Just want to say to Mr Bayard you make some very informed observations. However, I do not condone your reference to Bob Lutz and his staff of being idiots. They did their homework and produced what would be accepted by the widest possible demograph based on market analysis. I have owned many new cars from Chevy to Ford to Toyota to BMW. Not one of them was perfect. I have possessed at least one Pontiac throughout my driving life and at least some opinions had complaints about each one. The body cladding Pontiac was so famous for during the '80's and '90's was deemed unsightly by nearly every automotive publications produced, but in my opinio, it looked great. I have not yet purchased the '04 GTO but I will within the next few weeks. I, too, considered the G35 Coupe, and 3 series BMW, but in my opinion, the GTO is a superior buy. If the car doesn't measure up to your standards, buy whatever does measure up. But don't knock what is desirable to other people.
Side air bags, or any airbags for that matter, are of absolutely no importance to me. I live in the St. Louis Metro area and as my daily driver 88 Monte SS, 71 Lemans Sport, neither of which has airbags, anti-lock brakes or any modern so-called safety equipment. I drive courteously and safely and I feel more secure in either of these vehicles than my wife's '03 Z71.
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