For anybody out there thinking of a 2005 GTO, here's my personal review of the car, if anyone is interested. Please keep in mind that this is just a personal opinion by a normal car owner. I've only put 90 miles on the car so far.
Looks: I think the 05 looks quite a bit different than the 04. the hood scoops, huge shiny dual exhaust make it look different than a grand prix now.
Inside: Fairly normal interior. Nothing fancy, but nothing cheap looking either. the seats are extremely comfortable (i traded in a lexus ls400 so i know comfy seats), and i have plenty of room (i'm 6'2" and have a lot of trouble with headroom).
Clutch: the travel could be a little shorter, but the release point is on the bottom half of the travel, and easy to judge. my foot gets caught on the floormat sometimes because my size 12 shoes are at the very limit of the space allowed. i might remove the floormat to fix the problem. brake pedal is just slightly to the left, but not an issue.
Gearbox: not light, but not heavy. about normal for a high horsepower car. gears are easy to find, but 5->6 is a little odd, have to move the stick over to the right a little.
Controls: basic stuff, a/c, different modes, recirc setting, cd player is easy to use, sounds ok. turn signal within easy reach. steering wheel a little far away, but ok.
Steering: understeers a little, but they put that in most cars these days to keep customers from spinning.
Engine: great. the car feels much stronger than the 04. really great.
Ride: pretty nice for a sports car. not much different than a grand prix.
Sound: the engine is muted inside the car (thankfully), but stand behind the car while it's idling, and you can FEEL the sound. it's a really nice deep rumble.
Trunk: not big, but seems a little larger than the other sports cars i've owned.
Overall: i really like it. I drove around after buying it, and felt comfortable almost immediately. there's really nothing to have to 'get used to', it just feels right from the start. i've already installed the anti-cags, it works great, the little light says 1->4, but i go to 2nd. instead. the little empty spot in front of the gearbox is where my skyfi2 is going to go - it's going to be a tight fit, but there's nowhere else for it - going to do that right now.
Almost forgot - i live in the north half of OH, where 05 GTOs are rare. but the dealership where i bought my GTO got a yellow 05 the same time they got mine. if anyone is looking for a yellow 05 in OH, call roby chevy/pontiac at 800-762-9872 (that's in Marysville). the salesperson that deals with GTOs is JR - let him know that I (Tim) gave you his name. i didn't look at the yellow one (I was too interested in mine), so i don't even know what type of transmission it has.
Thanks for the inside info regarding your experience with the GTO. I am working on purchasing me a GTO and there is a gentleman from Cadillac calling for me to check out the CTS-V. However, I am favoring the GTO.
Are you sure about the 5th and 6th gears? Is it that close? I am going for a test drive on Monday (Feb 21st) and the only one they have available is a automatic.
GTOBert, i haven't looked at the manual yet - thanks for letting me know about the telescoping steering wheel - i'm going to try that right now. stealthgto, i didn't mean that 5th and 6th are close together, but that 5->6 isn't a straight 'pull back' of the stick, i have to take it out of 5th, then move the stick slightly to the right and then down into 6th. for 1->2 and 3->4 it's a straight shot. i doubt i'll ever need to shift really quick out of 5th into 6th, so it's not a problem, but i thought it was something others might like to know about.
stealthgto, i didn't mean that 5th and 6th are close together, but that 5->6 isn't a straight 'pull back' of the stick, i have to take it out of 5th, then move the stick slightly to the right and then down into 6th. for 1->2 and 3->4 it's a straight shot. i doubt i'll ever need to shift really quick out of 5th into 6th, so it's not a problem, but i thought it was something others might like to know about.
Linux,
Thanks for writing back! Alright, I understand. Well, I am going to still take the test drive just to get the feel of the GTO itself. When I make that final purchase, it will be a manual.
linux, just pull down the lever under the steering wheel on the column and you can literall pull the steering wheel towards you. It makes a hell of a difference. I love the 5-6 shift. My biggest arguement with the car is the 1-2 shift. IT's ALWAYS rough (yes, I have an eliminator). Any suggestions? It seems I always have to really pull the shifter down hard to get it into gear.
Vader, start in second, I always do unless im on an uphill or need alot of power.
second shift start feels very normal and 1-4 lockout does not get triggerd
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