It seems to me that the one thing most agree on is "bland" styling....I ranted from the day I saw the original sketch.

NOT because I wanted zoomy styling, but from the standpoint that ALL previous GTO's had hood scoops...an essential styling item.

I also believe Pontiac would have been better served by NOT using the GTO moniker, scoops or not, and leaving the name "Monaro". It would have been something "new" for the masses to learn about and hopefully accept for face value.

To burden the car with the history and level of expectation the GTO moniker brings...rightly or wrongly....has doomed the car for at least the initial offering.

Dealer greed would not have been as possible had it been left as the "Monaro".

I also question the use of the GTO moniker from the standpoint of questioning the buying habit of the GTO fanatics. Are these people "really" in the market for a two door sports sedan? A $33k++ Pontiac 2 door sedan?

They admitted it wasn't a replacement for our f-bodies......and at the prices and with the bland styling, they were right about that!

So who IS going to buy them?

For Lutz and company to **** off the GTO loyalists by stating that "they are looking for new GTO buyer and not neccessarily the old GTO buyers" (to paraphrase the actual quote)...was self defeating. They actuallt turned the loyal GTO fans AGAINST the car......not just from the standpoint of not being the kind of vehicle they presently want to own, but actually made some of them swear off the GTO and GM all together....bit the hand that fed them, so to speak. Hell, it even pissed me off!

I did finally accept the fact that the car was under time and $$ constraints...to get it over here to fill a void...but I don't believe for a second that they couldn't have waited a little longer and spent a little more to do it right.

GM sounds like they might shoot closer to the target with next years model changes, but damn, they sure shot this one in the foot.

 

Do you guys not see the point? No One should have to advertise this car, there should be NO incentives on this car. The return of the GTO is supposed to have lines out the door to buy it and nobody wants it. Its bland, heavy. looks like every 90's pontiac, way too expensive, etc. There is no excuse for an incentive on a first year GTO. Remember how we all thought (before we saw the final picture) they would fly off the showroom floors? How it would cost $25k because you could get a Monaro LS1 for $20k. If the GTO is not a

 

I want a GTO, as do many people on this board.
You cannot get a Monaro for 20k, more like 40k and thats for a 302hp model. If the GTO was going to "fly off showrooms", GM would have planned for more then 18k units a year.

 

Almost no one thought the GTO (the 04 at least) was gonna be a sales hit. People like myself and lots of others felt that this was gonna happen, and it did.

 

It doesn't matter to me what happens. I have my 04 GTO and love it.

 

I finally got to test drive an 04 GTO. The car kicks butt. It feels and looks quality. It has a perfect firm suspension, good steering feel, and loads of throttle response and torque!! I want one.

 

Ok, from a marketing major here is what I can say....

they didnt do their homework.

The types of people that buy bland looking cars are not hte types of people that are buying cars with 400hp.

Your typical grand prix buyer was not looking for an ls1

your camaro owner was looking for an ls1. what attracted people to camaro? power, price, looks. looks in terms of there is nothing like it...

I'm sorry to say, but a GTO is nothing more than a 2 door grand prix with a bigger engine. Had it looked a little different, i would give it a shot, but not at 35k. You seriously have got to be kidding me if they want $35,000 for it. It offers NOTHING more than any other car. If you are a shopper for power, for 35k you buy a cobra. hell for 30k you buy a cobra nowadays. If you want luxury coup, you buy a g35 coupe, tell me... What does the GTO have that says "you got to buy me" and that simply is nothing.

If they wanted to sell this more, put a $25,000 sticker on it, and they would sell because they would offer something over the cobra, and g35, and that is price.

 

You didn't do your homework. The car is MSRP at $33190 for the 6 speed, $33495 for the A4 and that stupid $1K gas guzzler tax. I paid $32975 for my 04 GTO, 6 speed and it's worth every penny. Sure there are some things I don't like about the car, but not enough for me NOT to buy it. After comparing and driving a 2004 Mach 1, 2004 Nissan 350Z and 2004 BMW M3 the 04 GTO was the car of choice for me.

I hate it when people start quoting this 35K GTO because of some jerk dealers who like to mark up product.

 

Note: When comparing sales of the GTO and dealer discounting MICHIGAN DOESN'T COUNT. Living near the MOTOR CITY where everyone practically gets an employee discount is NOT THE SAME.

 

I think one of the reason's it isn't doing well is the fact the gm killed the fbody. All the fbody guys got super pissed and you know you did. I know I did. I was sooo PO I hated thegto and for no good reason, I blamed styling, $ anything I could cause I was soo PO-ed at gm. Everyone was just lined up around the corner to get their shots in. I got mine in, then I sat in one and drove one....end of story~

I don't care if anyone likes them, I love and it is quick. Whats wrong with mid thirteens in the 1/4 ? Everwhere I go it turns heads and people check it out. More than the z28 ever did. I hope no one else buys them, I got mine~

 

The LS2 GTO is very nice.

The LS1 GTO is very nice.

I'm sure a number of Holden fans that promised to buy it if it ever got here and in the end, didn't. That's the difference between a focus group and a buyer. I don't put much stock in what people say they want, I put far more stock in what people will buy.

Anyone that dropped the dime on an '04 got a great package. Those that will opt for the '05 will, no doubt, not be disappointed.

Reality check... having lived when the orginal GTO's were on car lots, as well as being a driver and buyer during the so called golden era of muscle, the GTO was never truly cheapo ride. To get one right involved picking the right goodies from the RPO book. It was the firt of the real popular muscle cars available in numbers, but it wasn't the first street stormer. It was one of the first to go against the grain on the racing ban agreed to by manufacturers.

I have a fond rememberance of the so called golden era. Fact is little then can top what is out now. Of course I have an acquaintance that has one of the 5 Grand Sport '63 'vettes. It's sub 2000 pounds with a nice aluminum TRACO prepped, 4 Webber carbed motor. This car is pretty well unmatched for awe factor in the passing of time.

Anyway...say what you will, think what you wish.... GM is here, and better still GM is coming. This is from just one fellow that believes, and with some good reasons.

BTW, at the present, the Holden Monaro starts @ $43,301.88 if you convert the Aussie dollar to US dollar...I think that's for the 328HP version.

 

I've heard this argument before. Was and is LAME. Maybe, if this were the Warsaw Pact Poland of the 1970's when no one could go anywhere without official travel papers... THEN it would matter. But the fact is, anyone can go to ANY state in the US and if cars are cheaper here in MI they can come here to buy too! Imagine that!

Didn't I just read on a thread or referenced thread here about a local Pontiac dealer offering GM - Supplier discounts on GTO's to anyone walking in?

The days of certain dealers marking up the 04 GTO are numbered if not over. A wave of discounts is coming and these cars are going to be nearly as good a performance bargain as the last of the LS1 Fbodies were.

Amen to that! I drove one too. I would love to have one! Might have to wait a while though since I just got my CompG.

 

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not going 500+ miles just to get a fair price on a car. I'll just buy one of the 5,000 other cars out there. To not acknowledge that the automotive market and automotive lanscape is vastly different in Michigan is just Detroit Think. The same Detroit Think that got the Big 3 in trouble in the first place...

...Detroit think.... the mindset where everybody drives American cars and doesn't see the real competitive landscape that the rest of the people in the other 49 states see. Where most people - especially those that work for the auto companies (due to the discounts) only keep a car 2 years or so and thus don't have to deal with the long term reliability that the rest of us have to deal with. They'll swear that everyting is bullet proof reliable, though. I've lived in Michigan. I've worked in the industry. There is (often for good reason) a completely different view on cars and the auto industry not shared with the rest of the US. Sometimes though, it was downright scary.

 

Anyone in the NYC/NJ/PA wanting to get a GTO at or below MSRP, IM me. There are several dealers that I know of that sell MSRP.

Point is that you dont have to travel 500 miles to get a car. There is more then 1 pontiac dealership in your state, shop around if you want the car. Thats how dealers learn.

 

IMO, the GTO is a move in the right direction..

But I believe root the problem is, Pontiac has image problems..

I just don't think the GTO, by the brand Pontiac, is taken seriously as a luxury/near lux coupe..

I really like the GTO.. but sadly, everytime I think Pontiac, what comes in mind is my friend's Sunfire.. or a clapped out Grand Am.. or a $30k car that still doesn't come close say, a $30k Lexus ES.. At best, a Firebird (brutal fast, but relatively "uncivilized")


In order for it to succeed, its gotta have percieved quality inside and out, way better than a Cobra, and at least as good as a G35.


I hope its replacement improves the details of interior, feel, fit and finish, and sound, while keeping the LS2.. and hopefulyl have a better auto trans (thought I will want a manual)


If I didin't have my f-bod, I'd gladly buy one of the current GTO's. Perhaps in a couple of years, I may find myself deciding on the new GTO (great comfort with good performance), or perhaps a Camaro?(great performance with good comfort)