...but the media isn't biased against GM. Yeah right. This burns me up!

[Fformula88]

Sorry, but this kind of thing really gets under my skin. Here is a short writeup about the cancelation of the Solstice and Sky. The author is in essence inventing flaws and problems with the kappa's to justify his smear tactics, to fit his story about how the car is another "Fiero."

Uh, it has nothing to do with the Fiero, did not follow the same problems as the Fiero, and doesn't deserve to be attacked with half truths and totally fabricated BS simply so this guy can get his ill-informed opions printed on the internet.

If this isn't media bias, I don't know what is.

Pontiac Solstice (Saturn Sky) RIP | The Truth About Cars

Pontiac Solstice (Saturn Sky) RIP By Jack Baruth July 29, 2009 As General Motors prepares to ignore its own history, it also appears that the company is set on repeating it. Two decades ago, the star-crossed Fiero finally found redemption in the form of the 1988 GT V6, only to be canceled immediately after that revised car received positive reviews from consumers and the press. Yesterday, a halt was called to production of the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, just as the introduction of the GXP Coupe offered a glimmer of the decent sports car the Skystice could eventually have become. Like the man said, it’s deja vu all over again. The original Solstice and Sky were fatally flawed cars, Playskool-esque steel-body roadsters that weighed nearly as much as their Corvette relative but were powered by less than half as much motor. The body panels creaked, the top didn’t work well at all, and the overall driving experience could best be described as ”agricultural.” Even the singular success enjoyed by the Solstice in SCCA road-racing and autocross competition turned sour in GM’s mouth. In 2007, employees from the Performance Division used questionable paperwork to campaign a “skunkworks” GXP Club Sport in the SCCA’s A Stock class, competing directly against their own legitimate customers. The Solstice’s swan song was a “coupe” that was really more of a half-baked targa variant. As with its predecessors, it was rushed to market, inadequately engineered, and cynically marketed to a customer base that had already grown tired of broken promises from General Motors. With approximately a thousand examples produced, it’s certain to be a collector car one day, but make no mistake: In the history of modern two-seat sports cars, the Solstice is an AMC Gremlin and the Coupe is a Levi’s Edition.

[solli4me]

I'm sorry to say that I've never had an agricultural driving experience. Is that something akin to driving a tractor?

This guy's convoluted logic deserves to be straightened out with a serious beatdown. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to knock sense into an idiot...

[Envious06]

Agricultural, Playskool-esque, AMC !!! I really can't believe that this stooge ever had the pleasure of driving a Kappa. Must've been nearing his deadline so he fired from the hip. What a freaking moron !!!

[smartin]

Agricultural! I'd like to plow my car over him!

[WWI Flying Ace]

Despite that buttface author's crap, note the comments...most of them are pretty positive.

[mmccraw]

First of all, let me say I am not a GM employee, but in the late 1970's and early 1980's, I was. I worked on the original Fiero development and the vehicle was never intended to be as sports car. It was originally designed as an urban, commuter vehicle and grocery-getter. Chevrolet sold 50 percent of all GM cars then and GM sold 49 percent of the market. As such, the sacred cow, Corvette was the only sports car. We, at Pontiac, developed a very small, but powerful V8, but as was the norm, Chevy said no. The iron duke was the initial choice, followed by the V6 which was only slightly more anemic. Even the fore into SCCA was done with highly modified Brodix head four cylinders which only slightly copied the street version. The last year still had no power, but did have Porshe designed suspension. For all the corporate infighting, the Fiero was not that bad, and as the saying goes, you should have seen the one that was waiting as the next version.
Now that being said, I am the proud owner of an 09 GXP and am proud of the engineering that went into it. Yes, the top is a pain and yes it has minimal luggage room, but it runs like a scolded dog. Anyone who know mechanicals really understands what a shame it is to see the car go. Bob Lutz knows, but the Feds are running GM now and our government has not been successful since WWII. Had to get this off my chest. I teach auto tech at a local college here in GA and promise you our Kappas are as good as any of the competition up to more than $15,000 over our cost.

[ttocs]

Originally Posted by WWI Flying Ace Despite that buttface author's crap, note the comments...most of them are pretty positive.

I thought that the majority were negative. It seems that most of the comments were from people with little or no experience with the car, just like the author.

ttocs

[GreyFox]

Yeah..I thought the Author was out to lunch as well.
I'll tell ya,...I still don't get this "the top is a pain" stuff concerning the Solstice,either,though(?)!
I've had several two seater convertibles..including a 1999 Miata that was more trouble to raise and lower than a Solstice vert top..with a rear "boot" covering that had to be snapped down(or unsnapped). A '65 Vette vert with plastic back window that wasn't any quicker. A "targa' glass top in my '92 & '93 Vette that had a ratchet tool in the console to unratchet two bolts that took forever to loosen to remove or replace the top. I don't remember any pro write-ups or continued.."the top is a pain" about those. I guess if a sportscar doesn't have a heavy auto push button hardtop/convert..it just don't get it,anymore. I just don't get it......
In my experience...The Solstice manual vert top is a cinch to lower and raise. In a sudden down pour it slides into place as quick..or quicker than any manual that I've seen...even with the insulated liner. What am I missing?

[mikester0421]

Originally Posted by ttocs I thought that the majority were negative. It seems that most of the comments were from people with little or no experience with the car, just like the author. ttocs

Yea. I was about to chime in saying the comments were equally brutal. I honestly just need to stop caring and looking at this asinine "reviews" and the comments of a bunch of morons.

They have compartmentalized the car and that's that. They don't like it and they never will.

[Envious06]

Originally Posted by GreyFox I'll tell ya,...I still don't get this "the top is a pain" stuff concerning the Solstice,either,though(?)! I've had several two seater convertibles..including a 1999 Miata that was more trouble to raise and lower than a Solstice vert top..with a rear "boot" covering that had to be snapped down(or unsnapped). A '65 Vette vert with plastic back window that wasn't any quicker. A "targa' glass top in my '92 & '93 Vette that had a ratchet tool in the console to unratchet two bolts that took forever to loosen to remove or replace the top. I don't remember any pro write-ups or continued.."the top is a pain" about those. I guess if a sportscar doesn't have a heavy auto push button hardtop/convert..it just don't get it,anymore. I just don't get it...... In my experience...The Solstice manual vert top is a cinch to lower and raise. In a sudden down pour it slides into place as quick..or quicker than any manual that I've seen...even with the insulated liner. What am I missing?

You and I might be the only ones with perfect tops. (I've read alot of posts about other people who aren't so lucky) Mine is perfectly aligned, easily goes up and down, has no funky wrinkles when up and seals perfectly with hardly any wind noise while driving. It is by far the best convertible top I have ever owned. (And I've had alot of them) I love the fact that when its down, its gone and all you can see are the cool humps. I'll gladly give up the trunk space to not have to look any vinyl. Haartz canvas and a glass window with heater to boot. I have a friend with a Z3 and he has a plastic window. He still can't believe that my "lowly" Solstice has a better top than his beemer that cost him twice as much. Sometimes life is good.

[melissadunagan]

Hello I like my Solstice alot, these people do not have good taste.

[AZDarkSol]

"The Solstice is an AMC Gremlin and the Coupe is a Levi’s Edition. "

Yes time will tell..but me thinks that time will not judge our sweet ride this way..me thinks that time will judge our sweet ride differently... like let’s say ...The Cobra...or the Avanti........me thinks..

Those cars as well as ours touched the senses in a limited way by production...like sweet candy but not indulgence...enough to lure and wonder but not enough to fill your belly 'till you were full and hungering for a different plate... think of this as time rolls by...we have had our piece of pie and it will be sweet for a long, long time...and it will be lavished for and relished and desired for a long, long time...find comfort in this ..Solstice owners..we...you..did well.

Enjoy!

[WWI Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by mikester0421 Yea. I was about to chime in saying the comments were equally brutal. I honestly just need to stop caring and looking at this asinine "reviews" and the comments of a bunch of morons. They have compartmentalized the car and that's that. They don't like it and they never will.

Well, maybe they are now. When I looked there were only 3 or 4 comments. But regardless, the writeup is the most misinformed tripe I've seen that claims to be about the Solstice. The guy that wrote it is a total ass. By the way, some Gremlins came with V8s and would smoke a lot of cars on the road today. Just sayin'...another car that I am not sure why it got such a bad rap.

Having said that, there is a similar hatchet job on Autoblog. Normally good for info but when it comes to the Solstice, they always put their biggest pro-Miata fanboy on to write the article. The result is alwyas a bash Solstice load of crap.

[rob the elder]

So I want to learn more about this genius. Here is what I found.

"Jack Baruth (born November 8, 1971) is a former professional BMX racer"

and

"best known for writing the "One Racer's Perspective" and "BMX Basics" columns for the National Bicycle League, and for maintaining the Welcome to www.bmxbasics.org - Boswell's BMX Basics Page! website.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Baruth"
"

So this bicycle experience obviously makes him and expert

See the boy here
BMX Photo Page #1


This from his blog is an example of his automotive expertise

"We didn't get a lot of snow this year, but when we did it came in awful thick. You'll never see a Grand Cherokee or Pathfinder being abused in this fashion, because the stress involved with being thrown sideways into a two-foot wall of snow would twist the unibody like a soggy pretzel from a trackside vendor. Naturally the Rover had no probs."

His personal choices for vehicles are
"Cars and Clothing
Jim Boswell drives the Superformance S1, provided by Dynamic Motorsports. But not for free. For more updates, visit my S1 webpage.
Also in the garage is the Land Rover Discovery (my second one!) and BMW 330i.
Before you go out and buy that so-called 'bling-bling' necklace (Memo to readers: To avoid psychotic acts on my part, please do not use the phrase 'bling-bling' within 40 feet of me) check out this stuff from Bike Body Gear.
"

so he is clearly a supporter of American engineering

Found this interesting site

Jack Baruth at MotorMouths

you can see that he basically hates everything. But you also get to click and rate the rater! So feel free to go over there and share your thougts about the young man

Jack Baruth - Google Profile

"Born in Brooklyn, New York, and now residing deep in the heart of flyover country, I have pursued my own unique path for thirty-seven years. Variously described as selfish, brilliant, insufferable, generous, violent, criminal, friendly, dreamy, unstable, egotistical, hilarious.

I race cars, I write about cars, I own a bunch of cars, that's about it."

[PURE_Fun]

Hmmmmmm

Must be a FARMER