well, i waited for three years for GM to MFG a car that appealed to me. However, Infinity beat them to it with the 2004 G35 6 speed leather coupe!

It's a runner thats fun to drive.

I really wanted to counter my 69 camaro w/ a new tech camaro or something similar. The vette came close, but i'm really not in need of a mid life crisis car.

Maybe the next three to five years , GM will bring back a real sports coupe!

joe c

Mid-life crisis car? :rolleyes:

well im 20yrs old and if a vette is a mid life crisis then im willing to die at 40 :D

the GTO not good enough for ya?

I looked at the GTO the other day....I'd buy it if the price were right! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I'm not really in the market for a 30k+ plain looking sports car though. The guys down there were so anal about the GTO's saying that they only get test driven when the deal is about done. I thought it was funny! Not that the GTO is a bad car, it's just not "all that"... :D

The GTO did nothing for me either graemlins/boring.gif

Mr Clance, now you see why I bought a 2003 Nissan 350Z w/6-spd. A fun Car!!!!!!

Saw my first new GTO in person teh other day and all I can say is what a disappointment. IT has a grand am front end wth a cavilear rear end. It looks like they almost cut the two cars in half and then welded them back together. IT is a very plane looking car. THe only way to Identify it from a grand am is it has a very small "gto" emblem on the hood and another small 5.7 on the rear. It was very plain and very unattractive! I do like the LS1 and 345hp but they need to do some major restyling otherwise it will flop!

I was discreet about this earlier but I'll go ahead and let it out as it is just about common knowledge now around Detroit.

The GTO is getting a major overhaul for 2006. I've seen the fiberglass mock-up and it is an absolute knock-out.

I can understand people not wanting to wait any longer. What killed the Camaro and Firebird was at the time of their canceling there was no architecture to move them to. The cars weren't selling so GM figured they would just revisit them sometime down the road. The new GTO will have a sister car that is a Chevrolet but it has not been announced what it will be called. Some have speculated that it is the new Chevelle or the new Monte Carlo. The other name that is being tossed around is simply 'SS'. The one name that is apparantly NOT an option is Camaro. This is due to an agreement with GM of Canada that any car called 'Camaro' or 'Firebird' will be built only at the St. Therese plant in Canada.

The Camaro and Firebird names are going to gone for a very long time. At least until a new administration moves into headquarters and someone sees the value in resurrecting them. But we're talking 10 years for a sweep of the Executive team. For now you'll just have to make due with the $32,000 GTO and $50,000 Corvette.

This is due to an agreement with GM of Canada that any car called 'Camaro' or 'Firebird' will be built only at the St. Therese plant in Canada.
[/QB]Kinda hard to build them there since they tore the plant down.

I was hot on the GTO until I saw it in person. Just that same old bland Pontiac styling. A look that's 10 years past it's prime. I'm hoping Bob Lutz will put some style to it in the future as Infamous suggests may happen.

Funny, you guys keep comparing the GTO to a grand am. When I saw it the first thing that I thought of was cavalier...from the side anyway.

Just a thought... but I thought folks around here were muscle car gear head types. Styling isn't that important... I thought the LS1 was what it's all about... right?

As far as what Imfamous mentioned about the 2006 restyle/sister car... I wonder how that's going to effect the HRSS and HRSS454 project... hum....

Hmm.... why can't GM give offer a 496SS Cheyenne 1500 stripped? This is all there is to fit and give to the public straight from the production line.

Styling is important to a degree...I mean I wouldn't drop a V8 in a VW bug and think that it was cool (others may though)!

I like the performance aspect of the GTO, the looks are OK. The looks don't turn me off on the car, mostly the price. Not that it's a bad price, I just don't want to drop 30k+ on one. I would potentially buy one used, but that probably won't happen either as all of my "toy" money is in my camaros and 35 chevy!

If I was in the market for a new sports car, I would probably take a serious look at the GTO as I really like the LS1.

Randy...did they tear it down? Then I must have it wrong. Maybe the agreement was that the car must be built in Canada. I'll have to dig up the article that I got that from to clarify. I do remember Lutz making the statement, "A deals a deal". I will check on it.

Roy...are you talking about the Chevy SSR's sister vehicle; the HHR? Not sure what the HRSS or HRSS454 is. The 454 designation is curious...does this suggest a 454 engine? Would this be a Gen 3 big block?

Sorry...I'm in the Design organization of GM and not much involved in the performace area of the company. Although I do have a friend over there that I can ask.

Trust me, you guys will LOVE the new GTO. Obviously I can't describe it to you due to my confidentiality agreement. All I can tell you is, I was impressed.

Infamous... the HRSS I believe is a "RESKINNED" GTO with a Chevy styling queue.

http://www.alohadreamcars.com/454specs.htm

graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I really like the look of the Chrysler Crossfire! Nice looker.

I agree John, the drop top is even sexier.

How does the price on the GS35 and 350Z compare to what GM has out there? I am not even in the market for a new car but, to be honest if I had to buy a new car today I would look at the GS35 and 350Z those are about the only two cars out there that are truly good looking if you ask me. I have a new 2004 Grand Prix for a company car, while it is nice, it is not something I would have even thought about buying. The new truck are pretty darn ugly too.

The 350Z Touring model we got has everything except Navigation, and side air bags. Options are what kills the price.

Go to Nissan's site and you can pick from 5 models. They start at $28K to and end at $34K, depending on the model chosen and options picked.

My wife wanted the Pikes Peak White with black interior Touring model, comes with Bose 240 watt 7-speaker stereo, leather heated power (both) seats, 18-inch wheels, Traction Control, alum door sill plates w/a 'Z' in the middle, Sound deadening, floor mats, optional 6-spd ($1500), and the base extended warranty. With tags, license, taxes, and destination charge, a whopping $37K.

You can pick up a good used one for around $28-$30K and still have a warranty.

It is a fun car to drive. Hate the phallic(?) shaped shift knob, had to get the carbon fiber one, just a straight shaft. Would really prefer a T-handle, but, the salesman said to get out of the 60's.

Originally posted by Everett#2390:
Hmm.... why can't GM give offer a 496SS Cheyenne 1500 stripped? This is all there is to fit and give to the public straight from the production line. id buy one, but with the fuel costs of today i doubt it would be a big seller. that truck might get 11-13 mpg. maybe. thats why ive been hoping theyd ok the concept silverado ss regular cab. hot rod magazine said that if it went into production the price would be around 25 grand.

Originally posted by Infamous:


Sorry...I'm in the Design organization of GM and not much involved in the performace area of the company. Although I do have a friend over there that I can ask. Lets say this... If GM can't satisfy, someone else will. I have 4 Chevys,68,98,00,& 02. I said it before, "looks like Hell will be hosting the winter olympics",The 'Stang is looking better all the time.sorry graemlins/sad.gif