the GA16DE redlines at 6900, you should be able to hit it with manual shifting... if you look in your manual that came with the car or a FSM it should tell you what speed the gears top out at... don't know if those figures are for normal grandma driving or what.
i think that the damage in bouncing off the limiter is that the fuel cuts off momentarily and the car leans out for that time... i don't think it damages the engine if you do it once or twice but i think keeping it up in that range can be harmful to it.
you know, i was pulling out of one of those So Cal carpool regulation thingys to control people going on the highway... and i realized how fast i went from 0-60! it was like before I hit the end of the little merger road (there was ramp so i wasn't going like down a hill.), I was already doing 75! I almost smacked a new Saturn Vue but it was pleasantly suprising, unfortunately there's no consistancy...
