2005 Pontiac GTO review from North America

Where to start?

The first thing to break was the cover for the light on the door, no big deal.

Then the storage compartment in the front center console fell off; also not a big deal, that stuff was easily fixed.

But then the bigger problems started.

6/08 the key would not turn in the ignition. I had to have the car towed to the dealer the day before I was to make a 800 mile round trip to see relatives. It took a week of me arguing with the particular Pontiac dealer (while on vacation) to have them get the ignition lock cylinder from Australia.

Then I arrived home only to find they needed to replace the whole steering column (also from Australia). It took them two weeks (one I was on vacation) to get me a rental car and another week and a half to get my car back.

When I got the car back, the dashboard was covered in grease, and there was grease on my passenger seat, very unprofessional.

Two months after driving the car and gaining my trust back in it, THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN! I took it to a Chevy dealer this time, turned off by the Pontiac dealer's service or lack of, and the car was fixed in six days. I did have to fight for a rental again though, and took that up with Pontiac's customer service hot line. It took three days of having to hitch a ride to work though.

That happened in late 08/08, and I am writing this in 11/08. So since then my upper rear seat stitching is coming undone and exposing the seat foam.

The suspension feels a lot mushier than it used to; I think the rear bushings are going bad.

The engine now leaks a significant amount of oil, and worst of all the ignition is starting to tighten up again the way it did two months ago, and the two months before that. As soon as I can get a day off work that's not a Sunday, it's going to be back at the dealership.

I'm also thinking of talking to a lemon law lawyer, because there is no reason to have a car that you don't trust. For the first six months of driving I was excited to go out and drive it, now when I go out I wonder if my car will start!

I have been looking at trading it for a 2003-2004 SVT Cobra, which is (I assume) a better choice for the comparable horsepower, but we will see what the lawyer says first.

The car also wears the tires out very unevenly, so expect a set of 50000 mile tires to last no more than 15000 miles.

Performance wise the car handles good, but like I said, it used to be great.

Acceleration is good, but I have been in much faster cars, so don't expect just because you have 400hp you can go to the track and beat anything there; YOU WON'T.

1/4 mile times in mine when I first got it were 12.86 @ 109mph, and I have not brought it back since.

Very quick car for a daily driver though, even if it is falling apart so fast you're scared to hit the gas.