Pontiac G8 GT

[GeorgesBlazah]

Originally Posted by XRL

I seriously considered one. I really wanted the wagon, or the ute, but GM's killing of them both off really turned me off from GMs in general. The best way to explain that car is like this. Just like the GTO, Holden built a GREAT car. And then Pontiac got its hands on it, and anything they touched they screwed up.

The car has a fantastic powertrain and platform thanks to Holden, and the interior is spacious as well. The car is just fun to drive as well. But, the car was supposed to be a $30k+ car, but has no option for navigation(and no ability to replace the radio), no memory seats option, no parking sensors option, no HIDs option, etc. They marketed it as a muscle car and as a budget BMW, and its half of both. The sad part? In Australia, you can get all those options and more. Supposedly this is all because the nice features were supposed to go to a long wheel base version (sold in Australia as the Statesman) that was going to be a Buick, but was canceled.

Great driving car, but the rest of the car was horribly handled. If they had just sent the car over unchanged from Holden, including all the options they get, it'd have been a big hit, as opposed to a dismal failure.

Other things to watch. The resale value on them is pathetic. Getting parts for them is pretty much impossible. Guys have been without their cars for a month from minor fender benders or warranty work. You might get lucky and never have an issue, but you might also be unlucky and have constant problems that take forever to fix.

I'm still pulling for it to come back from a different brand. Hopefully with the wagon too. That'd be about the only way I'd consider another GM.

Parts hard to get? We got a hood, fender and trunk lid in less than a week from the dealer.

[BlackSunshine]

For the most part, I really like mine. Obviously, the motor is the crowning jewel for the GT/GXP. It runs really good for a two ton sedan, especially after CAI/catback/tune. The tune is highly recommended as it really helps sort out the sloppy stock transmission tuning. With the 6 speed auto, first gear is really aggressive and is a lot of fun, if you catch my "drift."

I love that it has enough room for me and three of my friends to travel long distances. The interior to me seems fine for a car I paid $27k for brand new. There are areas they could have improved on, but for the most part I really like the layout and design. The gauges look really cool at night, for what that's worth.

My main complaints are the ride. It rides a little rough for a car of this size. I assume a lot of it has to do with the 19" wheels. The stock Bridgestones on my car are worthless in slick conditions, as they are a "summer only" tire. There is a persistent "clunk" from the suspension in the front end that the dealership cannot seem to locate. From what I've read, it seems to be a ball joint going bad. Pretty sad at only 10K miles.

As was stated earlier, the lack of memory seats/nav/HIDs is kind of lame. I know they were trying to keep the car in a certain price point, but at least make those things options. I personally am swaying away from the performance and leaning more towards luxury, so my next car will probably be German.