I'm just looking for opinions from some guys who already own a 2-seat roadster. Likes/dislikes

would you ever own one? why? why not?

 

Sloppy, Slow, And you have to get out of the car to put the top down.

 

they just look cheap to me, I would much rather have something that has a bit more upscale feel to it. personally I think a miata is nicer looking than the solstice/skyy.

the performance isn't bad, but can be destroyed by any aftermarket turbo/supercharger setup on the S2k. having driven both I think the S is a better driving experience as well, the Pontiac just feels rough and unrefined. also there is almost zero trunk space, and the top requires you to get out of the car to operate.

 

I've never driven or even sat in one. I wouldn't buy one just because I don't like how it looks

 

I could never drive a roadster that would force you to put the roof up in order to transport chairs, blankets, and beer to the beach.

The trunk/top design is a deal breaker for me.

The Kappas will turn heads though, and are more rare than S2000's (if that's your thing.)

Oh yeah, and I'm not too crazy about buying a car from a dead brand.

 

Interesting how this thread popped up, so let me review:

horrible top design
which in turn lead to a horrible trunk design, dunno why GM always makes humps in the friggin trunk but go figure.

Personally, not fond of the verts, mostly because I agree with everyone in that the top design sucks, but after owning an s2000 and replacing the top myself and living with a convertible, I found that I am not a convertible type of guy, therefore no top no matter how well designed is going to do it for me anymore. So with that said I'd go with the solstice coupe. I'd approach the car as a gem in the rough, the stock suspension was geared towards the masses since believe it or not a good chunk of miata owners arent hardcore cone dodgers. There was a Z0K option which apparently made things a whole lot better, and seeing their success in autocross they;re capable performers.
All that said, I only had limited seat time in one, I will say the s2000 is more fun to drive while the solstice is more comfortable to drive, I like the s2000 driving experience better and with prices the way they are used for late ap1s and early ap2s you'd be hard pressed to not pick one over a kappa.
For me, the need/lust for a hardtop coupe makes me prefer the solstice coupe, I'm just waiting for the domestic resale curse to hit harder, gonna be a great value soon...
As far as pontiac being gone and whatever else, GM is still backing the warranty and they will need to build parts for 10years, used parts are readily available and cheap (a used LNF engine will run you about 2000 bucks for instanc). Body parts... well thats why we have insurance, lol. Still rather deal with that than trying to affod porsche parts.
I'll also admit that I'm infatuated with the look of the car, but it doesnt mean that I cant see its shortcomings, and there's quite a few. My biggest pet peeve is that theres no temp gauge, 18" wheels, and the large hump in the trunk. I also woulda preferred a normal rear hinged hood too.

 

Good idea, poorly engineered.

 

how about that rubber knob that protrudes into your right knee for no reason? Excellent design.....lol

 

The GXP is a GREAT sports car. It delivers excellent steering feel and feedback. Power band is phenomenal for a 2.0l turbo. That engine is a gem. It feels incredibly torquey everywhere in the powerband above 2000rpm. It's torquier than my Lancer Evolution IX. It will feel like it runs out of steam a bit in the upper RPMs if you are used to an S2000 though. The transmission is great - Miata great, but not S2000 great. The differential is very good. I don’t know if it is a Torsen diff or a Clutch-type diff, but I never had any problems putting power down the few times I have autocrossed one. The Solstice can fit ridiculous amounts of wheel and tire under it with no problems. You can run 305 width tires at all 4 corners on the stock wheels with no problems. The brakes are good, but I found the ABS to be a little overprotective (this was on r-compound tires). The one I drove had the 100% stock suspension with an aggressive alignment. It puts the power down coming out of corners like no other front engine, RWD car. You can roll onto the gas much earlier and much more rapidly in a corner than the S2000. If you want even better handling, find a GXP with the Z0K suspension option, which includes new springs, swaybars, dampers, and lowers the car 1.5.”

Performance-wise, the GXP is a great car and quite a performance bargain, especially used ones. I like the styling of the car, but that’s obviously subjective. I hate the interior – cheap, plastic, bad seats with almost no side bolstering. And the top and “trunk” suck. But if you can overlook that, it’s a really fun sports car.

Andrew

 

Good car but not for me. I test drove one of the turbo skys. I liked the specs, the looks, and the concept so well I thought I would take it home. I was disappointed with all the things I wasn't at all concerned about when I was looking at the car, and so disappointed that I simply didn't want it at all after the test drive.

And my gripes are small and sound silly. I thought the engine note was asthmatic, which was a big downer to me. The interior felt not just cheap but gaudy and obnoxious to me (I hate chrome, and I hate chrome-look plastic even more). I can deal with cheap, but it looked ostentatious. And having turbo lag again bothered me a great deal (for freeway passing) as the car felt very weak and underpowered until the turbo spooled. And while I really liked the styling of the Sky, it is somewhat faddish.

I think that's it. But those silly things emotionally turned me off, and it's a sports car, so that kind of defeats the purpose IMO. Overall I liked the S2000 much better--so I bought one.

But for cheap power, add a simple reflash and tires and the turbo kappas will perform way above any non-FI S2000.