GTO not doing so well :(

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

According to AutoWeek, sales for the GTO are way off target. I guess only about 2,000 GTOs have been sold so far. Their target was 16,000, but if they stay on this pace, they will only sell 8,000. This ain't good news...

[thomas]

Thats a shame!!!! I saw in fast ford mag (i think) they ran a new gto against the new mach 1 and the gto lost in 1/4!! If I remember it only ran a 13.5 I think. Anyway the mach 1 beat it. It ruined my day. With 350hp I thought it would run 12.9's all day. But I guess I was wrong. Sad , Sad, Day.

[Joe 1320]

I can tell you the feature that turned me off was the inability to access the rear seat without having to electrically move the seat to the most foreward position just to squeeze in. Even in my f-body, my 7 year old can squeeze behind the seat without moving it to get into the back seat area. That should have been re-thought before ever reaching production. It really makes me lean toward the 300C with the Hemi. GM is still losing it.

[N20LT4Bird]

I drove the GTO and wasnt all that impressed. It moves pretty good for box stock, but its no match for some of the other cars on the road. It feels heavy. Its a shame, they really could have done something wild with the new GTO.

[AmericanZ28]

I think a big part of the low sales numbers is a result of the ridiculous dealer mark up's! I went to my local GMC dealer the other day, and they had one in the showroom floor. There was a $6K dealer mark up on that thing! One of my old co-workers from the Chevrolet Dealer told me that he was thinking about buying one up until he saw the mark up, and was told that it would not be removed. What a RIP OFF!

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

Once again, GM is killing another car. My local dealer is asking $3000 over MSRP. If you want to know why the F-body died...again, GM. They continue to allow dealerships to rape the public by adding ridiculous markups to their vehicles. Ford, on the other hand, would never allow this to happen. Witness the Mustang. Ford sells these cars by the droves because you never pay more than MSRP. My lil sis walked away with a new Cobra (one of the first too) for less than MSRP. There was no "limited vehicle price adjustment" or anything. The Z06 is getting the same treatment. Try getting one from a dealer around central NJ for less than $55K...not gonna happen easily. If Pontiac sold these cars for $32K, they would sell them by the dozens. But, ask $35K or more...now you've got a bunch of cars that can be better bargains (i.e Infinity G35, BMW 3 series, Chrysler 300C, Jaguar, Lexus, Acura, etc.) Granted, they may have slightly less power than the GTO, but you can't argue with the list of cars in that price range...can you? I'm in the thirty-something crowd. It's getting harder for me to pass up entry level luxury cruisers for a Pontiac. (I know...it scares me too). But after driving these cars, lets just say, my Firebird is seriously showing it's engineering age. If I could, I'd be all over the new 300C with the Hemi. Nearly identical times to LT1 cars (braking, acceleration, and quarter mile), $37K fully loaded, and vast amounts of room in a gorgeously outfitted interior...wow. I wouldn't feel silly pulling up to valet parking at the next wedding I attend with this. However, the T/A...hmmm, maybe I'll leave it home.

GM needs to fix themselves...and soon. I'm starting to lose interest in their cars. The GTO has what it takes to compete...so long as the price is right. The Solstice is just not going to cut it for me...

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Ford would never let dealer markup happen?

Remember the Thunderbird? And they'll do it again with the GT...

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Originally posted by Al 96 Ram Air T/A
Ford, on the other hand, would never allow this to happen.

Sure they would. I remember looking at a pretty aqua metallic T-Bird that listed for $38,000 and had a $14,000 dealer mark-up on it. The dealer had it there forever, then had it on sale for $7000 off the dealer mark-up which made it only $7000 more than list. I think someone eventually bought it, but I would never buy a car or parts from that dealer again.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Originally posted by thomas
Thats a shame!!!! I saw in fast ford mag (i think) they ran a new gto against the new mach 1 and the gto lost in 1/4!! If I remember it only ran a 13.5 I think. Anyway the mach 1 beat it. It ruined my day. With 350hp I thought it would run 12.9's all day. But I guess I was wrong. Sad , Sad, Day.

I read that article too... actually, the GTO beat the Mach 1 in every single run of the day, except the last two of the Mach1... they were so close in fact that the writer said any race between the two would be decided by the driver. The GTO had its number all day long, until the very end...

12.9??? I dunno what you were thinking there man... the car weighs a good amount more than the f-body, has IRS, and 245 tires... all negatives for getting up and out of the hole. And you know the LS1 f-bods really had 350 HP, too... only the rarest of the rare hit 12s stock.

[Black97]

I've yet to see a GTO in public but from the pics I've seen it sucks.

What are they thinking? Make a pretty lame body style and then put GTO stickers on it and hope it sells well because of the original GTO's history and fame. What kind of strategie is this?

The new Mustangs or some Chrysler models are starting to sound and look better and better.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

GM is trying to figure out the entry level luxury market...with a dash of sport of course. The only problem is, they've got decades to catch up. The German and Japanese markets are solid in the mid thirty thousand range. GM needs to do something really radical to entice people over to the "dark side". I know I for one can't afford a $35K mistake. If they offered an incentive (low interest, rebates, no mark-up) maybe I'd give it a try. But I'm a die hard GM man. If I'm on the fence, forget about my peers who swore they'd never own another American car after the tragedy we call the mid 80's. Getting these guys to try out another high priced American car is going to be a challenge. Who could forget the Aries K, the Cavalier, the Sunbird, and the Allante?

[NorthernSS]

You guys are lucky to see them at all. There are coming to Canada so if I see one then it is pretty rare. But, maybe with there lacklustre sales some may come to Canada. Who knows???

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Originally posted by Black97
I've yet to see a GTO in public but from the pics I've seen it sucks.

What are they thinking? Make a pretty lame body style and then put GTO stickers on it and hope it sells well because of the original GTO's history and fame. What kind of strategie is this?

The new Mustangs or some Chrysler models are starting to sound and look better and better.

What they were thinking was how awesome the car is in Australia. It is based off the Monaro, remember... and the Monaro is a very strong selling, strong performing, popular car in Australia. Why wouldn't it be here? Well, we have the GTO's heritage... and the looks of this thing just aren't appealing to the people that they need to appeal to. In my own personal opinion, I think this new GTO stayed right along the lines of the old one... a big engine in a family car... the original GTO wasn't flashy looking either, I get a little frustrated when people say that this one isn't flashy enough...

[MN6WS6]

The problem is that you could walk onto a showroom in Australia, buy one for full sticker, have it imported and certified to US condition, and STILL save money. GM has hiked the price up so high that average joe can't afford it. I would love to have one, but if I'm going to spend 35k it's going to be on a 2 year old Mercedes or Lexus, not on a Pontiac.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

I will have to verify... but I am almost certain that the price, after exchange rate, of a GTO in Australia is approaching $50,000... then add shipping, and import charges... and you could buy two over here.