Basically in about 4-5 months ill have enough cheese to put a decent down payment down for a car. Initially i was looking at Cobalt SS, GTI, WRX, bacically front or all wheel drive cars because i live in CHICAGO....anyone that lives here knows how ****ty it is driving in winter. So anyone can give info on driving a 2004 in snow please do, it would be much appreciated. Second i was looking on cars.com and they have 04's with 10,000 miles or less for like 20-22,000, now i know the new one has a substancial upgrade in power but an 04 still has 350 hp. What im getting at is why the huge depreciation (32,000-22,000) with very few miles? Im guessing because its just not all that popular or what people though it should be, but DAMN its fast as **** cheap looks good (imo) and has a pretty interior....so is there any catch or is this car just a really nice buy....oh and if anyone out there is 21 yrs old (like myself) can you give me a ball park on insurance?? THX!!
Thinking about buying used 2004 GTO
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Got my 04 Friday. I love it. Its an 04 with 3200 miles, Black, Red interior, .6-speed. I paid a little more for the low miles. $24500. Its plenty fast. It seems faster than my 98 Corvette, C5 6 speed, but I don't know. I can start in 3rd gear without even bogging the engine(not on purpose). I'm sure the 05's are better, but I like my 04.
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I bought an 04 2months ago with 6,000 miles ($22,000) and I love it ,It would be nice to have that extra 50 horse but it is still very fast
Im 21 and looking at an 05 and i got a quote, my insurance went up 200 bucks a year over what im paying for my honda right now. Plus being in Oklahoma, we have the 3rd highest insurance rates in the country. I was surprised that the change was so little. More money for mods!!!!
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13 Posts
"So anyone can give info on driving a 2004 in snow please do, it would be much appreciated."
Well, I can help you out! I have first hand experience of driving a GTO through the worst snowstorm I have ever been a part of. It was middle of December 2004, and I was (ironically) coming home from Chicago to Grand Rapids, MI. Michigan City, IN received 25" of snow that day. I-94 was shut down, and they got everyone off the highway. Every single hotel room was packed. No where to stay. Every truck driver and gas station attendant was saying, "If you don't have a hotel now, you're sleeping in you car tonight."
Bu!!$hit I said. I AM getting home.
I drove from Michigan City to South Bend on a two lane black top road. There was probably a standing foot of snow on the road it's self, with countless whoops, ditches, divets, ruts and everything thing else you can imagine from wet, packed snow. The car was litterally jumping off of the ground it was that bad, and I am NOT exaggerating.
Bottom line: I got home with NO problem. Well, it took me 10 hours to accomplish what normally is a 3-hour task, but that was from being limited to 35mph. What you need to do is simply get a set of Blizzak snow tires, some round 45lbs weight plates (Ivanko, Olympia, etc.) and lay them down in the truck for weight, which adds ballast, but takes up no truck space. Turn the traction control off. If you have any sort of driving competance, there is no way you'll have a problem with a snow-tire shod GTO.
A couple of years ago I had a 2001.5 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8T with Blizzaks. The GTO wasn't quite as awesome as that thing was in the snow, but quite honestly, it's better in the snow than my 2002 Chevrolet Blazer ZR-2 was with the stock tires. Tires make the difference on the GTO as they do any vehicle.
Well, I can help you out! I have first hand experience of driving a GTO through the worst snowstorm I have ever been a part of. It was middle of December 2004, and I was (ironically) coming home from Chicago to Grand Rapids, MI. Michigan City, IN received 25" of snow that day. I-94 was shut down, and they got everyone off the highway. Every single hotel room was packed. No where to stay. Every truck driver and gas station attendant was saying, "If you don't have a hotel now, you're sleeping in you car tonight."
Bu!!$hit I said. I AM getting home.
I drove from Michigan City to South Bend on a two lane black top road. There was probably a standing foot of snow on the road it's self, with countless whoops, ditches, divets, ruts and everything thing else you can imagine from wet, packed snow. The car was litterally jumping off of the ground it was that bad, and I am NOT exaggerating.
Bottom line: I got home with NO problem. Well, it took me 10 hours to accomplish what normally is a 3-hour task, but that was from being limited to 35mph. What you need to do is simply get a set of Blizzak snow tires, some round 45lbs weight plates (Ivanko, Olympia, etc.) and lay them down in the truck for weight, which adds ballast, but takes up no truck space. Turn the traction control off. If you have any sort of driving competance, there is no way you'll have a problem with a snow-tire shod GTO.
A couple of years ago I had a 2001.5 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8T with Blizzaks. The GTO wasn't quite as awesome as that thing was in the snow, but quite honestly, it's better in the snow than my 2002 Chevrolet Blazer ZR-2 was with the stock tires. Tires make the difference on the GTO as they do any vehicle.
AWESOMO 4000 - I am glad you replied before I did- I drove in some light snow in New Jersey, 2" or so, and I was dismayed at how poorly the stock tires did. The rear just spun and the front just slid. No go. No stop. No turning. TC just killed the "feel".
I was in an empty parking lot learning the feel of the car before I had to deal with trffic. The thought of driving on public roads with trafic scared me.
I learned how to drive in the Albany NY area, not as much snow as your neck of the woods but I took every opportunity to play in the snow that I could. When everyone else was snowed in I had the playground to myself.
Are the Blizzaks decent for the rest of the year?
I was in an empty parking lot learning the feel of the car before I had to deal with trffic. The thought of driving on public roads with trafic scared me.
I learned how to drive in the Albany NY area, not as much snow as your neck of the woods but I took every opportunity to play in the snow that I could. When everyone else was snowed in I had the playground to myself.
Are the Blizzaks decent for the rest of the year?
From what ive heard, the blizzaks will wear incredibly quickly when its not winter.
thanks for all the info....hopefully in five months (with some money saving discipline) ill be smokin the streets of chi-town! Man i really want this car it is such a great deal money wise for a used 04, the performance is tip top, a couple of mods will make it a tough car to beat, and ill be able to drive it to some degree during winter!....now anyone wanna loan me some money to get one now? :rofl:
Sooner is correct, blizzaks do wear out pretty fast. You pretty much need to wait as long as you can to put them on and take them as soon as you can also. They work good though
car sale
man i hate to do it but 30,000 would buy my o4. you want it?
im 37 and pay 135$ a mo. for ins. no accendents, no tickets, gieco.
man i hate to do it but 30,000 would buy my o4. you want it?
im 37 and pay 135$ a mo. for ins. no accendents, no tickets, gieco.
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13 Posts
No, I take the Blizzaks off in the spring. They're pretty mushy on pavement, but not dangerous or anything. Just feels like the stock tires are at 20psi or something like that. The nice part? They're super soft and make the car ride a lot smoother on the highway. It's like you flipped a switch to "Lincoln Town Car" or something.
They're good for about 2 seasons of driving. Naturally, the rears take the brunt of the abuse and wear quicker than the rears. You want to keep the TC on during dry days to help preserve the rear tires. 20 degree weather and 350hp aren't a recipie for adhesion. I got the Blizzak WS-50s. I had them on my A4 and loved them, so I got them for this thing too. After that little nightmare last December, I will never not own a pair of Blizzak snow tires, no matter what kind of car I have. Short of BFG All-Terrains, they're unbeatable in snow and more importantly, ice.
The treads are remarkably soft. You can push on them with your finger and make them deflect. They remind me of the foam "indoor" tires that came with my Stomper trucks when I was little.
They're good for about 2 seasons of driving. Naturally, the rears take the brunt of the abuse and wear quicker than the rears. You want to keep the TC on during dry days to help preserve the rear tires. 20 degree weather and 350hp aren't a recipie for adhesion. I got the Blizzak WS-50s. I had them on my A4 and loved them, so I got them for this thing too. After that little nightmare last December, I will never not own a pair of Blizzak snow tires, no matter what kind of car I have. Short of BFG All-Terrains, they're unbeatable in snow and more importantly, ice.
The treads are remarkably soft. You can push on them with your finger and make them deflect. They remind me of the foam "indoor" tires that came with my Stomper trucks when I was little.
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