2006 Pontiac GTO 6.0 V8 from North America

Summary:

American muscle at its best

Faults:

Front hub assembly replaced under warranty at 6350 miles.

Air conditioning condenser at 8000 miles, and again at 10,600 miles.

Radius rod bushings and strut mounts at 37895 miles.

General Comments:

I'm really enjoying this car. I love the styling, interior is great. Very comfortable seats. Plenty of passing power.

Ave gas mileage in city driving was 18.3, and hwy driving was 22.6.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd August, 2011

3rd Aug 2011, 09:48

These were really cool cars. Sad that Pontiac is no more. But these GTO weren't American cars, they were Australian actually, a rebadged Holden Monaro. By the end of its run, most Pontiacs were either rebadged Holdens, or in the case of the Vibe, Toyotas.

4th Aug 2011, 21:32

I personally think this generation GTO was absolutely hideous. It reminds me of the Cobalt coupe. I think the 90's Ford Thunderbirds are sexier.

19th Jan 2013, 19:23

I own a 2006 GTO, and in the past I owned a 1994 Ford Thunderbird, and there is no comparison in build quality and HP for sure. I bought the T-Bird new, and it was constant headaches and high maintenance after 40,000 miles. The GTO beats the Thunderbird hands down!

2006 Pontiac GTO LS2 6 speed from North America

Summary:

Great, affordable and reliable horsepower

Faults:

The GTO has had a couple of rear end alignment issues. The GTO would eat the right rear tire. 12k and 23k.

The posi trac differential does not work very well.

General Comments:

Excellent car, impressive gas mileage for a 400+ hp car. The GTO averages 17-19 in town and 24-27 on the highway, using ethanol free gas.

Great stereo.

Great handling.

Fair brakes.

Could use an extra set of cup holders.

Once you get in the back seats, they are really comfortable.

My old Camaro did better at the drag strip.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th March, 2011

30th Mar 2011, 08:37

You did NOT complain about cup holders did you? LOL!! Your drink would be plastered to the back window anyhow wouldn't it??

30th Mar 2011, 11:20

"The posi trac differential does not work very well."

- GM limited slips are garbage. There are any number of good ones from places like Moroso.

2006 Pontiac GTO LS2 from North America

Summary:

LOVE IT! So glad I bought this 06!!!

Faults:

The gas "door" doesn't work, brought it to the dealer, had the door replaced with a new one. It still didn't work, can hear the mechanism, but had to file down the plastic and pull the door open with my fingernail when filling up; not a huge deal, but unpleasant for me.

Mpg averages only 13 in the city, never gets over 15, probably needs a tune up. Brought it in to the dealer, said the computer would tell me if something was wrong, no messages yet.

General Comments:

I looked at this car and read lots of reviews on it. It beat everything I read in a straight line.

A bit of a sleeper, meaning it doesn't scream, "LOOK AT ME!" It is reserved, and simply says don't choke on my exhaust punk!

This car is my favorite car ever!

It burns rubber going 35mph.

You've read the bad points, small trunk etc, then buy a mini van.

I absolutely love my GTO with the corvette LS2 engine, hello! Absolutely no regrets whatsoever!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th June, 2010

2006 Pontiac GTO from North America

Summary:

Good car that could have been better

Faults:

Lack of availability of replacement seat covers. Those that are out there are very expensive or no longer in stock. Leather seats' stitching coming apart.

Paint chipping.

Differential "whining", which is very expensive to replace due to being out of warranty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th October, 2009

2006 Pontiac GTO 6.0 Liter from North America

Summary:

Generally reliable and fun, fast, a little rough-riding and a bit of a gas hog

Faults:

Battery failed once, at about 17 or 18,000 miles. Car was towed to dealership where purchased, battery replaced under warranty at that time.

General Comments:

I've driven it for over 3 years now from when it still had the plastic on the seats. I bought the 06 model because I did not like the 04 models (too plain -- no hood scoops, sometimes no spoilers, etc). Mine has a higher 'sport' rear spoiler, but personally I believe if you're going to drive a muscle car, let the car look the part a little bit, or else just get a sedan. The cabin isn't bad, for an American muscle car it's fairly classy actually (at least compared to the way the older GM sports cars used to be -- Camaros, TA's, etc, basically all plasticky and cheap-looking really).

Overall, on a daily basis, it feels solid, but a bit heavy. Handling does not exactly feel razor-sharp, in my opinion, but it's not bad either. These cars ride generally on the harder side and rather lose their composure, in my opinion, over anything but the smoother roads. So this constant bumping around over any roads with any kinds of holes and pits can be quite annoying at times. Braking is strong (and the brakes with the red GTO calipers look cool too).

Ice-cold A/C in the summers, and good warm heat in the winters -- although the car is not truly drivable in snowy or icy conditions due to its RWD, its torque, and the Z-rated tires it sits on. You really need to have access to a second car if you live anywhere there's a real winter.

You'll get, unless you are always on the expressways, only around 13 - 14 miles per gallon, even without your foot in it all the time. That can get a bit expensive when gas prices spike. You'll gas it up about once every week, if it's your daily urban or suburban driver, and a tank will cost you around 35 dollars in this car (as of summer '09). But when it had spiked last year it was much more, and that's about once a week bear in mind...

Insurance = a bit on the high side, due to the HP rating, etc (and it's much worse if the primary driver is young, of course).

Overall it's very reliable and livable as a day-to-day driver. The 400 hp in this car feels more linear to me, rather than explosive, although there are some serious power points. Putting it all the way to the floor from a light, especially with the traction control off, will have you burning rubber and even fishtailing. I have even fishtailed it (with T/C off) and ripped the tires pretty well while already going over 30mph. So, I guess if you really get aggressive with it, it can be a little 'explosive' after all. But it feels more like a Clark Kent/ Superman type of thing (easy to drive with windows up, slow music and A/C on, not a ton of road noise or rattles, etc, like my older Camaros always used to have, but also capable of throwing down at the drop of a hat). All around, thumbs up, I'm a satisfied owner and my 'goat' and I are tight. The only reason I wouldn't personally buy another Pontiac is because they just got completely discontinued due to GM's current financial 'situation', etc.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd June, 2009

5th Jun 2009, 16:56

^^Generally, yes. Unless somebody adds appearance mods or whatever. But I think GM/Pontiac wanted it to be that way. I think they should have let these be a bit more aggressive and flashy-looking from the factory instead; probably would have sold better. I agree with the reviewer that the '04's were not very attractive; without hood scoops (at least) they looked from the front like a Grand Am on steroids. I didn't even care for the '05's as much without the blacked-out tail-lights (or the frosted tail-lights or whatever they call them).

8th Jun 2009, 11:21

Sounds like an overall good review. Why the "sad face"???

8th Jun 2009, 15:19

These new GTO's (from 2004 -06) were in a funny spot in the market really. Too expensive for the high school racer to afford (initial price brand new, insurance), so they were kind of confined to a smaller set of potential buyers. Older men who had some $ to buy a kind of toy car but not quite, that can also be a daily driver, kind of like a 'Vette in terms of power ~ but not as expensive. But then the old time all American purists among them said it's not even really American enough (designed and built in Aussie). And some said it's not muscle car looking enough.

Well, like them or don't, I've at least learned to respect them because I've driven them, hard, (though never owned one), and I've raced against them. Like it or not these are FAST cars, making real power even bone stock -- to say nothing of the mods guys start putting on 'em. They pull hard against you when you race one, and they're not really at their best until in the really high end speed ranges.

So the moral is looks can be a little deceiving; don't get too cocky with one of these (even if it looks "Clark Kent") unless you're sure you can back it up all the way to the top -- or you're liable to get a bit embarrassed.