Here's the story....I was hoping the 2005 G was coming out this september or even before, but it seems the new 6-speed won't come out until December! Which means I won't get it until the spring becuase I'm not buying a new car in the middle of the winter.
Anyway, I decided to get a closer look at the new GTO, turns out it has a great interior and the engine and transmission of a corvette for far less than a fully loaded G. I understand the G might have some features the GTO does not, but a 0-60 time of 5.3 when and even faster after the car breaks in is damn impressive. That's significanctly faster than the G, right? The new G is supposed to have 20 more horses but the the torque might still be weak. The GTO has a monstrous 365 lb-ft and 4000 rpms. The thing that's keeping me from buying the GTO is the plain exterior look, which looks like a redesigned Grand Prix Coupe?
This is what's going on in my head....any comments/suggestions?

 

a high school buddy of mine just purchased the GTO over a 350Z...i cant say i personally agree with his choice but he made it because hes very into customizing his vehicles.

not to say that there arent performace parts available for the Z/G but when you are dealing with an LS1, the options for engine/exhaust/intake upgrades are endless and even relatively inexpensive compared to the "designer" mods that are available for high-end import luxury cars.

Nissan tuned the hell out of these engines so general add-on parts are not going to give big HP gains whereas i feel that the LS1 in the GTO is fairly inefficient (even tho it puts out so much power) leaving a lot of room for easy improvement.

i personally think the G looks 1000 times better, and id rather have an infiniti any day over a chevy... the G35 is gonna turn a lot of heads, regardless of age or automobile preference whereas i think the GTO is more of a niche market car.

as far as handling...the GTO is supposed to be good but i really cant recall any numbers...i know the G handles well and the ride/engine feel is smooth, like a lux/sport should be... i expect the GTO to be a bit more rough around the edges.

i would say drive them both, definitely even though they are in the same price range i think you are reallky looking at 2 different types of cars... for my money i would take a G35 100 times out of 100, but clearly that is not everyone's opinion. good luck with whatever you pick


---dave

 

350Z modding is just about as endless. From engine modding, to in car entertainment, to exterior modding their is SOOOO much for the 350Z.

Decide whether you want an import or a domestic first.

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

dragoncoupe...im not as familiar with the 350Z modding stuff....if there are just as many performance mods for the 350 or the G as there are for the GTO then i would be hardpressed to find a reason to pick the GTO over the G

 

I'm definitely no expert, but judging from the type of mods I've seen from this site, along with my350z.com, I've seen guys change just about everything.

Performance mods I've seen / heard of : turbos, single and twin, superchargers, intakes, exhausts, high flow cats, headers, new cams, new fuel pumps, new injectors, the TechnoSquare performance ECU upgrade, all types of internal mods, stroker kits, light weight flywheels and racing clutches to name a few.

I'm suprised no one has responded to this thread, but if you have the money, you can swap out anything and everything you ever wanted.

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

First of let me say that both the g35 coupe and gto are amazing cars; however, I'd have to side with the G35 coupe because of a few slight things. The G35 weighs like 300 pounds less than the GTO and is far more nimble, which I like and is just preference. The G35 has a weight distribution closer to 50/50 than the GTO. Also, the g35 is a smaller car than the GTO, but also has a bigger wheelbase which I also love. It's just preference. Also, the G35 is easy to mod. It's all preference. I just prefer the g35 cause the handling abilities are second to none and I love twisty roads. Plus you gotta love the brembos.

Heeeeellllllloooooooooo people.......

2003.5 Black/Black 5AT Fully Loaded w/ Navi
Clear Corners / Injen CAI

 

I had the same dilemma when it came down to choosing between the 2004 G35 and the 2004 GTO. In the end, I decided that if I was spending $35 grand for a car, I wanted a sunroof, nav, seat heaters, etc...(none of which was avail on the 2004 GTO).

However, if you want to compare apples to apples, you should note that the 2005 GTO gets the NEW Vette motor with 400+ hp and 400+ lbs of torque along with optional hood scoops and exhaust outlets on both sides of the rear bumper. It is also rumored that more Holden options will be avail (such as the sunroof). Pontiac says 0-60 will now be under 5 sec. Check out www.ls1gto.com - lots of good info there.

Good luck!

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by pharmboy on 06/13/04 01:33 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

The GTO was first on my list, and I tried really hard to get one here in Canada. Transport Canada would not let me! Bunch of crap if you ask me. Since I can not get one in Canada, I decided to get a G35 6MT, which was second on my list and which will be here tomorrow.

My dream machine would be an AWD G35 coupe with an LS1 in it. Oh man, I'm wetting my pants just thinking about it...

Later,

 

The handling numbers are the clincher for me.

G35 .92g skidpad, 67.7 mph slalom
GTO .81g skidpad, 63.4 mph slalom

Couple that with the fact that I am not a big fan of the styling and its an easy decision for me.

Now if the would have put a LS1 into a production Grand Prix... I may have had second thoughts about the G.

 

But the Grand Prix is a fwd car with sub-par handling. :\

 

Eww grand prix thats an ugly car. I rather drive the Maxima/Altima over that if I want fwd car and those cars are marginally faster.

 

thanks for the help guys...the test drive and more solid news of the both '05 models will be the deciding factor.
Roneski, i think your numbers are wrong, I know car and driver had 0.85 for the GTO and 0.87 for the G35.

 

Pictures of the GTO don't do it any favors. A friend said he saw one and it wasn't so ugly in person.

 

the GTO is supposed to have a bump in hp to 400 and torque to 395 in the fall along with revised styling. Probably a desperation move by GM cuz they're barely selling. In any case, I still would choose the g35c anyday over the gto.

http://chat.autoweek.com/showthread....&threadid=7727

2003.5 G35C 6MT Blk/Blk

 

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The handling numbers are the clincher for me.

G35 .92g skidpad, 67.7 mph slalom
GTO .81g skidpad, 63.4 mph slalom
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Seriously, I just drove the GTO today and I wouldn't trade my coupe for it any day. Interior is weak as well as exterior styling and the thing handles like crap as far as I'm concerned. I didn't read all these posts just wanted to throw my .02 in



Long Island Meet 5/22/04 ^
Black 03' 6MT Coupe
20" iForged Aeros/Z-Tube/Nav-TV Tuner