Are they talking out of their butts?

NVR LAT · 10-16-2012, 04:50 PM

I've been looking around for an '05 or '06 GTO. Some people have been telling me to stay away from them, they all have inherent suspension problems, the interior seats all fall apart at the seams, exterior paint doesn't hold up unless the car has been garage kept, etc, etc.

I really like the GTO's...I was always a Pontiac guy when I was younger, most of my friends had Chevelle's or Camaro's while I had Firebirds, LeMans, GTO, etc. Several years back I got into the Corvettes but I honestly think I want to go back to a Pontiac. So I came here to ask the experts...are the rumors true, or are these people talking out of their butts?

There are a few nice cars for sale in the "for sale" section, but because I'm new to this forum, I can't post anything there. Any advise would be appreciated.

jpalamar · 10-17-2012, 07:30 AM

I liked my GTO better... but they are junk.

I now have a C5 and its a much better car and much cheaper to maintain.

BWinc · 10-17-2012, 07:48 AM

Junk? YMMV, I suppose. I love my GTO. I had the leaking strut problem and the rear wheel sag. Warranty took care of the first and Lovells took care of the second. So far no other problems that I didn't induce.

OP, GTOs had issues for sure, but that's new off the lot. Its a good bet that buying used many of those issues have been addressed. Make a list of the problems you've found and make sure they've been addressed. If not, consider if you want to put in the money, time and effort to correct them as they come along. And because this car was made in Australia and Pontiac is dead parts are not cheap off the shelf. You can come across good deals if you're patient though. IMHO, if you buy from a car from one of the board members at any GTO forum I'd do a search against the user name in the tech sections to gather history. If buying outside the boards, the closer to stock the better.

FYI. You can't post in the For Sale sections, but you can PM the sellers.

6QTS11OZ · 10-17-2012, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpalamar

I liked my GTO better... but they are junk.

I now have a C5 and its a much better car and much cheaper to maintain.

Sorry brother but my thoughts are totally opposite of yours. I traded my '98 C5 for my GTO and the GTO is far superior to the Vette IMO. The Vette cheaper to maintain? Not really. They're actually pretty close when it comes to general maintenance (tune-ups, shocks, brakes, etc). Now unless you do all the work to it like I did you're going to pay a fortune in labor. For example, if you ever have the trans removed for any reason, labor is going to be very high because the entire rear suspension cradle has to be removed to remove the trans. I never had to remove either one of the fuel pumps but I heard that that's a chore in itself too. Can't confirm how true that is though since I never had to remove 'em. Those are just a couple of examples. Now as far as junk, let me see. The Vette's steering column locked at any time, even while driving, which thankfully was a recall item. The seats always rocked back and forth, even when new. The fuel pump sending units went out a lot. With a full tank of fuel it would read "empty". Had to reset the tire pressure monitoring sensor all the time even when tire pressure was good. I'm sure there are other things that happen that I can't remember. Those reasons are why I got rid of the Vette. I do miss the handling of it but that's about it.

I bought my GTO new and the only thing that has happened to it is the rubbing of the BCM wiring. Had strut rub but that was due to 8.5" wide rims (incorrect offset) and wider tires. Other than that, I must be one of the lucky ones.

Everytime I think of getting a C6 Z06, possibly late next year, I always think of the previous problems I encountered. Hope those things have been corrected.

Gotagoat · 10-17-2012, 09:36 AM

Junk? I don't think so. I've had my '05 since new and I've never had one issue with it. So I have to think that much of the negative things mentioned have something (not everything) to do with how the individual car has been used, abused, and/or maintained. As has been stated in previous threads, many GTO owners use these cars in ways for which they weren't built. In stock configuration, it's not a race car. It's a relatively fast and decently handling highway coupe designed for a comfortable ride. Does the GTO in general have some common quirks? Guess so judging by what I've read during the years. But I wouldn't know it by my own experience. Would I buy a used one? Probably not - unless it had been owned by me.

svede1212 · 10-17-2012, 10:12 AM

He may have gotten that one junk car. The list you heard sounds like a laundry list of an aggregate of complaints and not every car. I've had one issue (door lock actuator failed under warranty) in over 8 years of ownership. It was expensive to modify on some things like headers but that is not a car failure.

NVR LAT · 10-17-2012, 12:49 PM

Thanks BWinc, 6QTS110Z, Gotagoat, & svede1212. All good information. I guess you're right (hopefully) that most inherent problems have already been taken care of by a previous owner, but from what you guys say (mostly), a car history would be needed. I would most likely do that on any car anyway. I guess I was more worried about continuous problems more than anything. I don't think I would buy anything if it wasn't stock, or extremely close (nothing internal in the engine).

Right now I have a 2005 Corvette Coupe which has been the most dependable car I've ever owned, and cheap to drive and maintain...no complaints. Most all of the C5 problems have gone away in the C6. I'm just looking for a change. I've had a lot of medical issues and many surgeries over the last few years so I can't afford another new Corvette and I'm just looking for a change. As I said, I have always loved Pontiacs, even though this one is not really GM built, it's still a GTO and a great looking and driving car from what I've heard. I guess I'll keep looking...anybody want to trade for a beautiful Corvette? (Sorry if I'm not allowed to say that.) Thanks again for the good info, it does help. Oh, thanks for the PM info about the "for sale" section, I never thought about that.

BWinc · 10-17-2012, 02:05 PM

I'll trade you straight up

NVR LAT · 12-01-2012, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWinc

I'll trade you straight up

I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll keep my options open...

I'm still looking, and I looked at a beautiful '06 Blue, Auto (which is what I would prefer), with 39K on the odometer. The only issues I noticed (and the owner pointed out) was the driver side sun visor was broken and the headliner was starting to sag. It a real nice car but it is a private owner so a trade is not an option (she just ordered a new CTS-V...I'm jealous). I guess I need to list my car for sale, that would made any deal easier. I'm afraid by the time my car sells, the GTO will be gone. I will admit that after driving the GTO today, and knowing that both cars have basically the same motor, the Corvette seems much faster and more responsive. I realize the Corvette should be faster and handle better, but I was surprised how noticeable it was. It doesn't matter, there's something about the GTO, I still plan to go ahead with things (if the right deal can be found/made).

Car I looked at today...

My Corvette to trade (?)...

I do still love the Corvette, but looking at these two pictures, this GTO looks very good (and the GTO picture was taken with my phone)!

danfigg · 12-03-2012, 12:16 AM

for some one who owned a GTO and doesnt anymore calling it junk should just not post on here anymore. Join the C5 forum and talk about all your hopes and dreams about your C5 there. The GTO is a solid car that has a few issue just like any other car.---danfigg