Advice on moving from LS2 GTO to 5th Gen 1LE....

[96SS390]

Hi,

Fairly new here but been a member of quite a few other LS based forums before and have been "creeping" around this forum for about a year or so now as I have pondered switching platforms.

A bit of back history I have made the general progression from a LT1SS to and LS1SS to an LS2 GTO over the last 5 or 6 years.

I currently have a 2006 Brazen Orange GTO with a few modifications (i.e. pedders coilovers, full bolt-ons, Fast 92, Gforce Axles) that is putting out right around 400 hp/tq. I really enjoy the car for the most part (i.e. every car has its headaches sometimes) but as I keep looking into 5th gens feel that it is more and more "dated".

If I went the route of a 5th gen it would be most likely a 14/15 1lE in that ZL1's are still mostly over $30K and I am more looking in the mid-20's.

I was hoping to find someone with experience with both platforms to maybe get their opinions on whether the "upgrade" is worth the extra coin. I say this in that those who have had a GTO can usually appreciate that they are nice cars where as those that haven't usually just bash the looks which I get.

This being said I guess where I am at is the GTO is paid off where I would probably have to take around a $10K loan assuming I can sell the GTO for around $15-16k in order to get into a 5th Gen 1LE.

The car is used for mostly a fair weather "daily" with the occasional trip to the drag strip. This being said I would think from a power perspective a stock 1LE is going to essentially be around where my GTO currently sits from a hp/tq perspective. So the question I guess would be is the rest of the car worth the $10k difference over the GTO.

Also I am a bit concerned about substantial depreciation as the GTO seems to have settled into a mid "$10ks" car. I would be interested to see what some think the depreciation curve looks like for 1LE's as I would hate to buy in at mid 20ks then a few years later the car is a mid "$10K" car.

Another point of interest is has anyone made the jump from a 5th Gen 1LE to a 6th Gen 1lE and would I be better off to wait a year or 2 for them to hopefully dip into the $20's. I actually prefer the aesthetics of the 5th Gen 1LE over the 6th but the 6th Gen from a total package seems like a lot more car.

My apologies as this has become quite a long post but would just be interested in getting people's opinions.

Jared

[BandRcAMARO]

I dont see 6th gen 1LE's dipping into the 20's anytime soon. The 5th gen is an all around better platform than the GTO. Also a ton more technology. The 1LE is a circuit car and will handle like it, also I believe the 1LE's only came in manual so not sure what your GTO is. I love both cars, both are heavy though and feel like muscle cars. Its basically up to you if you want to spend the money, those GTO's are holding value pretty well for their age.

[ZED SLED]

As the 1LE is a track car, why not look at a non-1LE SS if you are going to primarily daily drive and drag race? I came from an '06 GTO M6 to a 2010 SS and the braking and cornering of the SS is far superior, but straight line performance was pretty close. Also the interior and comfort on the SS I found somewhat lacking in comparison to the GTO.

[Stormtrooper_1LE]

I’ve never personally owned a GTO so I can’t give you advice there but what I can tell you is that I recently picked up my 15 2SS 1LE in May for 26k with a little under 20k miles. I did test drive both the 5th and 6th gen 1LE before deciding and while the 6th gen was a tad faster and a more agile due to it riding on the alpha platform, I personally didn’t feel that it was worth a 10-15k upgrade in the used market over the 5th gen (not to mention I also liked the looks of the 5th gens compared to the 6th). Also as someone stated earlier, I don’t see the 6th gen 1LEs dipping into the 20s anytime soon (2SS nor 1SS). My 2 cents would be to go for 5th gen and put any extra money into modifications. As far as the 5th gen resale price, I think we have years to go before we start to see 1LEs for 15k or below unless it has a million miles.

[acammer]

I'm not sure the jump to a 5th gen is going to be all the dramatic - it's a little bit better put together, but the the GTO is definitely a more comfortable car - space wise, visibility, etc. Aesthetics - I too think the 5th gen is a better looking, more aggressive car. The sleeper factor of the GTO is pretty cool though. Power is similar - although the LS3 definitely has more to offer than the LS2 bolt on for bolt on.

The latest 5th gens do have a nice technology package - but it's nothing you can't do with a cellphone in your GTO - and I'll just bet you've already got one of those.

If it were me, looking to upgrade, I'd be looking at going to a 16+ SS - lighter, more power, more technology. Give it another year or two, and you'll be able to scoop one of those up for high 20s no problem. That would be, in my opinion, the upgrade worth going to.

Although, if you wanna spend some money in mods, you can pick up 5th Gen regular SS cars for under 20k without crazy miles, and then have some budget to do the things that matter most to you (be it power, suspension, aesthetics, etc). The 1LE package is awesome, but if you're not a road-course guy, you won't miss it too much.

[Reaper85]

If you upgrade to either platform be prepared to spend money on mods, as it seems your into that. The biggest problem with the 5th gen that I found is, I don't have enough money for more mods.

If your GTO is paid off just dump some more cash in that, unless your sick of the look of it.

[Sinister10]

My only gripe on the GTO is interior quailty. The 5th gen seams better put together. While I have not owned a GTO, My Department has one as the D.A.R.E car. It’s fast and pretty agile, but the interior is literally falling apart, sagging headliner, door panels that the fabric is coming off and the seats are tearing at the seams.

[gto mark]

I had an 04 GTO & now own a 15 2SS 1LE. The GTO is definitely a more comfortable cruise, the driving position is higher with better visibility. The GTO felt more like an old school muscle car, descent handling & brakes but not great. The 1LE is wide & low to the ground with a more sporty feel. There is no comparison to the 1LE, the road feel & grip is hard to describe unless you have driven one. I would suggest that if you are thinking about a standard Gen 5 SS to drive both. When I did the 1LE doesn't even feel like the same car as the SS. Good luck with the search, if you can try to get one with NPP & Recaros.

[Tyestick]

I went from a 06’ GTO to a 15’ 1LE.

While I enjoyed the GTO for the time that I owned it, the small annoyances when I had originally bought started to annoy me.

The lack of of not being able to put bigger tires on the rear, to having to put bigger wheels on, to support bigger 4-piston or 6-piston calipers. I had the stock 17”s on mine. With a adapter, you have to run a minimum of a 18” size wheel.

The suspension was absolutely garbage, and more times than none, straight from the factory.

The interior was okay. Although, if you didn’t regularly use leather conditioner, the leather would harden and pull apart at the seams. Poor stitching and a low quality leather also contributed to premature wear.

The sun visors, always falling down, with no real legitimate repair, beside replacement, and good luck with that.

GTO replacement parts are becoming increasingly hard to locate, and are now commanding a premium.

I mean, I could go on, and on...

The 1LE...

Plenty of tire options for the rear. Comes with 4-piston brakes up from.
Suspension is awesome from the factory, and I think the interior is much nicer than the GTO.

I mean, the GTO and the 1LE are completely different.

The 1LE absolutely smashes the GTO in build quality, and style.

[rshelar]

I have a buddy with a GTO in that weird orange. I really never understood why they put a 6.0 in such a plain jane car.


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[DRKS1D3]

Originally Posted by rshelar

I have a buddy with a GTO in that weird orange. I really never understood why they put a 6.0 in such a plain jane car.


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The GTO was nothing more than a re-badged Holden Monaro.

[ZED SLED]

Originally Posted by rshelar

I have a buddy with a GTO in that weird orange. I really never understood why they put a 6.0 in such a plain jane car.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably said the same thing in '68 when Dodge put a 426 hemi in the Dart.

[96SS390]

Originally Posted by BandRcAMARO

I dont see 6th gen 1LE's dipping into the 20's anytime soon. The 5th gen is an all around better platform than the GTO. Also a ton more technology. The 1LE is a circuit car and will handle like it, also I believe the 1LE's only came in manual so not sure what your GTO is. I love both cars, both are heavy though and feel like muscle cars. Its basically up to you if you want to spend the money, those GTO's are holding value pretty well for their age.

Thank you for the response. Forgot to mention that but yes I would be exclusively looking for a manual. I as well would never complain about having either and I think the GTO holds a lot of uniqueness just at a crossroads where I will either be spending money on it for gears/heads/cam or debating whether it is the right car for me and if I should move to a newer platform.

It is kind of in a weird spot in that it is more refined than say a "4th Gen" but does not seem to be within reason of the fit/finish of a 5th Gen 1lE. If I was going for the all out "raw" drag car feeling I would have probably stuck with the 4th Gens so now that begs to question on whether the 1LE is "that" much better of a car.

You are correct they seem to sell for a decent chunk of change but with 4th Gen's in the low $10ks and Cobras/C5 Zs in the low $20ks that kind of fits the LS2 version of the GTO in the mid $10ks in my mind just from a performance perspective. The LS1 GTO's have tanked in my opinion. I consistently see fairly nice examples at $9k and lower.

[Royal Tiger]

Originally Posted by ZED SLED

Probably said the same thing in '68 when Dodge put a 426 hemi in the Dart.

Technically Hurst put the 426 Hemi in the Dart, like they put the 455 in the Oldsmobile Cutlass in 1968 & 1969.