Calling UK Monaro owners

[btrotter]

I am an American living in Windsor, Berkshire. Been here for 2 1/2 years on business. I am due to go back to the US on July 8th. I am looking to buy the Pontiac GTO, which as you know is the boring-brother to the Monaro. I am not 100% settled on this car yet as I am not positive I will like everything about it the way that I think I will. There are some things that I will not know until I can see one up close, sit in it, feel the (often poorly reviewed shifter), see how much room is in the boot, how much room rear passengers have, etc.

What I would like to know, is... are there any UK Monaro owners local to me that wouldn't mind showing off your car? I know there are going to be several differences between the Monaro and GTO, but I think they will be similar enough for me to be able to form a decision.

Please contact me here or through email. Thank you!
My email is: btrotter@pobox.com

Brian

[GTPprix]

Waitaminute... Brian Trotter, the same as from the GP Mailing List days?!

[btrotter]

Yep yep...thats me. I joined the GPML sometime in 1997 and was an active GP guy up until I sold my GTP when I moved to England in Feb 2003.
:)

[GTPprix]

OMG!! talk about long time no talk!! How ya been man?!!? I'm heading out for a few, but feel free to AIM/YIM or email me if you'd like!

[btrotter]

OMG!! talk about long time no talk!! How ya been man?!!? I'm heading out for a few, but feel free to AIM/YIM or email me if you'd like!
Heh...been very well. Having a blast the past couple years travelling Europe.
It is funny to see how many of us dirt old GP guys are moving over to the GTO.
So how long have you been a GTO owner and when did you part with the GTP? Seems like I remember you having one of the super-fast GTP's...right?

When I moved to the UK back in Feb 2003, my company gave me a car to drive while I was here. Since it is a company car, it also means that I had no say-so as to what it was. Well, it turned out to be a Seat Alhambra, which is whay we Yanks like to call minivans, and the Brits like to call people carriers.
Going from a slightly modified GTP to a no-balls-at-all minivan has really crushed me in the thrills department over the last couple years. I spend my time living vicariously through video clips downloaded off the net of people doing crazy things in their cars.
All this built up tension as made it so that one of the first items of business on the agenda for me when I get back home is to go car shopping, and preferably for a GTO. The only thing that is going to kill it for me is if I find out the back seats cant hold my two child seats (1 rear facing and 1 front facing), or if the driving experience is truly crap. If I am sold on those two things, I will be ready to buy. I have done all my other research already. I am just scared I wont be able to find the color I want (midnight blue) locally (Charlotte-area, NC).

Long time no talk is right. I have been quietly monitoring a couple sites on occasion. I frequent clubgp.com on occasion just to see what people are discussing, but rarely post messages. I also joined newagegto.com a couple months back to learn about the gto and just recently learned of this site as well. The closer that July 8th date gets here, the more excited I get about being able to finally own a car that thrills me to drive it.

So whats new? I guess everything over the past couple years :)

[White Rider]

Uk'ers pretty much have their own forum, you may wanna try that:


http://www.hsv.org.uk

[OldGoatee]

The only thing that is going to kill it for me is if I find out the back seats cant hold my two child seats (1 rear facing and 1 front facing), or if the driving experience is truly crap. If I am sold on those two things, I will be ready to buy. I have done all my other research already. I am just scared I wont be able to find the color I want (midnight blue) locally (Charlotte-area, NC).
:)

No worries on two of your concerns. The rear seats are equipped with the standard child seat anchor points, very easy to get to and use, lots of room for two car seats of either configuration (2-year-old grandson tested). You just have to be a bit of a contortionist in getting the drooler back there to slot into the installed seat. As for NC dealers, Bob King in Wilmington usually has an extensive GTO inventory (depending on where in the delivery cycle things are), and I found it to be a totally BS-free experience dealing with them (Steve Zehner was my salesman) - I drove 5 hours to get my car from them (no relationship with the dealer, just a happy customer). The choice of a '05/'06 GTO is a no brainer - there's nothing else like it out there. I think of it as my poor man's Aston-Martin, the DB-Oz. ;)

[btrotter]

No worries on two of your concerns. The rear seats are equipped with the standard child seat anchor points, very easy to get to and use, lots of room for two car seats of either configuration (2-year-old grandson tested). You just have to be a bit of a contortionist in getting the drooler back there to slot into the installed seat. As for NC dealers, Bob King in Wilmington usually has an extensive GTO inventory (depending on where in the delivery cycle things are), and I found it to be a totally BS-free experience dealing with them (Steve Zehner was my salesman) - I drove 5 hours to get my car from them (no relationship with the dealer, just a happy customer). The choice of a '05/'06 GTO is a no brainer - there's nothing else like it out there. I think of it as my poor man's Aston-Martin, the DB-Oz. ;)

Hey, funny enough I did post an info request to Bob King a couple weeks back and ended up working with Steve Z as well. He is working up quotes on a GTO for me as well. I am back in the US in just over 4 weeks, so we have plenty of time to work things out. He was an easy guy to work with. Thanks for the tip. He did remember you as well. He asked me your name but I told him I only knew your forum alias. He says he thought it is was Mike/Mark Gregory? Email was something@earthlink?