Either or, neither nor
Educate Me, please
Thank you
Either or, neither nor
Educate Me, please
Thank you
In reply to RacingComputers :
Especially Saturn Sky which less were made (32.495 over 3.5 yr run) be wise on how you insure the car. ANY body damage will surely total the car due to low parts availability.
65,724 Pontiac production according to Solstice wiki
And, those numbers are for all, both low spec models and high spec models but I can imagine that GXPs and Redlines made up less than 25% of those numbers.
"ANY" is a bit of an overstatement. Dents can be pulled since the bodies are mostly sheet metal.
Ergonomics are the biggest real difference between the two, especially from the driver's seat. Buttons and (I think) cupholders are laid out a little differently between the two. With how cramped they are, this could make one more appealing than another. Style is another big differentiation, but that's all up to you. By "cramped", I mean my Elise feels airier.
Handling is okay. I felt like my wife's Redline got bigger the harder you pushed it rather than one of those cars that shrinks around you. The chassis felt happiest at about 6/10ths, but it felt very happy there.
The powertrain makes cool noises, and my wife actually preferred its character over her G8 GT 6L that replaced it. The auto is weirdly well-matched to the turbo in a way that masks both of their respective lagginess. Basically you punch it, and, by the time it finishes the shift, the turbo is well-spooled. I actually know a couple of the guys who did the factory calibration on it, and they did a good job.
Minor styling changes are the only significant difference between the Pontiac and Saturn versions - performance and handling are identical.
You have a choice between a non turbo 2.4 that put out 177 bhp and a turbo 2.0 that put out 260 bhp with a factory kit that could be added to get you 290 bhp plus a bump in torque from 260 Tq to 340 Tq (I put in my order for that kit before I had picked up my new car!).
Handling is basically decent but can be improved from there with attention to the usual springs, shocks, sway bars and a couple of frame stiffeners that increase torsional rigidity.
After market tuning bits are available to increase power beyond factory - I run ~ 375 bhp in a GXP coupe and it has been reliable, and when not in boost, gets decent mileage.
As the last cars were made in 2009, the parts situation will get a bit sparse, but there is still a fair bit of stuff out there. Mine has been my daily driver since 2009 ( I have a couple of other cars I swap out for in the summer).
Thanks
Thanks
Have you driven one yet?
Looking at Soltice this week
Why might I ask?
Something strange?
Funny enough I was really hot on these vs. a C4 Corvette. As good as I thought they were, ultimately I felt the C4 gave me a lot more car and performance for slightly less money.
SWMBO has a '08 Sky RedLine that her mom gave her after the kiddo said she didn't like it. A few years ago it had like 10K miles on it (I rolled it over that number on an afternoon). Except for the auto I didn't hate it. Seemed like a heavier turbo Miata with less visibility. She loves the thing.
Don't expect Miata-esque handling, it's significantly heavier. Power is decent, even in the base trim. I love the design inside and out, but that's just me. In the base trim, there's a canyon size gap between 3rd and 4th gears. It probably won't matter much unless you are tracking it, but it's there.
Beware of limited to literally no parts availability for the 2.0L turbo. All parts are no longer supported by GM and nobody has them.
Make sure to test sit one. The steering wheel to clutch position is tight. My leg would hit the bottom of the steering wheel. Ruled it out for me, much to my wife's disappointment.
In reply to RacingComputers :
I test drove one and could find no redeeming qualities about the car, other than the looks and the GM powertrain which is pretty good and has excellent support.
Some people love them. Turns out I'm not one of them
Here's a helpful article, too: #TBT | Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky: What to know before you buy | Articles | Grassroots Motorsports
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Came here to post this, but J.A. beat me to it. 
I'm amazed at how they way have less cargo room than a Miata (less than half the trunk space!) yet are the same size and 500 pounds heavier.
Still, I think the Saturn looks amazing. I'd love to have one, GXP manual of course.
Is the Saturn bodywork the same as the Opel bodywork? I know it looks similar at least, but I wasn't sure if the Saturn stuff was a direct rebadge of the German panels or if Saturn did some stamping alterations to give them their own flavor.
dculberson said:I'm amazed at how they way have less cargo room than a Miata (less than half the trunk space!) yet are the same size and 500 pounds heavier.
Still, I think the Saturn looks amazing. I'd love to have one, GXP manual of course.
And with the top down, the Sky/Soltice has less carrying capacity than a pair of cargo shorts.
I distinctly remember that the Red Line/GXP were faster than a Porsche Boxter or BMW Z4. I thought that was kind of cool. The car reminded me of a small C6 Corvette. I really liked the duo, and I think I favored the Sky because of the interior. I loved that red and black leather combo. I'd own one.
I think they are cool but I can tell just by looking at them that I am far too tall. Also, look up how much used headlights cost for a Solstice on eBay.
dculberson said:I'm amazed at how they way have less cargo room than a Miata (less than half the trunk space!) yet are the same size and 500 pounds heavier.
Still, I think the Saturn looks amazing. I'd love to have one, GXP manual of course.
And when the top is down, that cargo space goes to virtually zilch.
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