Hi All,
I'm looking to buy another SRT6 roadster but my quest for a clean car has come up short so far. While on the net I noticed that a Saturn Sky Redline and the Pontiac Solstice GXP seem to perform decently on paper. I can get a 2008 variant of the Pontiac convertible for the same price as an 05 SRT6 roadster. The Pontiac/Saturn being 3 years newer with a warranty.

I have never driven one of Pontiac/Saturn cars and absolutely loved my SRT. The AMG motor was amazing. Any ideas as to the pros and cons of each? Surely opinions will be biased but I'd like to hear them.

Thanks,
Joe

 

I have driven all three, and as far as power none of them can compete with the srt-6. I cant figure out any reason to go from srt-6 roadster, to sky redline, or solstice gxp, unless you worked for GM and got half off or something.

 

The one big downside to that move would be all of the flak you'll take here on the forum!

Just kidding. Buy what puts a smile on your face, and the warranty is always a big factor. I just didn't like the "feel" of the Redline I drove-but that's purely subjective.

 

Haha, yeah thats true. Actually now that I look a 2006 M Roadster can be had for a similar price (few K more)........uh jeez.

 

The boosted Kappa twins gain points for offering a manual transmission (though a 5 speed borrowed from the Hummer H3), but don't offer upscale features like dual zone HVAC or heated seats. Luggage space is also very small in the GM cars. I'd probably take one of each before doubling up on either.

 

I like the looks of the Saturn and the turbo should be peppy. Downside is the 5-speed, the manual top, and non-existent trunk. Upside is warranty and service....oh wait...isn't GM dropping Saturn?

 

The consensus appears to be that Saturn will be dropped. The dealers have been working hard to survive by changing their business model to being a distributor for many different cars. The prices on the Saturns should be Crossfired!

 

Saturn may be dropped by GM... but someone will pick it up. I heard there is someone interested in buying it. A lot of people feel Saturn is worth buying so I don't think it will go away completely.

 

Chrysler is going under too so we'll all be looking for parts and a palce to get them servcied........

 

If you are even a little over 6 feet tall, you will not fit in the Sky or Solstice. I drove both with my knees in the dash before finding my crossfire while looking for something with more leg room for a tall guy. Good luck!

 

Haven't driven the SRT-6, but after months of driving every roadster under 6 figures generally available in the US (with the exception of the Lotus Elise), I'm buying a Crossfire, and the Solstice/Sky were at the *bottom* of my list (with the exception of the Miata, simply because at 6'3" with short, stubby legs I can't *fit* in one with the top up -- I like the Miata more than the Solstice/Sky once the top is down...).

But anyway, after test driving a total of a dozen or so roadsters or sporty convertibles, I liked the Boxster the best. Closely following the Boxster was a fairly tight grouping of cars -- the Z4, the 350Z, the SLK, and the Crossfire (in no particular order; I'd love a Boxster, but can't justify the price and maintenance over the Crossifre), then the Miata (with the note that I'd never buy one since I can't drive one with the top up), then the Solstice/Sky alone at the bottom.

I've driven a Solstice (base trim) and a Sky Redline. Both were fairly comfortable, but had major issues. The manual top is annoying (I don't consider an automatic top to be a requirement, and the Miata has an excellent example of a good manual top) -- you can't operate it from within the car, it's a tight fit in its compartment, and you have to walk behind the car to properly close the tonneau cover; it's remarkable as the only car I've driven that you couldn't operate the top at a red light.

The steering is laborious and floaty.

The base trim model was pokey for a sporty car; the turbo variant while theoretically faster suffered from such turbo lag (and horribly, horribly poor throttle response) as to render any extra power it had worthless for a roadster. I'm sure it puts out nice straight line numbers, but, well, I suspect I'm not alone in totally failing to be excited about straight line performance in a roadster.

It does look nice, though, especially the dark red with black stripes variant.

Consumer Reports (if you care; I rarely totally agree with them, but they usually have a point when they say a car is great or crap) seems to agree with me, putting the Sky/Solstice at the bottom of the category.

If you want a fast roadster that's not a Crossfire SRT-6, I'd suggest looking at a 350Z (or, even better, a 370Z, once they hit the lots). Of course, the new Boxster S's are screaming fast, but they have a price tag to match. The new Z4 sDrive35i promises to be pretty damn fast, too, but again with the big price tag.

 

I owned a solstice before the crossfire. I loved it and still think its a great looking car. I just wanted more horsepower. That being said, I had every bit of much fun in the Solstice as I do in the crossfire.
A warranty might make my descision for me. Mercedes parts on the crossfire are very expensive. The SRT's are not made any longer and Chrysler is in every bit of trouble as GM/Saturn.
You have to make the choice based on which one you think works best for you. They both are two seat convertibles that will let you drive in style.

 

If there was a saturn sky availiable for what it cost me for my crossfire at the time, I would have jumped all over the saturn. what can I say they look great, I am under 6' tall, there was no warranty option for me to concider. Now that I have a crossfire I am enjoying every min of it with no regret !

 

I'd never heard of the Saturn and Pontiac till now. Nice looking sports cars. I think they'd have gone down reasonably well here on looks alone. Shame they aren't sold here.

I deliberately wanted a coupe, so they wouldn't have been in my scope of cars if they were available. But two seater soft tops are quite popular, and up until the recent credit crunch I could see those two models selling quite easily.

 

I always thought the tops when up had a poor fitted wrinkled look. The tires and wheels are not meaty enough, too skinny.

 

Ever consider one of these:

http://automobiles.honda.com/s2000/

Nice cars.

 

They are the same as the Opel GT that is sold in europe. Are you not able to get this car in the UK?

 

Skys and Solstices are EVERYWHERE in this neck of the woods. There are even two Sky Turbos at work.
Have only ran across one of these that could tackle the SRT6. Last year at Woodward, a guy was tooling around in a Mallet Solstice:
http://www.mallettcars.com/solstice-conversion.htm

IMO, the Sky is better looking than the Solstice, but the top design on both is really poor. You must get out of the car, open the trunk, fold the top down manually and do the reverse to get the top closed. There are a lot of top 'fitment' issues with them as well.
No doubt the turbos are fun cars. I just can't see paying that much for a car with the same engine as the Cobalt SS.

If I hadn't got the SRT6, I might have probably purchased a Honda s2000.

 

Every area is different, but around my way, I am so incredibly sick of seeing women in th Sky/Solstice. It is no exageration to say that a trip to the gas station will involve a sighting of 5 or more. The Sky, to me, has a more "elegant" feel than the solstice, which is how I'm sure they wanted it, but all of the ones that I have seen have tops that are so wrinkly and look so awful. The word on the street of how cheap and plasticky the interior is was confirmed for me while sitting in one at a local lot. It is a sweet looking little machine, no doubt, but I think quality control always has been and always will be somewhat of an issue for Saturn regardless of who ends up purchasing the Company. In summary: SRT

 

Not trying to be an ***, but why put an SRT-6 roadster post in an NA coupe section???