Mine is a 2006, N/A, 5-speed. It was my 48th birthday present to myself on May 26, 2006. For me, it's the Triumph Spitfire I wanted when I was 16 in 1974, but never got.
It is my daily driver, with about 13,000 miles on it. The only problem it has ever had was the diff seal replacement at 2,000 miles. No problems since.
When I first got the car, I planned on doing the usual mods to the ECU, the intake, and exhaust. Long story short, after 18 months, I still haven't done a thing to it. It was never about money; I just kept putting it off... until, one day, I suddenly realized I had gotten used to the throttle response. (!) As someone else said, the engine seems to get smoother and more responsive with the passage of time. I probably won't do anything to it; I'm happy.
Even after a year and a half, the Solstice continues to grow on me day by day. I really do love the car... Yes, it does have enough power, once you know where to find it... You simply have to go looking for it up high in the rpm range... which is fine, since I love shifting and keeping it on the boil, anyway. My only real objection
was the lack of throttle response, but now that I'm used to it, I really don't notice it any more. In fact, the throttle response is there, you just have to get used to putting your foot in it... I simply had to learn how to drive the car the way it wants to be driven.
And the sound... I love the sound. Some magazines called the engine's sound "thrashy and unrefined", and they're right, it is... but that's what I
like about it.
To me, it sounds like sports cars used to sound - assertive; mechanical. You never forget there's an engine under there. And the exhaust bark is just right... kind of Englishy. No, it's no Lotus or Triumph, but close enough for my faded 49-year-old memories of those cars...
I love the handling. Under acceleration in low gear out of tight corners, the rear end steps out just a tiny bit, the car rotates, then it takes a set and digs in... my 350Z didn't do that. It feels great. Mario Junior, here... The steering wheel is just the right size. The shifter is a tad notchy, but it is the right length, and falls to hand just right.
The typical list of magazine complaints don't bother me. The legroom is fine for my 6'4" frame, although if it was two inches less I'd have a problem. Headroom is fine, too; I have an inch of space above my head, even when sitting bolt upright. Trunk space is not a problem; I travel light anyway. Drove it to the beach three times last summer - about six hours - and enjoyed it immensely. The location of the window buttons were another source of magazine complaints; but my hand goes right to them, no problem. Interior storage for small items? Ditto. Got it figured out. Cupholders? They work just fine, even the center ones, which really got a lot of complaints... They don't bother me a bit.
For me, what it boils down to, is that like any tightly focused car, once you get used to its foibles and eccentricities, you just don't notice them any more. You just have to live with the car for awhile, that's all...
Did I mention I just can't stop looking at this thing? I keep getting further and further seduced by her curves... I think my wife is getting jealous... The other night, it was dinner time, and she couldn't find me. Finally she looked in the garage, and there I was, beer in hand, staring blankly at the car...
People walk through our office parking lot all the time, especially during lunch. They glance at my brother's '07 Z06... but they stop and stare at the Solstice...
I know looks don't mean a thing on the racetrack or the autocross course, but as a confirmed aesthete - a lover of beauty - it matters to me very much...
I think my location has a lot to do with why the car's performance works for me. I live in the foothills in the mid-western part of North Carolina. Most of the roads around here are twisty, hilly, 45-mph two-laners, including my commute to work. If you love to shift, as I do, these roads are perfect. Like the MGB, this car is about using its handling and agility to maintain momentum. Any fool can point and squirt a big V8, know what I mean?
But... If I lived somewhere open and flat, like Arizona, Texas, or Montana, I don't think the car would be nearly as satisfying.
Anyway, thank you, Maximum Bob!!!