I think it looks great, and I wouldn't mind having one. Before buying my WRX, my previous weekend toy was a 2000 Z28 6-speed. That car was pretty damn fast with only a Borla catback, whisper lid and K&N filter. The LS1 is awesome. My scooby is fun, but I gotta tell ya, I miss being able to chirp the tires and kick the *** end out hitting 3rd gear. Plus, just the raw torque and brute force of that car was so much fun. Not to mention, when you went ***** out it was really loud and sounded very mean... I'd consider buying something like that GTO or maybe the next gen Mustang in the future. It's all good, being a car enthusiast means you can like all sorts of different cars for different reasons.

The STi and EVO are awesome cars for the $, but they represent a specific category of cars. Just because the EVO can perform in a similar fashion to, let's say, a 911 Porsche... doesn't mean I'd rather drive an EVO than the 911. Often times driving experience is more important than raw HP, 1/4 times, or track #s. There is a local guy here in Utah that tends to leave his STi at home and bring his Mini Cooper S to the Subaru meets. Sure, I can pass that Mini easily on a straightaway with my Stage 2 WRX, but when we hit the twisties he is GONE, leading a line of Subies though the mountains. That car is a great example of something not particularly fast, but just plain fun to drive. Ahh well, I'm rambling.

 

First the GTO is ugly. But I'm glad to see GM starting to realize there is a market for horsepower. Now if they just built something that was a little more competitive with SRT-4 and did it better, then I would think GM has finally acheived enlightenment.

 

Well, it seems to me that GM is filling a hole left by the end of the Camaro/Firebird production. The GTO being a 2-door RWD V8 gives them something in the <$50,000 (Corvette) range for performance oriented drivers. It appears they are making a slightly better run at the sport compact market with the Cobalt that I've seen. It's essentially the next gen Cavalier although if you look at the interior, exterior and horsepower it's not a bad package if you want something domestic. I'd buy an SRT-4 before that thing in a heartbeat though. Even if GM or Ford came out with a really competitive sport compact tomorrow, I suspect they'd have an uphill battle. They have just never really had much of a presence in the market segment, and aftermarket support would probably be hesitant. If you look at what Dodge has accomplished with the SRT-4 though, there is definitely potential. They're going to have to deliver something competitive, and it's hard to say if that will ever happen. I look at the Cobalt and it screams something that a 20 year old girl would buy (no offense, ladies ).

 

Well, that's the thing... it's NOT an American car. It's an Austrailian car imported over here with very minor changes. I haven't driven one so I cannot talk about the quality of materials, but it's definitely not fair to assume that it is bad. Have you seen the interior pics? It sure doesn't look like any American car I've ever seen inside. This is not your everyday GM that we've been offered over here for years. And I challenge you to tell me when you've seen parts falling off an LS1? I will take an LS1 and T56 tranny any day for reliability...

 

heh, yeah and fat greedy Austrailians as well apparently. The Monaro (as the GTO is named down under) is not a new vehicle. They've been enjoying their "muscle car" Monaro since 1968 I believe...? I really don't know how much American influence (if any) the car has had. It would be interesting to find out though...

http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/...?modelid=12001

PS - My 2000 Z28 with the LS1 got 30mpg on the highway and about 18-20 around town. Overall, a better average than my WRX.

 

Good info, thanks man!