GT sucked compared to the other series - likewise with DBZ compared to the original DB. I used to really enjoy DBZ (and DB, in jap, even more) - but something killed it for me (long before GT was aired in English), perhaps it was those little kids running around with collectable cards, or the fact that the series got turned into complete shit when they brought it over into the western world, who knows?
Akira Toriyama was a great guy (not to mention he inspired a whole lot of other manga artists to start drawing, including Kishimoto Masashi). If you really wanna see how DB and DBZ were intended to be, go read the manga.