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.
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.
