What to look for?

[Spitfire]

Hey all, I used to troll around when I had a 00 Trans Am 6-speed...loved it!

I might look to buy an 06 Goat 6-speed, and wanted to know what to look for?
I'm just concerned the car would be overly abused, or beaten up (it IS a performance car after-all.) Anything that might give this away (besides seeing a CAI under the hood?? or a K&N sticker? hahaha)

I just want one that will be as trouble free as possible. I don't want to have to fix little nick-nack BS stuff like I do on the Bimmer I'm getting rid of.

Any ideas? Any weaknesses I need to know of? What's a good price given mileage? Most around me (MD/ Wash DC area) are around 21K with 33000 miles....

This would be as a Daily driver....is this car reliable enough for this? (I mean REALLY reliable?)

Thanks!!!

[0rion]

yeah, overall they're a great car. Every car is gonna have it's little quirks and whatnot but overall the GTO is a solid car and extremely dependable. The 06's had an ignition lock issue that I know of. As far as it being beat on though they can take the abuse. The LSx motors can take a serious beating.

[PatrizioD]

Check the front tires for wear on the inside. My 06 had the tire shredding problem, but after a few hundred bucks and a couple hours, it was better than new.I've had my 06 since November of 2007, Ive gone fron 12k to 41k, and besides the alignment issues prior to Pedderizing, there have been ZERO issues. I love my Goat.

[tallnick]

I had some tranny issues.. but thats because of owner errors.. other than that.. its a great car and some people might mistake it for a 4 banger.. but make sure you get a nice exhaust and they will be shocked..

[Spitfire]

Thanks!
I'm not worried about the engine itself, just all the other stuff around.

On the T.A, I had to do a starter, headlight assembly, reverse gear on the T-56, AC died totally...a fair amount of things, all before 50000 miles...

That being said, the car sat for a long time, but was spotless. I had bought it at 12500 miles.

I just don't want to have to take it to the shop all the time for 200 bucks here, and 400 bucks there....

what are the weak points?

[NavyTATwo]

Mine had strut rub, fixed by the dealer and the ignition lock problem, also fixed by the dealer. The rear seats have problems with the stitching coming apart, I had to have both rear seats fixed twice but it was covered by warranty the first time and by the dealer the second time. I traded my first 2000 Trans Am in when I bought it in Charleston, S.C., June 22, 2006. It just went over 35K and I like it alot. In fact I drove it to work today!

Scott

PS Be prepared to spend some cash if you get bit by the mod bug!

[Spitfire]

Thanks for the info guys.

I'm really looking for a fun and powerful daily driver.

By daily, I mean about 15-20000 miles per year, no joke.

I need dead-nuts-on reliability, as I will often (once a week) park it in a lot at the aiport for 4 days straight. (I work for the airlines, so i travel everywhere).

The TransAm was nice, but even at 40000 miles was starting to get some little issues:
-AC stopped working totally, and I was gonna need a new Compressor
-Rear end was starting to whine (I had bearings changed about 3 times and the noise would always come back)
-Exhaust was a Magnaflow Cat back (sounded great!), but everytime it rained hard, it seems like I could hear water getting into the exhaust (really, it sounded different in the mid-car area)
-Door panels were pathetic
-Clutch was iffy at times, and for a while used to slip a bit. (not my first stick shift though...)

Otherwise, I loved the car, and drove it really hard, so i realize that it has to put up with some abuse from me...

So, I'm curious as to how well these newer GTOs would hold up?
I hear of leaky struts, weird electrical issues, vibrations and clunks in the suspension...

I'd be in the market for a stock 06 with about 30-45k miles. I don't want low-low miles, because that means it hasn't been driven enough....
Plus, it'd be tough to get a warranty on one of these now, unless I found it at the dealer....

Any other comments?? Thanks!

[cammed goat]

Thanks!
I'm not worried about the engine itself, just all the other stuff around.

On the T.A, I had to do a starter, headlight assembly, reverse gear on the T-56, AC died totally...a fair amount of things, all before 50000 miles...

That being said, the car sat for a long time, but was spotless. I had bought it at 12500 miles.

I just don't want to have to take it to the shop all the time for 200 bucks here, and 400 bucks there....

what are the weak points?

Check the differential if you get an 04. Mine had a leaky pinion seal which resulted in a growling noise coming back home from a weekend getaway. Found one from Cleveland-Pick-a-Part for $200. I now have an 06 diff in mine. I have heard the 05/6 diffs are stronger than the 04s.

[Texas Jack]

Spitefire, I love my Goat, the only problem I had with mine is the alingment, that was fixed and every thing has been good. Yes the rear end has some slop in and it will clunk from time to time [M6] but has never left me on the side of the road. If you need extended coverage on it give this guy a call and talk with him, very nice guy and knows his stuff [John 1-888-812-9519] I really don't know him but he is right on and will tell you what you need and not rip you off. Good Luck, Jack