Anyone else catch this month's Car and Driver yet? My fiance brought it to lunch when I met up with her, and I was so fascinated by the fact my beloved GXP was tested, I paid little to no attention to her. Then again, she should be used to that by now when there's a GM road test in front of me. But I digress...

Anyway, 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.3, and they liked it. I mean, they LIKED IT Good ol' Csaba Csere himself applauded GM for finally using the V8 in a FWD architecture. They said the handling was excellent. One party felt the Charger made more sense, but overall the car was applauded. No nasty comments about the interior or exterior styling, no GM bashing. Just a solid, objective review. Everything they liked about the car I agree with. They even said the torque steer was SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN A TL

What did they not like? They poked fun at the 4 speed AT, but said the TapShift worked well. Their "Verdict" was "A cool idea that would have been cooler 10 years ago." Probably true...but still, they didn't question the idea of a FWD performance car, and claimed "Pontiac rewrites the book on FWD performance." Some here take that as a backhanded compliment...I don't.

 

So, which are you leaning toward more now? GXP or MC SS? ... or still holding out for the F5 Camaro?


I know you've gone back and forth a few times...

 

So are you retracting the "thanks" for helping you decide against it?

 

poSSum,
No comment...we'll talk when I see you 2 weeks from today

Darth,
Eh, at this point? Here's the way I look at it. The GXP is what I want to drive. The MC SS is what I want to be seen in. Throw in the 2 door factor as well, not to mention the lower base price, and I think the MC SS has the upper hand with me. The GXP has some really cool features (cross-drilled rotors, fatter front tires, HUD etc.) I don't need. To be honest, I feel like too many cars have too much crap today. My '01 GP, if it had heated seats to go with the leather, would have everything I want/need. I don't need g meters, XM, On-Star, digital climate etc. Therefore, my first choice at this point is an MC SS with a sunroof, and probably cloth seats. If they're priced like the Impalas (which I imagine they will be...pricing is not out on MCs yet), I'm looking at $28,800 MSRP. That's $600 less than a base GXP with no roof, has 2 doors, a better look IMO, AND I already have aftermarket chrome wheels with summer tires, and 16" snow tires that will fit an MC as soon as I get rims for it. That's a lot of advantages for me.

Which brings me to the final kicker. If you've seen a GXP, you know those tires will be pure crap in snow. So, find me a snow tire to fit a GXP. Better yet, assuming you don't want to get your nice polished OEM 18s eaten by salt, find me a WHEEL that fits a GXP. Neither exists. At all. I imagine at some point they will, but when I looked 3 mos ago, I could find neither snows nor an extra set of wheels for a GXP. For me, with my driving needs and desires, that would be nearly as bad as an F body. I might have the FWD traction advantage, but those tires will go nowhere.

So in summary Darth, as soon as I can find a new job making more $$$$ (hopefully in the next 6 months or so), we may be trading the Grand Am on an MC SS, and she'll take my GP. Then again, as you know, I love my GP and there is the 3rd or 5th gen idea You're right, I do change too much. I think the smart move right now is to wait and see if I like what I see in January. Maybe I can buy a 5th AND a 3rd (that 3rd gen fund is coming along nicely right now!!)

I need to get a better job

 

If autobook hasn't updated yet, you can price out your 06 Monte Carlo Here

 

Hey, thinking about what you want to buy is actually half the fun of driving it..

Sounds liek you have really thought things out (probably like me.... too much! ) so, I'm sure you'll make the right choice.

Let me tell you my wife loved her 01 MC SS, I loved my 02 SS... and it can only be better with the interior upgrades, and especially the V8!

 

Well that's sort of my thought process too. My GP is more or less your MCs. You loved yours, and I love mine. The ride/handling tradeoff is excellent, the highway drive is great, I love the style despite the fact its not nearly new anymore, etc. About the only thing I DON'T like as much as I used to is the 3800. Its been bulletproof as always, gets between 24-30 MPG, is quiet, smooth and competent. But every time I go to the dealership and hop in a GXP or a new G6 GTP, I'm left wanting more. The amazing thing about these V8 W bodies is that I didn't think they'd be THIS QUICK I flogged the GXP I had a deposit on, and it didn't feel like .2 seconds behind my Z28 in 0-60, but it sure felt quick. The more I look at the GXP, the more I'm falling in love with the style...something I never thought I'd say. The interior changes for '06 are icing on the cake. I haven't been able to do work all afternoon...that damn dark cherry GXP keeps staring back at me (mine was going to be Sport Red)...

The problem is, I don't NEED a new car, I love the daily driver I have despite the lack of oomph (it looks sinister with the chrome AR 17s), and as it is I don't have sufficient funds to have it make sense right now anyway. I've gotten the credit card debt from the house cleaned, so now I can better afford it than I could a few months ago...but I still shouldn't buy it. But, in the words of my pencil pushing CPA father, "that's one bad a** Pontiac." Then again, he's a pencil pusher with an orange Formula

Yeah, I do think things out too much probably. The third gen fund is growing (I plan to spend around $10-12k on a clean IROC), and that 5th gen is looming pretty closely. Meanwhile, Ashleigh really should get a new car before I do (she's put 10k on the Grand Am in 4 months...although that will be slowing down within 9 months we hope). Honestly Darth, I think a lot depends on what we see in January. If I like what I see, the third gen will still happen, but the GP will be sitting in the driveway for a long, long time. It will be paid off by February 2008 (I re-fied it awhile ago to pay for a new roof for the house), in time for an '09 Camaro If I buy one of those, it'll be 5 years before THAT car is paid off, too.

To sum it all up, apparently, if Martian and Company end up with a knockout, the GP will still be in my driveway in '13, with about 175k on the clock I bet the 3800 will still be purring along like a kitten, too. If its not the knockout I'm praying for, all bets are off and its pretty likely a GXP or the SS will be in the yard within a year. That, and the Z will be nestled in the garage with a third gen sibling

Lusting (not just liking) after a new Pontiac...something I really haven't done in a long, long time...

 

I looked over it last night (still recovering from vacation).

I have to admit I'm very surprised that 1.) the mags have a positive opinion of this car and 2.) GM put it togther very well.

I really thought adding the V8 was just 'lipstick on a pig', trying to draw attention to a platform and product that isn't as new as it should be or its competitiors.

In the Impala blurb they even say good things about their short drive in the SS.

 

Did he forget about Cadillac?

 

The only complaint I have about my wifes GXP is the 13.1mpg she gets.

 

Yes, it is a awesome car. BTW, last months issue of Pontiac Enthusiast did a track test and nailed a 14.2! Also, the editors felt confident that if the track conditions and weather were a little better, they could have put down a high 13.

 

When I was scavenging the ashtray of the GP earlier this evening to try and pump as much gas into the car as I could (I paid $2.67/gallon for premium for the Z on Sunday....I paid $2.85 for regular this evening), I was thinking about how GXP owners don't seem to be getting anywhere near the 18 MPG city the sticker claims...you are not alone. The range seems to be 13 to 17, depending on driving. My GP's lowest tank in the 2 years I've owned it has been 17, and it typically gets 22-23 in city driving. Add to that the fact that the GXP recommends premium (odd when you consider that the 5.3 in the trucks is only 8hp less, but takes regular), and tonight it was a mixed blessing I didn't have it.

But I still really, really want one...

 

I got rid of my 01 GTP for an 05 GXP. If someones only getting 13 to 17mpg with their GXP it's probably not broken in yet and they have their foot in it all the time. I get 22.5 average per tankfull on mine. Thats my normal driving route that got me 23 with my GTP. When I hit 1800 miles is when the gas mileage got better. Up until then I got 17 (first 2 tanks) up to 20, then it jumped a to 22+ and has stayed there. I am dissapointed in the highway mileage though. At 75 mph with cruise on I am only getting 25mpg. I was hoping for 28 to 30 like my GTP got. The EPA site shows users reporting 21.2 mpg.

It snows here and I wanted a 300+hp car I could drive year round. The tires are not the same as the ones you get at tire rack, they are GM spec. They were tested in northern Michigan last year for snow use and passed GM's tests. No body got stuck and if you get a little loose the stabilitrak will kick in to keep you in line. The wheels are clear coated so the salt won't hurt as long as you give it the same care you would give your paint.

 

Jeez, I am thankful to squeeze 19.2mpg out of a tank of gas in my GTP I here of alot of people hitting lower 20s, I have yet to get there.

 

My mom did it easily when she drove our 2000 GTP. She would always get around 21-22. I think the trick lay in the fact that over the two years I rode in the passenger seat with her, I saw the supercharger gauge light up maybe once or twice.

As for my mileage, I've never gotten close to 20 .