 OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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So my wife just got her car paid off, and since I've always hated her Malibu I thought I'd start window shopping on the net for our next car. But she likes the idea of not having a car payment for about a year, so I have plenty of time to look. On this I've definitely let her know that the next car is going to be something I like to drive, which has me looking at a Pontiac GTO. Now I know this car is out of production, only lasting 3 years here(2004-2006) because the style isn't anything close to a traditional GTO from the 60s and early 70s, but that 400hp/400 ft lbs of torque LS2 motor in the 2005 and 2006 GTOs has my interest. And used ones sure are cheap. You can pick up a 2005 for around $21,000-$23,000. That's a lot of performance for not much money. I think without the nonfunctional spoiler on the trunk, the car looks nice....in a BMW Euro kind of way. So has anybody owned one of these? Here's a pic I pulled of a GTO with the spoiler removed. 
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
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Sal, rode in one about 1 1/2 years ago and it was sure nice.
I think they would kill you on insurance though.
Tony G
'03 America
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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Already checked on insurance, only $200 more a year than the Malibu. I asked about it the other day when we were at our agent's office updating our house insurance.
I also thought insurance would be a killer, thinking about $500/year more. I was surprised when he gave me the quote.
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 Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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Not to anger the car doGs, but last time we had a vehicle paid off, it got stolen a month afterwards.
I was thinking about adding another bike next year. Might be able to pull off both purchases, because we'll have another $500/month payment gone from the books in 2008.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Was mostly joking. It was the one of the best days of my life to get out from the payment curse. Now if I can't pay cash I don't want it. P.S. my wife wants a bike of her own next year, I want her to get her own NOW!!!!
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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A freind of mine has one of these. English guy as it happens, Man City supported but i dont hold that against him. These are very nice cars and go like **** of a shovel  They have an incredible sound to. Buy a radar detector and put money away each week for your court costs. According to my mate, these cars are quick, real quick and you dont realize what speeds you are doing until the boys in blue pull you over. By then it too late. Nice car....go on GET ONE. 
Arsenalfan. AKA Mark Able
Seller of fine automobiles.
Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche of Chattanooga
423-424-4000
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Loquacious
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Loquacious
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that is a bad a$$ car buddy!!! a little over priced in my opinion but thats just me. very little going on in the cockpit but alot going on under the hood!!!! makes a great slider car!!! made in oz land if i am not mistaken?? for another co. down there and pontiac puts their label on it??? i have a friend who recently sold his after getting a few points on his D.L. hahahahahahaha just a side note for you to think about, if you open an account, and use it like your still makeing a car payment, in no time at all you will have enough $$ saved to buy a car cash. you been makeing a payment for 3 to 5 yrs on a car and have paid them waaaay more then the selling price, now if you just keep makeing that same payment to yourself, the next one pay cash for, not only will you get a better deal to begin with you will also get a better deal in the long run.....no interest!!!! wooohooo!!!! 
ENJOY!!!!! NEWT!!!!!
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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In Oz they are called Holden Monaros, and that's where these GTOs were made. Definitely a fast car with that Corvette motor in it. I think they're governed to about 150-160 mph, but you can get around the limiter. OTOH can't see the point of making it go much faster unless you're going to race it. Nice that you can get it with a 6 sp manual too, and from what I've seen of used models quite a few of them have a stick since an automatic meant you had to pay a gas guzzler tax. Suprisingly though, gas mileage isn't too bad on the highway, around 25 mpg with the stick as long as you don't get on the gas pedal too heavy.
Back when we bought the Malibu, the interest rates were cheap on a new car. Now it's not too good, especially a used car loan. But that's the only way I'd buy this car too as the depreciation on these is horrendous.
For me this could be a lifetime car. Even though the GTO had a limited run, there's plenty of aftermarket out there for them. Everything from suspension to bodywork upgrades. And of course there's plenty of money you can spend on the motor if you want to since it's the same motor in the Vette.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
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Dude if you find one with a stick get it. I was looking online at those recently too. I kinda like the styling!! Maybe they should have just called it something other than GTO? It was the first pontiac to not wear tupperwear all over it!! And yeah man, it goes like stink. I've driven small cars all my life till this charger. I've started to like the idea of a somewhat big car, with rear drive. Besides a Mustang, Camaro, or Vette, that is pretty much the only rear drive you can get with a stick this side of a BMW. If I change jobs, I am seriously considering one too. Plus, I was watching HP TV saturday, and they installed this turbo in a Vette. They replaced the mufflers with turbos. Sounds silly, but the long tubing run back to the motor dropped the air temp 100deg and actually increased the efficiency of the turbo! Good stuff. Very unobtrusive installation (just replace the air intake with the intercooler, and run the tubing), and the vette went up like 150 HP at the wheel.
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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Quote:
I was watching HP TV saturday, and they installed this turbo in a Vette.
Ha ha, I watched that same episode after I recorded it. Was kind of disappointed though that they didn't show more of the wrenching to get those twin turbos installed. At least they showed all the parts and explained what they did, but no dyno run and barely a hint of the drive afterwards when they did a launch into the next segment.
I was checking out one of the GTO forums and some of those guys are dumping some bucks into their motors. One guy is even putting in an LS7 engine. Lots of weekend drag racers over there.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 42
Greenhorn
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Greenhorn
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Quote:
In Oz they are called Holden Monaros, and that's where these GTOs were made. Definitely a fast car with that Corvette motor in it. I think they're governed to about 150-160 mph, but you can get around the limiter. OTOH can't see the point of making it go much faster unless you're going to race it. Nice that you can get it with a 6 sp manual too, and from what I've seen of used models quite a few of them have a stick since an automatic meant you had to pay a gas guzzler tax. Suprisingly though, gas mileage isn't too bad on the highway, around 25 mpg with the stick as long as you don't get on the gas pedal too heavy.
Back when we bought the Malibu, the interest rates were cheap on a new car. Now it's not too good, especially a used car loan. But that's the only way I'd buy this car too as the depreciation on these is horrendous.
For me this could be a lifetime car. Even though the GTO had a limited run, there's plenty of aftermarket out there for them. Everything from suspension to bodywork upgrades. And of course there's plenty of money you can spend on the motor if you want to since it's the same motor in the Vette.
In Oz they have stopped selling them, and only make them for the O'Seas market. HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) also supplied them to the Oz market after modifying them for more power, niiiice! (Holden is the Oz GM Manufacturer)
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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So do you see many of the Monaros on the road over there? Haven't watched it yet, but on Speed TV over here they show the Australian V8 Supercars from time to time. I'm not familiar at all with that series, but do they race Monaros in it?
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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Friend in Jacksonville has a yellow one with the spoiler. He says after the novelty wears off if you still have your license its just a car with bad gas performance. Wishes he never went near it. Now he owes 5k more on it than its worth. He tried to sell it 6 months ago, had two offers but neither one could get financing for long enough to afford it.
If its a lifetime car it could be fun so go for it.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
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I thought they did dyno it? No? Guess not...
I read some online forum also and one guy went from a Mustang to a GTO said it's like night and day ride wise. Comfy on the highway, faster, better millage, etc. I think a lot of it is what you are used to driving, ya know?
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Greenhorn
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Greenhorn
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Quote:
So do you see many of the Monaros on the road over there? Haven't watched it yet, but on Speed TV over here they show the Australian V8 Supercars from time to time. I'm not familiar at all with that series, but do they race Monaros in it?
They are not a car that you would see every few minutes on the road, however there are plenty around. When they re-introduced the monaro after not having been made for some 20 or so years there was a big rush and as a result a waiting period for delivery. The monaro when first introduced in 1968 was the first V8 2 door that Holden had produced. It first model (HK)came out with the 307 Chev, and the top of the line had a 327. The next model(HT) saw 2 aussie V8's introduced a 253, and a 308, and there was for the serious petrol heads a 350 Chev. It continued like this for the next 2 models (HG, HQ), then the next 3 models (HJ, HX, HZ) dropped the 350. That was the end of the Monaro in OZ and that was around 1980 ish. The monaro had started out as a 2 door, then in 73 it had either a 2 or 4 door model, then around 75 the 2 door was dropped. It raced in the local Production Race series (what we now know as the V8 Supercars) from 1968 to 1972.It does not now race in the V8 Supercar series, this is the series that the Commodore (a 4 Door car that the monaro is based around) races against the Ford Falcon. The Monaro was the start of the Aussies love affair with muscle cars. There are Holden fans, and ford fans split about 50/50, but of course the ford fans have no taste!
Here endeth the lesson!
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Joined: May 2005
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Adjunct
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Adjunct
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Buy a pre-owned one and avoid the depreciation(there are still some dealers with new ones). Years from now it will be worth some bucks because GM is notorious for pulling the plug on their sleepers(remember the Camaro and Impala SS). Its not the fastest thing out there(the SRT-8s pretty much own them) but these cars are fairly easy to build up. GM is discontinuing the cars because of poor sales...not poor build quality. Go for it and don't be swayed into the boring econoboxes that everybody herds to the dealers for.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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Loquacious
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Thanks for the lesson Mark. Last night I caught some of the Australian V8 Supercar race shown on SpeedTV and noticed the 4 doors on the Commodore.
Grump, I hear you about the old GTOs vs the new. GM did this car a disservice in it's rush to production. IMO they should have called it something else, maybe sticking with the Monaro name. However, I'm not stuck on names and we hear the same thing about old Meriden Triumphs twins vs Hinckley Triumph twins. But once you get past the nostalgia debate, the LS2 GTOs are superior performance-wise to those old Goats.
And Doug, I'd definitely buy a used one. Like I said, you can pick up a 2005 GTO for around $22,000. I'm not so sure though that these cars will be worth much in the future. The high dollar collectors from the 60s-70s are as much about styling as they are about performance. The new GTO will definitely take a back seat to the current Mustangs, the new Camaro, and the Challenger that's coming out.
But I like the de-spoilered GTO. It's more of a sleeper car, and I always liked those better than the brash muscle cars of yore like the Superbird.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Big Bore
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Big Bore
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"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity" - Robert Heinlein
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Loquacious
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Yeah, but at least he doesn't have an F Body. 
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
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Just today I was stopped at a light next to a blue one. Nice color!! Had the spoiler too. I kinda like the spoiler, subtle, not a book shelf like some. It was also an 04 cause it said 5.7 on the back and had no hood scoop. Still sounded sweet!! As for badging, yeah GM shoulda just called it something else... But car companies are fixated on car names in the American market. Like my Jetta was called a Bora in europe. My buddy in Prague was going to get me a Bora badge so I could put it on my car You should have one of our OZ brothers send you a Monaro badge!! Or just shave the badges and go stealth. Whatever you call it, I like the clean simple styling myself.
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
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Rebadge as a Bora and people will make fun of you, as you are trying too hard to be a Europhile.
I replaced the stock 17s with some Borbets, now that makes a difference in the look.
Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and will never be.----Thomas Jefferson
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
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I liked the idea cause most people wouldn't have even a clue what it is. Plus I'm a bit German, so why not Mine came with those split 5 spoke 17s also. I got mine about a week before VW announced they were bringing the GLI here. I now wish I either held out, or got a Wolfsburg with the 16's and gotten different 17s and put snows on the 16s.. Oh well maybe in my next life.
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO *DELETED*
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Saddle Sore
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Saddle Sore
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More flags
More fun!
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Complete Newb
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Complete Newb
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Quote:
So do you see many of the Monaros on the road over there? Haven't watched it yet, but on Speed TV over here they show the Australian V8 Supercars from time to time. I'm not familiar at all with that series, but do they race Monaros in it?
As metioned by Cruser these are manufactured in Adelaide south OZ.They made left hand drive cars for the rich middle east country's and badged them chev's and after the birth of the monaro (2 door commodore)they put a GTO badge on them and sold them in the states.
The body design was done in the late 90's so they are a little old now but you can still pick a new HSV version up.
Holdens tested the water with a 4WD version to compete with subaru and the likes but for some reason (manly cost) they ceased production, that was a mean machine.
I'd seen plenty of trucks heading to the port loaded with GTO badged cars and chev badged cars but that trade has slown down now due to low demand and fuel cost.
If familiar with the UK show Top Gear, they did a test of the monaro which was imported there for a short time (not sure what they badged it as),may be able to track down a copy from the net.
Enjoy and upgrade the brakes!!!
Always ride with care be 100% switched on.
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Re: OT Cage talk: New GTO
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
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Grump I agree. Even the new mustangs et al are just modern cars with retro sheet metal... Why not call it something new?
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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In less than a year you can buy another bike 
