[QUOTE=valentine,Jan 30 2006, 12:54 PM] ^^We had that problem with our Nissan 350ZXTT.

 

I saw one on the road and liked the looks of it. It looked a bit mean, and that's good.

Not all roadsters are created alike. And while we all may swear up and down that the S is the best, it may/may not be what everyone wants. I know that is hard to believe, but true.

 

Certainly all of your concerns are valid. I am not suggesting I would buy one. I was just waxing about its appearance. The glass parts are not high enough to give good vision.

I was quite surprised at the very small truck room of roadsters. I was also surprised that the S2000 had an acceptable trunk size. Frankly, I looked at a MR2 Turbo and was totally appalled at the storage, so much so it wasn

 

I have also heard, but have not verified, it has no spare tire.

 

I have yet to see a Solstice "in the flesh" but from the pictures it looks pretty good. The only thing that I dislike is the grille, but I really dislike the grille. It looks too much like a Pontiac, and that turns me off. I too think the Sky is the better looking car.

I don't like the lack of trunk space. When I bought my S, I was considering an MR2. I probably wouldn't have bought it anyway, but the lack of trunk space elliminated it from consideration. You don't need a lot of trunk space in a sportscar, but you do need some. (As it is, I can't bring a pizza home in my S's trunk.)

 

I like the looks of the Sky better too. Over all I like the looks of either car. I think it has some pretty good lines and shows some promise.

What was the car designed to compete with? Looks and sounds more in the Miata class than the Honda class.

No trunk space would be a killer for me as well, and I absolutely will not pay over MSRP. I have real problem with sales staff at dealerships as it is. This is typical for a car they feel is going to be hot and it usually works the first year.

 

Well, being on Car & Drivers Top Ten List for four out of five years may not say anything about what the "typical American buyer" wants. Let's face it most American buyers want torque (explains the popularity of big blocks and Harley's).

Now that my "Baby" is no longer my daily driver. I appreciate driving it all the more on weekends. It is like driving a razor blade or a scapple. Sharp, crisp, and cuts right to the bone of driving excitement.

I bought my first motorcycle from my old Army room mate that read all of the accolades from the Cycle magazines back in the early 70's about the Kawasaki S-2 (a 350 CC, three cylinder, two stroke that was faster than any 500 CC motorcycle on the market at the time with the exception of the Kawasaki H-1 500 CC). He bought it and hated it. Because unless one kept it on the power band, like the S it did not start making power until 6,500 RPMs and below 4,000 RPM's it would foul spark plugs. At the time, I was driving a 4.1 litre overhead cam six cylinder 69 Firebird that had the highest redline (6,500 RPM) of any American car at that time.

I am constantly amazed when chatting with most people (other than here) how many people pay any attention to their tachometers or can tell you the engine RPM at 70 MPH for example.

 

A little off-topic, but its funny how the first impression of the owner of the car can make you form an opinion of the car itself. In this case, I passed one on the road the other day (we both had our tops down) and he gave me a friendly nod and an approving smile. I did the same back. Now I have a favorable opinion of the car. Funny how stupid that is.

I wonder how the Solstice crowd will be?

 

It does not have a spare, but comes with an on-board compressor and (I assume) a repair kit.

 

That's easy, 7000.