G35 or GTO need opinions

[AussieV35]

Maybe this is the wrong forum to ask this but here goes.
I have owned Skylines here in Australia R31,R32,R33 and R34 so obviously I'm a fan.
Currently driving a WRX which I am due to trade in this year.
The V35 Skyline cannot be imported and licensed here for another couple of months.
Yesterday a dealer offered me a really good deal on a Manual Holden Monaro which you would know as a Pontiac GTO (See pic to make sure)
Surprisingly i was most impressed with the way it drove but I need advice and thoughts from someone who has driven/compared both vehicles as I have not been able to drive a manual CPV35.
One minus for the Monaro is that the new ones have been modified for the American market by relocating the fuel tank severly restricting the boot space whereas the V/G35 rear seats lay down for a bit more practicality.

Just to compare apples with apples the cost of a new Monaro will equal the cost of importing a 2004 V35 6speed manual with around say 5,000miles on it and fitting a supercharger or single turbo kit.
The chosen car will be a daily driver.
Your opinions would be most valued.
Regards
Chris

[coupin827]

Why did you get rid of the R34? That is a sweet car man.

As for the GTO, not sure if you can compare it to the G. It's gonna be faster, but you lose some luxury and a LOT on looks.

[PoliPino]

G35 vs. GTO was the decision I had to make when I bought my car last year. They are both really nice cars.
In my opinion, I think the G35 was the more refined of the two. The GTO has one heck of an engine in it, but the interior and ride seemed like a step below the G.
I guess I'd say, if you like a little luxury and can give up a bit of performance, choose the G. If you're looking for an all out musclecar, and can give up a bit of luxury, than choose the GTO.
I figured I spend most of my driving time not racing, so I picked luxury.

BTW, do the Monaros have the 5.7L, like the '04 GTOs, or do they have the 6.0L like our 05 models?

[escobar929]

i wouldnt get a GTO, just dont like it. sure its fast in a straight line but other than that IMO i think it sux, looks too plain. get a G, you'll love it

ur gonna get a lot of this, but why get rid of a R34???

[AussieV35]

Originally Posted by coupin827

Why did you get rid of the R34? That is a sweet car man.

As for the GTO, not sure if you can compare it to the G. It's gonna be faster, but you lose some luxury and a LOT on looks.

Long story but basically when I modded the power on the 33 the clutch had to be beefed up and with a left foot injured from a motorcycle accident when I was 17 caused me some pain while driving in traffic. The R34 was therefore an auto and I'm not really an Auto sort of guy (even if modded it pulled a 13.4 1/4 ). That combined with the fact that my wife would not drive it as she is short and couldn't see past the rear wing properly resulted in it being driven only once a week. It was a Gtt not GTR incase you were wondering
Heres a pic of the 33 and 34

[heeb]

I like GTOs. Deffinetly not going impress anyone driving around in one, as I doubt even a small majorty of people on the road know what it is, let alone that it has a 400 hp LS2 engine underneath the hood. Deffinetly a faster car, but handling and comfort level is still higher on the G35 IMO. The GTO is a few hundred pounds heavier, which isnt that much considering the G35 is somewhat heavy as well, and the GTO has the 400 horses to back it up, but something about the GTO when I drove it, it just handled like a pig, while I actually feel the G35 handles quite nice. Obviously the G35 looks about 10X better than the GTO.

[AussieV35]

Originally Posted by PoliPino

BTW, do the Monaros have the 5.7L, like the '04 GTOs, or do they have the 6.0L like our 05 models?

Currently the Monaro has the LS1 5.7.
The 6.0 is reserved for the HSV (Holden Special Vehicles)
http://www.hsv.com.au/vz_intro.html
Cheers

[NUTS01808]

Your Skylines are Sweeeeet!!! I am so envious of you. Damn the fact that it's so hard to get your hands on one, in the States.

[speedygp]

We get so screwed here in the US when it comes to choice of cars! There are som many cars out there I wish we had access to...Renault, Seat, Scoda, Vauxhall, and of course all the Nissan and Honda products that are race ready, that get De tuned when sent to the US. I have been in love with the Skyline since it came out!!! You are a lucky man. As for the Choice of the GTO or G35, the Gto offers more power, but the G35 gives you almost the same performane, and a hell of alot more Luxury. Depending on your needs and use of the car should make it an easy decision,

[SinG35c]

Holly sh!t man!! I woulda trade you for that R33

[IrishSkyline]

I'll second that!

[truplay8]

go with the GTO.........those things are sweet

[AussieV35]

Originally Posted by truplay8

go with the GTO.........those things are sweet

Yes it did impress me I must admit.
Never been an all out fan of Aussie cars but Holden do a heck of a lot with limited resources.
The Monaro was done by the Holden design team in their own time in secret.
They met at the lead designers house at night several times a week for months and designed it by taking our Commodore 4 door family car and making it into a coupe.
The bosses were impressed and financed a one off for the Sydney motor show in 2000. The public loved it and as a result it was built from '02 onwards.
It was always a limited edition and therefore maybe not as much R+D was done as normal.
As a result it is based on an '02 Commodore whereas the '05 Commodore has been revised visually.
Anyway as I said I was impressed but I'm still really a Nissan man at heart.
Plus the Skyline enthusiests here think the V35 is ugly until they see one in the metal maybe.
The Monaro seems to be closer in spec to a V35 then the GTO as I believe that the suspension was softened a bit from what we have for the American market.
It seems Aussies like harder more sporty handling.
Plus the Monaro has all the features that the V35 has as far as luxury items so maybe we have a different spec in that way too.
It's still the V35 at the moment for me.
Maybe I'll just wait and drive a manual skyline before I decide.
Cheers

[G35Stealth]

Are your intention to purchase the car or lease it? If you're gonna buy the car, I would go for the G35 (since it would seem you want to mod it). If you're leasing, go with the GTO.

[cotmfk]

Well, we all had the money to choose which one we wanted, so coming here was a good choice in that respect. On the other hand, you know what we all chose. You might also try ls1.com to get opnions from the GTO crowd. The G35/Skyline is pretty sweet. It definitely won't be as fast as a GTO/Holden stock v. stock, though. If you want all out performance, though.... and don't mind trying something new.... I would go with a Mitsubishi Evolution. Completely different ballpark, I know, but I was dead even with the 5.7 GTOs a few times from a roll, so it's just as quick as those. And you can't beat the handling. The tuning potential is huge, and the entry fee is a lot less than a fully loaded G35 (at least in the US). Plus AWD so you really can use it EVERY day of the year. And if you learn how to do it correctly, the launching won't hurt the car.... it's just not many people can learn how to do it correctly.