Not to my knowledge but to be fair, I haven't heard of many people having problems even as they get high in mileage. The L76 that comes with the G8 GT has an aluminum block and can take a beating from what I've seen. I'm not sure about parts availability otherwise.
@@SammyBoy806 it's a GM V8.,.which they've been making since the 50s.very reliable , affordable maintenance, bulletproof transmission, and alot of parts avail some LS stuff is interchangeable. L76 was DOD hybrid of LS2/LS3
So underrated....the only downside (for those that wanted a GT) was that it was ONLY available with an Auto trans. I have manual trans Liquid Red GXP myself. The LS3 6.2 litre mated with the 6 speed stick is an altogether fabulous beast!! I will never part with it.....even as it's value skyrockets!!!
Another cool feature on the car is stealth mode. Hold down the 2 buttons right above the head light and fog light switch. The ones that dim and brighten the dash lights. If you hold them down it will turn on stealth mode which turns off all the interior lights except the speedometer gauge. Pretty cool feature at night.
I didn't know about that, I'll tell my buddy. I love little easter eggs in cars like that. I actually think that's a silly cool feature. It would be even cooler if it blacked out all the exterior lights too and they called it "cop chase mode", ha, but that would be way illegal.
The g6 gt coupe was my first car! Just upgraded to a 08 g8. got the 397th g8 v6 ever made with 43k on the dash. It’s in the shop right now getting it’s timing chain replaced :/
@@Altek1 I will check them all, one by one. Thank you for the quality of your reviews!! I'm in Montreal, in 2018, I wrote a book about Cars. Quiz Auto, under my name. Let me know if you speak French. Best!
It really is, very underestimated. The owner of this just picked up a new Buick Regal Hatch, also nicer than I anticipated. I'm going to do a review on that next, but it's no G8.
Hey. Nice video and finally one honest bloke like you that appreciates the Holden Commodore for what it is. I have oe of the last ones which is the vf ssv redline. I just love it.
JadXtreme I saw one around town the other week, I was in my SS but couldn’t get the guys attention to give him the thumbs up. But it did have paper plates on it and the guy looked like he was still admiring his interior. Totally understood.
Great review...love the balanced nature of your comments. I'm an Aussie and I own the wagon variant of this car with the 3.6V6. I own the last version of the car...the version above the car here. If as an American, you choose to buy one of these cars you will be greeted with a well-made car with brilliant handling (Aussie engineers are renowned for their chassis engineering skills.). The car's platform, designated "Zeta", is totally Australian as was used by the Aussie and US design teams when they resurrected your Camaro. Now Holden no longer manufactures cars in Australia...having been killed by US beancounters and that woman, Mary Bara! 90+ years of Aussie manufacturing up in smoke! So if you own a G8, the last GTO or a Chevy SS (even a used Chevy PPV) then cherish it...there will never be a car like them ever again.
@@travistoole You could import an Aussie wagon and hand it over to the guy who converts utes to LHD. I think the company is called "LeftHandUtes". You can pick up a good V8 wagon down here starting at $20k, US. For the 3.6V6 (honestly probably all you'll ever need) you're looking at a couple of grand less. If you want one that is almost new (there are still a few out there) then add about four grand to the price in USD. Check out CarSales.com.au
Bro, that would be the highest honor, I appreciate the feedback. Glad you like what I do, more to come in the future and hopefully you see me on Top Gear one day 😁
I think GM made a huge mistake never selling a "ute equivalent" in the US. They missed a big $$ opportunity, but then again they're not known for managing $$ well. They could have just imported them with some modifications.
Thanks for this review! I have a Pacific Slate Metallic GT with 60k miles. I LOVE that car. I was a lifer Poncho man, and this to be my last new one makes me very proud. When I bought it in '11 with 7k miles, it was my daily driver so I bought the GT over the GXP b/c of mileage was much better. I wish I had a GXP in PSM paint - only a few hundred made their way here. I also bought an 89 Pontiac 6000 STE AWD for my winter beater - now I'm converting her to electric.
Bro, your words are much appreciated. I try to capture the car in the best light and that red really popped against the green. Hopefully one day I'll hit that million sub level, but for now I'll just keep at it. Thanks for watching Will!
I had no intentions of reviewing the car until I started checking it out. And I didn't know how to exit the engineering menu once I enabled it, but maybe I just didn't press enough buttons. That GXP must have been fun with the extra 54hp, great last hoorah for Pontiac really. Thanks for the support and for watching as always bud!
@@Altek1 The later model Commodore has an electric handbrake (that's what we call the E-brake) with a switch near the gear lever. The engineering menu in the VF can be brought up on the infotainment screen, from memory but I may be wrong. My car is the 3.6L V6 and I don't bother with that sort of stuff. The only thing which irritates me is the black paintwork. It shows any speck of dust or water droplets. It's a bugger to keep clean and I'm an old fart! LOL!
The electric e-brake is pretty common on new cars here, I assume you're in Australia? It's kinda sad to see the handbrake go but that's what old cars are for. And tell me about it! I have a dark gray WRX and it can stay clean for about 7 hours. Spring with the pollen and winter with the salt, it's a losing battle all the time, hah!
Love my G8 GT, definitely the ultimate sleeper. This car did deserve a little more, instead of giving it the L76 just give it the LS2 at 400hp. Overall after 84k miles I haven't had one issue. Will never sell
I really didn't think I was going to like it as much as I did but I do love being wrong in those cases. I've been hearing a lot of stories with high mileage and no issues so I say you got yourself a keeper as far as looks, drive, and reliability. It seems pretty easy to get more power out of that engine from where it is but yeah, the LS2 would have been quite the treat for that car. Enjoy it bro!
The L76 is an LS2 block with LS3 heads and a small cam for DoD. Remove the DoD change the lifters and put a factory LS2 cam in and you have a better flowing LS2
Got an 08' GT within a month of it coming out. $34k off dealer showroom, best deal I ever made, huge engine, raw power. Stull showroom shape 49k miles. Sweet ride, Pontiac went out with a bang!
Great example of our Aussie car, Holden called it the Billion dollar baby, I own a GTS HSV 2009 E2, with a six speed manual the LS3 6.2L and love it, in our country these cars in mint condition are bringing home either the new car value or over, I'd like to think the GT G8s will pick up in value. Thanks for your generous review of an Australian built car 🚗. Take care. James. 🇦🇺
Fine example of an Aussie 🚗 Commodore/Pontiac, and thanks for putting it all together for what she is. My car is the high end car in Australia called 2009 GTS HSV LS3 6.2L E2 Commodore. Again thank you I enjoyed seeing the car alongside the way you put it all together as they are now becoming rare. Cheers mate 🇦🇺💙
when i get back from overseas i cant wait to drive my g8 gt. a cam and procharger and its go time. i wished the military let me bring it. Japan and these small cars lol
Hah I can see that as a car that you'd miss if you're without it too long. At least you can try to drive an R34 while you're out there to experience some serious Japanese fun. Thanks for watching and enjoy your car when you get back!
Great job Alex! Yet again you mastered the art of delivering a beautifully orchestrated review. Going to share this with my buddies and spread the word. The end had me dying when you all of a sudden decided to buzz like a bee 😂😂😂😂. Keep up the fantastic work brother! Lol get as many videos out as possible! Don’t keep us waiting 😂. Hope you get your hands on some more cars, you’re videos are fun to watch. Best of luck brother, stay safe on the road.
Thank you as always! I'm not very good at marketing myself without seeming like a scummy salesman so any help is greatly appreciated. The blooper was from a take I did where I really messed up the word "suspend", glad you liked it! I'm going to keep this going just trying to figure out how to post when it's 20 degrees out but I have some ideas. My next easily accessible car is an Integra that's been converted to right hand drive with a JDM front end. It's a real looker so stay tuned! Thanks again for the support. I'm sure I said it before but it's comments like these that keep me moving forward with this.
Dude you’re solid! I’m happy to hear you’re moving forward with this. I know it’s time consuming, but it’ll pay off in the end when you get to 1 million subscribers and you’ll be going cross country reviewing cars lol! Idk if this helps, but when it’s cold out you can talk about the handling in the weather conditions thrown at you during the recording. Maybe along the lines of the safety features it has from slipping, or something to do with the suspension. Either way man, you’re entertaining to watch and believe me when I tell you this, you’re beating cable and satellite by a long shot lol! It’s fun to see a new post from you because it’s like a new episode of your favorite series that airs on tv. 😂 Anyway brother, good see you’re still at it and I look forward to that Integra video as well! That’s going to be fun 😄
Man, if I got that many subs I don't know what I'd do. I'd definitely try to move to Cali to make sure I can do year round videos, that's for sure. I was thinking the same thing for winter videos, especially with my Subaru WRX getting some upgrades. Could be some snowy fun for sure. I was actually thinking of making them feel more episodic but I'm still learning my flow. It's always great to see you pop up in the comments section. If I blow up, I'll never forget people like you who supported me through the start of it all. Stay awesome bro and thanks!!
Altek 😂😂😂. Anytime brother, you’re the one doing all the hard work and WHEN you become successful, it’ll be 100% well deserved. All I can tell you is have fun with it. It doesn’t matter what you want to do, if people are interested then they will watch. If not, then there’s plenty of other channels to choose from. Lol Do your thing, and do what makes you happy. Trust me, the real fans will appreciate anything you post and just know we appreciate your hard work! 😃. Have a good one brother! -Steve
The GT was awesome, I can only imagine the GXP. Not to mention it pretty much kept all of its value which is incredible. Suffice it to say, I'm jealous buddy. Thanks for the subscribe!!
@@Altek1I know this comment and video are old but seeing your comment about the GXP made me want to leave a comment on the model itself. My Step Father has made a 2009 GXP his daily driver since new. Up until a hailstorm brought the car down to what we call "the hail car". A car only taken out when bad weather is in the forecast. It's beastly, but the only issue I should point out in the car is in the automatic.( Manuals were a rare option to get with the GXP with and dealer Mark ups made it ridiculous to get one) I don't know if it's his car or just a general thing with the transmission but it lags when putting the power down. An bucks as well when shifting into gears. Past 40 the power will come down more smoothly, and it goes like a ludicrous freight train all while threatening to throw out the rear if you so challenge it in the corners. He has gotten so well in tuned with that car. That what he happens to do in that car is nuts. I'm talking blasting it up to 80 and dropping the speeds like a rock with the assistance of brembos. I always admired this era of muscle cars or performance cars because while they didn't have any high tech features. It made more of a driving machine because of the lack of focus you had to have on the technology or anything else that wasn't the performance of the car. An oh, I almost forgot to mention. He's taken the cats out so not only does it sound like Daytona 500 everytime you get on it. The car vibrates gently at idle like a eager to go jack rabbit.
Hunter Robertson Right on, I have a G8 GXP with the manual, white with all black interior, a couple of modifications and I’m at 560hp (475 at the wheels) and it’s my daily. Absolutely one of my favorite cars
"once you own a Pontiac Sundance everything looks better!" Hahahahahhaa. Subscribed! Followed the Integra vid from Scotty. Good content, sir! This channel is sure to grow! -walker from Vallejo, California
Hahah! Oh the Sundance!! I wish I had that exact car right now to do a review on it, you wouldn't believe how much a car could fall apart. Thanks for the support! I'm excited to see where this all goes.
The longevity of this Commodore (I'm using the car's real name seeing that it is a Holden Commodore with a slightly different front clip and Pontiac badges) just goes to show how well put together the cars were when they came off the assembly line at Elizabeth in South Australia. The VE (G8) and the later VF (think 2016+ Chevy SS) were products of the finest design team ever assembled in Australia. A billion dollars (AU) was spent developing these cars so that they could take the smooth city roads and rough outback roads of Australia and last the distance. They are bullet-proof. I own a black VF Commodore Sportwagon and it is the finest car I have ever owned. Not one fault...not even a squeak or rattle anywhere. I believe that GM engineers in Detroit say that Holden's products are the best put-together and road handling cars in the GM empire. Sadly Mary Barra couldn't have cared less about the company and killed the factory in 2016 after nearly a hundred years of the Holden company's operations (taking into account the time it existed before GM bought it out in 1930). Thousands of people out of work and no more rear wheel drive cars on the Zeta platform. Now I noticed she's shutting plants in the US and Canada...so bloody sad!
I agree with you, very well put together cars. It's sad when some corporate misdirection destroys a solid company, but at least these remaining G8's aren't going anywhere since they were built so damn well.
@@Altek1 Yes, your friend should get many years motoring out of his car if he maintains it regularly. Tell him that the most important thing in servicing the VE (G8) and VF models is making sure you use the exact grade of oil mentioned in the handbook. In the V6 models this is a synthetic motor oil of 5w30 grade. I'm not sure about the V8s. I have watched a few YT videos where American owners have "debadged" their cars, removing either the Pontiac or Chevrolet badges and attaching Holden badges instead. Tell your friend that should he want to do that he best do it quickly. The badges are still relatively plentiful as they were made in abundance for the factory but they will start to dwindle soon. They can be bought on Ebay from here. The symbol, a rampant lion with its paw on a rolling stone represents a lion rolling the ball of progress. It's an instantly recognisable symbol in Australia as the Chevrolet bowtie is in the US. Good luck to both of you. Yes, you are right...it's a great pity how GM is now in a bad way. I really feel for those workers who are about to be without a job...especially so close to Christmas. If you have some time to kill and you're interested this is a two part special program about the history of Holden right up until the company decided to use Nissan straight 6 motors in their '86 model VL Commodore (that only lasted a couple of years before they went over to using a Buick-sourced 3.6 V6 which altered from front wheel drive usage to rear wheel drive. The entire engine was re-engineered in Australia to improve the smoothness and fuel economy and also to add an optional supercharger.). Here's the link: (Part 1) ruclips.net/video/IR8BhiiAWTo/видео.html (Part 2) ruclips.net/video/EvU13TvzQ_M/видео.html
My dad was a GM retiree. Bought liquid red GT in 12/09 for $26,300 out the door. Other car at the time was a 2002 S2000. They had 2 GXPs at the time and could have gotten that for around 31k. Son has the car now. Fantastic car!
Definitely. And even though the look is similar, I still think this G8 looks better. Still both some of the better products towards the end of Pontiacs run.
You mentioned the Plymouth Sundance, my family still owns that car. It's kept in Mexico and after 26 years it still looks great. When I go back to Mexico, I'll send pictures of it on Instagram.
Talk about a success story there. I bought one for $200, ran it as long as could and then drove it to a junk yard where I got $100 for it. Didn't make out that bad in the end but the car died at around 120k. Shoot me shots when you can, I'm curious to see a perfect one. Thanks for watching bud!
@@Altek1 it's still in perfect condition. It's a 1992 and 3 speed auto, 2.5 l engine. The car really struggles on hilly areas since the spacing between second and third gear is huge. My dad bought it used back in 1999 for $1000. It has around 120,000 miles. It has a lot of scratches over the years, but it's hardly noticable. I had a guy at around age 60 looking at it in Mexico and was telling me if I was selling it. He never seen a good shape Sundance in a while. You still see Sundance / Shadow cars in Mexico, but they're really beat up and on to its last leg. I'll send you pictures and maybe upload a video of the car.
I got to say, I never expected a response on the Sundance, but anything is possible, ha! My coworker had a Shadow, the turbo and all hooked up. It was actually a decent looking car all jazzed up. I can see the gearing being a bit annoying but something you'd get used to. Mine died due to a bad head gasket, not sure if that was a common problem for the car. I called it Jiminy Cricket since the car squeaked in every imaginable way possible. Still a good memory in the end. If you manage to get some shots, shoot them my way.
@@Altek1 the Sundance rattles like crazy when it comes to uneven surface. The suspension is a bit horrible. My dad tried replacing the struts and control arms, but it still clunks on uneven surface. Chrysler made those as an inexpensive vehicle. Basically a disposable car, like the Neon.
Mine rattled like hell too. I'm remembering now that I actually installed a sound system in that car, it was definitely worth more than the car but it sure didn't help the rattles. One day it was raining and I was at least happy it didn't leak. I drove 5 feet and hit the brakes and about 2 gallons of water came in from the roof and soaked me. One of the most comical cars I've ever owned.
One thing you missed or maybe it just didnt make it in the video but moving the shifter to the right puts it in "sport" mode and shifts points are changed and tighter that's why you move it over you dont have to move it up or down unless you want
I was under the impression that was only to shift manually since it didn't feel like it changed the speed of the shifts or throttle response. Hell, the thing was plenty responsive when in automatic mode and it chose the gear appropriately which is not common in my experience. I didn't see anything in the heads up indicating that it was sport mode but it's possible I missed it and didn't notice since I only drove it a few times. Great car overall though, I'm a big fan of it after making this video. Thanks for watching!
@@Altek1 you are very welcome and no nothing shows up in to indicate "sport" mode I noticed that was a trend in the 2000s cars since the 2000s were the perfect blend of mechanical and technology mixed together I guess the "feeling" the driver experienced was good enough to indicate sport mode no fancy menus and buttons to sith through to activate it
I love my Gray GT, it’s got plenty of power, all the room you need, it’s comfortable just cruising around, and can go crazy fast if you want, but it doesn’t advertise itself, in fact these days, not a lot of people know or remember these cars, so the look of shock when you beat them at the stop light, is pretty fun.
I have a 2009 G8 GXP. I put one of those sticky pads up on top of the center console to keep my phone in place. Hit it (accelerated) one day. Phone went flying into the back seats. Speaking of the back seats, I (6'1") still fit behind the driver's seat with it fully aft. Trunk is huge. Love that it's a sleeper and parts are readily available. Sad to see Pontiac and now all of Australian car production, go away.
Yes, they’re beautiful cars, and what a great car for Pontiac to say goodbye. I’ll be getting my 2nd one this Saturday, a 2009 Stryker Blue GT. My first one was the V6 version 4 years ago. If it wasn’t such a good car, I wouldn’t think about getting another one
I misread that, thought you had a G8 GXP, but still, I had a drive in a Grand Prix GXP some time ago and it was proper fun. And I saw one with an old lady behind the wheel, showroom fresh it was, she had no idea what she was driving.
I have an '09 G8 GT... will never sell it (garaged, only driven in good weather). I put the factory triple gauges in the center stack and when you switch from E to M, the gauges also change units (oil pressure psi to kPa, oil temp °F to °C).
I'd love to pick up a 2004 TL Type S but I haven't found any in good condition. The G8 is hard to come by at a low price, but it's pretty clear it'll be the last car you'd need to buy for a while. Glad you liked the video, thanks for checking it out.
Touche, my father had an 04 with the OEM body kit which mocked the Type S minus the quad pipes and manual. I'd go for the 2007/2008 option, but again, nearly impossible to find in a condition I'd want to buy. And those leather seats didn't hold up well even if treated well.
@@Altek1 Funny enough I own an RDX and love it but I missed having a car. I owned a 06 TL a few years ago while in college and loved it. Well, even with the crazy car market I met someone who had a 2008 TL Type S in Kinetic Blue. Color I’ve always wanted. He recently had the timing belt and water pump done. I don’t use as my primary, but got a crazy deal on it and love it as my weekend car.
I had an 06 Grand Prix GXP as my first car and I loved it. Sure the 303 hp LS4 isn't as cool as the 361hp L76, but I have enjoyed pontiac's goodbye. I plan to get a G8 GT one day, GXP if I'm lucky
The gauge thing was cool to me too!! haha Back in 2002, when my parents had a loaded Pontiac Bonneville that did that. Did that car have a HUD display?
Besides the center display with scrollable feedback from the car like gas mileage and odometer, it had a large tach and speedometer. I liked the setup though, basic but sleek. Thanks for binging some of my videos buddy!
Hah glad you digged it buddy. I bought that Sundance for $200 and it was worth about half that really, ha! I miss the drive of that G8, so smooth. Thanks for watching!
I considered buying one of these cars in 2012 and found a low-mile example, but the owner was asking for $26,000. After looking around, I just felt is was too much for a four-year-old used car. I went with a brand new fully-loaded top-of-the-line Ford Fusion instead. Do I regret it? Not really considering the high price of gas. But I really love the styling and might pick one up for my little brother in the next year or so (not the V8 model, though). The V6 is good enough and with the high price of gas, the last thing we need is a V8 on top of high insurance premiums. I wouldn't mind driving it and helping him customize it.
I'll let my buddy know he can expect another worry free 80k on the car. Those are just about the best problems you can have after that many miles. Let me know when you hit 200k! Thanks for watching!
@@Altek1 how expensive are repairs whenever they come due though? Heard the Australian based manufacturing negatively affected availability/inexpensiveness of repairs, but it must be at least decent if a pretty fair share of police cruisers (the caprice is also the exact same as this & the SS, right???) out there are these; could imagine reliability AND infrequent/inexpensive maintenance being top priority if buying whole fleets of these...
I missed this, sorry. I'm not too sure about repair costs. If it is expensive, it certainly doesn't sway people from buying it. But you're right, the Caprice and SS we're pretty much the same car, that definitely had to help availability of parts. The biggest concern I'd have would be the Active Fuel Management, it shuts a cylinder off to save gas. Just seems like a part that can go wrong for no reason down the line.
Thanks a lot bro! I learned a bunch while making this as well. I went in ready to hate on it and was happy as hell to be wrong in the end. As a fellow owner, I'm glad you think I did a good job, much appreciated.
Haha I'm with you, kinda like the new Buick Regal that's also an Opel, totally normal. But to an Australian fella that's used to Holden's, it might just be normal.
@@Altek1 yeah it's pretty normal. I own a 2009 SSV Commodore with the Pontiac front end. Commodores are everywhere here but the Pontiac front isn't very common, so makes mine a bit different.
I'd imagine it would stand out much like a Commodore front end would stand out here in the states. My buddy wanted to rebadge his car to the Holden model which I go back and forth on.
The g8 and g6 were both sweet. My g6 (though I bought it used) didn’t make it past 90,000. I had the 3.5 v6 and the check engine light came on and never went away. It was under a gmpp warranty and they couldn’t fix it, so they gave me a rental for 3 weeks and then a good trade-in price. Still, I should’ve made them fix it, but I didn’t have another car and it was a true hassle. They would reset the check engine light and tell me “it’s good” and then the light would pop on after 5 minutes of driving. I would go back to the dealership and say, “it’s on again” and the dunksky in service would say, “it could be the gas cap this time, there’s 1000s of things that a check engine light could be.” Every time they would say this after I brought the car back (after 5 minutes of leaving the dealership) when the check engine light would come back on!
Nice color choice, I'd wonder how it would look with a little black lip around the body. I'm still shocked at the prices these go for used, even then, don't sell yours. Thanks for watching buddy.
@@Altek1 for a car 10 years old I still get compliments,I live in Michigan and here you have chargers and challengers everywhere lol when they pull next to the g8 they show respect for the speed but then again they try me alot too but I still drive like a grandpa lol
Haha that's great. Keep driving it like that and it'll last forever for sure. As you saw in the video, the speed was a bit alarming once I put my foot down even slightly, so I bet grandpa driving still feels spirited enough. I assume it's garaged and not your primary ride since those winters must be rough. Just saw you subscribed. Much appreciated!
Actually looking into getting one of these. I was pretty set on a Tesla model 3 2018. But there's a part of my heart that loves older low tech cars almost more than I love ultra modern cars. There's a GXP instead of GT that has even more power. Found one for 30 K with 12 k miles. God. If I buy this I'll post links for pics
The GXP for that price actually seems like a good deal and considering where they're at, I can only imagine them going up in value down the road. I don't trust Tesla's build quality for the long run but the Model 3 is at least at a price I can somewhat get behind. Two totally different cars though, I think you'd love the G8 if you had a chance to drive it.
Great choice for a daily for sure. I'm surprised to hear that about the headliner, seemed like everything was made pretty solid. How many miles on yours? I bet it's no comparison to the ws6 in all areas besides speed. Thanks for watching!
Marco...that is really unusual. I am an Aussie and I own the station wagon version of this car. I think what has happened in your case is that the cold temperatures coupled with the humidity you get in the States (in Australia, apart from Alpine regions, it never snows) may have caused the adhesive to go bad. Easily fixed with high strength building adhesive.
That makes the "300" top speed make a lot more sense on those speedometers. I just thought they were being very ambitious with their values, haha. Thanks for the info!
The holden commodore 👍 gotta love these cars and the variants. all the US needs now is a ‘Ute’ or Utility version like the Holden MALOO in Australia/New Zealand Edit: and now that i reached the end part of your video you already addressed the ute lol
In Australia we go kilometres now we used to be miles per hour I think is just incase America ever decided to go kilometres if the features already there for you you might not but a lot of countries in the world have switched over to kilometres so if you switch over it's there and you can never switch over then is there for whatever the case may be
There seems to be a good community of people upgrading the car, so aftermarket parts should be relatively easy to find. Also it's a GM L76 V8, so not only should parts be readily available, it's also a highly dependable block. I'd check forums to see if there are any known problems down the road but like I said in the video, water in the headlights seemed to be the primary complaint over time with this car. My buddy Tony has had zero problems over the last decade.
I’ve owned one and will probably own another one. Service it at a Chevy dealer. The Chevy Caprice PPV is the same vehicle with a stretched wheelbase. The Chevy SS is the next and last generation of the Holden Commodore. Common problems are lifters and front control arms.
Hi Altek im in UK Got Myself a VXR 8 .Stock 6.2 L. 430 bhp Your G8 has a better Bonnet or Hood as U Say. The Trans/Engine are the Same . The Rest is All Aussie . Good Vid .. Cheers Mate
Very nice Peter, that would be the equivalent to the GXP here I would imagine. I'm familiar with the different terms since I've watched countless hours of Top Gear but I have to say, I think I like the bonnet on your version better. It might just be me wanting what I can't have though, either way, great car overall. Glad you enjoyed the video, means a lot coming from an owner of one! Thanks bud!
105,000 miles. I have a love hate relationship with it. Bought it new. Car has spent most of it's life in a garage. Headliner fell, speed sensor failure, crankshaft bolts backed out into torque converter, replaced ac compressor etc of small problems.
If you asked me before I did this review, I'd say skip it. But after driving it and some research, this is a great option if it suits your needs. I'd aim for the GT or GXP since I'm not too certain about the longevity of the V6 option.
I think they would have kept slapping their badges on imported cars like they did here. It's what Buick is doing at least with their Regal these days. I don't disagree with you though, I think they would have found a way to differentiate themselves from other brands.
I've got my black my10 G8st 6.0 m6 safely locked away with 60000km on the clock. Never has or will see a wet road. Best MOD yet was 6/4 Brembo kit. Oh & a new zorst. These things fly ! RIP to our Awesome car manufacturers.
I have a white one, and it will rip the tires to 100mph sitting still. I'll post some videos to my channel soon. Best car I've had, and I'm a Ford guy. Pretty quality "GM" in my book!
You know it's a great car if you love it and you're a Ford guy. Watching some videos of these hooked up, it looked like a breeze to get more power out of it. I'd love to see you tearing it up, keep me posted. Hah and you're spot on, best "GM" ever!
I'll get a couple burnouts vids posted to my channel her this morning, nothing to crazy, but entertaining to be doing 100mph + on the dash while sitting still. Car is bone stock, right down to the factory air filter element. It just turned over 70k, and never a problem. When they are up, I'll come back and let you know! Thanks for the video btw, liked and subbed!
@@Altek1 ruclips.net/video/UEJpyMkqaws/видео.html can't find the video on my laptop, here's a link to my other channel. This was the 100mph tire murderer!
Sad to say...Holden no longer manufactures cars. In fact, Australian made cars are no more. So cars like this, in good condition are worth holding on to.
Hah, thanks bro. I'm working on bringing attention to my channel but it's tricky. I'll just keep up with the content and see what happens. Thanks for watching!
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
very underrated car.
Are these pretty pricey to maintain over the years?
Not to my knowledge but to be fair, I haven't heard of many people having problems even as they get high in mileage. The L76 that comes with the G8 GT has an aluminum block and can take a beating from what I've seen. I'm not sure about parts availability otherwise.
@@SammyBoy806 it's a GM V8.,.which they've been making since the 50s.very reliable , affordable maintenance, bulletproof transmission, and alot of parts avail some LS stuff is interchangeable. L76 was DOD hybrid of LS2/LS3
It’s like 5 around my city that I see almost everyday, we got sideshows all the time I never heard about anybody having problems
So underrated....the only downside (for those that wanted a GT) was that it was ONLY available with an Auto trans. I have manual trans Liquid Red GXP myself. The LS3 6.2 litre mated with the 6 speed stick is an altogether fabulous beast!! I will never part with it.....even as it's value skyrockets!!!
Another cool feature on the car is stealth mode. Hold down the 2 buttons right above the head light and fog light switch. The ones that dim and brighten the dash lights. If you hold them down it will turn on stealth mode which turns off all the interior lights except the speedometer gauge. Pretty cool feature at night.
I didn't know about that, I'll tell my buddy. I love little easter eggs in cars like that. I actually think that's a silly cool feature. It would be even cooler if it blacked out all the exterior lights too and they called it "cop chase mode", ha, but that would be way illegal.
Its 2019 and I still want this car I have a 07 G6 Gt convertible and G8 is still my dream car
Joshua J-man ima Delong one exactly like the video but v6 let me know
I have the 04 grand prix and will trade in a heartbeat
The g6 gt coupe was my first car! Just upgraded to a 08 g8. got the 397th g8 v6 ever made with 43k on the dash. It’s in the shop right now getting it’s timing chain replaced :/
That seems like low mileage to replace a timing chain, but I'm no mechanic, that's for sure. Good purchase though, enjoy it!
I have a 07 g6 v6 and I love it but I love this one even more
The G8 is a nice car, but whatever was lacking in it was made up for in the Chevy SS. These two are truly the last of the Holden rwd cars.
Another GREAT and PERFECTLY PACED review, Altek. Thank you!!
And thank you for checking out my other videos bro! I think you might like my 59 Vette video, so few views on it and I can't see why.
@@Altek1 I will check them all, one by one. Thank you for the quality of your reviews!! I'm in Montreal, in 2018, I wrote a book about Cars. Quiz Auto, under my name. Let me know if you speak French. Best!
I’ve always wanted one of these, such a beautiful car
It really is, very underestimated. The owner of this just picked up a new Buick Regal Hatch, also nicer than I anticipated. I'm going to do a review on that next, but it's no G8.
Hey.
Nice video and finally one honest bloke like you that appreciates the Holden Commodore for what it is.
I have oe of the last ones which is the vf ssv redline.
I just love it.
Thanks bud, much appreciated. Whenever I see it in the parking lot at work now, I always do a double take. Glad you enjoyed the video.
I love this car. Never realized how great it was until now. Great vid!
Thanks bud! Me neither, I really expected to dislike it but I don't mind being wrong in this case.
I love my Ignition Orange G8 GT
JadXtreme I saw one around town the other week, I was in my SS but couldn’t get the guys attention to give him the thumbs up. But it did have paper plates on it and the guy looked like he was still admiring his interior. Totally understood.
Nice.color
@@frankramos4695 where
Nice
Mine is the gray
Great review...love the balanced nature of your comments. I'm an Aussie and I own the wagon variant of this car with the 3.6V6. I own the last version of the car...the version above the car here. If as an American, you choose to buy one of these cars you will be greeted with a well-made car with brilliant handling (Aussie engineers are renowned for their chassis engineering skills.). The car's platform, designated "Zeta", is totally Australian as was used by the Aussie and US design teams when they resurrected your Camaro. Now Holden no longer manufactures cars in Australia...having been killed by US beancounters and that woman, Mary Bara! 90+ years of Aussie manufacturing up in smoke! So if you own a G8, the last GTO or a Chevy SS (even a used Chevy PPV) then cherish it...there will never be a car like them ever again.
I want a wagon one of these so bad, but we didnt get them in the states
@@travistoole You could import an Aussie wagon and hand it over to the guy who converts utes to LHD. I think the company is called "LeftHandUtes". You can pick up a good V8 wagon down here starting at $20k, US. For the 3.6V6 (honestly probably all you'll ever need) you're looking at a couple of grand less. If you want one that is almost new (there are still a few out there) then add about four grand to the price in USD. Check out CarSales.com.au
@@tripsadelica Thanks, I found a new website to obsess over lol
You got your own style and I like it. You should be on Top Gear
Bro, that would be the highest honor, I appreciate the feedback. Glad you like what I do, more to come in the future and hopefully you see me on Top Gear one day 😁
Best car I’ve ever owned! I’ll keep it forever
Looks like it'll last you forever at the rate others have lasted. You're a lucky man!
I got a "ute" here in AU. Great description of the Commodore you did. It is a great car.
Glad you liked the video and I'm jealous of your ute. I hope to own a El Camino one day, it's the closest thing to it here in the states.
I think GM made a huge mistake never selling a "ute equivalent" in the US. They missed a big $$ opportunity, but then again they're not known for managing $$ well. They could have just imported them with some modifications.
Great review. This also reminds me of remembering this was the last Firehawk SLP (Street Legal Performance) car ever made by General Motors.
Thanks for this review! I have a Pacific Slate Metallic GT with 60k miles. I LOVE that car. I was a lifer Poncho man, and this to be my last new one makes me very proud. When I bought it in '11 with 7k miles, it was my daily driver so I bought the GT over the GXP b/c of mileage was much better. I wish I had a GXP in PSM paint - only a few hundred made their way here. I also bought an 89 Pontiac 6000 STE AWD for my winter beater - now I'm converting her to electric.
Love that you parked it in the forest for those glamour shots. That's like 1M sub level production value.
Bro, your words are much appreciated. I try to capture the car in the best light and that red really popped against the green. Hopefully one day I'll hit that million sub level, but for now I'll just keep at it. Thanks for watching Will!
That engineering menu is pretty innovative. I drove my friend Kyle's G8 GXP and was also surprised about how integrated the E-brake was! Nice review.
I had no intentions of reviewing the car until I started checking it out. And I didn't know how to exit the engineering menu once I enabled it, but maybe I just didn't press enough buttons. That GXP must have been fun with the extra 54hp, great last hoorah for Pontiac really. Thanks for the support and for watching as always bud!
@@Altek1 The later model Commodore has an electric handbrake (that's what we call the E-brake) with a switch near the gear lever. The engineering menu in the VF can be brought up on the infotainment screen, from memory but I may be wrong. My car is the 3.6L V6 and I don't bother with that sort of stuff. The only thing which irritates me is the black paintwork. It shows any speck of dust or water droplets. It's a bugger to keep clean and I'm an old fart! LOL!
The electric e-brake is pretty common on new cars here, I assume you're in Australia? It's kinda sad to see the handbrake go but that's what old cars are for. And tell me about it! I have a dark gray WRX and it can stay clean for about 7 hours. Spring with the pollen and winter with the salt, it's a losing battle all the time, hah!
Love my G8 GT, definitely the ultimate sleeper. This car did deserve a little more, instead of giving it the L76 just give it the LS2 at 400hp. Overall after 84k miles I haven't had one issue. Will never sell
I really didn't think I was going to like it as much as I did but I do love being wrong in those cases. I've been hearing a lot of stories with high mileage and no issues so I say you got yourself a keeper as far as looks, drive, and reliability. It seems pretty easy to get more power out of that engine from where it is but yeah, the LS2 would have been quite the treat for that car. Enjoy it bro!
The L76 is an LS2 block with LS3 heads and a small cam for DoD. Remove the DoD change the lifters and put a factory LS2 cam in and you have a better flowing LS2
the g8 GXP comes with the LS3 6.2 with 415 HP
Got an 08' GT within a month of it coming out. $34k off dealer showroom, best deal I ever made, huge engine, raw power. Stull showroom shape 49k miles. Sweet ride, Pontiac went out with a bang!
Nice! It's a good feeling keeping a car for that long still looking factory fresh. Enjoy it bro, thanks for watching!
Great example of our Aussie car, Holden called it the Billion dollar baby, I own a GTS HSV 2009 E2, with a six speed manual the LS3 6.2L and love it, in our country these cars in mint condition are bringing home either the new car value or over, I'd like to think the GT G8s will pick up in value.
Thanks for your generous review of an Australian built car 🚗.
Take care.
James. 🇦🇺
Fine example of an Aussie 🚗 Commodore/Pontiac, and thanks for putting it all together for what she is.
My car is the high end car in Australia called 2009 GTS HSV LS3 6.2L E2 Commodore.
Again thank you I enjoyed seeing the car alongside the way you put it all together as they are now becoming rare.
Cheers mate 🇦🇺💙
Great review Altek! Fresh interior on this one!
Thanks bruv! Audio is getting better and better too. And yeah, the interior was mint like the rest of it.
Altek audio def sounding great dawg
This is a great review, thanks!
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
when i get back from overseas i cant wait to drive my g8 gt. a cam and procharger and its go time. i wished the military let me bring it. Japan and these small cars lol
Hah I can see that as a car that you'd miss if you're without it too long. At least you can try to drive an R34 while you're out there to experience some serious Japanese fun. Thanks for watching and enjoy your car when you get back!
Thank you for your service!
Loved mine. Drove it throughout high school and sadly sold it two years ago. Was an amazing car for what it was. RIP
Great job Alex! Yet again you mastered the art of delivering a beautifully orchestrated review. Going to share this with my buddies and spread the word.
The end had me dying when you all of a sudden decided to buzz like a bee 😂😂😂😂.
Keep up the fantastic work brother! Lol get as many videos out as possible! Don’t keep us waiting 😂.
Hope you get your hands on some more cars, you’re videos are fun to watch.
Best of luck brother, stay safe on the road.
Thank you as always! I'm not very good at marketing myself without seeming like a scummy salesman so any help is greatly appreciated.
The blooper was from a take I did where I really messed up the word "suspend", glad you liked it!
I'm going to keep this going just trying to figure out how to post when it's 20 degrees out but I have some ideas. My next easily accessible car is an Integra that's been converted to right hand drive with a JDM front end. It's a real looker so stay tuned!
Thanks again for the support. I'm sure I said it before but it's comments like these that keep me moving forward with this.
Dude you’re solid! I’m happy to hear you’re moving forward with this. I know it’s time consuming, but it’ll pay off in the end when you get to 1 million subscribers and you’ll be going cross country reviewing cars lol!
Idk if this helps, but when it’s cold out you can talk about the handling in the weather conditions thrown at you during the recording.
Maybe along the lines of the safety features it has from slipping, or something to do with the suspension. Either way man, you’re entertaining to watch and believe me when I tell you this, you’re beating cable and satellite by a long shot lol!
It’s fun to see a new post from you because it’s like a new episode of your favorite series that airs on tv. 😂
Anyway brother, good see you’re still at it and I look forward to that Integra video as well! That’s going to be fun 😄
Man, if I got that many subs I don't know what I'd do. I'd definitely try to move to Cali to make sure I can do year round videos, that's for sure.
I was thinking the same thing for winter videos, especially with my Subaru WRX getting some upgrades. Could be some snowy fun for sure.
I was actually thinking of making them feel more episodic but I'm still learning my flow. It's always great to see you pop up in the comments section. If I blow up, I'll never forget people like you who supported me through the start of it all. Stay awesome bro and thanks!!
Altek 😂😂😂. Anytime brother, you’re the one doing all the hard work and WHEN you become successful, it’ll be 100% well deserved.
All I can tell you is have fun with it. It doesn’t matter what you want to do, if people are interested then they will watch. If not, then there’s plenty of other channels to choose from. Lol
Do your thing, and do what makes you happy. Trust me, the real fans will appreciate anything you post and just know we appreciate your hard work! 😃.
Have a good one brother!
-Steve
I love the G8 and the Chevy Caprice PPV! One of my buddies has one of these and they are cool as hell. Thet also have a wonderful sound!
I LOVE my GXP. One of the best cars ever made 😎
The GT was awesome, I can only imagine the GXP. Not to mention it pretty much kept all of its value which is incredible. Suffice it to say, I'm jealous buddy. Thanks for the subscribe!!
@@Altek1I know this comment and video are old but seeing your comment about the GXP made me want to leave a comment on the model itself. My Step Father has made a 2009 GXP his daily driver since new. Up until a hailstorm brought the car down to what we call "the hail car". A car only taken out when bad weather is in the forecast. It's beastly, but the only issue I should point out in the car is in the automatic.( Manuals were a rare option to get with the GXP with and dealer Mark ups made it ridiculous to get one) I don't know if it's his car or just a general thing with the transmission but it lags when putting the power down. An bucks as well when shifting into gears. Past 40 the power will come down more smoothly, and it goes like a ludicrous freight train all while threatening to throw out the rear if you so challenge it in the corners. He has gotten so well in tuned with that car. That what he happens to do in that car is nuts. I'm talking blasting it up to 80 and dropping the speeds like a rock with the assistance of brembos. I always admired this era of muscle cars or performance cars because while they didn't have any high tech features. It made more of a driving machine because of the lack of focus you had to have on the technology or anything else that wasn't the performance of the car. An oh, I almost forgot to mention. He's taken the cats out so not only does it sound like Daytona 500 everytime you get on it. The car vibrates gently at idle like a eager to go jack rabbit.
Hunter Robertson they didn’t make a gxp in 08, it has to be a 2009
@@BlueCollarBen that's right, I went back and made the correction in my post. Thank you
Hunter Robertson Right on, I have a G8 GXP with the manual, white with all black interior, a couple of modifications and I’m at 560hp (475 at the wheels) and it’s my daily. Absolutely one of my favorite cars
I have a white g8 GT same interior though....love it...best car I’ve ever owned! ✌🏾
I can't say I've ever seen one in white, but to be fair, I rarely ever see these. Enjoy the ride buddy! Thanks for watching.
I absolutely LOVE my G8!
If there's a way to shut down a brand, this is how you do it.
"once you own a Pontiac Sundance everything looks better!" Hahahahahhaa. Subscribed! Followed the Integra vid from Scotty. Good content, sir! This channel is sure to grow! -walker from Vallejo, California
Hahah! Oh the Sundance!! I wish I had that exact car right now to do a review on it, you wouldn't believe how much a car could fall apart. Thanks for the support! I'm excited to see where this all goes.
neighbor had this car, I was in love of that gxp, it was like a four-door Corvette that nobody knew about
The longevity of this Commodore (I'm using the car's real name seeing that it is a Holden Commodore with a slightly different front clip and Pontiac badges) just goes to show how well put together the cars were when they came off the assembly line at Elizabeth in South Australia. The VE (G8) and the later VF (think 2016+ Chevy SS) were products of the finest design team ever assembled in Australia. A billion dollars (AU) was spent developing these cars so that they could take the smooth city roads and rough outback roads of Australia and last the distance. They are bullet-proof. I own a black VF Commodore Sportwagon and it is the finest car I have ever owned. Not one fault...not even a squeak or rattle anywhere. I believe that GM engineers in Detroit say that Holden's products are the best put-together and road handling cars in the GM empire. Sadly Mary Barra couldn't have cared less about the company and killed the factory in 2016 after nearly a hundred years of the Holden company's operations (taking into account the time it existed before GM bought it out in 1930). Thousands of people out of work and no more rear wheel drive cars on the Zeta platform. Now I noticed she's shutting plants in the US and Canada...so bloody sad!
I agree with you, very well put together cars. It's sad when some corporate misdirection destroys a solid company, but at least these remaining G8's aren't going anywhere since they were built so damn well.
@@Altek1 Yes, your friend should get many years motoring out of his car if he maintains it regularly. Tell him that the most important thing in servicing the VE (G8) and VF models is making sure you use the exact grade of oil mentioned in the handbook. In the V6 models this is a synthetic motor oil of 5w30 grade. I'm not sure about the V8s.
I have watched a few YT videos where American owners have "debadged" their cars, removing either the Pontiac or Chevrolet badges and attaching Holden badges instead. Tell your friend that should he want to do that he best do it quickly. The badges are still relatively plentiful as they were made in abundance for the factory but they will start to dwindle soon. They can be bought on Ebay from here. The symbol, a rampant lion with its paw on a rolling stone represents a lion rolling the ball of progress. It's an instantly recognisable symbol in Australia as the Chevrolet bowtie is in the US. Good luck to both of you. Yes, you are right...it's a great pity how GM is now in a bad way. I really feel for those workers who are about to be without a job...especially so close to Christmas.
If you have some time to kill and you're interested this is a two part special program about the history of Holden right up until the company decided to use Nissan straight 6 motors in their '86 model VL Commodore (that only lasted a couple of years before they went over to using a Buick-sourced 3.6 V6 which altered from front wheel drive usage to rear wheel drive. The entire engine was re-engineered in Australia to improve the smoothness and fuel economy and also to add an optional supercharger.). Here's the link: (Part 1) ruclips.net/video/IR8BhiiAWTo/видео.html (Part 2) ruclips.net/video/EvU13TvzQ_M/видео.html
beautiful car, always wanted a gxp with that ls3. i still want a gto
My dad was a GM retiree. Bought liquid red GT in 12/09 for $26,300 out the door. Other car at the time was a 2002 S2000. They had 2 GXPs at the time and could have gotten that for around 31k. Son has the car now. Fantastic car!
Even as a Honda owner, I love this car. I think of it as a 4 door Pontiac GTO (2004 - 2006 version)
Definitely. And even though the look is similar, I still think this G8 looks better. Still both some of the better products towards the end of Pontiacs run.
You mentioned the Plymouth Sundance, my family still owns that car. It's kept in Mexico and after 26 years it still looks great. When I go back to Mexico, I'll send pictures of it on Instagram.
Talk about a success story there. I bought one for $200, ran it as long as could and then drove it to a junk yard where I got $100 for it. Didn't make out that bad in the end but the car died at around 120k. Shoot me shots when you can, I'm curious to see a perfect one. Thanks for watching bud!
@@Altek1 it's still in perfect condition. It's a 1992 and 3 speed auto, 2.5 l engine. The car really struggles on hilly areas since the spacing between second and third gear is huge. My dad bought it used back in 1999 for $1000. It has around 120,000 miles. It has a lot of scratches over the years, but it's hardly noticable.
I had a guy at around age 60 looking at it in Mexico and was telling me if I was selling it. He never seen a good shape Sundance in a while.
You still see Sundance / Shadow cars in Mexico, but they're really beat up and on to its last leg.
I'll send you pictures and maybe upload a video of the car.
I got to say, I never expected a response on the Sundance, but anything is possible, ha! My coworker had a Shadow, the turbo and all hooked up. It was actually a decent looking car all jazzed up. I can see the gearing being a bit annoying but something you'd get used to.
Mine died due to a bad head gasket, not sure if that was a common problem for the car. I called it Jiminy Cricket since the car squeaked in every imaginable way possible. Still a good memory in the end.
If you manage to get some shots, shoot them my way.
@@Altek1 the Sundance rattles like crazy when it comes to uneven surface. The suspension is a bit horrible. My dad tried replacing the struts and control arms, but it still clunks on uneven surface.
Chrysler made those as an inexpensive vehicle. Basically a disposable car, like the Neon.
Mine rattled like hell too. I'm remembering now that I actually installed a sound system in that car, it was definitely worth more than the car but it sure didn't help the rattles.
One day it was raining and I was at least happy it didn't leak. I drove 5 feet and hit the brakes and about 2 gallons of water came in from the roof and soaked me. One of the most comical cars I've ever owned.
One thing you missed or maybe it just didnt make it in the video but moving the shifter to the right puts it in "sport" mode and shifts points are changed and tighter that's why you move it over you dont have to move it up or down unless you want
I was under the impression that was only to shift manually since it didn't feel like it changed the speed of the shifts or throttle response. Hell, the thing was plenty responsive when in automatic mode and it chose the gear appropriately which is not common in my experience. I didn't see anything in the heads up indicating that it was sport mode but it's possible I missed it and didn't notice since I only drove it a few times. Great car overall though, I'm a big fan of it after making this video. Thanks for watching!
@@Altek1 you are very welcome and no nothing shows up in to indicate "sport" mode I noticed that was a trend in the 2000s cars since the 2000s were the perfect blend of mechanical and technology mixed together I guess the "feeling" the driver experienced was good enough to indicate sport mode no fancy menus and buttons to sith through to activate it
I have a 2009 Pontiac g8gt in gray. 187000km with a tune and borla exhaust. 440 horse. I will never sell it. Love it. It's my daily driver
I love my Gray GT, it’s got plenty of power, all the room you need, it’s comfortable just cruising around, and can go crazy fast if you want, but it doesn’t advertise itself, in fact these days, not a lot of people know or remember these cars, so the look of shock when you beat them at the stop light, is pretty fun.
I have a 2009 G8 GXP. I put one of those sticky pads up on top of the center console to keep my phone in place. Hit it (accelerated) one day. Phone went flying into the back seats. Speaking of the back seats, I (6'1") still fit behind the driver's seat with it fully aft. Trunk is huge. Love that it's a sleeper and parts are readily available. Sad to see Pontiac and now all of Australian car production, go away.
fender flares add a nice aggressive touch to the stance. little bit of a wide body.
It's really what makes the look, without it, it would have been one bland looking car.
Love my G8 GT! Do a DOD delete tho it fails!!! Building mine now bored to 6.2L over 490 WHP. Nice review
I've heard about the DOD failing, I'll pass that info on to my buddy. Yours must be a beast! Thanks for watching!
😍 490 not bad I love g8 I cant wait to get one silver with the red and black interior
Yes, they’re beautiful cars, and what a great car for Pontiac to say goodbye. I’ll be getting my 2nd one this Saturday, a 2009 Stryker Blue GT. My first one was the V6 version 4 years ago. If it wasn’t such a good car, I wouldn’t think about getting another one
I've got an 08 grand prix GXP with the 5.3 with 84k on it, i absolutely love that car. Hope to get a G8 one day.
I misread that, thought you had a G8 GXP, but still, I had a drive in a Grand Prix GXP some time ago and it was proper fun. And I saw one with an old lady behind the wheel, showroom fresh it was, she had no idea what she was driving.
i tuned it and it is amazing what a difference makes...cheers
Love this car....
You got good taste bro!
I have an '09 G8 GT... will never sell it (garaged, only driven in good weather). I put the factory triple gauges in the center stack and when you switch from E to M, the gauges also change units (oil pressure psi to kPa, oil temp °F to °C).
The ve commodore was one of the best cars holden made. the vf commodore (chevy ss) was an step up from the ve.
I didn't anticipate liking this car as much as I did. One of those situations where I was happy to be wrong. Holden made some damn good cars.
Besides for the Acura TL Type S, this is one of my favorite cars. Great video.
I'd love to pick up a 2004 TL Type S but I haven't found any in good condition. The G8 is hard to come by at a low price, but it's pretty clear it'll be the last car you'd need to buy for a while. Glad you liked the video, thanks for checking it out.
@@Altek1 of course!
Do you mean 2003 or 2007/2008? 2004 was the first year of the 3rd generation TL, so there wasn’t a Type S.
Touche, my father had an 04 with the OEM body kit which mocked the Type S minus the quad pipes and manual. I'd go for the 2007/2008 option, but again, nearly impossible to find in a condition I'd want to buy. And those leather seats didn't hold up well even if treated well.
@@Altek1 Funny enough I own an RDX and love it but I missed having a car. I owned a 06 TL a few years ago while in college and loved it. Well, even with the crazy car market I met someone who had a 2008 TL Type S in Kinetic Blue. Color I’ve always wanted. He recently had the timing belt and water pump done. I don’t use as my primary, but got a crazy deal on it and love it as my weekend car.
Would have loved to see the wagon version brought to the States.
Most definitely.
4411825 the old el Camino
I had an 06 Grand Prix GXP as my first car and I loved it. Sure the 303 hp LS4 isn't as cool as the 361hp L76, but I have enjoyed pontiac's goodbye. I plan to get a G8 GT one day, GXP if I'm lucky
You ever end up getting one??
I just wish the LS4 cars came with a better transmission
" once you own a Plymouth Sundance, everything looks better" LOL
Hah, really, worst car I've ever owned hands down.
These are total sleepers
Yeah they are, it puts out 360hp and you can feel it alright.
Thay really need 2 bring this car back.i love it
I love my g8 gt very nice ride, I must be lucky it’s a first car for me!!
Indeed you are! If it has low mileage and was cared for, just do the maintenance and it'll last you a good while.
The gauge thing was cool to me too!! haha Back in 2002, when my parents had a loaded Pontiac Bonneville that did that. Did that car have a HUD display?
Besides the center display with scrollable feedback from the car like gas mileage and odometer, it had a large tach and speedometer. I liked the setup though, basic but sleek. Thanks for binging some of my videos buddy!
If you owned a Plymouth Sundance everything looks better. lmao!! Best Line! btw... awesome video man!
Hah glad you digged it buddy. I bought that Sundance for $200 and it was worth about half that really, ha! I miss the drive of that G8, so smooth. Thanks for watching!
Hi from Australia 🇦🇺 good looking car 😊 I own Holden statesman and Caprice both v6 and v8. Coolest cars you have ever owned.
I considered buying one of these cars in 2012 and found a low-mile example, but the owner was asking for $26,000. After looking around, I just felt is was too much for a four-year-old used car. I went with a brand new fully-loaded top-of-the-line Ford Fusion instead. Do I regret it? Not really considering the high price of gas. But I really love the styling and might pick one up for my little brother in the next year or so (not the V8 model, though). The V6 is good enough and with the high price of gas, the last thing we need is a V8 on top of high insurance premiums. I wouldn't mind driving it and helping him customize it.
What a great none bias awesome review. Agree with everything. Absolutely Love mine.
Thanks bud. I was happy to be completely wrong about the car, what a great drive. Keep the Pontiac name alive and thanks for watching!
Nice car ! Mine has 160k miles and still no problems but those pesky headlights, and a new alternator this summer
I'll let my buddy know he can expect another worry free 80k on the car. Those are just about the best problems you can have after that many miles. Let me know when you hit 200k! Thanks for watching!
@@Altek1 how expensive are repairs whenever they come due though? Heard the Australian based manufacturing negatively affected availability/inexpensiveness of repairs, but it must be at least decent if a pretty fair share of police cruisers (the caprice is also the exact same as this & the SS, right???) out there are these; could imagine reliability AND infrequent/inexpensive maintenance being top priority if buying whole fleets of these...
I have two 09 gts in my bookmarks with less than 60k miles for $16-17K.. I will pull the trigger if they’re still available in May-June
I missed this, sorry. I'm not too sure about repair costs. If it is expensive, it certainly doesn't sway people from buying it. But you're right, the Caprice and SS we're pretty much the same car, that definitely had to help availability of parts. The biggest concern I'd have would be the Active Fuel Management, it shuts a cylinder off to save gas. Just seems like a part that can go wrong for no reason down the line.
@zbib43 I'd do it, that's baby mileage considering some success stories I've heard.
Honestly this is a really good review of a really odd car. I learned a couple things about mine that i didnt know. good job man.
Thanks a lot bro! I learned a bunch while making this as well. I went in ready to hate on it and was happy as hell to be wrong in the end. As a fellow owner, I'm glad you think I did a good job, much appreciated.
@Phrozin yeah, just a GM car made by an australian car company for 2 years. totally normal.
Haha I'm with you, kinda like the new Buick Regal that's also an Opel, totally normal. But to an Australian fella that's used to Holden's, it might just be normal.
@@Altek1 yeah it's pretty normal. I own a 2009 SSV Commodore with the Pontiac front end. Commodores are everywhere here but the Pontiac front isn't very common, so makes mine a bit different.
I'd imagine it would stand out much like a Commodore front end would stand out here in the states. My buddy wanted to rebadge his car to the Holden model which I go back and forth on.
Best car I've ever owned by far
I love this car man!
It’s 2020 and I still want this car and I don’t have a car but I will love to have this one
Still looks sharp as hell over a decade later, that's for sure.
That’s nice
The g8 and g6 were both sweet. My g6 (though I bought it used) didn’t make it past 90,000. I had the 3.5 v6 and the check engine light came on and never went away. It was under a gmpp warranty and they couldn’t fix it, so they gave me a rental for 3 weeks and then a good trade-in price. Still, I should’ve made them fix it, but I didn’t have another car and it was a true hassle. They would reset the check engine light and tell me “it’s good” and then the light would pop on after 5 minutes of driving. I would go back to the dealership and say, “it’s on again” and the dunksky in service would say, “it could be the gas cap this time, there’s 1000s of things that a check engine light could be.” Every time they would say this after I brought the car back (after 5 minutes of leaving the dealership) when the check engine light would come back on!
Love my g8 gt snow white I only have 80 thousand miles on it these are definitely collector's cars
Nice color choice, I'd wonder how it would look with a little black lip around the body. I'm still shocked at the prices these go for used, even then, don't sell yours. Thanks for watching buddy.
@@Altek1 for a car 10 years old I still get compliments,I live in Michigan and here you have chargers and challengers everywhere lol when they pull next to the g8 they show respect for the speed but then again they try me alot too but I still drive like a grandpa lol
Haha that's great. Keep driving it like that and it'll last forever for sure. As you saw in the video, the speed was a bit alarming once I put my foot down even slightly, so I bet grandpa driving still feels spirited enough. I assume it's garaged and not your primary ride since those winters must be rough.
Just saw you subscribed. Much appreciated!
@@Altek1 definitely brother it's in the garage as we speak...I had to sub brother the delivery of this video gave me chills you nailed it.
Smart man, I love me a garage kept car. Awesome to hear I nailed it, especially from an owner. Expect more in the future bro.
Actually looking into getting one of these. I was pretty set on a Tesla model 3 2018. But there's a part of my heart that loves older low tech cars almost more than I love ultra modern cars. There's a GXP instead of GT that has even more power. Found one for 30 K with 12 k miles. God. If I buy this I'll post links for pics
The GXP for that price actually seems like a good deal and considering where they're at, I can only imagine them going up in value down the road. I don't trust Tesla's build quality for the long run but the Model 3 is at least at a price I can somewhat get behind. Two totally different cars though, I think you'd love the G8 if you had a chance to drive it.
thank you for a great review i do have one of those they are amazing cars .....next ss
And thank you for watching, I'd like to try an SS out just to see the difference. If I get my hands on one I'll do a review for sure.
I have one as my daily driver. The only problem is the headliner coming off. Best car I've ever owned. I have a 2000 ws6 and my g8 is way faster.
Great choice for a daily for sure. I'm surprised to hear that about the headliner, seemed like everything was made pretty solid. How many miles on yours? I bet it's no comparison to the ws6 in all areas besides speed. Thanks for watching!
Altek just hit 130,000 miles. Only oli changes and brakes. Corsa catback. Love it. Does pull harder than my ws6.
Nice, keep the Pontiac name alive my friend!
Marco...that is really unusual. I am an Aussie and I own the station wagon version of this car. I think what has happened in your case is that the cold temperatures coupled with the humidity you get in the States (in Australia, apart from Alpine regions, it never snows) may have caused the adhesive to go bad. Easily fixed with high strength building adhesive.
I miss my ws6 so im getting a g8gt now to keep
I got a 2004 grand am v6 this cars nice too mines little beat up
Beat up but still kicking, my kinda car. Thanks for watching bud!
c5 corvette's did the same thing with the speedo btw
I was unaware of that, it's hands down the coolest way to switch between the two while keeping the dial clean looking.
@@Altek1 I agree makes it a lot cleaner looking. Take a look at some c5 speedo's they are really cool looking.
That makes the "300" top speed make a lot more sense on those speedometers. I just thought they were being very ambitious with their values, haha. Thanks for the info!
The holden commodore 👍 gotta love these cars and the variants. all the US needs now is a ‘Ute’ or Utility version like the Holden MALOO in Australia/New Zealand
Edit: and now that i reached the end part of your video you already addressed the ute lol
Haha I do that when I'm watching videos too. I'd love to get my hands on a El Camino, just a classic Ute. Thanks for watching bud.
I think this would make a really nice daily sport sedan.
I’m in love with this car
I have one and its never seen rain or snow. Its my child
Hah, I hope if you have an actual child, it never reads this comment. Thanks for watching!
@@Altek1 haha I'm only 22 so let's hope not for awhile 😂
😂 you're a smart man!
I'm in love with Pontiac...still.
Exactly
Lovely looking car
It looks sharp as hell in gray too
In Australia we go kilometres now we used to be miles per hour I think is just incase America ever decided to go kilometres if the features already there for you you might not but a lot of countries in the world have switched over to kilometres so if you switch over it's there and you can never switch over then is there for whatever the case may be
Awesome video!
Thanks bro!
If I where to purchase this car where would I get it serviced, and would parts be available like if I needed a headlight or broke the grill
There seems to be a good community of people upgrading the car, so aftermarket parts should be relatively easy to find. Also it's a GM L76 V8, so not only should parts be readily available, it's also a highly dependable block. I'd check forums to see if there are any known problems down the road but like I said in the video, water in the headlights seemed to be the primary complaint over time with this car. My buddy Tony has had zero problems over the last decade.
I’ve owned one and will probably own another one. Service it at a Chevy dealer. The Chevy Caprice PPV is the same vehicle with a stretched wheelbase. The Chevy SS is the next and last generation of the Holden Commodore. Common problems are lifters and front control arms.
I love these cars. After I buy my second or third motorcycle and a newer truck I want to get one
Haha you got a lot of things to buy my friend. I'd scoop up a GT or GXP if you can find one, I feel like they won't be easy to get for a long time.
In about 4 years realistically
I can only see the price increasing so just keep that in mind.
Hi Altek im in UK Got Myself a VXR 8 .Stock 6.2 L. 430 bhp Your G8 has a better Bonnet or Hood as U Say. The Trans/Engine are the Same . The Rest is All Aussie . Good Vid .. Cheers Mate
Very nice Peter, that would be the equivalent to the GXP here I would imagine. I'm familiar with the different terms since I've watched countless hours of Top Gear but I have to say, I think I like the bonnet on your version better. It might just be me wanting what I can't have though, either way, great car overall. Glad you enjoyed the video, means a lot coming from an owner of one! Thanks bud!
Is a dealer that sells one of these I feel bad every time I drive past
Holdens V8’s in any format have gone way up in price now with the closing of the holden facility same with ford V8’s
Such a shame, what great cars. The used price still kinda shocks me but at the same time, I get it.
Australian design Australian built say no more 👍🇦🇺
I still love my 2009 Pontiac g8gt.
105,000 miles. I have a love hate relationship with it. Bought it new. Car has spent most of it's life in a garage. Headliner fell, speed sensor failure, crankshaft bolts backed out into torque converter, replaced ac compressor etc of small problems.
Wow, you're the first I've heard with so many issues. Is this the same model, the G8 GT?
@@Altek1 2009 Pontiac G8 GT
@@strokerace427ace5 you have a 7 liter g8 ?
@@tylercouture216 6.0
Beautiful car, im thinking about financing one right now. Is it worth it?
If you asked me before I did this review, I'd say skip it. But after driving it and some research, this is a great option if it suits your needs. I'd aim for the GT or GXP since I'm not too certain about the longevity of the V6 option.
Thx u sir!
good video iliked the dundee ref... i liked this video
Thanks bud. It was nice to be impressed by a Pontiac.
I miss Pontiac brand I think they would made more better cars now in these days with new technology.
I think they would have kept slapping their badges on imported cars like they did here. It's what Buick is doing at least with their Regal these days. I don't disagree with you though, I think they would have found a way to differentiate themselves from other brands.
G8 GTs are starting to fetch $20000 with 50k+ miles. I want one so bad but for that price I'm tempted to get a GXP or SS
GXP's do not come cheap at all. But at least if you pick one up and keep it nice, it should either maintain or increase in value. Happy hunting!
I've got my black my10 G8st 6.0 m6 safely locked away with 60000km on the clock. Never has or will see a wet road. Best MOD yet was 6/4 Brembo kit. Oh & a new zorst. These things fly ! RIP to our Awesome car manufacturers.
I have a white one, and it will rip the tires to 100mph sitting still. I'll post some videos to my channel soon. Best car I've had, and I'm a Ford guy. Pretty quality "GM" in my book!
You know it's a great car if you love it and you're a Ford guy. Watching some videos of these hooked up, it looked like a breeze to get more power out of it. I'd love to see you tearing it up, keep me posted. Hah and you're spot on, best "GM" ever!
I'll get a couple burnouts vids posted to my channel her this morning, nothing to crazy, but entertaining to be doing 100mph + on the dash while sitting still. Car is bone stock, right down to the factory air filter element. It just turned over 70k, and never a problem. When they are up, I'll come back and let you know!
Thanks for the video btw, liked and subbed!
@@Altek1 ruclips.net/video/UEJpyMkqaws/видео.html can't find the video on my laptop, here's a link to my other channel. This was the 100mph tire murderer!
ruclips.net/video/6s2rqBlRn-g/видео.html and yet another, this one at around 80mph.
Seems like you could do that all day and that G8 just takes it! Awesome bro, great way to really get through the last bit of those tires.
that's what drove at a dealer once, it was the very first V8 car that I drove in my life.
That's a good one to start with, thanks for the subscribe!
@@Altek1 your welcome this car out performs my ford fusion 2017.
This car and the gto are heavily underrated
Sad to say...Holden no longer manufactures cars. In fact, Australian made cars are no more. So cars like this, in good condition are worth holding on to.
Why doesn't this channel have more subs?
Hah, thanks bro. I'm working on bringing attention to my channel but it's tricky. I'll just keep up with the content and see what happens. Thanks for watching!