Ordered my Sol in July of '06; just got her in July of '07. Good news is I got an '08 instead of an '07 so OnStar, XM radio, LSD and acoustic top are standard. She has stick shift, power package, convenience package, a/c. All my friends are "Envious". My only concern is the steering which, compared to my Vibe, seems really really really stiff. I took her back to the dealer and they said the power steering fluid is fine. Am I just an old wimp or does anyone else feel the steering could be easier?
Had my Solstice now for 3 weeks and' I LOVE IT!!!! My first car was a
'67 Firebird convertable and it's taken me 35 years to find a car that was that much fun. The Solstice is nothing but fun! We went to a car show last weekend and people were standing in the parking lot looking at our car and ask us questions! My wife wasn't in favor of us gettting this car, but once she got behind the wheel there was no question that she fell in love with it to.
Year - '08
Color - Brazen (Orange. New color for '08s)
5 speed Auto.
Coupe
All power
Tan Top
Interior - Sand/Ebony
XM Radio and Onstar are now standard equipment. Saved us about a $1000 on the sticker.
Live in central Illinois not sure about winter time driving?
Location: Still BellaVerde, But Now In Clayton, NC
!st Anniversary
I've had Bella for one year now, and have firmed up my impressions.
Good Stuff:
1) The styling is not only beautiful, in my opinion, it is timeless. The car has been sold for 2+ model years now, and they are still a rare sight on the road and an attention getter in the parking lots.
2) I never tire of the handling, even with the stock tires, which I will wear out before I replace. It is more capable than I am, which I know is not saying much, but it is WAY more capable. That's neat.
3) 18,300 miles when I got to the Red Robin in Huntersville, and I have updated the differential and had the dealer put dents in lower bodywork, as well as tried to wrap it around a tree, and she is still my favorite car, ever.
4) I still love the cheap plastice steel/sand interior. AM thrilled to see it is no longer an option!
5) I am still getting unsought input verifying green was the right choice of color for the car, from perfect strangers yet.
6) Very few, very mild mods: debadged the rear, painted the grills to tone them down, had PCM do the ECM, added Robert's windscreen with green backlight. May add wheel guards in body color.
Bad Stuff:
0)
Looking forward to the next year.
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Envious, NEW Lightsidetop, N/A, VIN # 1G2MB35B97Y114344
Omitted XM, manual locks and windows, no Onstar. Oh yeah, Steel/Sand interior. Added K&N filter. Vent tube r/r @ 2850 mi. WindRestrictor added 12/12/06. Added high-tone horn. Painted engine cover. ECM retune 6/8/07. Added Vandesign B/U lite covers 12/07. Re-replaced seal due to recall 27570 mi. DDMProBeam added 7/2/08. Envious Emblem overlays. Kappasphere rear deck rack. DDM tunnel plate added 4/22/09.
I just picked up my 08' 2.4 last week and I'm coming from a 91' Miata so I'm fairly happy with the car so far-
Some things that I'm not happy about-
The Trunk
First Gear (either stalls, or spins the tires)
Reverse (what a PITA)
Window Roller-Downers (I'm going to have my left arm shortened and maybe this will help)
The weight
Things that are good IMO-
The suspension (coming from a fully sorted miata suspension the Sol is not bad)
The XM radio- especially here in Dallas where all radio is talk radio
The soft top is miles better than what I had in the miata
The leather seats are vurry comfy
I'm about 50 miles away from the 500 mark so I'll see what I can do with it once it's clear to bang on it a bit. The extra 600 pounds that the Sol carries is definately noticeable and while it's not a deal breaker for me, I do miss the miata in some respects. Being a gearhead I'd really like to see a company come out with a turbo kit that could rival a FMII kit from Flyin Miata in terms of performance, drivabillity, and reliabillity. Those guys put a ton of time and work into making miatas really fast. Everything that I've read about FI kits for the Sol so far has been hit and miss. No offense to anyone, but it just seems like there are too many loose ends to be spending the $5K and not getting the car setup close from the supplier.
All-in-all, I do love the car-so far. I've previously owned some GM vehicles and I'm waiting for the gremlins to pop-up on me. I'll check back at about 1000 miles and we'll see where I'm at then!
The two major complaints I have are;
1) I make the payments and my Wife will not let me drive it. Only joking, she will, sometimes, and when Baby is due for oil, I get to take her to the "Baby Doc" in the mountains for her checkup.
2) "Womwn" HATE my wife in this car in this town. I mean down right hatefull! NO joke, and very rude in parking lots. When women see me, they act like they aren't looking and it's you " ", I should be driving that wahtever it is, not YOU!
No real complaints or problems, just a really neat roadster and fun to drive.
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.
To start I have an '06 N/A Mysterious vin. # 372. it's loaded with monsoon and every package, but no XM. I'm 6'-2" about 215 lbs. I'm 45 years. The only mods at this point are: My son painted the calipers red and I swapped out the stock muffler with a flowmaster 40. Planned mods include, adding turbo, changing wheels and tires, adding splash guards, and painting the front/rear facia to match the car (black).
I regularly change my own oil (4,500 miles) with Mobile 1 synthetic. I have had all the recall notices done. I've had the top replaced once (this was in my opinion not necessary, but the dealership said it was the only way to fix the issue: A few inches of seam was unravelling.)
The dealer farmed the top job out, and whoever replaced the top left two dimples at the bottom of each door panel using the wrong lift!!!!
About three months ago, my windshield was totally smashed when my son and I were on the interstate doing about 75 mph, when a hawk took flight right in front of us ... So, I also have an aftermarket windshield.
The latest ... we've had torrential rain here lately and I noticed there were a few drops coming in near the front of each window (driver and passenger) at the same location. Near the front a tower.
Long story short, I took it in to a different dealer, they replaced the window seals with new ones ... no leak. But, and this is an aside, the mechanism they use to determine leaks fell on my car ... and left two very big scratches along the driver side door. (they admitted it, and the car looks new again. Just pissed me off.)
Now for the review:
I've owned MGs, Miatas, and yes even a Fiero, and I've got to say the Soltice is the most exciting of the bunch to drive. I don't mind the tall gear pattern, you get used to it.
I don't drive my solistice like it's a diamond, I drive it everyday, winter, summer, fall, spring... It has handled extremely well in the snow and doesn't seem to hydroplane too bad. (NOTE: I am going to swap out the wheels and tires, just not sure which, yet.)
Like I said, I'm 6'-2'' and I don't have any issues regarding comfort. Plenty of room on the sides, and head and legroom. Besides with the top down, there's plenty of headroom.
If there is an issue, I would probably lump it into the category of no place to set my phone. Oh well.
The shifting is good. A little noise from the diff, but nothing that will drive me nuts. As far as wind noise, hell it's a convertible. That's why I bought the car.
Both kids fight over it as to who gets to drive it to prom. My wife loves to drive it, too. Just wishes it was an automatic. But that's good for me.
The stance is great. The car sits very low to the ground, but doesn't feel or drive like a small car inside. Handling is great. Braking is also very good. Acutally, I think it handles very much like a vette. Not the get up and go, but the steering and overall feel.
The miata felt very much like a go-cart. Not good for any drives longer than a few hours. We've taken this car on all-day trips and we're not fatigued afterwards.
Interior is great. Plasitic yes, but it's a 20K car. Cup holders ... what the hell, if you want to drink, stop somewhere, get out and enjoy the scenery with your diet Pepsi. This car is made for driving.
Leather seats are nice. Actually I like the entire layout of the interior. ONLY ONE complaint: I would like to be able to change the shift knob.
Gas mileage is pretty good. We still get about 28 - 30 miles per on the highway, in town is drops to 22- 24 which is still damn good.
Would I buy this car again? Absolutely. The only caveat would probably be we'd get another color. I wash this car weekly and black does show the dirt.
This is from a 2 solstice owner.Basic and GXP If they could fix there rear end whinning issue they might have a car,but after 3 diff. replacement GM solstice is starting to eat at me that and no resale value at all, a honda civic holds there price better.But the gxp is fast and thats why i bought it ,it just a shame that they all will start whinnig on you before you get 30000 miles on it
I have a few good and bad on my car:
first the good,
We love the cars stance,large wheels and tires. The top works as it should, after we figured out why the trunk open light stayed on all the way home, the salesman had no clue on the car since the dealership was just opend less than a month and he apparently was not trained to know anything about the car. I got home and checked around the trunk area and noticed where the salesman slamed the trunk 5 times to get it shut he left the hook out and it was bent from slaming the trunk on it. So needless to say i had to straighten out the hook with a set of vise grips now it operates fine.
The car handles great,automatic tranny shifts good.Wind noise is surprisingly no existant through the windows and seals. Interior is nice,wish seat bottoms were a little more padded. Trunk space is nothing to write home about but is adequate for a sports car.Finsh on the car is very nice and shiny, easily washes up with no great effort and hardly andy quarters!
NOW FOR THE BAD:
Tires have excesive road noise on some rough asphalt roads. Tranny shifting on passing gears sometimes seems back and forth to hard and inconsistant. more wiggle room from side to side in the seat would be nice even if it was 2 or 3 inches on each side, doesnt fit us big guys that well. Trunk gets hot inside so dont leave ice cream in there! also the tunnel down the center seems to get rather warm on long trips.cup holders could use some beefing up seem awful fragile and could break easily. Dealers need training on these cars before they sell them to answer questions. Wish the headlamps were not the driving lights during the day and instead the lower lights on the front for driving during the day.Needs roll bas smething like the BMW that would protect that fragile skull we have in a rollover accident mybe some side air bags as well, I dont feel that safe in the car if it was t-boned or rolled over, but that could just be me.
OVERALL:
I dont regret buying the car, it is a awesum car and its AMERICAN MADE! This car is a blast to drive and performs and will go faster than i really need to go. Turns heads everywhere and a great car show cruiser. from a 1-10 and 10 bieng the best, i would rate the car a 9.0. Just a good thing i am not a man 20 years younger i could see myself getting into some serious trouble with this car!!!!
I am the proud owner of a Deep 2008 Solstice, and have had the car for a week now.
As a background: I spent years restoring, showing, driving, and racing Corvairs. I also own a 2004 Mini Cooper, so I love small, sporty cars. Our spare third car, (our "big" car) is a Kia Rio sedan!!
First impressions:
LOOKS: Of course, the looks are just great. Awesome stance, HUGE wheels, sexy styling, and the car even looks good with the top up thanks to the artsy-fartsy top "wings".
DRIVING: My Wife and I considered a new Mini Cooper S convertible, and a Miata before settling on the Solstice. I found the classic front engined roadster feel of the Solstice to be more exciting than the spidery feel of both the Mini and the Miata (I am not knocking either car... they are just different). I also liked havng decent horsepower in a base model. To get over 125-130 HP in a mini you need to upgrade to the S model. We bought an automatic as my Wife cannot drive stick. The car still accellerates decently. Yes, there is road noise, but I am not upset about that. I do not however like the exhaust tone. I like throaty exhaust, but this one sounds tinny to me.
INTERIOR: This is where most of my gripes lay. Of course, the interior looks awesome, and has a comfy cocoon-like cockpit feel. Our car has the leather interior which is very nice. As this is the third year of production, I am just stunned that Pontiac has not made the interior more user friendly. By now they should have added a few nooks and crannies for change, sunglasses, etc. Also, a few controls, such as the window risers are in a hard to reach area. The sunvisors: yes, the "lawyer stickers" look awful, but what bothers me more is that these stupid little things are just about useless as visors. They are way to small, have no extenders, and cannot swivel. Somebody just cheaped out on these. This is just poor design. I give GM an F for effort on the interior as they should have made some changes by now. Oh yeah, the airbag light looks like they took it from a 1972 AMC Gremlin. It is just butt-ugly. Again, no effort.
AUDIO: This car came equipped with the 6 CD changer and Monsoon speaker system. Despite being 42 yrs old, I LOVE the heart pounding bass and crystal clear audio even at highway speeds with the top down. I also find the audio controls easily within reach while driving, with no need for the steering wheel buttons.
THE DEALER: Well, what can I say. The salesman knew nothing about the car. When I asked him questions about it, he got out the manual. Since the answer to my questions could not be found in the 20 pages of how to wear a seatbelt, he couldn't answer them. I found all I needed to know here on this forum. THANKS GANG!! If the salesman actually had to SELL the car to me, vs another car, he would have lost.
ACCESSORIES: I am just stunned how few GM and aftermarket accessories are available for this car. Almost everyday I get something in my mailbox from someone who wants to sell me yet another tchatchke for my MINI Cooper. This car should be the same. Kappashere seems to be the only place putting real effort into aftermarket items outside of the pure performance dealers. If I am missing a great aftermarket accessories dealer, please let me know....
SO FAR: I ripped off the front plate as soon as I go home from the dealer. I have also ordered a KAPPA pouch, and will surely be getting a wind restrictor with the brake light option as soon as I finish my custom artwork.
DONT GET ME WRONG: Despite my grumpy review, I LOVE THIS CAR! I still have a huge grin on my face whenever I drive it.
Phred
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New 2008 DEEP: Auto with limited slip, and 6 CD changer and Monsoon speakers.
love it, 95 per cent, only bad comments, cup holders suck, no vanity mirror on passenger side was a stupid mistake. i am 61, had not bought a gm product since 81 and that vette sucked, bad workmanship and that was gms problem for about 25 years. this 2007 brought me back, you never buy first year of a body style always takes a year or 2 to fix them. this solstice reminds me so much of the 65 and 67 stingrays i had. my son wants my 2007 and is going to give me a 2008, 300 chrysler for it that he just bought new last month. i am going to drive the 300 until the coupe comes out and trade for it. the 2007 gxp and the 2009 gxp coupe will be the barret jackson 150,000 cars in 20years but get them in yellow or whatever is on the front on their advertisements. buy one, if i had the money i would buy ten instead of just two. the coupe is going to be the corvette split window. also i have cars seem to be cheaper in florida.
I purchased my 5 Speed 2008 Pontiac Solstice (Non-GXP) in Mysterious Black on June 26. 2008. I have had my eye on the car since it was first released. Pontiac had a 72 Hour 0% APR for 72 months offer which I just couldn't refuse :-).
This is my first new car. It feels amazing to actually love my car! I am really happy with everything this car brings to the table. It feels great when I hear complete strangers scream NICE CAR!
The best way to describe my car is the way most Solstice owners I know describe theirs...
It's a fun little car!
I am currently saving money to upgrade the audio system. I am interested in getting a Pioneer AVIC series headunit with a 10" JL sub. Eventually, I would like to install a Stage 2 Turbo Kit in the car, but I think I am going to hold off on that for a while. This is my first car with a Manual Transmission, so I want to Master it a bit more.
I love this forum and hope to meet some fellow Solstice owners soon! I live in Central NJ and hope to arrange a Solstice meet one of these days. I think it could be a blast!
I've had my new '08 Club Sport for almost a month now. Having previously owned two Triumph TR-6's , and a Lotus Europa, a Fiero and a Miata, I can honestly say that this car does not even come close to the seat-of-the-pants feel that those cars offered, but it is still light years ahead of any every-day American iron of today. I suppose my only complaint would be that it feels too "heavy" for it's size. Truth be told, my old '86 Fiero was the perfect re-incarnation of those English cars, and I had hoped that Pontiac would repeat that trick, but it is not to be. I don't mean to sound snooty here, but if you have never driven a true English sportscar, you will never understand what I am getting at.
That said, I do NOT regret buying this car..... the lack of storage, uncomfortable seat, interior noise is not even a consideration when one truly enjoys driving just for driving's sake. At least they got THAT copied correctly. I absolutely love the view over the hood. The gentle curves of the fenders and hood recall the female form, and who wouldn't mind looking at THAT for a few hundred miles at a clip ?
The convertible top is a wonderous thing, I am 6ft-1in tall and STILL have oodles of headroom. And the shape of the windows , drooping at the front, is a spectacular design.
In fact, the styling of the car is "right", straight from the get-go, from any and every angle.
The wheels fill the wheelwells completely, which is the hallmark of a really good style. (Examples ?.....A/C Cobra, TR-6, Ferrari Dino, et al.) And it is indeed wonderful to be able to set out on a thousand-mile drive with reasonable certainty that you will NOT have to get out and get under for some silly problem that true English cars always seemed to serve up !
The LAST thing I needed was a car payment, but I could not resist the thought of seeing this beautiful work of mobile art in my own garage. "We build excitement".. Amen, Pontiac.
steve
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" Leave the gun..... take the cannolis. "
Ok, so it’s been a while since I’ve been here, but…here’s my review!
I ordered my 2007 Deep GXP on the 2006 summer solstice, 21st of June…the day they officially announced the GXP pricing. I finally got it at the end of November. So…since it’s stored winters I have had one and a half summers to drive it, so here goes.
This is an incredible car. The exterior and interior are amazing. Even if the engine fell out all it was good for was a lawn ornament…people would still stop and stare. Amazing Car! By far my favorite car that I have ever owned…out of 10 I have owned. I also owned a detail shop for a few years and I have driven just about everything…Nothing has really impressed me as much as this my Solstice GXP. Also keeping in mind the price…though it’s about $5000.00 more now than when I get mine.
So a brief like and dislike…
The interior is set up fine for me, unlike some people, I have no problems reaching the power windows or anything else for that matter. The storage inbetween the seats could be a little deeper so that cds actually fit in the entire compartment and not just the bottom half, come on…it’s the ONLY storage beside the trunk and the mini glove compartment. But…extremely minor. Cup holders…it’s a 2 seater sports car…maybe one…but three!!! Why!!! The in-between the seat ones are pointless…if you have a drink in there and you have to shift…Yikes! Someone was drunk when they decided on that one. Again, extremely minor. Who is actually sliding through the drive-thru and eating in a car like this? The monsoon stereo is awesome!!! Just like the ones in the last few Firebirds I had…
Putting the top up and down is simple and quick… It took longer to put the T-top away on the last few Firebirds I had. Anyone that complains about the top is LAZY!!! It literally takes less than 10 seconds… Too long for you…go by a Sebring! I only say that because all I ever heard or read before I got my car was compiling about putting the top down.
Let's see, what else… Nothing!!! I never really considered buying a 2 seater convertible until the Solstice. Briefly I thought about the Miata… but like I said owned a detail shop for a few years and I drove lots of Miatas and I was never that impressed. Just my opinion…but to me they felt like a go-cart. I’m only 5’ 10 and I felt big in the car. Like a kid on a Schwinn could have totaled it…
I love my 2007 Deep Pontiac Slostice GXP!!!
Just my opinion…I hope it helps!
__________________ Deep GXP Manual: Ordered June 21st 2006...Delivered November 13th 2006 Vin# 115811
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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... 
using the wrong lift!!!!
My wife loves to drive it, too. Just wishes it was an automatic. But that's good for me.
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