There are legions of criminally underappreciated cars in our midst, and their lack of popularity has little to do with their engineering. No, we have discounted truly great vehicles on the basis of styling. The 996-era Porsche 911 is a tremendous value as a sports car, but we don’t like the headlights. In a similar vein, the rebirth of the Pontiac GTO in the firth generation should have been a moment all enthusiasts celebrated, but it was instead seen as a bit of a flop, mostly due to the conservative styling. These days, the GTO sits out there as a mostly affordable modern-day muscle car but otherwise forgotten. This 2006 GTO listed here on craigslist has been mechanically refreshed and is listed for sale at $23,000.
That’s a fairly high ask for one of these, but I understand why the seller is listing it at that price. First, as an ’06, it has the desirable LS2 engine, which offered a strong boost in performance over the 2004 model. With the manual transmission, 0-60 was achieved in under 5 seconds and it reached a top speed of almost 160 miles per hour. When you put it in those terms, the asking price seems quite reasonable. Despite having 132,000 miles, the seller believes it is “…better than it was new,” and while that may seem like an exaggeration, he has made quite a few improvements.
All of the body bushings have been replaced, and the shocks/struts and rack-and-pinion steering unit were likewise refreshed with new components. The seller then went so far as to remove the engine and give it a full re-seal, ensuring it won’t leave a drop on your garage floor. The automatic gearbox was similarly dropped and refreshed with new seals and a new torque converter. Hell, he even redid the seats and installed new sound insulation to get rid of the rattles it left the factory with. It’s rare that you see a modern-day enthusiast vehicle get properly sorted out, but this owner appears to have done the hard work that most don’t want to do.
Modifications are limited to a Volant cold air box and a carbon fiber one-piece driveshaft. Now, the tough thing for this seller is the market doesn’t really support his pricing. On major auction platforms, cars with near-delivery miles have struggled to break $30,000. You can find a 6-speed GTO in decent shape for under $20,000 quite easily (when they do appear for sale.) All of this, in my opinion, is the hang-over effect of the GTO not being a home run when sold new, and it will likely be a few years yet before values rise to the point of it achieving respect in the marketplace – if ever. Do you think this imported GTO should be more appreciated in the marketplace?
I think the seller is being a wee bit optimistic with his ask. That said, if I were in his position, I might price the car even higher and then — reluctantly — accept a little less. I mean, why not?
The Aussie GTO is not all that high on my wish list, but would make a fine everyday cruiser, which can also get rowdy when asked. It’s so much nicer with that six-speed goodness, though.
I looked at these when they were introduced and what wasn’t to like? Well the price tag, here’s the thing. Pontiac is hanging on, and the promise of an all new GTO what went wrong? Well in my humble opinion was the everything approach. The Car was more like an Oldsmobile as far as creature comfort. The original and the next few years it was a hotrod LeMans. No fancy equipment, yes you could order A/C power steering and brakes etc.. These had leather interiors plushness. Is that even a word? I thought honestly this should have been something more basic and priced a bit lower without all the bells and whistles would have sold better, a muscle car. Maybe not, but the numbers were not there to save the brand. Pontiac division even had hopes of bringing a Holden Ute to the US about this time, but you have to sell cars. This will.ake someone a great daily driver, as the author noted it’s an LS2 that’s a solid engine.
What held back the GTO was it did not look in any a GTO. It held its own as far as performance and horsepower and was offered with a manual transmission. As far as creature comforts they were the same as a Mustang but the Mustang looked like a mustang. Seems Australia got all the really nice cars you could get a 2008 Holden W427 same engine that was in the Z06 Corvette. In 2008 you could get a Ford FPV GT with a 405 HP V8 in a four door and a 6 speed. Why none of those cars and there are more were never offered here in the US is a mystery.