[1965gp]

This is what happened to my wifes about a month after we bought it (motivated by a 12 pack of coors light...)

[Bob Rutledge]

Now that is awesome. A shaker on a GTO.

[72GTOMN]

I have had three 2004's over the years, along with a few classic GTOs as well. I currently have a yellow one that I bought last year with 3800 miles on it. They are really great cars. What I did find is you have to have them tuned. They come from the factory with a very mild tune and the automatics have torque management. Tuning completely wakes these cars up.
Like Sirrotica said, it's surprising to see attitudes changing a bit on them. They've always been good cars but were so hated by most classic GTO fans. What I think is most important is that young people are buying these cars now for cheap and loving the hell out of them. These cars marched to there own drummer without riding the coat tails of the classics which is a very GTO thing to do. I can also state that the young people who are buying these cars couldn't care less what classic GTO owners think of their cars.

[71GP76TA]

I had an '05 as a daily driver for 3 years. Great car and a lot of fun. I put about 50,000 hard miles on it.

[PurelyGTO68]

Originally Posted by 72GTOMN

I have had three 2004's over the years, along with a few classic GTOs as well. I currently have a yellow one that I bought last year with 3800 miles on it. They are really great cars. What I did find is you have to have them tuned. They come from the factory with a very mild tune and the automatics have torque management. Tuning completely wakes these cars up.
Like Sirrotica said, it's surprising to see attitudes changing a bit on them. They've always been good cars but were so hated by most classic GTO fans. What I think is most important is that young people are buying these cars now for cheap and loving the hell out of them. These cars marched to there own drummer without riding the coat tails of the classics which is a very GTO thing to do. I can also state that the young people who are buying these cars couldn't care less what classic GTO owners think of their cars.

I bought my 05 earlier this summer. Once I test drove it, I had to have it. I didn't even tell my wife, I just came home with it. My 25 year old son and 19 year old daughter immediately started to fight over who would get the car when it gets passed on. I rode in the back while my kids took it for a ride. The smile on my son's face reminded me of how I felt when I drove my first GTO back in the early 80s. That was a 1965 GTO 4 speed with 4.10 (or similar) gears out back.

The kids are doing the same thing to these cars that we did to the classic GTOs back in the 80s. Cam swaps, upgraded cylinder heads, suspension mods, etc. It's the same thing all over again in my opinion. These cars are every bit a GTO in function and spirit and it might not be too much longer before they are recognized as such.

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[1965gp]

Thanks Bob- we were really happy with the way it flowed with the lines. There was a company that made one but it was smaller and I'm not sure if it made it into production. I used my Can Am for a template and cut up an 04 hood. At the time people were giving away the flat hoods (I think I still have a spare).

PurelyGTO- I love your post. It's a shame the car was overlooked by so many initially- we might have had a two door G8. I do think that it's great today's kids are making these cars their own.

Again- the 06 on 18's is the car to buy, but we had already bought the 04 at a huge discount and the 06 probably would have been out of our price range.

[rexus31]

My very first brand new car; I thoroughly enjoyed my '05 while I had it. Nothing has a flatter torque curve than the LS2. That motor pulled like crazy!









A shot of my '05 from the interior of my '64

[PurelyGTO68]

I also like that shaker hood. The proportions look perfect. Was it bolted to the engine or fixed to the hood?

I drove my car to work today so I could use the lift to change the oil. I left it at the back of the warehouse with the hood opened while I change into my grubby clothes and when I got back there were about 5 of our techs huddled around it....all younger guys in their early to late 20s. They all seemed very interested in the car. I got a kick out of telling them it had all available options except for the hood scoop delete. I didn't tell them that only 3 options were available in 2005, (manual trans, 18" wheels and hood scoop delete).



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[DarthBubba]

I was really wanting to get the Pontiac Ute, but they killed it before it could be brought over. That one had me giddy! I thought I had read that Pontiac sold a bunch of the body panels in Australia to be able to convert the Holdens. Did anyone else hear about that?

[PurelyGTO68]

Originally Posted by rexus31

My very first brand new car; I thoroughly enjoyed my '05 while I had it. Nothing has a flatter torque curve than the LS2. That motor pulled like crazy!









A shot of my '05 from the interior of my '64

Nice car, great color too. The SAP grills look great. Did you install those yourself? Do you remember how much they cost.
Nice photo from inside your 64.....

My car also has the SAP grills. I am second owner. Not sure if the first owner had these installed when the car was new or if it was something he added later. Only mods that I am aware of are the grills (if you want to call that a modification...), A short throw shifter and an aftermarket airbox. I am on the hunt for a OE airbox because I would like the engine compartment to look original again.

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[rexus31]

Originally Posted by PurelyGTO68

Nice car, great color too. The SAP grills look great. Did you install those yourself? Do you remember how much they cost.
Nice photo from inside your 64.....

My car also has the SAP grills. I am second owner. Not sure if the first owner had these installed when the car was new or if it was something he added later. Only mods that I am aware of are the grills (if you want to call that a modification...), A short throw shifter and an aftermarket airbox. I am on the hunt for a OE airbox because I would like the engine compartment to look original again.

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Thanks!

Nice looking GTO!

If I recall, the SAP grills were around $250 installed. I did not install them myself as I was afraid to chip the paint off the fender and/or bumper facia as the bumper facia had to be removed to install them. The dealer also told me the warranty on the part would be voided if I self installed. IMO, the SAP grills should have been the regular production grills as they look more "GTO" and "Pontiac" than the stock grills. I think I still have the stock grills somewhere.

I traded the GTO in on this ('07 Charger R/T, Road and Track Package):


Then this ('12 Charger R/T Road and Track Package)


At around 38,000 miles I had to have the entire steering column replaced on the GTO due to a defective ignition lock cylinder on the column (a know issue with these). Luckily, they replaced it under warranty as the part alone was $1,100. Then, at around 50,000 miles my Brake Warning Light came on. The dealer reported the steel brake line had worn through as a result of it rubbing on the transmission case. I would have thought for sure GM would replace it free of charge due to it being a safety issue and a production issue. They didn't, and while the car was in the shop, I had a Charger loaner which sealed the deal for me to trade the Goat in. I never looked back. The Goat was a great, fun car but all three Chargers have been reliable and trouble free needing nothing more than tires and regular maintenance.

[GT182]

I would love to see a Holden (Pontiac) GTO up against a Holden (Chevy) SS in the quarter mile... on a Quarter Mile NHRA track. Street cars only on race slicks or street slicks....
Maybe both for an honest comparison. Automatic and 5 speed cars

[1965gp]

I too love the pic of the new GTO from the 64.... that should have been in the brochure originally!

On the shaker I used an engine cover from the Holden that covered the entire engine and I attached it to that.

I was really happy with the proportions being that it was nothing more than a 'you know what would be cool...' moment

[pont3]

This is too funny. I still retain both the '04 and '06 GTO that I bought new. The '04 has 73k mostly trouble-free miles and the '06 is still 100 percent original with only 11k miles on the clock. I still love them both and the '04 has been seriously underappreciated. I think it sounds better and pulls nearly as hard as the '06. The cars (while exhibiting no resemblance to their ancestors), still look as good as any other modern car, but with the added benefit of being V8 powered, RWD, two door coupes. There's NOTHING currently out there that I would consider trading either of them on. I had actually considered a Challenger, until I rented one and lived with it for a week. The Hemi is nice but the car around it is low rent.

[1965gp]

We ended up moving on to the Dodge Charger. We had a Daytona and now have a SRT.

It's great to see the GTO getting it's due even if it is 10 years too late!

We had plenty of problems with our 04- door locks, strut rub, ignition lock, and radio staying on in 40K compared to a broken shifter in the Charger at 75k.

[pont3]

Well, I've had no problems with either of my GTOs with the door locks or ignition switch, or strut rub or radio staying on. The only real legitimate issue I've found is the stitching on the seats. As stated, my '04 has 73k miles and the drivetrain has never seen a wrench, and after fourteen years, it still retains its original spark plugs and everything else. It still runs excellent with no check engine lights or warnings. I have a 2008 Charger on my lot with 58k with every warning light illumilated so my confidence goes against Chrysler. Like all other vehicles, everything depends on OWNER maintenance, but with the number of poor running Chrysler products I've encountered, I find it difficult to believe that owner maintenance is responsible for so many poorly running Chrysler products. In fairness, I've only had ONE GTO in our repossession lot versus hundreds of Chargers and Challengers. And I have PERSONALLY started and driven EVERY one. Take it from me, Chrysler is Crap after a couple of years. Sure, they are fine for the first year or two when new, but get past 100k (if you're lucky) and you'll have a nightmare on your hands. OTH, I get vehicles with LS engines and I am amazed when the odometer shows 200k miles and the engine still runs quietly and smoothly. One even had 354k miles and you would think the engine was brand new. Funny thing is, I don't think there is a propensity for any modern owners to have devotion to maintenance with one brand over the others. I think they ALL neglect their maintenance, however, Chrysler is a brand that is most negatively affected by the lack of maintenance. Either way, if you like Chrysler, good for you. But if GM inferiority is your motive, that's total bull.

[1965gp]

I actually agree with you- my neighbor who has a shop swears Dodge/Chrysler keeps them in business.

I didn't have any trouble at all with my Ram or the SRT- but like you stated neither went over 100k

I just bought a Z-71 and am very happy with it.

My reason for buying Dodge over GM was Excitement....apparently they build it now.

[Greg Reid]

Nearly 300K on my '97 Dodge Ram with never a moment in the shop. Sold it still running and driving (rear expansion plug leaking) and as far as i know, it's still out there somewhere. Now, my wife's '05 Durango is a different story. ECE (maybe?) problems galore. Just sold it last week.

[rexus31]

My comments were not meant to bash GM or praise Chrysler. I was simply stating my own personal experience; other's may vary.

[pont3]

Originally Posted by rexus31

My comments were not meant to bash GM or praise Chrysler. I was simply stating my own personal experience; other's may vary.

No harm or foul. Everybody is stating their personal experiences. Until I started my current position, I had a much higher impression of current Chrysler products, as well as certain GM products, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Honda, VW, Ford, etc. However, knowing what I know now, I would NEVER, EVER buy a VW. The super low asking price for a Chevy Spark or Sonic is TOO high for the cheap rolling dumpster you get.

My newest car is a 2009 Cadillac CTS that my wife drives and it is probably the last new vehicle I will have bought. The carmakers are covering up all the cheap plastic used in dash support assemblies, glove boxes, switches, hinges, intakes, shift linkages, wheel well liners, fastening devices, etc, and offering multiple cheap so-called "safety" devices that warn you when backing up, or crossing the line, or when your tires are low, or washer fluid is low, and on and on. They justify the inflated costs of vehicles by inserting a tablet into the dashboard that can do more than your home computer, putting airbags in every conceivable location and basically substituting the basic car body integrity for gimmicks.

Heck a Mercedes won't even allow you to "limp". We had one that at 86k miles had a faulty alternator and although you could jump start the car, it would NOT engage a drive gear, instead, flashing a wrench symbol on the dash and suggesting that you call a tow truck. We were, however, able to "fool" the system by leaving the jumper box connected long enough to drive it off our lot. And that very same 100k Mercedes contained plenty of cheap plastic and even leather that was delaminating and wrinkled. A complicated arrangement of aluminum trunk hinges of which some were broken thus prohibiting proper closure of the trunk lid.

As much of a GM fan as I am and has been, it's really getting harder to recommend them. Granted, they are no worse than any other company, and definitely better than FCA or Hyundai/Kia, and even Ford.

Funny thing is, back in 1997 all you heard was how ****ty American cars were. Now, TODAY cars are so great, but nobody looks beneath the surface of all the high tech to see exactly how ****ty ALL the cars are now.

No thanks, I'll keep what I have now.