[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.