Well the dealership here won't even let you test drive a car unless you sit down and work out all the payment numbers with them first. That's why I went to look at that WS6, but when the guy told me that I decided I would just look at privately owned vehicles instead. And this was just one of several F-bodies on the lot. The GTO was the only one they had and it was front and center in the showroom. A person would probably have to pleasure the dealers sexually to get a drive in it.

 

BOTH of the GTO's at this dealer had handwritten notes taped to the inside of the windshield that said, "DO NOT DRIVE!".

I asked a sales guy why, and he said they were both being "held" for customers. Funny thing...I drove by that same dealer last evening and both GTO's are still sitting right where they were.

Any dealer that pulls a stunt like that (requiring negotiation before a test drive) can kiss my @ss.
S.

 

While the new Cobalt is nice, your statement about the Cadillac is horribly off. This is the kind of stuff the media loves to say, and everyone just buys it. Have you been in an STS or SLS, or a Deville? I'd venture to rank them higher than the current CTS/SRX dash. Nice wood and leather, really nice dash design, IMO. I think they are much more Lexus like than the current CTS dash (which isn't trying to be Lexus like). Heck, even the previous generation STS (1992 - 1997) had a pretty good looking interior, except for the dated stereo controls...

This is why I've said that, although the new GTO interior is nice, it is not leaps and bounds better than anything GM had done (as some mags have implied). Not because it isn't good, but because GM had some nice looking and fitting interiors for years. Check out an Alero, Intrigue, or Aurora. Pretty nice for their price ranges, IMO. Part of this mystique about the GTO interior may come from the fact (like mentioned above, though in a negative light) that many of the parts are different in feel/operation because they come from the Australian car. So it feels entirely different from the Pontiac norm (which, imo, has been among the worst of the GM interiors, generally speaking). I wouldn't expect to see Blaupunkt stereos proliferating through the lineup...

 

The negative comments about the GTO are simply amazing. I've had the opportunity to drive around in and actually drive the new GTO for the past few days as a friend of mine just bought one (for sticker price). The interior is lightyears ahead of the f-body and past Pontiacs. My brother owns a Grand Prix GTP so I've had plenty of time in there as well.

I'm one of those people that when I get into a new car that I've never been in before I "check everything out." I poke and feel and try everything out. The GTO passed all of my feel test in terms of textures and everything being tightly assembled. In fact, the guy who bought the GTO asked me if I did my test" and I told him it passed with flying colors.

The only negative feeling that I had was that you can tell this car is a few hundred pounds more than an f-body driving it. I mean, it sounds really good....got some video doing WOT passes (I'll post them when they're ready) but the car doesn't get up and go like my '02 SS. However, upon reentering by SS after a day in the GTO, I felt as if I was in a $9,999 Geo Metro as far as quality interior components go. No big deal though, I didn't buy my car for that. But.....big thumbs up to Holden for this quality automobile.

Here's a picture gallery of the car:

http://www.ermca.com/gallery/GTO

-Rich

 

It's called having an opinion, and your opinion may vary.
I think the above mentioned items speak pretty clearly for themselves. Some of these aren't even major gripes.
A major gripe (to me, at least) would be the ridiculously small trunk in GTO. There is no way to justify it with opinion or point of view. It is small. If I were to guesstimate, I'd say it ends behind the base of the rear window. A medium sized suitcase, pullman or box won't fit in there.
That seriously diminishes the practicality of this car, quality issues aside.
Again, it's a nice car...but far from perfect.
S.

 

If the car is a desireable , and hard to get ....it isnt "tooo uncommon" for a dealer to ask the person or pay the person who bought the car to let it sit on the showroom floor as eye candy . I worked for a dealer in 97 who paid the buyer of a 97 30th anny SS , to let the car sit on the floor till the SS that was ordered for stock came in ....2 weeks later .

 

It's this kind of statement that I found "amazing." It makes me wonder if you really spent any real time in the car. I know it's YOUR opinion, but it's odd to me that you would think that - and that's my opinion after spending alot of time in and around the car.

There is an obvious and drastic quality difference between the GTO and past/current Pontiacs.

Oh, and while the trunk has been trimmed it's not exactly tiny. It was a large trunk to begin with and still has plenty of room to pack things into.

-Rich

 

BTW - I don't mean to seem like Im trying to stifle other peoples' opinions, just trying to figure out how you came to your opinions.

-Rich

 

I doubt the dealer would have let one off the lot for a test drive, depite the fact that my $49k Suburban was 20 feet away. But I spent about 20-30 minutes looking over both cars very closely. How else would I have picked up on details like the LS1 sticker on the throttle body, the headliner material, the cheap, pop out change holders in the console that reveal exposed wiring when removed, the faux aluminum plastic on the wheel, shifter and dash, the nice aluminum sill plates, the horribly slow power seat slider to allow passengers access to the rear seat...I could go on.
I don't need 30 days to draw my conclusions and formulate my opinions when 20 minutes in a dealer lot reveals plenty. I'm quite sure the car runs well and would meet my expectations...but my comments are not about its performance, rather its perceived quality from my time looking at the car.
And the trunk is tiny for that car. Two people would have a hard time packing for a week's vacation. I actually thought that bulkhead was a box when I first popped the trunk (using the glovebox mounted remote ). I doubt it's any more than ~18" deep and about the same height.
I think it's a nice car, but people need to stop making excuses for its shortcomings.
I think the sales figures will reveal what the general public thinks about this car.
S.