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[Pangloss]

Lowering the top at a stop light isn't too bad. It's putting it UP at a stop light that you'll have nightmares about. It's really hard to close the windshield latch while standing outside the car (at least until you get used to it), but it's necessary because you have to latch before you can close the trunk and then you STILL have to snap the b-pillars into place.

Nevertheless, I did it the other day at a somewhat longish red light. Amusingly, a convertible 325i pulled up behind me right as I jumped out of my car, and he saw what I was doing and backed up a few feet and moved into the other turn lane (a polite thing to do, I suppose). But I was done and back in my car with the seatbelt fastened a few seconds before it turned green. And this was three days after I bought it.

Still, I come from a Miata background, and in both my '92 and my '95 it was a matter of a simple hand-flip from the driver's seat (with optional window unzip). And you could even put it up from the seat if you had a good, strong right arm.

I kinda miss that, but I have to admit that the Solstice top looks really nice with those elongated b-pillars. It's also nicer material and with the premium headliner it gets real quiet inside, which is great for listening to tunes. (My Miatas had these tiny little speakers in the headrests, which was useful when the top was down, but in general the sound was always just awful.)