Assmonkey, learn to read.

Other people's perspectives can point out things you may have never thought about when looking at a car. You don't have to agree with someone else's opinion, but it makes you take a look at the car again from a different light. Revisiting from another angle may change your mind simply because you didn't see something beforehand.

 

I say s2000.... it's just a better car for the money. i think it's closer to the "sports car" you may be looking for. but like some of the other guys said, drive both.

but in my opinion, why would you turn down 9000 rpm and that super-sexy styling?

whatever car you choose to buy, just be sure it's the one you really want. good luck.

 

If the fun car has to fit a certain budget, be sure to research the cost of keeping tires on the S2000. If you stick with the OEM SO2's, they ain't cheap and many people have to replace rears every 10-12k miles, fronts about twice that. Then try to find out what you can about the Solstice tires.

 

If money is a deciding factor than i think you should go with the Solstice.
It remains to be seen what the quality and reliability of the Solstice will be. I have
read that (GM) Pontiac is going all out to make sure these cars are trouble free. I
guess time will tell.

 

you live in detroit. i was there for 3 days in 2003. we rented a lancer. we were surrounded by domestics.

here's how i see it
Solstice: blend in
S2000: stand out in a crowd (an overcrowd)

 

This is good advice. Tires are the one big operational cost "gotcha" for the S2000. I'm at 7500 miles on my 04, and the directional tread to prevent hydroplaning on the OEM RE050's is already completely gone on the rears, making any rain driving a potential white-knuckle experience. The dry traction is still great, and it sounds like your roadster may be a sunny-day-only fun car, so you would be able to get more miles out of the tires. Still, the rears go quick and they're expensive.

Just something to keep in mind.

 

I've never had a car I like as well as the S2000. Everyone has different taste. Test drive the sol? and also the miata, sky and S2000. Then get what you like best. Have fun with whatever you choose.

 

DISCLAIMER Personally, after a few bad experiences owing POS GM cars in the 1980s, I have vowed to NEVER purchase a GM anything ever again. As a result, I am biased aginst anything made by GM and I would rather ride a bike or drive a used Yugo than buy anythng from GM. Any money you save on the purchase price of a GM you end up paying in repairs and then you have to factor in the frustration, and consider that anything made by GM, ESPECIALLY when they claim it is "going to be reliable like a Japanese car" (e.g. Chevy Citation, one of the worst reliable POS GM cars ever made) will likely last 2-3 years at the most and die around 50-70K miles on the engine. Resale value of a GM compared to a Honda is likely to be half. So I think buying GM is throwing money down the toilet

Having said that, I would ask you -- are you the kind of person who runs out to the newest places to eat and always wants to have the most current fashion to wear, or are you the kind of person who typically knows what they like to eat and wear and is less a slave to the "it" thing to have in the moment?

I see the Solstice as a cute, affordable roadster for people who want to be seen in it, but are not that performance minded and really just want to have a 2 seat convertible. As a new player in the roadster market, it will be all the buzz and the 'it" thing.

The S2000 is a car that a more performance minded person would want (note that the S2000 does not have an auto trany option, etc., but that is coming in 2006 for the Solstice), and given that in 5-6 years of production the S2000 has had only minor changes in the area of its cosmetics, it does not turn the heads the way a totally new looking car would. However, I bet within 12 months there will be as many Solstices running around than there are currently S2000s (over many years of its production), so the "it" factor with the Solstice will evaporate before the lease does. I doubt there are lots of S2000s in Detroit!

I also think you should worry about the first year of production issues for any car (esp. GM) and also since this is a new, cutesy, sporty but inexpensive and not too serious sports type car, it may develop into THE car that daddy buys for his daughter princess or for the wife. Frankly, I'd worry about buying a car that turns out being a "hairdresser's car" in the market place.

Obviously, a lease person might not be concerned about resale values and long term reliability, but if you could get an S2000 for the price of a Solstice, you'd be crazy not to get the better car that sells for more than $10K (50% of the solstice price, 33% of the S2000 price) over the other.

I take it you have seen the Solstice only in photos and have seen the S2000 in person. I bet you will find after seeing the Solstice in person the finish and quality of workmanship on the entire car will be crap compared to the S2000. Those shots of the interior of the Solstice (particularly the seats) look cheap to me, and those photos are THE BEST the interior of the car will ever look. Remember you're going to be getting something thrown down the mass production assemby line at GM. The photos were taken of a car that GM probably spent months hand assembling and tweaking, polishing and fine-tuning, just for the photo shoot, and even then perhaps they touched up the photos.

To me this is like asking should I go get the new steak sandwich from that fast food place at the food court or should I go get a real steak meal at a sit down place that has been open for years and has been given "one of the best places to eat" awards almost every year it has been open.

 

In a nutshell.

I've driven both.

I happen to own an S.

No comparison. Other than they look alike and have two seats each. That's where it all ends. If you ask which car is right for you, that would be a matter of trust of GM's quality, price range, personal taste etc.. But anyone who drives these two cars and finds even the slightest similar features.... Would be happy driving anything new.

 

No it definitely does not...IMO.