Miata praise from the Solstice forum

[johnwag]

Well, I love the NC. Fix the 4x4 stance and it is a winner in my book.

Staying more on topic, the new issue of "Turbo Magazine" has the new Blitz Turbo MX-5. It is very sweet looking!! The new turbo kit puts the numbers at "235 hp and 195 ft lbs. This was the best picture I could find unfortunately. http://www.nihoncar.com/en/news_gall...me=blitz_8.jpg

[icepenguin66]

Yeah, we all know you like the GM Twins better.

I roll my eyes to the NC out of visual disappointment!

If you take the Euro-spec NC that doesn't have the fugly turn signals on the front of the fender & has the sexy & very functional side markers (in which I believe should be mandatory for all cars) then add the mazdaspeed body kit, lower it & throw on some nice wheels then I love the NC! But the base model shouldn't need all that to look good. IMHO

I've seen more NCs than Sol/Skys.

I'd also take a Mazda over any GM product any day regardless of any automobile journalist's opinion.

No The NC is BMW quality especially compared to the cheap plastic in the Solstice.

Let's see how much of a following the GM Sisters have in 20 years. We'll also see how many 200k mile ones are driving around in 10 years. The Miata is bullet proof and a classic.

Think GM will sell anywhere near a half million units before they drop it?

I'm not stepping on the Miata or its great legacy but I think you are seriously underestimating the GM sisters. Sure GM doesn't make as great of a car as Mazda or Toyota but they do make nice cars and are slowly attempting to improve the quailty...still haven't figured out how to equal 1980's quality imports interior materials though!

[pliablemoose]

A friend at work bought a Solstice GXP, and paid are you ready for this? $35K for it.

I think it looks pretty good, but the manual tranny feels like they lifted it from one of their pickups.

For the money, I'd rather buy 7 NA's... Or maybe just one & snicker at the poor girl's payments for the next 6 years.

Did I mention she just got married to a guy with 2 kids, and is pregnant herself? I predict a different car in her future very soon.

[sammm]

When I grow up I hope I know everything about everything like you!

Read this, then call Professor Plum and get a clue.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=3442

[altiain]

A friend at work bought a Solstice GXP, and paid are you ready for this? $35K for it.

I think it looks pretty good, but the manual tranny feels like they lifted it from one of their pickups.

For the money, I'd rather buy 7 NA's... Or maybe just one & snicker at the poor girl's payments for the next 6 years.

Did I mention she just got married to a guy with 2 kids, and is pregnant herself? I predict a different car in her future very soon.

Doesn't sound like you have a very bright co-worker. BTW, the Sol/Sky transmission is from a truck - the Chevy Colorado.

[icepenguin66]

When I grow up I hope I know everything about everything like you!

Read this, then call Professor Plum and get a clue.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=3442

Wow, feel like I'm at the rice burner imports snobs forum. "Domestics suck! No Imports suck!" or "Chevy is better, no Ford is!"

I never said I know everything & don't think so. If you re-read all my posts, I never say the GM cars are better than the Miata, etc. But I do give them due respect. Having a shitty plastic interior is not enough to claim a car as worst ever IMO.

The Camaro & Mustangs still have a huge following & they are pretty cheap crappy cars. So again, I wouldn't underestimate the GM sisters, that's all I'm saying.

My family has owned everything from Chevy, Plymoth, Nissan, Pontiac and of course Mazda. Sure the Nissan & Mazda were the nicest but the GM cars we owned were not huge piles of The 94 Plymoth that was a huge pile of certianly doesn't help the domestic cars cause when a brand new car has to be taken to the dealer for a new ac system & auto tranny in the first year!

Anyways, I can google a link claiming all the reasons Domestic cars are better than imports for every one like that. They're usually biased & only point out the bad examples. Just because domestics are in the lead in the bad example category doesn't mean they all suck.
IE: My 90 Miata has a nice quality interior, even despite 17 yrs in the Texas sun, my friend's 90 RX7 makes a GM interior look nice!

[icepenguin66]

A friend at work bought a Solstice GXP, and paid are you ready for this? $35K for it.

I think it looks pretty good, but the manual tranny feels like they lifted it from one of their pickups.

For the money, I'd rather buy 7 NA's... Or maybe just one & snicker at the poor girl's payments for the next 6 years.

Did I mention she just got married to a guy with 2 kids, and is pregnant herself? I predict a different car in her future very soon.

Yep, my thoughts exactly, but I still love driving the parents Solstice! If GM wants to continue its "effort to improve" then that tranny certianly needs to be addressed in the next year model. Also be nice to change that top so you can fit more than a hat or purse in it!

lol, married with 2 kids & another on the way & she buys a Solstice! I can't think of a more impractical car, hell even a Ferrari has more space!

[trickyrix]

Wow... we've got some pretty, uh, passionate folks here on this one!

Having owned quite a few cars of different stripes, and driving a whole lot of cars of all sorts, I can only say that you can't pigeonhole an entire brand into one category (much less an entire national industry). So, a few observations...

I have owned both an '89 Mustang and a '95 Camaro (both of 'em V8's as God intended) - you'll probably be surprised to know that I would rank both of them among the best cars I've ever owned. They were VERY reliable, very cheap to maintain, fairly rattle-free, and an absolute BLAST to drive. After the Camaro, I had a gray-market '84 BMW 745 as a daily driver - whole different can o' worms. It drove like a luxury sports sedan should, had LOTS of turbo power, and it never left me absolutely stranded beside the road. BUT, the A/C never would work right, the car overheated in traffic in the summer (even after replacing the entire cooling system twice!), the transmission acted squirrelly on occasion, and the electrical system left something to be desired. Even so, I drove that car for almost TEN YEARS because, at the end of the day, I liked the way it looked, and I loved the way it could barrel down the road all day long in perfect comfort (given the right season, of course). Then I had a perfectly nice '97 Camry which was reliable and cheap, but an absolute f**king BORE to drive. Interspersed in among all these cars, I usually had an RX-7 to play with (or to play backup, as the case may have been). Finally, I got the Miata... and I couldn't be happier. Just like most of the cars I've owned, it's got its pros and cons, but the pros vastly outweigh the cons. And when the pros include "fun to drive" and "fun to drive" and "fun to drive" then I can overlook a hell of a lot.

I only had that Camry for about 8 months - the shortest time I've ever owned a daily driver.

Anyhow, every car has its pluses and minuses...

[icepenguin66]

I have owned both an '89 Mustang and a '95 Camaro (both of 'em V8's as God intended) - you'll probably be surprised to know that I would rank both of them among the best cars I've ever owned. They were VERY reliable, very cheap to maintain, fairly rattle-free, and an absolute BLAST to drive.

Okay now, that's one thing I don't believe! I had a 96 Z28 & plenty of friends that have or still own a Mustang & unless it has less than 30k miles its going to rattle!

It was a blast to drive, especially after the motor mods...but still handled like a boat!

[trickyrix]

Okay now, that's one thing I don't believe! I had a 96 Z28 & plenty of friends that have or still own a Mustang & unless it has less than 30k miles its going to rattle!

It was a blast to drive, especially after the motor mods...but still handled like a boat!

Well... I said "fairly" rattle free (they had their fair share, but they didn't shake themselves to pieces).

I autocrossed the 'Stang, even though brakes were apparently an extra-cost option. The Camaro, IMHO, was quite decent in the twisties, but I never autocrossed it...

...but in both cases, the most productive steering can be accomplished with the loud pedal. It's not a scalpel, it's a f***ing sledgehammer... good times!

[altiain]

...but in both cases, the most productive steering can be accomplished with the loud pedal. It's not a scalpel, it's a f***ing sledgehammer... good times!

+1 to that. I co-drove lugnutjon's old '99 Camaro SS more than a few times, and that car was a hoot to drive. There is something to be said for live axles, brute force, and V8 Chevy engines.

[pliablemoose]

Doesn't sound like you have a very bright co-worker. BTW, the Sol/Sky transmission is from a truck - the Chevy Colorado.

Heh, I found that hard to believe, but it's true

The first six months of Solstii all get proper transmissions, too: a 5-speed stick (from the Chevy Colorado)

http://www.automotive.com/2006/43/po...est/index.html

I have to admit though, the Solstice publicity got me interested in 2 seaters, after I did a little reading, I bought an NA though, best car I've ever bought for the $.

[icepenguin66]

Well... I said "fairly" rattle free (they had their fair share, but they didn't shake themselves to pieces).

I autocrossed the 'Stang, even though brakes were apparently an extra-cost option. The Camaro, IMHO, was quite decent in the twisties, but I never autocrossed it...

...but in both cases, the most productive steering can be accomplished with the loud pedal. It's not a scalpel, it's a f***ing sledgehammer... good times!

Yep yep, but one of the best times I had in my Miata was when I just got my first one. My best friend had a 94 Formula with every LG Motorsports suspension part you could buy and some go fast goodies and the look on his face when I took the clover leaf by our house in my stock 92 as fast as his car with all those goodies and better tires was priceless! Then he understood why I sold the Z28 for a Miata!

[trickyrix]

+1 to that. I co-drove lugnutjon's old '99 Camaro SS more than a few times, and that car was a hoot to drive. There is something to be said for live axles, brute force, and V8 Chevy engines.

This is ooouuuuur country!

My best friend had a 94 Formula with every LG Motorsports suspension part you could buy and some go fast goodies and the look on his face when I took the clover leaf by our house in my stock 92 as fast as his car with all those goodies and better tires was priceless!

Yes, yes... I totally understand... coming home from work on Friday night, I actually hit the green light at Royal coming off the Tollway. There was zero traffic (at 8:00 on a Friday) so I had the pure pleasure of ripping down a couple of gears and blowing through the intersection in nice little 4-wheel drift...

BUT the upside to my Z28 was boiling the tires at will, laying huge nasty stripes on the pavement, power-slides, donuts, and loud dirty V8 noises that make your mouth water... good ol' American Hooliganism...

BTW, I also had a claptrap $3k '87 Buick Grand National with 130K miles that would absolutely blow the doors off the Camaro... THAT thing handled like a boat, but it would smoke the tires for a city block!

[Radio-Active]

The 94 Plymoth that was a huge pile of certianly doesn't help the domestic cars cause when a brand new car has to be taken to the dealer for a new ac system & auto tranny in the first year!

I had a good example of a Japanese car that went in 4 times for Trany problems in the first 19000 miles and on year of ownership. The forth time they finally decided that they were going to have to replace it.

Makes me feel wonderfull about VTEC.

[Lasher]

I have been gone for a few days so this may be an old topic....

A good friend of mine bought a Soltice and just about every time he is in town he is taking it to the dealer.

It's a great looking car but seems that it has alot of issues to get worked out.

[icepenguin66]

I have been gone for a few days so this may be an old topic....

A good friend of mine bought a Soltice and just about every time he is in town he is taking it to the dealer.

It's a great looking car but seems that it has alot of issues to get worked out.

Ya, luckily my parents Solstice has only been once for a ding and again for something else. Nothing too major that I've heard, not too bad for a first model by a domestic company, but I don't think they're gonna live down the top design after the first ones become a couple years old and that goofy top design starts falling apart waaay to early!

[Machismo]

Ya, actually like the body lines, but the top looks to be too much of an after thought for the car. Cheap, almost like the fake convertible tops on a Lincoln Town Car.

[JDMClassic]

Smoked a guy at a light in a brand new black soltice 2 or 3 days ago on 14th st.

The look on his smug face was priceless.

[MX-5EE]

I still like my NC :)

I did consider a Solstice over my Miata when I was shopping, but the Solstice is 300lbs heavier, gets somewhat worse gas mileage, and for the time being I could get a better price on the Miata. The MSRP on the Solstice IS lower than the Miata, but thanks to the forces of supply and demand the asking price on Solstice's are a little elevated. While the Miata is clearly NOT an unpopular car, it has been out for near 20 years and there isn't the same hype surrounding it. End result: I got a steal on a 6speed '06 MX5 in Decemer '06. Last '06 on the lot :)