german carmakers were doing and then dumped high hp gm muscle in. Take the key that goes in the ignition---the first time i had saw one like that was on my nieces new style v.w. and my sisters 06 beemer---the blaupunkt stereo also is european---but when you fire it up it roars AMERICAN!!:drivin:

[snaggeltooth]

Has anyone got a GTO with more than 20k miles on it. What about the windows and how it seals to the door.

[Capster78]

Id be curious to know what these cars run stock. Anyone have any track #'s on them? I saw the 13.3 the magazine ran but we all know about magazine #'s.

[GTOFan350]

My goat just cracked 20k miles on it. Its an 04 but man i love it. I decided to get the 04 cuz i didnt like the all the scoops on it. IMO the 04 looks more like a sleeper and with a few mods the 04 could keep up with a 05. As far as any sqeeks or problems with the window seals. Dont worry about the problems cuz there aint none. My friend has a 01 Mach 1 and what a big POS. My 04bone stock will wipe the floor with his A4 Mach 1 even with no cats and a full exhaust system. The GTO is a great car if you want BMW comfort with a big a$$ american V8 at your foot.

[snaggeltooth]

I was talking with a woman that just sold her 05 GTO, she sold it because she drove 90 miles one way to work. She really liked the car the only problem she had with it was the gas pedel sensor or something like that, and it was a factory recall. She also said she had no problem with the reverse as I hear so many GTOs are haveing. She had bought the 05 because her 04 had so many problems GM bought the car back. I was glad to hear a female that was a true motorhead. Her and her husband also had a 02 C5 nd said the performance was much alike , but the C5 drove better. I did like to hear that she was very happy with the goat , just to many miles drinking to much gas.

[GTOFan350]

:notworthy: Of course every car manufacturer is going to have a few cars hear and there with every model that are bad. Thats why the lemon law was put into effect. I looked last night on edmunds.com to see if there were any recalls on 04 goats and there were none listed. I personally have not had any problems with mine. But I agree its good hearing about a woman thats a true motorhead. Rock on!

[LITTLE GTO]

Absolutely love mine!

[snaggeltooth]

I agree . I have not heard that many complaints on the 04. Sometimes you just get that car that dont work well, but should not be considered that all do.

[Derk]

[QUOTE=GTOFan350]My friend has a 01 Mach 1 and what a big POS. My 04bone stock will wipe the floor with his A4 Mach 1 even with no cats and a full exhaust system.QUOTE]

Not flamming you or anything but there were no Mach's made in 01, just back in the day and 03/04.

And you say it's an A4? their redline is a little more than a 1000RPM lower than a manual Mach and are known to be close to half a second slower in the 1/4.

But not saying you still wouldn't have won had it been a manual. Just little trivial stuff I guess :p

[ctbeiser]

My 04 just rolled over 20k and I have not had any trouble. There are two things that I would like to change about my 04.

1. I would the like the 05 rear fasica

2. The damn shifter sucks. Reverse is a mother to get sometimes.

The weather was nice here in MI this weekend and I got my car out of the garage. I had several people compliment me about it in two days. Everybody says, "Man it is a nice car but not like the old ones." I reply, "Yeah I know, this one will kick an old one's ass!!!!" Then sometimes I feel like asking, "What year minivan is that, that thing must haul....like five or six kids."

You can't get upset for some people's ignorance and jealously.

[snaggeltooth]

Well I just went by Pontiac.com and speced out a GTO ot cam in at $34k plus . A charger was within like $2k. I think by the time I am ready to get my GTO there will be a lot of good 05 in the low $20k range, maybe even high teens. Hmm there is already 98-99 Vettes there. GTO 0r C5??

[Sarge]

Well I just went by Pontiac.com and speced out a GTO ot cam in at $34k plus . A charger was within like $2k. I think by the time I am ready to get my GTO there will be a lot of good 05 in the low $20k range, maybe even high teens. Hmm there is already 98-99 Vettes there. GTO 0r C5??
You could look around till your pecker fell off...you will not find a finer car...better modded....and maintained than this one....
http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?p=150825#post150825

[GTOFan350]

Hey dirk, Its cool, we are all friends here. I made a honest mistake. Also depends on the driver, my friend doesnt know a connecting rod from a camshaft. So needless to say he doesn't know how to launch a A4

[snaggeltooth]

Thanks for the sugestion sarge but TX is a few miles down the road from here . And I still have alot of saveing to do.

[hellhammer]

The GTO's are great, I currently have 2, but have owned 3 in total. First one was an automatic `04. Didn't like it. I traded an A4 2000 Z-28 and did like the auto in that car. There is going to be a big learning curve for drag racing, the independent rear is great on the road, but can be a nightmare at the track, especially if you are used to an F-body. Once these cars get broke in, you get used to them and the temps are cooler, they fly. Here in Phoenix it is the best weather for going to the track. In the last 2 weeks a handfull of GTO's have been getting together and crushing the other guys, first was the (new)Hemi group and last night was the Mach 1 Mustangs. Though a Cobra can still be a challenge for a GTO, they are also plagued with an independent rear. The `05 GTO's run some great mph and if you get them to hook, the ET will come around. One of the quickest "stock" cars (muffler delete, maf screen removed and Nittos) ran a 12.52 @ 111 w/ 1.888 60'. I am right behind him (headlight removed & Nittos) with a 12.76 @ 109 w/ 1.890 60'. The air was good last night at approx. 1000 ft.

Also my `04 has run a 13.09 @ 107 w/ a single 3" tailpipe, headlight removed and Nittos. That was last year on a similar night like Saturday.

Right now these cars are the best deal in the world!

Dave
Phoenix, AZ

[snaggeltooth]

what you mean by headlight removed??

[snaggeltooth]

I drove a 04 sat. I loved the car . It is like a BMW or something. It is so quiet , no air noise.Loved the engine bay. Cant wait till I am ready to make the purchase. It will be a black A4 maybe a 05 if I can afford it , but I do like the flat hood on the 04. The one I drove had this kinda funky hood . It had the 2 raised scoops , non funtional . and these t sets of gill looking things in the rear. The salesman said it was a 06 hood they had put on it. Anyone heard of anything like that???

[hellhammer]

what you mean by headlight removed??

The air box is isolated behind the headlight, very little source for incoming air. By removing the headlight provides a direct shot of air into the air box. The other big thing is that the incoming (cool) air helps to keep the MAF cool, because it is exposed also. I have done it on my `04 & `05 and in general is worth as much as .3 & 3 mph, depending on conditions. To me it seems to make the bigest improvent on the 60's' which is odd.

In order to remove the headlight the front bumper has to be taken half way off. Esentially it is very easy to do, I can do it in under 5 minutes. The trick is that one of the bumper connections on the driver's fender is very prone to breaking. This is not a huge deal, because most of the time it is undetectable. I have solved that issue, I just need to implement it.

The hood that you mentioned sounds like an aftermarket made by MPD, I think it is regarded as one of the nicest. If you end up with that car and don't want the hood, let me know. I have a stock `04 that I could set you up with. And once again a clueless salesman, the `06 hood is the same as the `05. That MPD hood should actually be functional, the air is directed over to the airbox, but the secondary piece is an airbox that mates to it.

Dave

[snaggeltooth]

Wow thanks Dave...it seems I have come to the right place:)

[hellhammer]

These cars are selling used for very reasonable prices, sucks for us people that bought them new. I noticed you are in your later 30's, I'm right behind you, I think you will appreciate the refinement of the GTO over the F-body. The cars are solid feeling whether on the highway, in town, at the dragstrip (wheelhop can be a litttle scarry) and they are even smooth at 160 mph.

Dave

[snaggeltooth]

My last car before my T/A was a 98 MARK VIII. The ride was alot alike.The Lincoln was alot bigger inside and ALOT heavier. It did have the DOHC 4.6, aka cobra motor. It was a very good motor over about 3500. It did not have any second gear. The GTO shifting was very smooth. I just wish it had been at my local dealer so I would know which roads to take a drive on.

[Jason05GTO]

I traded in an 04 Mach 1 (which is no slouch in a race) on my 05 GTO and do not regret it for a second. The ONLY thing better about the Mach is you could smoke the tires and there was no wheel hop. My GTO doesnt have squeaks, the steering doesnt wander, its just overall a better quality car.

[snaggeltooth]

Hey Jason thats great. Can you tell me a little more about how the Mach handeled

[Jason05GTO]

Hey Jason thats great. Can you tell me a little more about how the Mach handeled

Like most Stangs it had a problem with wandering, but other than that it went thru corners like a champ and didnt beat you up on rough roads. I got rid of it cause I couldnt keep the front end in alignment.

[snaggeltooth]

so.. is your GTO your daily driver or weekend trip taker??

[Jason05GTO]

so.. is your GTO your daily driver or weekend trip taker??

She's a daily driver. One other thing, the mileage is the same between the Mach and the GTO. So Im not giving anything up really, the Mach was fast 1/4 mile times are on par with the GTO.

[snaggeltooth]

havent told us color or auto or stick . and pics hmmmm

[Jason05GTO]

Torrid Red, M6. Dont have any pics, no digital camera

[snaggeltooth]

Hey since you had a 04 Stang .......How do you think that Super charged engine in the Cobras will hold up in that body ??

[camaronx]

You can check out my 05 torrid red/red m-6 at www.msnusers.com/richards99transam or view my profile i think there is a pic there or just look to the left

[Jason05GTO]

Hey since you had a 04 Stang .......How do you think that Super charged engine in the Cobras will hold up in that body ??


The Cobra 4.6 wasnt a regular 4.6 with a supercharger put on top. It had all forged internals and better flowing 4V heads as opposed to the standard 2V. In stock form they could be modified to handle up to 600 hp. The Mach 1s had the same basic engine as the 2000-2001 Cobra's I believe, but they could spin to 6800 rpms. So those Cobra engines will hold up well, and they dont call them Vett killers for nothin!

[snaggeltooth]

Thats a good color on the GTO:yup: How do you like those red faced gauges.