I prefer manual tops. I've had Cadillacs, Fords, BMW's, Volkswagens, and a couple other cars with automatic tops. Every single one has been an expensive problem. Most often when they break you have to keep them up. There goes the whole purpose of having a drop top. Nothing looks sadder than being out on a great day in Virginia, having my Solstice manual top down, and driving by someone with an automatic top stuck in the up position; the look on their face is one of heartbreak.
Ghost, even the base Solstice has enough get up and go for me. DOHC 173 hp at 5800 rpm, 0-60 in a little over seven seconds. That's about the same 0-60 as a Dodge or Plymouth patrol car had back when I was doing that kind of stuff. :lol:
I lived in a small town though, so of course they knew me and my Spitfire. Seems silly now. :dunno:
Also, the Solstice is really comfortable. I left Fort Lauderdale FL at 6:00 a.m., planning on taking two to three days to get home to Portsmouth VA (950 miles). The Solstice seats and the car are such a great cruise-all the way home in one day, and guess what, the back and legs felt fine in my driveway at 9:00 p.m.
Mercedes (and that year SLK in particular), have documented electrical problems, and balance shaft/ cam sensor problems; I just went through the water pump rain dance on my 08 Solstice. " The grass is always greener on the other side."
You have a great car there. It's fast. It looks good. It's both a guy and a chick magnet. Also, it's price point and brand makes people comfortable. On the way back from Lauderdale, 6:00 a.m. hotel parking lot, this guy was all over the car and asking questions, and no he was not homeless or broke; later that same day a well dressed woman walked right up to the Solstice in a highway rest area just to talk cars, and no she was not a "working girl."
There's something right about owning one of these cars. Keep it. Take care of it. Appreciate its beauty in the moment, and remember it is fairly rare and the Solstice will be worth something someday. There is already buzz about them having collector car status. For what it goes for now,I wouldn't mind having my old 67 Mustang Base today. That was not a high end car.