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charlzm · #16 06-11-2004, 03:38 PM

Glenn,

I have a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. I'm looking to get rid of it in the next two or three years and have settled on the GTO as the vehicle of choice. Why? Performance and convenience. I'm 6'4 and just can't squeeze myself comfortably into BMWs.

Let me address some specific points you made about the interior:

... tons of feature deficiencies/omissions...no dead pedal
(I don't think I'll miss it much as I rarely use the one in my Grand Prix)
seat adjustments that move agonizingly slow
(not a problem since I'm the only one who will be driving it and I doubt I'll ever have anyone in the back seats)
no heated seats (on an only leather interior) , no heated rear view mirrors
( I live in sunny California and have used my Grand Prix's seat heater exactly zero times in 5.5 years)
no side or head air bags
(I'm fine without them - just more parts to break down or replace)
no sun roof
(sunroofs eat into headroom, which is at a premium for a guy my size)
no single or dual climate controls
(the dual zone in my Grand Prix has always been a source of consternation for the front seat passenger and its practical use is almost nil)
no satellite radio
(why would I want to subscribe to the radio??? I have a huge CD collection)
fair/poorly rated audio system
it sounded okay to me when I checked it out during the GM Auto Show in Motion autocross runs I did in the GTO)
steering wheel controls lack illumination
(talk about picking nits! The steering wheel controls on my Grand Prix work only intermittently after 5 years, anyway, including the lighting going out on them)
no rear seat heater ducts
(nobody's gonna be back there and my car won't see cold weather, anyway)
no pass through or drop down rear seat
(I'll survive, as I have never had cargo that required it with the Grand Prix)
no safety/insurance collision ratings 
(What the heck do you mean? Doesn't every car have to pass federal crash safety standards to be sold here in the USA?)
Such massive 'oversights' ie cost containment/decontenting is just foolish in this market segment.
This may be true, but it makes the car more appealing to me. If I hapen to be a smaller target market than GM had in mind, well... they'll sell less GTOs. Hopefully that will bring the price down by the time I'm ready to buy.

The only option I would add for internals to the GTO is a HUD. I love it in my Grand Prix and would hate to lose it.

Other options would be a fully-defeatable traction control (which I would leave off all the time except when driving in rainy weather) and a more advanced ABS system.

I have to admit that I am somewhat frustrated with the quality of my Grand Prix. It now has about 105,000 miles on it and I have had two power window actuators go out (was there something wrong with hand cranked windows that I missed?), the PCM burn out at 49,000 miles (caused by a failure in the emissions control equipment, so it was covered under warranty), two "premium" sound packages with CD players that don't load discs properly (you'd think AC Delco would know how to make a freakin' radio by now), a climate control unit that makes cricket chirping sounds all the time and has since it was brand new... you get the picture.

So... why would I want GM to add features that it may not be able ot pull off well?

I had been looking at a G35, but when I climbed in to check it out, I saw too many electronic gizmos that will require repair or replacement. I also didn't care for the ergonomics of the interior.

The Acura TL is a nice piece, but... it just doesn't ignite my passion like the GTO does. Maybe I like the GTO's styling because it reminds me of my current car, which I think has a subtle sportiness to it. I like the lines.

Subaru WRX? Mitsubishi Lancer? God, they're awful looking cars. Undeniable performance, though...

A nice used C5 Corvette coupe might be nice, but I really want a new car.

All this having been said, I plan on purchasing a GTO and adding an aftermarket hood with scoops (I like the MPD hood: http://www.mpd-inc.net/GTO.htm ). I am also planning on switching to a dual/dual exhaust if someone comes out with an attractive, somewhat subtle rear fascia, putting a new, grippier wheel/tire package on it and, most importantly, bolting on the Vette ZO6 LS1's heads, camshaft and whatever else needed to up the HP to the 400 range.

This'll put me up into the extra $10,000 range, but there's nothing in the 40 - 45k range that really interests me.

The GTO is the car I have been dreaming of owning for literally years, ever since I first visited a Holden website in 1999. I looked at the Monaro coupe concept then sketched a version with a 1970 GTO "bird's beak" grill.

In 2000, I sent e-mails to Pontiac and all the car magazines telling them how cool it would be to have the Monaro in the USA as a GTO. Heck, I even wrote Cadillac and urged them to build a high-performance variant of the Catera using the LS1 in hopes of seeing something like the 2004 GTO on these shores.

I visited Jim Wanger's garage a few years ago to see the Holden HSV GTS he had shipped over from down under.

I was very, very excited when Lutz made the Big Announcement. Finally, my "dream car" was actually going to be here.

I'm saying all this to let you know I am more than a little biased. Yes, the GTO could stand more features to compete with luxury cars. But I worry that there woudl be no "delete" option on all that superfluous stuff. I don't want or need a single thing that the GTO is supposedly missing in the way of refinement.

Keep your DVD navigation system; I'll check the map before I leave or pull over to look at it. Hands free bluetooth cell phone technology? I turn my phone off when driving to be a safe driver. MP3 player and satellite radio? I don't have any MP3 tehnology and anyway, I like to listen to what I want to listen to when I want to hear it.

Give me a capable chassis, a powerful engine and a comfortable seat and I don't care how bland the car looks, as long as it's not Aztek-ugly.