2004 Pontiac GTO -
Exterior Color: Cosmos Purple Metallic
Stock features: 5.7L LS1 V8 engine, 6-speed manual transmission, color-matched leather interior, front and rear bucket seats, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, keyless entry, power accessories, 17" allow wheels, 4-wheel ABS disc brakes, rear spoiler.
1 of 366 Cosmos Purple Metallic 6-speed GTOs built.
Mods: None
On an icy morning in late February 2006, my Colorado pickup met it's doom on my morning commute to work when I spun out into a concrete bridge guardrail... and it was very quick that I realized I was going to need a new daily driver. I'd been growing kinda tired of driving a truck, and decided to switch back to a car as my commuter vehicle..
I'd been driving my Trans Am every day for about a week when I came across this 2004 GTO 6-speed sitting on a car dealer's lot in Bellevue, Washington. I'd actually been looking at an Impulse Blue 2004 M6 at the dealer next door... and the salesman was asking me about the Trans Am.. I was looking to leave and not get sucked into a car deal, so I jokingly told him that if the GTO he has was purple I'd buy it right away, but blue I would have to think about.
I got in my car and drove about 100 feet down the street, and not more than 2 minutes after I said those words, I see this Cosmos Purple Metallic GTO sitting in the front row of the lot. It was like I was in the Matrix or something. So I turned in and looked at it, and sure enough it was a 6-speed. They wanted too much for it ($28K), and it was a consignment car, so it made things complicated...
I decided that I would make an offer on the purple one around the same price as the blue car... and then if the dealer turned it down, I had plenty of justification to be happy with the blue car. I thought the purple GTO was a little nicer looking due to it's color-matched purple leather interior, the blue GTO had a rather plain black interior, and the subtle contrast of the purple car's interior added a lot of class to the feel of the vehicle. It looks to be a very bright purple in these pictures, but it's from the camera flash and is much more low key in real life.
It took a lot of dealing to come to an agreement with the owner, but we finally came to a concensus, and a few hours later the car was mine. It's an absolute dream on the road, at least for me. It's quite comfortable, quiet, smooth riding, and it has a really solid refined feild to it. It makes an outstanding daily driver, and I'm really glad that I chose it.
The GTO's bucket seats are 8-way adjustable, and are some of the most comfortable seats I've sat in.. let alone in a GM vehicle. The rear seats are as comfortable as the front ones, too. The two tone purple & black color scheme extends throughout the entire car, including the instrument panel having a purple background.
People always harp on the GTO's looks, and bash it, and it really doesn't make sense to me... it's kinda plain looking, but it more than makes up for it in performance and comfort. It's like having a car that's as mild mannered as a Camry that with a Corvette lurking inside of it's soul.
Here's a look under the hood at the 5.7L LS1 v8 engine, which is the powerplant used by all three of my current cars. In my driveway sits more than 1000 horsepower, and 17.1 liters of displacement. And finally, of course, a picture of the complete "Trifecta" together. What a pretty sight that is to wake up to.
