Overview & Reviews

The Pontiac GTO may have been the first true muscle car, but that distinction has never been enough to assure it an uninterrupted production run. Already, the GTO has used up two lives. Originally produced from 1964-'74, the GTO was resurrected for the 2004 model year after a 30-year hiatus. There was no convertible body style this time, but the car was at least a proper rear-drive two-door coupe, courtesy of Holden, General Motors' Australian division. The new GTO (née Holden Monaro) was a definite sleeper style-wise, but in keeping with its muscle car heritage, it brought some serious under-hood heat. Unloved by consumers during its production run due to interior quirks and anonymous styling, this modern GTO now constitutes something of a performance bargain on the used-car market.

Most Recent Pontiac GTO

The original Pontiac GTO was nicknamed "the Goat" as much for its defiant, stripped-to-the-basics personality as for the letters in its name. The 2004-'06 incarnation was so much more refined and upscale that to call it a Goat would almost have been an insult. Many of the old car's charms had also been lost in translation, including its affordable price tag. The new coupe started in the low $30Ks -- hardly an attainable sum for young, cash-strapped enthusiasts. Bland exterior styling was another weak point.

Power initially came from a 5.7-liter V8, but Pontiac swapped in a larger 6.0-liter V8 the following year. The bigger engine took the GTO up to a cool 400 horsepower, but between the 2+2 coupe's high price and dull styling, Pontiac simply couldn't sell enough of them. As a result, the Pontiac GTO was discontinued after the 2006 model year.

Still, when it came to acceleration, there was no denying the reborn GTO's status as a full-on muscle car. Equipped with the LS1 V8 rated for 350 hp and 365 pound-feet of torque, 2004 models could get to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and blaze through a quarter-mile in 14 seconds flat -- quicker than any of the original GTOs. More impressive were the 2005 and '06 models, which had the 6.0-liter V8. Rated for 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, these models shaved more than half a second off that quarter-mile time.

Although the Pontiac GTO was plenty comfortable for highway cruising, its soft suspension really wasn't tuned to handle this much power. With its sluggish reflexes, excessive body roll and weak brakes, its dynamics were no match for the sharper-handling competitors in this price range. Had the car been priced $5,000 or so less, these faults might have been forgivable. Depreciation has mitigated this criticism, however, as used GTOs can be found for a fraction of the MSRP when new.

Past Pontiac GTO models

Introduced in 1964, the original GTO went through six generations before dying off after the 1974 model year. Always a rear-wheel-drive car, it was sold as both a two-door hardtop and a convertible with an assortment of big V8s. Legend has it that Pontiac stole the GTO name from the equally legendary Ferrari 250 GTO, a car whose name was an acronym for "Gran Turismo Omologato."

Save for the "detuned" 1973 and '74 models, just about any Pontiac GTO from the original era is considered collectible and will bring a high price at auction, provided it's in good condition and has a matching numbers engine (meaning the car still has the original factory engine). Convertibles are rarer than hardtops. The ostentatious GTO Judge model, sold in both body styles, is also less common. Among 1960s GTOs, models with one of the Ram Air packages are most prized, while the 1970 year saw the GTO's performance peak with the availability of a massive 455-cubic-inch V8 good for 500 lb-ft of torque.

User Reviews:

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  2005 GTO - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Mike - August 16 - 5:06 pm

  The GTO is a fun car to drive. It is an everyday car with a very comfortable interior design. With the 6.0, you do not lack performance.

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  not bad at all - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By simon - August 15 - 2:10 am

  i bought the 2004 with incentives and im glad i did , very tightly built , smooth acceleration, love listening to that deep exhaust when just cruising at like 70 , you get to 70 so fast you dont even realize it. if you want a real quick american v8for 34000 you cant beat it . not many cars faster in this price range or less and the interior seats are flawless , you get macnine pedals , you get the whole race car feel and still room in the bac seat for 2 more people , yes unlike the mustang there is room there .

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  yeah - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By JAy ZEe - August 13 - 5:23 pm

  Buy this and forever be king of the street! Great car, its a sleeper, noone knows its a gto untill you drop the clutch and speed ahead and they see it on the back. best coup i have ever ownd and i have ownd a corvette,a mustange, and a 840ci.

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  The best GTO ever !!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By GTO by Ben - July 24 - 3:50 am

  I had a 1966 and 1968 GTO from the same dealer I got my 2005 Midnight Blue GTO Cant believe the sound and power from the LS2 400hp engine.Very comfortable ride and did I mention the POWER. Great sounding radio system,love the six-disc cd changer. I agree that it looks so much better in person.

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  Awesome!!!!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Metro - July 15 - 2:00 pm

  I had a 99 Mustang Cobra for 2 years & it was great! (320 HP) The GTO puts that to SHAME! yesterday the police called & said I had cows out, I hopped on the freeway & was running 130mph in 4th gear & it wasnt red lined! (still had 5th & 6th to go but traffic was too heavy) The cobra would red line at 128mph in 4th & it was only a five speed! It didnt even have overdrive, 5th gear was a 1:1 ratio. This is the strongest and fastest car I have ever been in! I bought it on 3-13-09 & the original owner was 75 & it only had 16500 miles on it. If you find one that aint ragged out, you will love it! & you cant beat the price for the 400HP!

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  Lemon - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By cyclops24 - June 26 - 1:50 am

  I love my GTO. Unfortunately I got a lemon. Leaking head gasket, fuel injector wiring harness failure, numerous exhaust leaks and my biggest issue, paint flaws through and etching. I have been without my car for a total of 52 days in less than one years time. Currently in the process of lemon law.

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  Great vehicle to drive - quite zippy - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By SR Peterson - June 9 - 1:06 am

  This vehicle is fun to drive. Although getting into the rear seat with is difficult, once there, the seat in back rivals the bucket seats in the front. This car sounds and responds wonderfully. The dash has a neat feature in the color of the dash in the daylight is different to the color at night (it turns black when the lights are on due to placement). The car seems to be very reliable.

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  gto review - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By jakedy - June 8 - 3:50 pm

  i love this car. its fast and handles well but lacks in the muscular look like the older gto.

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  bobs gto - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By bob - June 2 - 1:06 pm

  Outstanding vehicle; excellent handling, performance above expectations, a huge improvement over original circa 60s GTOs (I had both a 1965 and a new 1968)

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  Move out of my way! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By gazpipe - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought my black on black goat in March of 2010. I didnt even drive it, i just started it up. I drove it off the lot and hit the highway from Modesto to Sacramento. The wheels chirp with a touch of the pedal and I love my car and thank God all the time for it. No mechanical problems. My auto shifter did break (the part that pushes in to engage the trans) but I glued with crazy glue. People love to scratch up my back bumper because theyre haters and careless. Dont hate, appreciate. Maybe if they save up their money and if there are any left they can have one too. People always say "what! you have a gto!" I say "yes, black on black and I love it", it beats anything on the road!