Understand I'm singing to the coupe choir here but just wanted to post about taking the coupe out for a cruise this week (along w/not seeing too many new coupe threads being posted in this sub-forum very often). Reason I haven't been driving the coupe too much this years is due too been enjoying driving our 06 vert this summer. But weirdly never w/the top down because like the coupe think it looks better w/the top on. However, believe the real reason is due to the vert is a manual and with the wider rear tires (275s) it helps give it more of a hot rod feel than the auto coupe.
Since it was a bright and beautiful summer day I decided to take the GXP coupe out to run a few errands. At first it was about just enjoying driving the car again, then I switched into cruise mode and began watching to see if anyone was checking it out. Glad to report that even after five years it continues to garner and attract attention. Had a few folks drive along in my blind spot checking out the fastback lines, at stoplights I saw folks staring, and answered a few questions (thought those only came as verts, nice car mister, first time I've ever seen one, and one :thumbs
, several few folks walking would stare as I drove by, and one person trying to get me to race (no thanks). OK, I admit I did stomp on the gas once, but when the tires started to spin rubber I let off immediately. Though it did answer the question if autos can spin their tires (had it in 4). :devil:
Now I know it's not a Ferrari, a classic or muscle car, but the coupes do continue to attract attention and positive reactions from strangers. Funny how small things like this continue to make me feel glad we own a somewhat different car.
If anymore coupe owners have stories or coupe compliments to really post em up here.:cheers:
:thumbs: Quiet in here lately. I've been busy with some home projects and so have not driven the coupe except about every 2 weeks this summer. Every time I do it brings a huge smile to my face. I'm actually very glad this is not our DD, I so enjoy when I do finally slide behind the wheel, and of course the car is perfect and ready to run since it's in the garage under a cover. My wife is a bit scared to drive it now. She's had issues with her eyes, especially at night, and her DD Subaru is damaged again, she hit a cement pylon parking in her work garage not long ago. So I've warned her about the low clearance and intercooler, but I think all I've done is made her nervous at this point.
Hey everyone, I just joined this forum. I don't take my '09 GXP coupe out much but when I do, it's definitely head turner. I think every time I've taken it out for a spin (about 10 times since I got it earlier this year), I see at least a couple people pointing at it. I wish I could drive it more but I want to keep the mileage down as much as possible.
Enjoy it how you want to. We bought ours almost 1 year ago now (end of this month). I wanted to keep mileage below 4k a year, and as it turns out, so far this year we are only looking at perhaps 1300 miles, that on top of the 4132 miles it had when we bought it.
I drove my Cool (silver) coupe to Home Depot to buy some hardware a month ago. When I came out there were 3 young people (in their 20s) checking out my "heap". When I was close enough to pop the rear glass they saw me approaching and they started asking me questions.
They kept telling me it was the coolest car they ever saw and said it must be cool driving a "James Bond car". I told them it wasn't an exotic car but just a 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP coupe. I told them Pontiac only made 1266 of them and they were pretty rare.
Like everyone says it turns heads everywhere..............in traffic and in parking lots. I love it.
I am a technical manager at a Ford Assembly Plant in Ohio with over 35 years of service. Ever since I started working for Ford in 1979 I bought Fords or Lincolns. I was a Pontiac guy before that.
I bought the Coupe in April of 2013 from a gal in Florida after seeing my first one in March 2013. I immediately fell in love with it and had to have one. I drive it to the Ford plant every day and will continue until the weather in Ohio "turns ugly" and I have to put it away for the winter. I have the soft top on all summer so I can enjoy the open air mode this car delivers. What a great car.
The UAW complained to the Plant Manager about me driving this non Ford product into the plant so I have to keep it parked in the visitor parking lot instead of in my usual parking spot near the plant building. I am OK with that since it makes me so happy driving it back and forth from work to home. It's worth the extra walk into the plant.
For all the UAW people know you own 2 other Fords at the house, and all your relatives by their Fords through you, I know it "looks bad" but they should give it a rest.
Trying to remember the history now on the designer, isn't he european, and after Pontiac he was hired by Mazda (no wonder)?
It is very james bondy, don't forget this article:
Top 10 Most Beautiful Cars for 2009 - Feature - Car and Driver
The coupe was #5, 1 behind the Aston Martin Vantage if you can believe that. #3 was the Maserati Gran Turismo, #2 the Aston Martin DBS and #1 the Alfa Romeo. It beat out a Porsche, so strictly from a looks standpoint, it's way in over it's head, and despite all the articles be-crying the "cheap" interior (which it is), I appreciate it at least from a simplicity standpoint (except the ergonically annoying drivers window buttons).
Hey Harv, You may want to consider PMing Shadofax, he updates the coupe owners thread;
http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f114/newest-solstice-coupe-list-here-74384/index7.html
And welcome to the forum and coupe group.
He's good there CT !
I took the wife out one morning for breakfast a few months ago. While we were sitting there, this new yellow Mustang with two elderly guys drove by the coupe at least three times. He disappeared after that. We finished eating and headed home when low and behold he comes racing up, trying to chase me down. At the next stop light, he roars up next to us, and I brace myself for the usual "Is it quick? Ya wanna race?" that I get from ricers all the time. However, he asks "How much did it cost you to import it from Europe?". Laughing, I tell him that it was built and sold here in the US. About this time, the light changes, he gives me a thumbs up, and we both take off (sedately).
My coupe is my daily driver (in the spring through the fall), and I cannot begin to tell you how many people have almost driven off of the road while checking her out! The best one on the freeway though was when a newer Lambo came racing up beside me, slowed down and dropped into my blind spot to check me out. He stayed there for about 1/2 a mile before honking twice and taking off again.
yea well, just look at my post above if somehow you didn't see the article on the most beautiful cars of '09. Not sure if a Lambo was on it, but if it was, it wasn't a top 5 like the Coupe.
Enjoy them however you like. Stick them in the garage and polish them every day or use them as commuter cars, it doesn't really matter, they will never be worth huge dollars no matter what you do, so your own personal enjoyment is the only criterion for use. Different strokes.
Just opinion John, though I agree with you in terms of the car not costing that much in the first place so don't expect it to make you a fortune. But just look at Mach 1's these days. They were not an expensive car in the day, and are very collectible (but getting pricey) these days.
in any case I'll bring up 2 more articles:
www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/05/five-future-automotive-collectibles
#1 was the '09 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe (#2 is the '09 Pontiac G8 GXP)
www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/08/04/generally-fantastic-five-GM-designs
The '63 Corvette Stingray is #1, but they do list the '09 Pontiac Solstice Coupe at number 5 of best GM designs.
and let us never forget the BMW Z4 Zagato concept, a great BMW replica of the Solstice Coupe that never was, too bad I guess since it was beautiful, but then again the performance might have been on par engine wise at best, interior more upscale, and much more money....Hey, just like the new Jag, which is supposed to have a coupe version perhaps next year, but don't expect it to be affordable.
Edit: I don't mean to say the Jag is going to be just like the Solstice Coupe, it's got it's own thing going for sure, and I'm sure the coupe version will be set off from our coupe.
