Pontiac Solstice

The Good/BAd and ugly? They seem to be selling at reasonable prices. Don't think I have ever seen a tread on them here!

They ARE ugly...

the saturn version is prettier.

An LS7 fits.

The GXP / Red Line's are the only ones worth getting (turbo models).

The GXP Solstice Hardtop is one of the rarest Pontiac's ever made.

A 2jz fits, too....

No joke.

Thanks to ProDarwin (i think?) for sharing that a couple weeks ago. I legitimately wish i had known about this before i bought my Miata. I would have infinitely rather had a 2jz powered Saturn Sky.

ugly? nah but the saturn is sexy.

the coupe is awesome.

I remember seeing mockups of both the roadster and coupe before they got the goahead. The coupe was neat in that the sparetyre was in the hatch and completely visible to anybody who cared to look in the rear glass

The coupes are rarer than hen's teeth, I think I've only seen one in person.

They convertibles give you the option of top down driving or a small trunk, but not both at once. They can wear wider rubber than a Miata. I like the Saturns's looks better as well, but the Solstice is a car that I sometimes am surprised was actually built since the styling looks more show car than real car to me.

I'd like to drive a GXP version.

Fieros of the future?

More truth to that than most people will admit. It is another car that GM tinkered with until it was right.. and then killed

mad_machine wrote: More truth to that than most people will admit. It is another car that GM tinkered with until it was right.. and then killed

This. Most definitely!

The extra tire gives the Solstice good grip, but numbs steering feel and impedes responsiveness until you're cornering pretty hard. I did like the GXP I drove, but expected it to be faster and better handling than my turbo Miata - it wasn't. But it might have be quicker around a track.

mad_machine wrote: the saturn version is prettier.

Not to me exact opposite. I want one but it doesn't make since in new england...

I want a Sky, convert everything over to Daewoo spec, then bolt a 2jz in.

You have to remove a fender to get to the battery. I thought about getting one, but ended up with a Z06 because it was more practical....

not a fan of the saturn, solstice is better, getting the coupe ain't very grassroots, not sure what a 2jz is

2JZ: (sorry, couldn't help myself)

When I worked at GM I drove a couple while they were "engineering validation vehicles" I was really unimpressed with the steering and braking feedback and and the drivetrain was terrible (these were automatics). I'm sure the manual trans is a million times better.

They are really competitive in SCCA Solo C-Stock right now. They beat out the miata, RX-8, 370Z and a host of other good cars in that class last year and I don't see it changing.

From what I've heard, and my own experience driving them, they aren't nearly as fun to drive as comparable cars, but they have a lot of raw performance potential.

I would consider getting one (prefer a Sky) if I had the money for an impractical car.

JohnyHachi6 wrote: They are really competitive in SCCA Solo C-Stock right now. They beat out the miata, RX-8, 370Z and a host of other good cars in that class last year and I don't see it changing.

Not anymore. 2007 MX-5 is the car to have.

I can follow those that live near me home. All I have to do is follow the breadcrumb like trail of broken plastic pieces that are constantly falling off them or just listen for the squeaks when people are driving them. Tight they're not.

But turn them over and look underneath and they've got some good lookin' bits, they're just hidden (temporarily it seems) under a body. LOCOST fodder

The Sky version is also the Opel GT in Germany. Do think the Sky is better looking myself but the Solstice does have this no nonesense look about it. Also read that the Solstice is a bit lighter than the other versions. Not so much luxury do-dads installed is what they said. I was waiting for the Coupe version to come out and hit the used car market myself, I want one. Even though I have never seen one. (is that bad?) Fit my needs, has some storage space which the roadster doesn't have.

In reply to mtn:

I haven't followed all the national tour stops but the solstice took the C-Stock Championship win by a margin of almost a second and 4 of the top 5 finishes were in solstices.

Pontiac FTW.

JohnyHachi6 wrote: In reply to mtn: I haven't followed all the national tour stops but the solstice took the C-Stock Championship win by a margin of almost a second and 4 of the top 5 finishes were in solstices.

Wow, you're right. The MX-5 MS-R package had been the car to beat for two or three years in a row, after the Solstice's first year of domination.

Javelin wrote: An LS7 fits. The GXP / Red Line's are the only ones worth getting (turbo models). The GXP Solstice Hardtop is one of the rarest Pontiac's ever made.

i saw and touched the Solstice that GM put the LS7 into.. what a beast.. and they did it with mostly factory parts..

i also saw that same car run out of gas idling around the MN state fairgrounds because the same GM engineers that built the car couldn't figure out why the gas gauge didn't work- and this was only a month after the car did a few thousand miles on the Power tour....