Youall have many good points especially the one "it would make a great GranPrix" but missed the real reason for the 04 failure.
Pontiac did not want to hear from their original base and told us so when we gave them input, pre-production and after test runs that I was personally involved in.
This car was aimed at the upscale BMW crowd, pure and simple. Now that is has failed to attract that market, they are going to try and entice $30K+ from the same buyers that they didn't want to hear from by adding "options" like the functional ramair scoops on the 2005.
If you can afford to buy, make it a 6spd and you will enjoy all aspects of the car after a few computer mods like making it think it is 55degrees for one..
If you opt for an automatic, and I advise against it, plan on competing with that 05 Mustang from a roll at 25mph because if you try to go from the light, the three competing computers will pull timing out of the motor and you will get dusted.
We had three computer geeks working with us and could not defeat the computers on a chassis dyno, let alone the track.
Now having said all this, if you just want a nice car to cruise in at 130mph and can afford the tarrif, buy it. It is quiet, handles well, stops well and rides great but as is, it's not a GTO.
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