Originally posted by awalbert88@Jan 21 2004, 12:49 AM
18,000 is not small potatoes. It's less than that.
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You say that limited production means it will hold its resale value better, yet you say later that you'll be able to get the GTO at below sticker. That just doesn't add up.
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Anybody who gets a GTO below sticker is getting it through an employee discount plan of some sort. Those 18,000 units will be gone pretty quickly, and yes, some will be sold at well over MSRP, because there are people who simply must have them, no matter the price.
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Same happened with the 03 Cobra
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In its final years, I believe the Camaro plus the Firebird sold about 70k units together. The majority were V6s selling for $20,000. Those people aren't likely shopping for a GTO. So now you're down to about 30k units of V8s. The GTO may be light years ahead of the F bodys in quality but it's also significantly more money than the AVERAGE V8 f-body. So 18k units when there's demand for 30k units at a 6 or 7 thousand dollar increase means the current GTO will NOT sell out ridiculously fast.
Especially since the '05 will have more power, nicer wheels, and more aggressive styling. Many people will choose to wait when this becomes more publicly known.
So the GTO will sell for sticker for several months, then it will be slightly discounted to move as the '05's come in. Compare that to the 04 Grand Prix which was discounted pretty much from day one. That's why I said the GTO will hold its value a little better than most cars, but will end up being discounted later. When I said discounted, I hope it didn't come across as 3 or 4 thousand. I'd say $500 off at the end of the 04 model run.
03 Cobras were only holding their value early on. Couple months back I could have gotten into one for 3k under sticker.
I stand behind what I said: anyone who pays over sticker wants one today and is not willing to comparison shop. There are dealers all over the country selling right at sticker. A certain GTO fan site might help anyone interested in getting a fair deal. ;-)
Brian
