Final year with manual Transmission

[Winchester67]

Northern Sol, I will be searching...you sound like we are on the same page!

[Northern Sol]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 Northern Sol, I will be searching...you sound like we are on the same page!

Yep I think we are!!! Here to help! The "moding" is one of the best things about these cars. You just spread the "mods" out over time and when you have the $$ go get 'em!!! You will also want to go to the yearly "National meets" and find a club / chapter that is close to you. It is really cool when you are thinking about/ researching a "mod" and you are able to see it on another Sol and get the owners feedback.

[Shadofax]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 Member since 05 Dave...sounds like I know what your vote will be if it becomes a future bargain or not! Look at the other fun cars around today...Miata's are common, Vette's are overpriced, Camaros and Mustangs are muscle cars not sports cars, 370 Z cars are...well, I am not sure what they are. But they don't turn heads like the Solstice, I do know that. And the Sol is fast enough to be entertaining without being "go to jail, stupid, fast". Distinctive without being too much. I like it. A lot.

Well, even a few mild mods can make it pretty darn fast, and if you look at some of the people that have gotten more serious, they are producing very impressive numbers, out of what I call the "sewing machine" (122 cu in).

but you left out some other cars I at least compared it to....audi tt, porsche boxster, BMWZ4, Honda S2000, and really for the money you are putting out, the bang is worth the buck.

[ChopTop]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 Did I mention his new wife HATES the car and can't drive a stick?

The wife hating, can't drive manual may possible be used to your negotiating advantage (along with Pontiac an orphan brand), and how long he's been attempting to sell it.

Enthusiasts wise, the Kappa (Solstice & SKY) are considered "niche" vehicles mainly due it being a 2-seater; whereas Camaro,s, Mustang's (and Vette's) having a larger popularity base and longer historical history. The upside to owing a niche vehicles is that you're not blending in with everyone else. The downside is because the market is small not as many vendors are willing to introduce custom parts to help enthusiasts personalize their vehicles because not enough profit can be generated.

Performance wise, I'd suggest buying:
Solstice Performance Handbook 88958697 to give you an idea what the platform and mechanics are capable of, along with the Solstice book by Gary Witzenburg for the development history of the platform.

The Kappa is also referred to as a parts-bin vehicle even though the body & frame were unique; the engines, transmissions, differential, and miscellaneous
parts were parts-bin in order to hit a specific price-point. The upside is mechanically parts should be readily available, the downside is anything unique to the platform may get more difficult to locate in the years ahead. Pontiac Solstice - Wikicars.

As with any niche vehicle while we may not be as popular (or have as many vendors) as the big-boys do, we tend to be a close-net community that welcome cruisers to hot-rodders, along with the casual enthusiasts. Some folks like that, others prefer the perks that comes from owning something more mainstream & popular.

Just know red automatic coupes are the fastest.

[bb_kaytor]

Originally Posted by ChopTop Just know red automatic coupes are the fastest.

I can back up ChopTop on that one!!

[rob the elder]

Nice try,

Not true but nice try.

While I totally support your assessment about the color red . . .

There is quick and fast. HP = fast. Automatic or high skill = quick

I will take a high skill manual with 500 HP

[The_Ghost]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 Good to know all the way around. Always helps to have an inside guy, so Tom will get the call if I get the car. I am still on the fence, but man, I like it. The clutch is weird; seems to engage pretty high but my leg adjusted after the first take off. To me, the tonneau is a vital part of the convertible equation...keeps the seats cool in the summer, and the driver warm in the winter as long as there is not a passenger. Besides, nobody runs them anymore and I like to be a little different! Looks like with a join date of 08, you are pretty into the platform. Which is good in my eyes...I was hoping this was going to be a "cult car" when I started to look into it. Serious owners not afraid to make a few mods to improve the car/personalize it. I am looking for a toy car that a few years from now everyone is slapping their foreheads over, saying "Why didn't I get one when they were just a "used car"?"

The clutch seemed high to me on my car when I bought it several months ago. I was used to a Mustang that I literally had to push all the way to the floor to engage in first and was fully engaged about 3 inches from full let out. You won't be disappointed with this little car.....I NEVER thought anything would replace my Mustang....boty was I wrong!

[Jack19]

Where do you live in Missouri? There is a good group of Solstice and Sky owners in the St. Louis area. We get together a few times a year for cruises and social events. PM me your E-mail address and I will add you to the mailing list.

[GMCustomerSvc]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 New to the forum, long time car guy. I have a chance at a red Solstice GXP with 2900 miles. (not a typo) It is a local doctors toy car and offered at $20,000. It is as new as the mileage indicates. I know next to nothing about these cars...what do you folks think it is worth? Anything I need to work about? Thanks for your help...I like the looks, I enjoyed the test drive and I think it is a decent deal, but am not ashamed to admit I don't know much with respect to this car.

Winchester67,

Great to hear you're interested in the Solstice and welcome aboard the forum! If you have any questions or concerns about service and parts, the dealership would be a great place to start. Hope to see you as an owner member on the forum. Post a pic if you do get it. Good luck!

Matt,

GM Customer Assistance

Pontiac Owner Resources and Information | Pontiac

[wspohn]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 Member since 05 Dave...sounds like I know what your vote will be if it becomes a future bargain or not! Look at the other fun cars around today...Miata's are common, Vette's are overpriced, Camaros and Mustangs are muscle cars not sports cars, 370 Z cars are...well, I am not sure what they are. But they don't turn heads like the Solstice, I do know that. And the Sol is fast enough to be entertaining without being "go to jail, stupid, fast". Distinctive without being too much. I like it. A lot.

Yeah, not a lot out there for the traditional sports car type. It was Solstice or Z4 BMW for me and that was about it. If you are an old MG guy (as am I), you should enjoy the heck out of the Solstice. Best year and manual trans is the combination. Go buy it!

What colour is it?

[ChopTop]

BTW, there was a recent Kappa Don't thread you might find informative. Searched for couldn't find it. Basically listed common don't or be aware advice. For example, don't close hood with door fully open, do install NRA sticker on window and do wear camo hunting clothing when dropping car off if car must be lifted. Anyone?

[Bills86e]

We just Love our automatic 5 speed! I live in Florida.stop n go, stop n go.

[EarthNTX]

Welcome and get that car before someone else grabs it. I've been a member since last year. Bought my baby, came here and love it this forum. Respectful towards everyone and that includes women like me. They do not look down on me and THAT IS A HUGE one with me. Hell..because of this forum, I ripped off my fender skirt and changed my own battery and saved $300

Get that car in your driveway now, ok?

[Carpe Diem]

Originally Posted by Winchester67 2009...he is asking a little over blue book based on the absurdly low mileage. Basically, this is a new car. But we are in Missouri and nobody is buying convertibles right now.

Sounds to me like a good deal, especially if you could negotiate it down a bit.

Originally Posted by Winchester67 Did I mention his new wife HATES the car and can't drive a stick? I am very interested in the GP Performance Tune. Is it still available from dealers?

New Solstice? New wife? Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.
Wife to Solstice comparison: Future value. Performance/road feel/cost of maintenance/cost of upgrades/etc. Attention getting potential.
Wife not knowing how to drive your precious Solstice isn't all a bad thing.

Kidding aside, I've never met anybody who is sorry or had second thoughts about having bought a Solstice.

[RESURGAM]

I drive my Sol year round. In Montana. In SNOW. Lots of it. Not because I have to, but just because I was so silly happy after buying it, I couldn't think of enough reasons not to. Haven't looked back since I pulled the trigger. Drove my wife's G8 for a few days and fell in love with my car all over again. The guys/gals here are awesome. Just great. The aftermarket may be limited, but there are still top notch vendors coming out with new products pretty regularly. And of such good quality too! The vendors customer support that I have dealt with so far has been exceedingly awesome too. Basically, great car, great COMMUNITY, great vendors and parts, and just a great time all around. I may not be a super poster, but that's because anything I've wanted to know I found using the search feature So much knowledge and personality here. You wouldn't regret the car that's for sure!