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:

• 

  Best Muscle Car - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Fast GTO - March 11 - 6:23 pm

  Quite frankly the most comfortable and best built muscle car you can get. Drives like a Bimmer and pulls like a freight train.

• 

  Fast, Fun and Beautiful 2005 GTO - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Fast Fun and Quality - February 3 - 1:33 am

  After my first test drive in this GTO I knew it was going to be mine. I have owned the GTO for approximately 1 year and still cant wait to drive it. With a small investment including a chip, exhaust and intake, this car has truly become a beast. You can drive the GTO to work on a daily basis with no mechanical issues. Caution: all vehicles on the roadway think of the 6.0 GTO as a threat and will attempt to race you, Ferrari, Porsche, Mustang, SRT-8. I get questions about this car at every service shop. If you purchase a GTO be prepared to love your ride, it is a fun beautiful car.

• 

  Get one before it is too late! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By jay baronoff - February 1 - 8:40 am

  Disregard what you hear about the new goat not being "retro" enough and buy one before gm kills it off. I had a 64 gto as a teenager and again about 15 years ago. I have waited a long time for pontiac to do it again and the wait was worth it. The performance and the quality are second to none. I changed the front grilles and spolier to the sport appearance package items. Also bought three sets of the "gto" letters from the 04 trunklid and applied one set on the right rear decklid and two sets on the rear quarter panels, just like the goats of the 60s. Makes a big difference in capuring the gto look. I bought this as a "keeper" to tuck away and drive on sunny days.

• 

  Solid Car, Well Built, Excellent Quality - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By GoatFink - January 28 - 6:10 pm

  Fast, fun to drive, nice comfy interior and still outsmokes a Mustang GT with 1 or 4 occupants. 0-60 is at 4.6 seconds and you wont find that in a Mustang in 2005. Its unique, not many on the road and looks like a Euro sports car rather than an American Boy racer machine. It is not an embarassing car to drive that requires striping, etc to be arrogant or flamboyant and the engine roars just to let you know who is boss.

• 

  2004 gto - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By ashley002 - January 18 - 2:00 am

  I cant believe the performance and feel of the GTO! My husband talked me into buying the car even without driving it. (I had NEVER done that before). But, I can honestly say this is the BEST car I have EVER driven. I would recomend this vehicle to anyone!!!

• 

  GM version of the M5 - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By chiefburn - January 8 - 11:26 pm

  Have always had interest in uncommon cars. Wanted a C6 vette (see numbers of these every day) but still have teen at home and needed a back seat. The power along with the not-around- every-corner availability has proven to be a fantastic match. Everywhere I go someone wants to know what it is and does it go as fast as it looks and sounds. It provides the ideal combination of usable pedal to the road power and performance wanted in a new muscle car with the comfort level the 60s cars could only dream of. Even though it requires premium gas, the 21 mpg average mileage is higher than expected.

• 

  Great Car - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Nick - January 5 - 3:56 am

  This is the fastest car that most people will ever drive. The performance is awesome. I must say however, that the suspension does not match the engine. I guess to get that you have to spend the extra $20K and get a Corvette. Awesome car though, worth every penny.

• 

  2004 bought used - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By gm_dave - January 4 - 5:33 am

  I purchased a one owner clean carfax GTO in December, 2012. The car developed some strange problems including the rocker panels filling with water (removing drain plugs solved the problem), which caused the interior floor to flood after it rained. The horn also went off randomly by itself and the air bag fault alarm was triggered by the airbag sensor located under the passenger seat. I had all of the aforementioned issues resolved and the car has been great since.

• 

  The new (albeit dead) face of Gm - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By AdamH - December 11 - 12:56 am

  This car is arguably the most solid car that have driven, or even been in. It has an Audi grade interio, and has 1 important feature imports do not have: The legendary 350 chevy in the form of LS1. The amount of refinement in this entire car is almost appalling from a muscle car standpoint. I am 22, just got the car about 3 weeks ago ans simply love it. There is a strong possiblity that after I graduate college (in 1 year) I will by a 2006 also.

• 

  Look Twice... - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By grave555 - December 5 - 2:46 pm

  Ive owned and driven a truck for eight years. After finally getting a chance to get my long awaited sports car, I bought the Pontiac GTO. My 2004 model drives and feels like a European business coupe, but the pedal feels like good ol American muscle. The new GTO is a unassuming beast, only recognized when you hear it roar.