What do you guys think of the Pontiac Solstice and all the other $20k competition for the miata. I thought they looked kinda cool but probably powerless and cheesy.

12/29/2005 1:48:50 PM

get a used S2k
you will thank me

12/29/2005 1:56:44 PM

^ agreed...

12/29/2005 1:57:12 PM

^yep

miatas are sweet, but they've gotten big and heavy enough that they are getting into S2000 territory, and an S2000 is a much better car. the 1G Miatas are slow, but they have their own appeal due to their 2100 lb curb weight and go-kart feel.

The Solstice looks sweet, but GM didn't deliver what they promised. They slashed the horsepower and grossly inflated the weight. The only part they delivered on was the price.

12/29/2005 2:00:26 PM

I'm not getting one of these...just interested in what people think and have heard about them. I could never get my fat arse in one of these tiny things.

12/29/2005 2:08:52 PM

i'd rock a solstice if the power was up.

one of these will likely be my next convertible.

12/29/2005 2:14:41 PM

^Nice. Very nice. Actually looking at one, or just an idea at this point?

If I was going to spend $20K on a convertible I'd probably be looking for an early 60's Continental. That kind of money would probably buy a nice driver, though by no means a perfect example...

12/29/2005 2:37:43 PM

nah, i've always casually wanted one. just never found one to go after. decent C bodys are hard enough to find in the first place, much less convertibles. there's a guy on craigslist with a polara convertible, but he's trying to sell a group of cars together and won't let it go individually.

12/29/2005 2:56:56 PM

new miata is 25lbs more than the old miata while having 170 at the crank. I think motor trend got a 15.2 out of one... same time they got out of a bone stock second gen Rx-7 Turbo.

I haven't driven a new Miata but I've driven a 1G with a 1.8. The new Miata is way more sporty than a solstice and weighs like 300lbs less. I saw a Saturn Sky at the NOPI Nationals show and it's just a better looking (IMO) Solstice, seeing how they are on the same platform and all.

If you want something with the weight of a solstice just get an s2000 though

12/29/2005 5:14:22 PM

you should read the comparison GRM has between the soltice, new miata, and old miata in this month's issue. They really do not like the new miata because the suspension is soft, car sits too high, gearing is bad, etc. They liked the solstice for the ability to get lots of camber, the large wheels and tires, and a stiffer suspension.

12/29/2005 5:43:24 PM

dude those are car nerds writing that shit just like most other media reviews

the Miata is no longer slow as balls (although slow is a relative term), that automatically makes it way better than the old one to 95% of the people out there. The weight increase is as I said a negligible 25ish pounds.

12/29/2005 5:54:18 PM

track times at tirerack's course with r-compound really showed the differences in suspension.

12/29/2005 7:23:38 PM

^Haha who gives a shit. 95% of the people that buy these cars rarely if ever put them to the test where they would even notice a difference, much like the people who buy big ass 4WD SUV's and never take them off road and shit the bed when they drive in the snow.

Hell with the current crop of droptops I'd go with a souped up Solstice (next year I think GM's supposed to have a factory SC option on it, right??) or maybe a Mustang Convertible. Chrysler Crossfire roadster is too damn small for me.

Most folks who get these cars though will throw them into some twisties in the country or the mountains doing 55 or 60 mph and think they are badasses. Many will really only see a difference in acceleration times running through the stoplights in town. Hence why I'd personally wait for the next Z-28 or SS convertible in the next couple years (thats what I hope to replace my current ragtop with or add to the collection).

12/29/2005 9:47:08 PM

pfft new

12/29/2005 9:52:57 PM

Quote :

"The weight increase is as I said a negligible 25ish pounds. "

yeah, over a 2G miata, which is also a porker by miata standards (and again getting close enough to the S2000 in size and weight that it loses a lot of its miata appeal)

a 1G miata is TINY, and only weighs something like 2150 lbs.

12/29/2005 10:34:00 PM

Quote :

"pfft new "

That's what I'm talking about.

Honestly, though, the S2K is a damn nice car. The Solstice is pretty, and a viable competitor to the Miata, but it could use more performance. While the new Miata is more serious-looking than the previous ones, though, it still just doesn't inspire any emotion. But, I've never driven one, so...

12/29/2005 11:07:38 PM

'65 Continental what what

damn bank turning me down for a loan

12/29/2005 11:13:06 PM

The 65's are nice (I'd still own one any day) but IMO they screwed up the nose when they reworked it. '61 to '64 were much cleaner. Got worse in '66 with a more pronounced beak and the horizontal taillamps.

Still a beautiful car right up to the end of the run though.

12/29/2005 11:20:00 PM

Sign me up for a JFKmobile

12/29/2005 11:20:58 PM

that was a 63

12/29/2005 11:27:34 PM

The JFK Continental was a '62. If I could have my pick of the run, I'd take a '63, due my preference of details (grille and rear trim styling) between it and the '61/'62/'64).

12/29/2005 11:29:29 PM

have you seen some of the options on the solstice - things that have been standard for the past 10 years on any car - even hyundais and kias

12/30/2005 9:17:20 AM

it's an american car, they tend to sell cars with a billion options rather than neat trim packages, at least compared to foreign cars. They're trying to keep the cost down.

12/30/2005 9:19:30 AM

Yea they are doing their best to make this a new generation of street rod, like the 240 datsun and the deuce coupes.

Now, when it was a 16 grand two seater, hell yes that was awesome.

But instead it's fucking 22k, how in the fuck do you miss by 6 thousand dollars? I mean the fucking GM reps told me to my face several times last year at the car shows that it would be 16-16.5

Really disappoints me. Now I'm worried about the Saturn Sky, because the reps said IT was supposed to be 22-23k, with a ton more refinement than the solstice.

12/30/2005 10:06:32 AM

Quote :

"miatas are sweet"

I tell you what. Buy two of them. One to shit on and the other to cover it up with.

If you want something serious that will hold a decent value, buy a used Corvette.

1/2/2006 3:24:47 AM

Quote :

"one of these will likely be my next convertible. "

here is the real question

do you put cow horns on the front?

1/3/2006 12:56:49 AM

Yer damn right you do.

1/3/2006 1:12:27 AM

first off, boss hogg drove a CADILLAC not a chrysler

second, COWS dont have horns, BULLS do

you should be ashamed of yourself woodfoot

1/3/2006 1:13:25 AM

Quote :

"I tell you what. Buy two of them. One to shit on and the other to cover it up with. If you want something serious that will hold a decent value, buy a used Corvette."

i tell you what, you can buy 2 used vettes, one to shit on and the other to cover it up with.

if you want something serious that will hold a decent value, buy a used Civic

1/3/2006 1:21:54 AM

aaaaaahahahaha

1/3/2006 8:56:55 AM

saying a bull has horns but not a cow

is like saying a man has a penis but not a human

1/3/2006 2:25:33 PM

I would much rather have a factory five cobra kit, miata, used truimphs or MG's, or an old Fairlady, an old s800, or my morgan

1/4/2006 10:12:13 AM

[/thread]

2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP

(available fall 2006)

Turbo I4, 2 litres
260 hp
260 lb-ft
0-60 in <5.5 s (estimate)

1/4/2006 12:49:19 PM

i wonder how much that thing will cost?

wasn't it originally supposed to be a supercharged I-4 with somewhere near that much power, several hundred pounds lighter, and priced around 20k (with the base model several thousand less)?

1/4/2006 12:52:14 PM

Duke, the Miata is still like 400lbs lighter than a S2000.

1/4/2006 1:15:05 PM

i think like 300. ~2550 vs 2850 or so.

still, it's a far cry from the ~2150 that the original Miatas weighed. it's moving close enough to the S2000 direction that i'd rather just have an S2000.

1/4/2006 1:16:28 PM

I'd rather have an S2000 too, but the Miata's weight is in the 2400 range.

1/4/2006 1:35:28 PM

fwiw mazda.com says
clubspec: 2441
mx5/touring: 2474
sport/gran touring: 2498

1/4/2006 3:55:14 PM

that Solstice GXP seems nice, but it won't have as good of a suspension as an s2000

1/4/2006 3:58:42 PM

s2000

done

1/5/2006 10:20:42 PM

saturn sky looks very good

1/6/2006 12:55:10 AM