I hate to sh*t all over this lovefest but you can get a E39 M5 with under 100k for about half that.
I know it's not really a fair comparison, new car vs. used car coming on ten years old... but still, given the choice I'd take the BMW, I know it would cost more to service and maintain but at $20k less you could afford it.
@General Halfshaftery: I will concede the point, but add that if one is concerned about how much it will cost to keep his or her GXP fueled, perhaps he or she shouldn't be spending $40k on a new car.
@Van Sarockin: I'd say it's an unfair comparison, actually. It's not shooting for the current M5, it's shooting to be the more pure, natural successor to the E34 M5. A more fair comparison would be to put it head-to-head against an E39.
BTW, you wouldn't catch me anywhere near the current 5 series. Not even for half price. But I'm also greatly skeptical that the G8 can age as well as a 5, given equal treatment.
@Van Sarockin: Given the sheer number of junk american cars still on the road, I am sure a quality one (albeit imported from Oz) will age plenty well.
I think you put far too little faith in a quality american car vs a econobox cavalier or sunbird. Once you hit over 25 grand, the quality improves greatly and the car holds up much longer, especially with care and not beating the thing to death.
@Jim Topoleski: Jim, I was asking an honest question. And I'm not shilling for BMW, or any other, foreign brand. By God, I wish GM all the luck and success they can muster in these troubled times.
But how a car holds up over the long term is what truly matters for ownership. Any car can be prepped to show well for a press day. I've certainly read enough long term reviews that have discounted the importance of various mechanical failures because they happened under warranty. But most folks have to hold their cars through the term of the lease or loan, and resale value matters a great deal.
In general I would anticipate that the BMW has a sturdier chassis and basic mechanical bits, but much more complicated, tempermental electronics, hydraulics, etc., and that its parts and labor rates to be substantially more expensive.
The Pontiac, on the other hand, is likely to be a little more economical to maintain, but more prone to wear and tear issues, like to the suspension, body, trim and interior pieces. I'd expect its engine, HVAC and general electronics to be pretty solid and durable. But I'd also expect a lot more squeaks, rattles and partial failures of miscellaneous systems.
In many ways, I wouldn't consider the two cars to be natural competitors. Ray did. And I think it will be instructive to see how each ages in relation to the other. We could certainly use some solid, economical, homegrown performance bargains, besides the Corvette.
@layabout met the real Santa: Hmm, three year old, hooned, soulless Euro box with 20k miles that needs regular expensive trips to the stealership for servicing and parts flown in from Deutschland whenever something goes wrong.
Or a brand new muscle car with an LS3 that any mechanic in the country can work on.
@abie915: I'd take the M5, sold plenty of German cars & only the small minority come back with problems,oh & any repairs i ever need are done at trade price.
@layabout met the real Santa: Or, buy one of these a year or two from now when THEY'VE taken the depreciation hit.
I've driven the G8 GT multiple times now. It really is fantastic, but I have to give credit to Wes for really nailing it down. It is everything everyone loved about the old BMW 5-series with none of the bloat and excess that plagues them today.
I adore my German car, but getting a $300 repair bill to fix my radiator fan pissed me off. An identical repair in my Buick cost me $45. It's probably different for you in Yurpe, but over here, I couldn't possibly justify a BMW or Mercedes when this offers you 95% of the car for 50% of the price. And even with that awful Pontiac grille, it's still a damn fine looking car in person.
@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Unless GM give Euroland the Holden version i doubt we'll get them over here,the last decent GM V8 here was the Monaro,but i think the Vauxhall badge put people off it a little,although it's one of the only Vauxhalls i like.
@layabout met the real Santa: The G8 is an upgrade to the Monaro platform. To my knowledge, in March or April they announced that the Vauxhall VXR8 would be available with the 6.2L LS3 for around 40k pounds, but there would be less than 400 of them available in the UK.
@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Although there's no doubting the performance,it'll be hard work for Vauxhall to sell it for £40k,they're not a company most Brits would want to spend that kind of money on.
@peakay: I believe it's roughly the same weight as the E39, which puts it several hundred pounds lighter than the current one (whatever that one's designation is... E60? Something like that). I think it's still under 4000 lbs, but I can't confirm from work.
@layabout met the real Santa: That's probably why there are only 350 of them. And my understanding was they were sold out as soon as announced, so that probably tapped the whole market.
@peakay: I think the M5 is 4034 lbs., yes. The G8 GXP is around 4050 lbs. And bigger inside. The M5 has 395 HP with the V8 and 507 HP with the V10. The G8 GXP has 415 with the V8. Both have nice 6 speeds. So I guess you get a better power to weight ratio with the Pontiac V8. Interesting, that.
@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Just found a Brit review of them [www3.autoexpress.co.uk] if interested,Vauxhall garages are already knocking the prices down from £36k to £30k & 1 year old ones can be bought for around £20k,so they've not been as big a hit here as i thought they might have been,i'm guessing more people would rather buy an Evo or Scooby with the same performance for less money. This doesn't reflect my opinion as i'm yet to drive a VXR8,but i will get a test drive in the near future to see how good they are.
@layabout met the real Santa: I can't say I'm too surprised. It's much, MUCH more of a statement in England, I'm told, to have a very large car, when most prefer a compact. So if you're going to have a big car, you probably wouldn't want a Vauxhall. CAR has one as a long-term tester right now, though, and they claim to adore it.
Over here, well, I'm looking out my window and seeing an Impaler, a GrandMa, a Buick Light Sabre, two Dodge Rams and an old Cadillac DeVille. I actually can't even see a compact car from where I'm sitting.
@layabout met the real Santa: You kidding? I dont know ONE BMW/VW/Audi/MB owner who within their first year after warranty was up didn't have to spend over 2-3 grand on a repair. Hell my coworker has already had non-warranty parts replaced and he has only owned his 3 series 3 years.
@Jim Topoleski: No,far from kidding,& it's how i make my living so a good amount have passed through where i work for me to have a more than fair opinion. I'm not making out they're unbreakable,things do go wrong,but it's usually few & far between. I've known Japanese cars play up as much as German cars.
Awesome! I got really scared last week when there was a post here about the G8 GXP being scrapped. I thinnk it's a must-buy because of its über-coolness and because it's bound to go up in value down the line. How far down the line? I couldn't care less.
@marc2068: Or Catalina. Or Grand Prix. Or Ventura. Or anything besides that alphanumeric slop that seems to be growing like a cancer within the industry.
I see this becoming an uber-rare, future classic ~40 years down the line. Given the state of the economy, I don't see too many being sold, and if GM goes under I don't see too many being made either.
12/17/08
12/16/08
Given that price, I'd probably buy a Camaro.
12/17/08
12/16/08
I know it's not really a fair comparison, new car vs. used car coming on ten years old... but still, given the choice I'd take the BMW, I know it would cost more to service and maintain but at $20k less you could afford it.
12/16/08
12/16/08
This or an E39, I'll take both. This or an E60, Pontiac wins. I value what little eyesight I have.
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
Of course BMW is likely to survive the Carpocalypso, while Pontiac shows signs of trying to take the cowards way out.
12/16/08
12/16/08
BTW, you wouldn't catch me anywhere near the current 5 series. Not even for half price. But I'm also greatly skeptical that the G8 can age as well as a 5, given equal treatment.
12/16/08
And mullets. Lots and lots of mullets.
12/17/08
I think you put far too little faith in a quality american car vs a econobox cavalier or sunbird. Once you hit over 25 grand, the quality improves greatly and the car holds up much longer, especially with care and not beating the thing to death.
12/17/08
But how a car holds up over the long term is what truly matters for ownership. Any car can be prepped to show well for a press day. I've certainly read enough long term reviews that have discounted the importance of various mechanical failures because they happened under warranty. But most folks have to hold their cars through the term of the lease or loan, and resale value matters a great deal.
In general I would anticipate that the BMW has a sturdier chassis and basic mechanical bits, but much more complicated, tempermental electronics, hydraulics, etc., and that its parts and labor rates to be substantially more expensive.
The Pontiac, on the other hand, is likely to be a little more economical to maintain, but more prone to wear and tear issues, like to the suspension, body, trim and interior pieces. I'd expect its engine, HVAC and general electronics to be pretty solid and durable. But I'd also expect a lot more squeaks, rattles and partial failures of miscellaneous systems.
In many ways, I wouldn't consider the two cars to be natural competitors. Ray did. And I think it will be instructive to see how each ages in relation to the other. We could certainly use some solid, economical, homegrown performance bargains, besides the Corvette.
12/16/08
12/16/08
Or a brand new muscle car with an LS3 that any mechanic in the country can work on.
Man, its hard to decide...
12/16/08
12/16/08
I've driven the G8 GT multiple times now. It really is fantastic, but I have to give credit to Wes for really nailing it down. It is everything everyone loved about the old BMW 5-series with none of the bloat and excess that plagues them today.
I adore my German car, but getting a $300 repair bill to fix my radiator fan pissed me off. An identical repair in my Buick cost me $45. It's probably different for you in Yurpe, but over here, I couldn't possibly justify a BMW or Mercedes when this offers you 95% of the car for 50% of the price. And even with that awful Pontiac grille, it's still a damn fine looking car in person.
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
Over here, well, I'm looking out my window and seeing an Impaler, a GrandMa, a Buick Light Sabre, two Dodge Rams and an old Cadillac DeVille. I actually can't even see a compact car from where I'm sitting.
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/17/08
12/17/08
12/16/08
/fixed
12/16/08
How far down the line? I couldn't care less.
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/17/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
12/16/08
@layabout met the real Santa:E28 M5s haven't depreciated into my price range yet. 540i maybe, but no M5.
12/17/08
12/16/08