To each his own, but a "couple grand for reliability??? On cars that are under warranty? How much do you think its going to be in the shop? A couple grand is 10% of the cost if we assume "a couple" = 2. Do you think in the 3 years you would hypothetically own the Solstice it will be in the shop 3+ months? I bought an S2000 in part for Honda's stellar reliability, but as anyone who follows the auto industry knows, domestic brands (especially GM) have made huge quality gaines recently, putting them on par with the Germans at least. It isn't like we're comparing a '04 Civic to a Yugo here. Both vehicles should be OK.

Please show me a link to a Firebird that costs 32 grand new that is 13.5K on Carmax. I don't see any.

 

yes, they've made huge reliability gains, but workmanship, fit, and finish are still sub-par. sit in a solstice and feel comfort of the hard plastic, baby. workmanship, fit, and finish have improved on the caddy line, I'll concede that.

Also, the Miata is about a second faster 0-60 and 0.5sec/5mph faster in the quarter mile. that's a lot.

 

the new miata is very big interior wise..... it handles just as good as the previous generations ebcause weight is not much more. im 6'4" and i surprisingly fit in it comfortably than a s2k..... i test drove one at zoom zoom zoom live

it was fun

 

Greedy bastages

It kills me when these dealers that have nothing much anyone would want get greedy when they DO get something popular. It usually comes around to bite in the end - since folks like me would not come back later even if offered a discount at the same dealership.

Of course the greedy Mazda dealers did the same thing when the first Miata came out and the greedy Honda dealers did that when the S came out. A friend put down a deposit (for MSRP) on the first S one local dealer got in. When it came time to the cars to start rolling in they called him and said "I'm sorry, but MSRP is not going to be enough to buy the car". He got his deposit back and got something else.

I looked at the S in '99 but the way over MSRP was not going to fly with me, so I got a '00 'vette convertible (paid a lot more, but got it way under MSRP). Three years and a lot of trips to the dealer later, I sold it and got a barely used 01 S, then traded that this year for a new 05. If I could have gotten MSRP in '99 I would likely have been in an S 3 years sooner

Dennis

 

I am "circumferentially enhanced" and the S fits me better than the older Miata, for sure. Also I always wanted to be taller - until I got a Miata and now the S, it pays to be short if you are looking at sports cars

Thanks Gawd they didn't had an auto slushbox to the S for 2006, that would have been a sin. Remember the original SHO Taurus cars? Manual only as they should be, they ruined it when they added an auto to "widen the appeal".

I don't think they should offer the Miata with an auto either, but don't have a problem with the Solstice/Sky since they have no interest for me.....

Dennis

 

Did you miss the lecture on "supply and demand"?

What kills me is when you expect somebody to pay you for your work, just because you have the supply and they have the demand. What a greedy bstrd you are!

 

Nothing wrong with the dealers charging full price - if they can get it. There is enough profit for them built into the MSRP. Overcharging is just like the greedy oil companies and gas stations who boost the pump prices BEFORE the storm even touched land and have continued to jack them up even though the pump gas was refined weeks ago.

By your "logic" the dealer and the gas station have the equal right to charge whatever they want. I am glad I don't live in your world

What this has to do with my employment is lost on me. I negotiate a fair wage for myself and in return the company gets use of my talents and skills. They make a fair return on the money they pay me by charging for the fruits of my labors. In your "world" I should wait until there is a big deadline or something that only I can fix, then tell the boss I want double the pay since I have them over a barrel if I don't come through. With this logic, they could just not pay me if I don't have something critical to do...

Dennis

 

That would be known as "seasonal work" or "contract labor". And it's a much closer approximation to car buying than holding down a salary.

From a car dealer's point of view, there is no guarantee you will ever buy a car from him again. So he can probably make the most money by treating the sale as a one-time transaction. In that case, he should get everything he can possibly get from you.

Would you be willing to sign a contract saying that in exchange for not "gouging" you on a Solstice, you promise to buy another Pontiac from that dealer in three years (at full price, whether or not the cars are popular)? If not, why should he worry about charging for demand while the demand exists?

 

I can and do just take my business elsewhere - and not just on the single transaction when they try to overcharge me. If everyone did that, then they would quickly get in line. Of course, everyone knows not to get the first year of production for most cars (even Honda) due to extra problems. But yet the "gotta have it now" folks will go down like sheep and over pay to be in the latest model.

I was thinking about it today, I have never even paid MSRP for a car in my life (and I am getting quite old now ) much less paid OVER MSRP.

Dennis

 

So GM needs something positive in their news, how about we just let them enjoy the solistice instead of ripping it apart? I have a hard time believing anyone on this board is gonna sell their S and get one, but it most likely will sell. Give it some time and we'll see...