Brief Review: Pontiac Solstice GXP

mrvax · Dec 21, 2007

My youngest daughter just got her permit and her 1st real job. Her goal is to save up over a year and put a chunk of coin on a down payment on this car. She may consider used.

We checked 1 out tonight at the dealer, dark blue, auto and of course the GXP version. I would not let her buy that base Solstice, in fact I am trying to trick her into the manual.

The car felt very solid. The interior is not loaded with crap. It's all set up just as a roadster should be. It handles corners very well and has an excellent & nimble feel to it. Plenty of room for a 6 footer but it's a little work to get in/out. No spare tire and no storage space.

I got to put the pedal down only for a short time and I was nicely surprised. No "turbo lag" at all. The car immediatly shot forward and I had to slow it down right away. It felt about the same pull as my car (see sig.)

The car has a terrific look which is a big surprise for an American auto maker. The stance of the car makes it look very road worthy and not like a cheapo pud car like say, a Miata.

Overall, I give this car the thumbs up meaning I'd be proud to own it myself! (Although you know I'd need to get MORE power out of it.) BTW: The car can 0-60 in 5.4 secs, not too shabby.
-vax

Superhereaux · Dec 21, 2007

mrvax said:
The car has a terrific look which is a big surprise for an American auto maker. The stance of the car makes it look very road worthy and not like a cheapo pud car like say, a Miata.

that cheapo pud car beat both the Sky and Solstice in almost every category

and since someones going to ask anyway, pics of said daughter?

lazerred02 · Dec 21, 2007

Boo

Get her into a Mustang

04YELLOWGT · Dec 21, 2007

No offense but why would you get her/ let her get a car like that? That has so many things going aginst it as a first car and especaily if it will be a DD. A semi-quick car for a new driver is asking for trouble, girl or not. Hell most girls I know drive faster than I do on the street. LOL Those cars suck in the rain too and there isn't much there to protect her if she ever would get in an accident. I would have her wait a year or two and let her get used to just driving especially at school. If likes any school I've been to shes got a VERY good chance of getting hit or hitting some one at school. I had quite a few near misses where stupid kids weren't paying attention, finally I smartened up arrived at the last minute and left first to aviod that. If shes smart with it she will be fine but the problem is 99.9% of kids aren't there are very few of us that are smart. I was the only one in my group of friends that didn't get a ticket or wreck their car in school and I still haven't got a ticket. (I did get in a wreck but that was kind of out of my control) Most kids put on a show in front of their parents and then as soon as they're out of site its WOT and burnouts.

I know a little about these cars because my friend customized one for SEMA a few years ago, it was the first year for them I think. I thought that car was pretty peppy and that was the NA model so I could imagine what the GXP is like. Just doesn't seem like a good first car to me.

Sorry for the long post but I hate to see kids get new cars and they are wrecked or in trouble within a year of driving them. I know there were quite a few a my school.

melz610 · Dec 21, 2007

i think im going to trade u in for the gxp dad,

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melz610 · Dec 21, 2007

i want this car because it is my favorite and to prove to myself my accomplishments. Its an awsome car to drive and it sure as hell turns heads! and i love having a show off car of course . i am not so sure about the 5 speed though, i think i might just stick with the automatic.

Superhereaux · Dec 21, 2007

have you at least looked at the G5 or G6? might be a better car to start off with

yeah everyone wants a flashy car when they're 16 but it's not always the best choice

melz610 · Dec 21, 2007

i did see the g6 which was in the show room i do like it but, it seems too big for me .. and im not 16 i am 18 ! LOL and i like small cars ill keep some other cars in mind such as the mit. lancer (07) was another choice. I really dont like pontiacs but seeing the solstice im pritty sure i got my mind set! i just hope to get a hard top instead of the soft so no one can slice and dice into it ha.

mrvax · Dec 21, 2007

04YELLOWGT said:
No offense but why would you get her/ let her get a car like that? .... I know there were quite a few a my school.

Good questions.
My wife and I have never been able to get Melissa to do this using conventional wisdom like my older daughter. I cannot force her to buy the car of my choice (or she'd have a Stang.) That being said, I really just looked at the car to see if it was a POS or not.

When someone buys a car for themselves, I believe they tend to take better care of it and this one she will be saving for and buying. I am glad to see her start to save money for something.

Performance: AFter seing and being a kid driver at one time myself, I think I've learned a bit over the years. I think it's the person and not the car that determines if someone drives recklessly or not. Put a mature person in a Corvette and they will take care not to drive like an ass.

Put a ricer in a Civic, which is an underpowered grocery-getter and the little bastid will drive in a way to put themselves and everyone else on the road in severe danger.

If Melissa has a mishap, I'm sure it will be due to something other than abusing the power of the car. I've known her for 18+ years. I believe if someone is going to push a car to it's limits or over, they will do it in any car. A safe driver will drive safe in any car.

Risk of small car crash is valid. However, having only 1 extra person in her car as opposed to 4-5 kids in a larger car is a plus to think about too. I believe that if I get hit by one these freegin SUV's in my Mustang, I don't have a good chance to survive that one unscratched.

We were able to talk Melissa out of the foolish notion of a motorcycle. I know many a person that has died on one.

In the end, this is the car she is currently thinking of. I really wanted to check it out. If Melissa goes through with her savings plan, she has a whole year to consider other cars so this is by no means a done deal.

Superhereaux · Dec 21, 2007

the new Lancer looks like a slick little car, might want to look at that one a little more

if you go with the Solstice the fuel costs and insurance (sports car) will start to add up every month, plus being a 2-seater there's not much room for friends or other "various" activities

heard good things about the Mazda 3 as well

'13_ImpactBlue_GT · Dec 21, 2007

Vax

Will she be paying the insurance or will you be footing the bill?
And arent those cars RWD?
260 horse, RWD and a young driver =
What about the 175horse version?

mrvax · Dec 21, 2007

Toms_2003_Stang said:
Vax

Will she be paying the insurance or will you be footing the bill?
And arent those cars RWD?
260 horse, RWD and a young driver =
What about the 175horse version?

I started working at 16 and work/college at 18. I paid for my own car and insurance. Melissa will also. My wife and I simply do not have the $ to add another car's expenses to our monthly bills. Perhaps in my next life...

'13_ImpactBlue_GT · Dec 21, 2007

Is the car RWD and did she look at the 175horse model?

Maza4ever14 · Dec 21, 2007

damn she posts on here too? thats dope.

mrvax · Dec 21, 2007

Yes and no. My family does NOT drive cars with < 200 hp. Sorry. It's a family tradition thing. Neither do we drive SUV's.

Maza4ever14 · Dec 21, 2007

well ya cant go wrong with a evo IX

mrvax · Dec 21, 2007

Maza4ever14 said:
damn she posts on here too? thats dope.

Melissa wanted to & maybe respond the the car's review but thread took a turn sideways. I probably should not have posted that she wants this car.

d98gt · Dec 22, 2007

Post up some pictures of one

Is there a certain color that you are looking for?

lmpbzkt492 · Dec 22, 2007

i work for a pontiac dealership and have plenty of first hand experience with these cars. being six fee tall gives you basically no room in the car at all. getting ing and out of them is a pain and there is basically no storage space at all. the turbo gxp model is def the way to go though as the base model is a turd. havent seen many real problems with them though. the g6 is a whole nother story though nothing but headaches is that car

SilverBullet00 · Dec 22, 2007

I will never forget the day a solstice tried to rev at me at the stoplight. Me and my buddy were laughing SO HARD I couldn't even drive the car when the light turned green. My lawn mower sounded more manly than that thing.

If you really want a Pontiac... GET A WS6!

Brief Review: Pontiac Solstice GXP

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