Look to meet up with a Local Solstice or Sky owner

[Midnightsky]

Hey there, I currently own a 2009 Cobalt LNF Turbo and am considering a Solstice GXP or Sky RL for RWD and 50/50 weight for auto-x specifically. I personally hate salesman and dealerships, it's not the same environment as meeting a current owner of the vehicle and having them tell you about it. I test drove 2 GXP's, both brand new, one had a soft, nasty, nearly broken clutch which the salesman INSISTED was normal......

So, if anyone in Calgary with a Solstice or Sky would be willing to meet up with me sometime and talk about the car and let me sit inside with the top open and play around with the seat a bit that would be awsome. Originally I had wanted a Solstice Coupe but I've been told VERY FEW will make it to Canada and i'd be LUCKY to get my hands on one at all........I'll settle for a convertible if I must, prefer hardtop in Calgary but performance is top of the list for auto-x.

[Excelsior]

Now THAT is an awesome request! Someone help him out please.

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by Excelsior Now THAT is an awesome request! Someone help him out please.

I give credit for this idea to a guy who is interested in a Cobalt SS LNF and contacted me on another forum wanting to meet up and talk about the car without the pressure or weird vibe from having a salesman around.

[Carbon Sky]

If you were in Toronto, I'd have already offered. Good luck!

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by Carbon Sky If you were in Toronto, I'd have already offered. Good luck!

It's all good, I'm sure I'll find somebody in Calgary or close to Calgary that would be willing to come talk with me about the Solstice/Sky.

[Carbon Sky]

Originally Posted by Midnightsky It's all good, I'm sure I'll find somebody in Calgary or close to Calgary that would be willing to come talk with me about the Solstice/Sky.

If this will help at all . . . I'm about 6' 180 pounds. The Sky fits me like a glove. I have just enough head room, just enough hip/shoulder room. I'd think that anyone over 6' 2" might be a little concerned about head room. I have a friend that's 6' 4". His head is on the verge of touching the top.

I have my seat bottom lowered to the lowest position. And the seat back quite vertical and not very reclined at all. I have a little bit of space behind my seat left if I wanted to slide the seat back further. So I'd say as long as you're not much taller then about 6', you'll fit just fine. In fact, I have more headroom in my Sky then I did in an old 98' Maxima which is a full size sedan.

The visibility out of the car is fantastic in every way except seeing traffic lights when stopped at a red light. The greenhouse in the car is very shallow, and the front windscreen is quite forward relative to your head. So seeing traffic lights when you are at a red light and the first car or two up at the light is difficult. No big deal, I usually look to the perpendicular traffic's light, and crane my neck only when I have to. Some people have installed fish eye appliques kinda like the ones people put on their SUV's and minivans so they don't run over stuff backing up. Others have put little mirrors on their dash.

The storage space is probably where people have their biggest challenges. If you're coming from a pretty typical FWD car like a cobalt, just the back seat area is many times more space then the trunk in the Sky. So if you don't have a second car, that can often be an issue. Say good bye to buying huge loads of groceries, or buying IKEA type assemble at home furniture, etc.

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by Carbon Sky If this will help at all . . . I'm about 6' 180 pounds. The Sky fits me like a glove. I have just enough head room, just enough hip/shoulder room. I'd think that anyone over 6' 2" might be a little concerned about head room. I have a friend that's 6' 4". His head is on the verge of touching the top. I have my seat bottom lowered to the lowest position. And the seat back quite vertical and not very reclined at all. I have a little bit of space behind my seat left if I wanted to slide the seat back further. So I'd say as long as you're not much taller then about 6', you'll fit just fine. In fact, I have more headroom in my Sky then I did in an old 98' Maxima which is a full size sedan. The visibility out of the car is fantastic in every way except seeing traffic lights when stopped at a red light. The greenhouse in the car is very shallow, and the front windscreen is quite forward relative to your head. So seeing traffic lights when you are at a red light and the first car or two up at the light is difficult. No big deal, I usually look to the perpendicular traffic's light, and crane my neck only when I have to. Some people have installed fish eye appliques kinda like the ones people put on their SUV's and minivans so they don't run over stuff backing up. Others have put little mirrors on their dash. The storage space is probably where people have their biggest challenges. If you're coming from a pretty typical FWD car like a cobalt, just the back seat area is many times more space then the trunk in the Sky. So if you don't have a second car, that can often be an issue. Say good bye to buying huge loads of groceries, or buying IKEA type assemble at home furniture, etc.

I shop for very few groceries all at once and would never have any issues with that. I already have the problem seeing traffic lights when stopped at a red, always having to crane my neck to see when it goes green. I don't expect to buy anything from IKEA anytime soon but if I needed I can borrow other vehicles to help with that from family members. I'm about 6foot1 and 250lbs, VERY broad shoulders which makes the seating all the more important. I like the ability to lay back in my seat and having the room to do so has been nice.

[Carbon Sky]

Hmm, well my buddy at 6' 4" and about 220 finds the cabin a tight fit. If you're 6' 1" and 250, I'm guessing that you will feel cramped by the seats for sure, both by the bolsters and by the seat back which will make your shoulders feel even more out of place. Assuming your limb proportions are pretty typical, it would be like me adding 70 pounds to my frame, and I'd definitely feel cramped at that point.

And if by "lay back" you mean reclined, you definitely will not be able to do that in a sky. At your height, you'll have to move the seat so far back you won't be able to recline the seat back very much, and it will be quite vertical.

Sorry my friend buat at 6' 1" and 250lbs, I have a feeling you probably may want to steer clear of the Sky. But then again, have a seat, perhaps it's cramped but liveable.

Originally Posted by Midnightsky I shop for very few groceries all at once and would never have any issues with that. I already have the problem seeing traffic lights when stopped at a red, always having to crane my neck to see when it goes green. I don't expect to buy anything from IKEA anytime soon but if I needed I can borrow other vehicles to help with that from family members. I'm about 6foot1 and 250lbs, VERY broad shoulders which makes the seating all the more important. I like the ability to lay back in my seat and having the room to do so has been nice.

[Obliquity]

I'm sure you'll find someone closer, but if you don't and you find yourself in Washington state, i'm in spokane about 8 hours away, you'd be welcome to take a look at mine.

on the on-going would you fit or not, i think you would but your options are limited as to how you can fit into this car. I'm over 6'3" and about 255 pounds and to avoid some of the wind i have the seat a bit further forward than i normally would so that i can recline the seat some and then i have my knees bent a bit. it is a tight fit, but it feels good, you certainly need to sit in one and see if you can come up with a combination that suits you.

but if you like to have the seat all the way back and reclined to where it is resting on the back seat, that will not happen.

if you don't find someone in your time frame, two years ago when i was looking for mine, i found it alot easier to find dealers willing to let me play with a non-gxp or non-redline, so you might check out the dealers around you and see if one of them has a base-model and is willing to allow you to get in and out of it and adjust the seat as much as you'd like, maybe even an extended test drive. since you have a turbo cobalt you have a guess at the performance plus or minus, you only need to know if the shell of the car and the interior suits your needs.

make sure you sit in it with the top up, visability out the back and sides are somewhat restricted, but having the top down, i can see lights by looking over the top of the windshield, i think that is a first time in any car actually able to see the lights.
Good luck with your search, David

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by Carbon Sky Hmm, well my buddy at 6' 4" and about 220 finds the cabin a tight fit. If you're 6' 1" and 250, I'm guessing that you will feel cramped by the seats for sure, both by the bolsters and by the seat back which will make your shoulders feel even more out of place. Assuming your limb proportions are pretty typical, it would be like me adding 70 pounds to my frame, and I'd definitely feel cramped at that point. And if by "lay back" you mean reclined, you definitely will not be able to do that in a sky. At your height, you'll have to move the seat so far back you won't be able to recline the seat back very much, and it will be quite vertical. Sorry my friend buat at 6' 1" and 250lbs, I have a feeling you probably may want to steer clear of the Sky. But then again, have a seat, perhaps it's cramped but liveable.

During my 2 test drives I most certainly felt very cramped, I did a little bit to adjust the seat but was more focused getting on the road with it. I never adjust the seat very far forward and I don't think I even tried to adjust the steering wheel. An extended test drive is certainly top of my list right now, I'm not sure if I should ask the salesman to just follow me around for 30mins and see how I like it. If I do I think I'm going to look at the Sky this time, see how I like it ect.

[Carbon Sky]

Ok then, well it sounds like you already have a pretty good idea that it is pretty darned snug for you and you're at the point where you're trying to decide is this snugness worth the trouble of owning such a cool car.

Odds are the steering wheel was probably at its highest position. The 2 Sky's I test drove, and mine was delivered in the highest position. It does not telescope, only tilts. If you're knees weren't hitting the wheel, and you can reach it just fine after adjusting the seat, that should be ok.

To be honest, it sounds like you have already realized it's quite tight in there, and are trying to find a way to make it work. I'm beginning to think, either live with it, or move on to another car. Good luck either way.

Originally Posted by Midnightsky During my 2 test drives I most certainly felt very cramped, I did a little bit to adjust the seat but was more focused getting on the road with it. I never adjust the seat very far forward and I don't think I even tried to adjust the steering wheel. An extended test drive is certainly top of my list right now, I'm not sure if I should ask the salesman to just follow me around for 30mins and see how I like it. If I do I think I'm going to look at the Sky this time, see how I like it ect.

[Midnightsky]

Well I decided I'd go test drive a Sky RL today at a dealership, found a great salesman that was easy going and once I got past him checking to make sure I'm not just out for a joyride things went very smooth. I was VERY impressed with the amount of room I had when I was comfortable enough to notice and enjoy it. I have the seat a bit forward and tilted back quite a bit, I was very comfortable in there with the roof open. I'm sure with it closed it would take a little adjustment to get used to it.

The one thing right now that has me against the Sky RL is the financing rate, 4.9% for the Sky, and 1.5% for the Solstice. I also felt I had more room in the Sky RL over the Solstice, I would almost consider taking the hit of 4.9% for the Sky over the solstice as it was just overall a nicer ride, more refined and much cleaner cut.

[Excelsior]

Aren't you only 2 hours away from Wester's Garage in Tilley, Alberta?

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by Excelsior Aren't you only 2 hours away from Wester's Garage in Tilley, Alberta?

Sure am

[EDMSOL]

I am in edmonton but only have a base.