The GTO is 189" long versus 186" for your sedan and 182 for the Coupe. At 3700 lbs, it's a pretty heavy car nevermind the horsepower.


'03 G35C, 6MT, Black, Pop Charger, 18x8.5/9.5 BBS RGR, 245/275 40 Toyo T1-S, Tein S-Tech

 

the gto designers should have made the cars exterior more attractive. either go with the updated retro look like the mustang or bring futuristic concept look more like the g did. i agree that the exterior looks more like a cavalier on streoids. so it makes whats under the hood and interior overlooked. the quality is still up for debate. while the big 3 are trying to catch up with germany and japan, i dont think they are there yet. bottom line is if you want a affordable fast car that looks ugly and may fall apart in a year or two, the gto is your car.

don't start no sh*t, won't be no sh*t!
'04 g35c DG/G 5AT premium, performance, aero kit, pedals, clears, stillen lower valences

 

I don't like the syling of the GTO, but I love the LS1/LS6 motors. As far as rattles go, this G35 of mine rattles more than my Camaro!!!! Yes, more than my '01 SS camaro!! I can't figure out where they are all coming from, but I know for sure one is coming from the glove compartment, and of course the infamouse seat belt rattles. But one more consistant one is from the rear somewhere...I need to have someone sit in my back seat one day and locate it. Sorry to hijack this thread, but this is my first new Japanese car, and the last thing I expected was rattles.

 

I considered the GTO before I got my 6mt. I am very hesitant on buying American. I hate to say it but I've never had a good experience with any domestic car I've ever owned. My last car was a 2001 Lincoln LS loaded, brand new. I brought it to the dealer for problems 13 times in the span of a 30 month lease. This was supposed to be American luxury ? Never again...

 

Well, if you opt for the GTO, you'll have to do without some creature comforts. Some of these things I can live without, some can't. These items are not available for the GTO as standard equipment or an option:

No sunroof
No heated seats
No heated mirrors
No cruise control on the steering wheel
No cargo net for trunk
No universal remote
No overhead console
No climate control
No auto-dimming mirror
No external temperature reading
No compass
No stability control
No head air bag
No side air bag
No xenons
No Nav
No Sat

Even with a smaller engine, I still believe the G35 is a better compromise between performance and luxury.




'03 G35C, 6MT, Black, Pop Charger, 18x8.5/9.5 BBS RGR, 245/275 40 Toyo T1-S, Tein S-Tech

 

"bottom line is if you want a affordable fast car that looks ugly and may fall apart in a year or two, the gto is your car."

lol, I thought that's what the Subaru WTX was for?

Seriously though, I will never buy another car that does not have both a Nav and VDC. I suppose I can always install a Nav aftermarket but traction control and VDC are IRREPLACEABLE !!! This should be as mandatory as seatbelts IMO.

 

excuse me for my girlish reaction but eww that gto is horrible how do they think american people will react in a good way to an old american classic car being brought back from an australian car?? it really is not that bad if you think about it about 32k the only option is manual transmission (no sunroof btw) but its not my taste IMO but for those who love straight roads (and being beaten by older camaros and trans ams yes they are faster) by all means go ahead and make your purchase but for the couple extra grand you have peace of mind for a much better car in so many other catagories than just going faster in a drag race (which im sure is not everyone priority if it was you can just tune the g35 however you feel fit)

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

That is also within $15,000 of the G35. So you're making an unfair comparison.

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Am I? How about my daily driver before the G35: it was a 1996 Ford Contour SE V-6 5 speed that I bought new, fully loaded. I kept it for 7 years and drove it hard for 130,000 miles. It cost me $20k new in 1996 (about $23k in today's prices).

Anyway, that car had no rattles either until I got to about 100k miles, and even then, just slight interior rattles here and there, typical for a car of its mileage (Japanese, German, or otherwise). In fact, I rode in a friend's BMW 325i of the same vintage, and only 60k miles, and he had way more rattles than my 100k Contour.

As for reliability, with the exception of a battery that died suddenly, my Contour never failed to get me to my destination on time in the 7 years and 130k miles I drove it. During this time, it suffered only 2 mechanical malfunctions, neither of which prevented me from getting to my destination: one was a cat converter failure at 45k miles, and the other was transmission failure at 110k miles.

That's it. The engine always ran perfectly and required minimal maintenance. The car always drove great, and still felt as tight and responsive at 130k miles as it did when new. All of the power electrical stuff worked great, and only started getting little repair annoyances at about 120k miles like the moonroof starting to not close, driver's side power window motor needed to be replaced, etc. When i traded the car in for the G35, everything on the car worked perfectly. I'm sure the car will easily go to 200k miles +. I know the engine will last much longer than that even. At 130k miles, it still didn't burn a drop of oil.

I have many friends with American cars and SUV's with similar or better reliability stories. So this wasn't a fluke (although I am aware of some Contours that weren't nearly as reliable).

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

I've also spent a good amount of time on Roadfly and the M3 crew constantly rags on the poor quality interior on the equivalently priced Z06.

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Hey, if quality feel interiors turns you on more than performance, then the Z06 is not for you. While I will say the interior of the Z06 isn't its strong suit, I don't think its as bad as a lot of people (especially bimmer boys) make it out to be. The interior is very functional and comfortable, and its remarkably roomy for a sports car. It doesn't squeek or rattle, and everything works well. Ergonomically, its a better interior than the G35. If you don't know what ergonomics are, well in short, its all the controls and switch gear are easy to use, understand, and find. For example, the traction control button is right on the center console, and I can feel it with my righ hand without even looking at it. Contrast this with the G35's traction control button which is down low on the left dashboard, mixed in with other controls (including a trunk switch which isn't even labeled), and you have to look around the steering wheel to even find it.

Having said that, the quality of the materials used in the G35 are better, including much better leather, thicker carpet, tighter panel gaps, and some better plastic here and there.

Does the Z06 interior compare to the M3's interior or any Mercedes interior? No. The fit and finish, attention to detail, panel gaps, and quality of materials isn't near those cars. It isn't bad, but its not as good. No argument there. But again, the interior WORKS well, and is possibly even more functional than the BMW and Mercedes interiors. When driving, that's what matters to me more. I don't really care if an interior panel gap is 5mm or 2mm, or if the stitch count in the leather seats is 100 or 200.

I just smoked a brand new M3 a few days ago. Believe me, I wasn't thinking how much nicer the M3's interior was as I blew past him. [img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Personally I liked it. I liked the feel of the seats and the gear shifter.

<hr></blockquote>

That's funny - the seats and gear shifter are two of my biggest complaints about the Z06. The seats, while very comfortable, don't hold you in place well at all when taking corners - there is hardly any side bolstering in them. Oddly enough, the standard C5 comes with better seats than the Z06. The shifter I find has too long throws, is too notchy, and the gates are too close together and vague, and its too stiff. I fixed some of these issues by installing an aftermarket Hurst shifter, but its still not very good, IMO. Just the nature of the tranny and its shift linkage.

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Bottom line, the majority of American cars from model year 2000 and before, when 3 years old, don't compare to the equivalent model year Japanese car.

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I don't agree with that as a blanket statement. I think it depends on the car. There are some crappy American cars that don't last, like your dad's Malibu. But there are some crappy Japanese cars that don't last either and are nothing but problems. I can cite countless friends, family members, neighbors, colleagues, etc. who have had major problems with Japanese cars in the past, including blown engines, tranny failures, electrical problems, you name it.

I think its short sighted and just plain wrong to say all Japanese cars are great and all American cars suck, or even to say that all Fords suck and all Toyotas are perfect. Some Fords are great, and some Toyotas suck. Some American cars are more reliable and durable than some Japanese cars. Since the mid-1990's the quality gaps between domestic and Japanese manufacturers has become almost insignificant. If you don't believe me, take a look at the J.D. Power's reports. When you've got problems per 100 vehicles of only 5-10% difference between manufacturers, that's effectively the same quality, and is insignificant.

2003 G35C, 6MT, DG/G, Aero/Nav/Premium
2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

but for those who love straight roads

<hr></blockquote>

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

you have peace of mind for a much better car in so many other catagories than just going faster in a drag race (which im sure is not everyone priority if it was you can just tune the g35 however you feel fit)

<hr></blockquote>

LOL - another one who doesn't know that the new GTO can handle well. [img]/w3timages/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

I find it funny how all you import lovers think that NO American car can do anything but go in a straight line well. [img]/w3timages/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

The new GTO can hang with a G35 in the twisties. Don't believe me? Look at the handling numbers (skidpad, slalom, etc.) in your favorite magazine that tested the GTO, and compare them to the G35. Make no mistake - the GTO can handle.

2003 G35C, 6MT, DG/G, Aero/Nav/Premium
2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black

 

hey z06ified....i didnt mean that in a stereotype kind of saying i was trying to emphasize that this new gto can not even beat the older camaros and trans ams that it replaces (i think it does at least)

 

I sat in a gto at the auto show...it was nice and comfy...it's seats reminded me of those pimp-daddy 80's leather sofas that you "fall into" rather than a firm, well bolstered sports car seats. It was nice but the seat was already starting to look "de-poofed".
Anways...such a boring looking car and such basic options...it's like a mid-90's flashback if you ask me...doesn't seem to compare at all with a g...

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

i was trying to emphasize that this new gto can not even beat the older camaros and trans ams that it replaces (i think it does at least)

<hr></blockquote>

The GTO is not meant to replace the Camaro or Trans Am. Different car classes, different markets. There are still rumors that GM may bring back the Camaro or Firebird in a few years running off a shortened version of the next generation Holden Monaro platform, which would also spawn the next GTO. This is obviously 3-4 years down the road if it happens at all.

Anyway, the new GTO runs neck and neck with the last model Trans Am and Z28 in performance. Their 0-60 times of 5.3 seconds are almost identical, as are their handling numbers.


2003 G35C, 6MT, DG/G, Aero/Nav/Premium
2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black

 

I agree, it looks like a mix between the Cavalier and the Dodge Avenger. Miss me.

 

Everytime I see a cavalier I think of the GTO...I saw 3 of them lined up at a local dealer and I had to look up at the sign to make sure it was a Pontiac dealership. I WILL NEVER BY A CAR THAST LOOKS LIKE A CHEVY CAVALIER. I don't care how many horses it has. Can someone tell me why this car is only .1 or .2 seconds faster than my former car (350Z) that has 63 less horses? Pontiac flopped with this car. It will not outsell anything else it has on its lots. The GTP will sell more. The looks kill me. CAVALIER

 

Because it weighs over 3700 lbs!


'03 G35C, 6MT, Black, Pop Charger, 18x8.5/9.5 BBS RGR, 245/275 40 Toyo T1-S, Tein S-Tech