I just happen to park next to a GTO today. The thing that caught my eyes was its size. That thing is small, smaller than my G35 sedan.
Not sure how they were able to pack in the 5.7L 8V in there.
Anyway it does not look that bad, inside is quite nice, red with nice bucket seat all red speedo and tachometer.
The speedometer goes all the way to 200mph.
Has anyone thought about the GTO before buying the G35 coupe? Price wise they are quite close.
I think GTO starts at 32K with a list of standard options.
Btw it has a gas guzzler tax for auto transmission : )

The city driving says 16mpg that reminds me G35 is similar but how come it is not under gas guzzler?



2003 G35 Black Sedan

 

Did not even consider it. Still would not even consider it. I am a person who believes that the American cars are not as reliable as the Japanese cars. There are several publications that do EXTENSIVE foot work to determine reliability of all brands. The American cars just do not hold their value, are not as reliable, and not worth my money. Just my opinion though.

The best advice I can give to someone who is considering between these 2 cars is to test drive a 3 year old Pontiac and then test drive a 3 year old Nissan/Infiniti. Be objective, and ask yourself this... Which car would I like to own and be making a $600+ a month payment on 36 months from now? Remember most people finance $35,000 for 4 to 6 years. You pay the same amount each month whether the car is 1 month old or 36 months old. If both cars are near contenders now, will they BOTH be contenders in the future?

I think you made the right decision in choosing the G35.

2004 Infiniti G35C-6MT
LR | Willow | Premium | Aero | Splash | BSM
30% Lumar Tint | Invinca Shield (C-Bra)
Z-Tube | JWT Pop Charger | RT Cats | Crawford Plenum | JIC Y-Pipe (STILL on order)

 

...too bad the POS can hand us our @SS!!!

"What if there is no tomorrow....There wasn't one today!!!" Bill Murray
'04 OB/GL Prem.Pkg./Sport.Pkg/Splash

 

I still have the brochure of the GTO. BTW, it is Austrailian, not American, and has been noted that it has the best interior of all the GM cars. I was looking at getting a blue with blue interior with the 6sp. I qualify for the VPP pricing but nobody in the tri state area would give me the discount with the 6MT, but they would for the auto. After telling them that I was was just going to get the GTO, they gave me the discount on a 6MT twighlight blue with nav. It was about a grand more than the GTO after discount, but it has nav, side air bags, brembos, and a much larger trunk that the rear seats fold down. The GTO is rated at 29MPG on the highway, but USA Today only got 10.5. The GTO is faster, but looks too much like a Cavalier from the rear 3/4 view.

I wouldnt trust all Japanese cars. Im still trying to dump that Mazda RX-8 that has to be the most unreliable car on the road today. If you pull the car out of the driveway, and lets say you forget something inside and turn it off, you have to get the car towed. Up till a month ago, Mazda and their dealers were charging owners to unflood and change the oil. I will not buy a Ford/Mazda product ever again. Just my opinion.

Eric

 

I'll not try to race one, but I guarantee it will be a rattle trap in 18 months. I found no better value than the G. It kind of reminds me of a Lumina. Not very dramatic. They should have produced the original concept car.

 

Yeah.... and isn't Mazda Ford.....

"What if there is no tomorrow....There wasn't one today!!!" Bill Murray
'04 OB/GL Prem.Pkg./Sport.Pkg/Splash

 

I was thinking of waiting for one when I got my G35 Coupe last June (GTO wasn't out yet). But now that I've seen it, I'm glad I didn't wait - the styling is too boring. Its not that its bad looking, its just that they could have done so much more with it, but didn't. The G35 is much better looking, IMO.

The G35 also has better brakes and handles a bit better. But everything else, I think I like the GTO better.

As for American cars being rattle traps, I think your perceptions don't match with reality. My 2002 Z06 with 12k miles has no rattles at all. My 2003 G35 with only 6k miles has interior rattles and squeeks all over the place. [img]/w3timages/icons/frown.gif[/img]

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

 

I saw the GTO at the Chicago Auto show and have seen sevearl on the road since then. From what I understand dealers are marking these cars way up? It's a nice looking car, the interior is attractive, but it's not a "take your breath away car"...I prefer my G sedan and as for the performance of a few tenths of a second, who cares.

 

the only thing i liked on it was the motor....

the rest is, well, pontiac, no matter what color you paint the dials...

 

It might be a POS but Rhys Millen, hes very know in the race community is gonna campaign the GTO as a Drift car.. I dont know why he gave up the Evo for the GTO maybe for the money or it just could be a decent car.. cant really say much without test driving one..

 

american vs japan..no contest..
don't hate me..hey..i speak the truth..hehehe

 

the only thing good about the GTO is the motor...it handles like chit..its a 3 year old car that was shipped here and new badges put on it..Its not good looking either

Couldnt afford it when young...gonna play when Im old

 

Z06ified,
"As for American cars being rattle traps, I think your perceptions don't match with reality. My 2002 Z06 with 12k miles has no rattles at all. My 2003 G35 with only 6k miles has interior rattles and squeeks all over the place."

Come on now. You're comparing two cars that have a price difference of over $15K. Following your logic, I could turn around and compare my dad's 3 year old Malibu to the G and tell you that the Malibu SUCKS! It has broken *****, the "wood grain" (really plastic) steering wheel has completely discolored, the paint has faded, the stereo quit working, the industrial tape on the door jams has peeled off leaving an open gap for water to intrude into, the car just plain sucks. That is also within $15,000 of the G35. So you're making an unfair comparison.

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. Infact, most people think that the interior is the ONLY thing wrong with the Z06. Yes I've been in a 2003 Z06, in the drivers seat, but no road time. Personally I liked it. I liked the feel of the seats and the gear shifter. I liked the HUD and the cool embroidery on the seats, however it did not remind me of the 2003 M3 SMGII that I test drove on 3 different occasions. FYI, I MUST have a back seat, so I was not seriously considering purchasing the Z06 (just for the record).

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.

When an automotive manufacturer allows FORD to design parts for your RX8, Quest, etc... then I do not consider that a Japanese car, so those of you who purchased cars with anything FORD in them, sorry.


2004 Infiniti G35C-6MT
LR | Willow | Premium | Aero | Splash | BSM
30% Lumar Tint | Invinca Shield (C-Bra)
Z-Tube | JWT Pop Charger | RT Cats | Crawford Plenum | JIC Y-Pipe (STILL on order)

 

Am I the only one that thinks that the GTO looks like a souped up Chevy Cavalier. Those car are nearly identical.