I've owned a Chrysler product in years past (a Neon), and it was a good car. My Fords were decent, too. My VW, though, was the worst car I've ever owned. That was a dozen years ago, so I've forgiven it since. One of these days, I will post about all the troubles I had with it. It is almost comical.

 

Holy crap! ::thud:: LOL. Wow, I can't imagine! Great pic!

 

You are absolutely correct, there is more of a 'romantic' memory of those cars than a reality.

The Yenko Stinger Camaros and Novas (available through the dealer but still specialty cars), the Shelby Mustangs, the various special Vette's, maybe a couple of others out of the showroom were quicker, but most would be chasing the 'performance' cars of today.

 

It also was rare that you could get a factory ride that handled very well. But what they were was louder, rowdier and more fun.

 

The Sky looks NOTHING like the Solstice in styling, but the dimensions are close though.

 

especially when you want to turn or stop.

 

i love how we get so off topic.

 

Having seen Mitsubishi's "Concept E" show car http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=1822

(watch the popups), my impression was that they successfully captured the mid-engine look absent from reasonably priced cars. Short front end, all the mass from driver back, generally an appealing look. Then they built the production car which is a retread of earlier incarnations. While it's true that few cars (including XF) make it from show car to production intact, Mitsubishi's decision to drop the one feature that distinguished the Concept E from the pack (the chopped front end) relegated it to the 'seen that before' pile. It may have been impractical to build a front engine/drive production car within the Concept E's ambitious skin but then don't shine the public that the Eclipse is the production version of this car.

 

[QUOTE=lwp]While it's true that few cars (including XF) make it from show car to production intact, QUOTE]


Personally, I feel D/C did a pretty good job of duplicating the XF show car (except for the lack of a HEMI ofcourse). Just my $.02. But maybe that's what you meant by "intact".

 

I agree the XF, between the crease that goes from neg to pos along the sides to the unique rear end to the spine is quite faithful to the concept car. I guess my comment was more meant to ward off those who might point out it was not 100% copied in production. Car execs quoted in the press saying things like "the response to the XYZ concept was so overwhelming, we just knew we had to make this car" and then produce a car that shares only a paint color and wheels of the show car just cracks me up.

 

I know exactly what you mean, sometimes it can get very frustrating waiting for them to come out with an "IDEA" car, but when they do, it's like, "what happened to the original idea"?

 

I thought the Crossfire was a great design when it first came out. But also thought Chrysler had overpriced it, and passed on it. The Solstice concept car was my next pick and GM had the projected price right in the ballpark. I sat in a Solstice on the dealers showroom, not long ago. Played with the one way drivers seat(forward and back only). Looked at how the rag top didn't fit very well, and no auto/stick availability. It has a few nice options that the Crossfire does not have: 6 disk cd, driver information center. But the Crossfire has more options, HP, and 6 way drivers seat, which is way better.The Pontiac dealer wanted MSRP and couldn't even give me a delivery date, because GM was having problems getting them past quality control. I went with the price discounted Crossfire the very next day. GM lost my business and Chrysler gained a new customer, because they have the Crossfire priced right now. We bought a new Corvette in 2003 so it isn't about what I can afford, but more about best bang for your buck. Just my opinion.

I think the Solstice's will become very common because of price after the newness wears off, but the Crossfire will still be rarely seen. Rare is nice.

 

Solstice is an admirable step by GM to both offer a car that people actually want to buy as well as a draw to their showrooms. While some of those less technical will elevate it to the class of Crossfire, SLK, Z4, it is more of a Boxter wannabe skin around a Miata without the Japanese quality. Dealers in the Chicago area are only taking orders now for 07's so good for GM although this does little to help sell their other 47 models few people seem to want to buy. Regarding price points, I agree 200%. Chrysler built the 7-passenger Pacifica, really quite advanced for the class, many E Class components but priced it in the mid to upper 30's just like Crossfire. Then, just like the Crossfire, they de-contented it in 05 to reach a wider audience but a little too late. Last Oct we bought a new 05 for 23. The 3.5l, 5 passenger, cloth seats, black mirrors and black dent guards but with on-demand variable AWD, dual temp, audio on steering wheel, cruise, etc. Like the Crossfire, an opportunity lost for Chrysler but value for customers.

 

I was in Las Vegas this weekend at the NHRA races and the Solstice was the official car used to parade Tony Schumacher around after his qualifying round that put him in 1st place for Top Fuel Dragster driver 2005. The car was then on display in the Nitro Alley and I had a chance to take a look at it close up and personal.

I have to tell you from sitting in the stands my 1st impression were that this is a nice car and could be a competitor for the Crossfire. That all changed when I got to have a closer look and sit in it for a while. The rag top fit as others have mentioned is very poor. It has much less hp than the Limited Crossfire and the feel and fit in the cockpit was nothing like my Crossfire’s Roadster. The Xfire has a certain design (IMHO) that just puts it out there in front this latest Pontiac Roadster. Also the fact that the Xfire has a Mercedes power plant doesn't hurt...

 

I saw the Solstice, Sky, Miata and many more at the Anaheim auto show a few weeks back. The Miata is looking stale. The Solstice and Sky are similar in stats to the Miata but have a fresh look. If they had more HP that might be a plus, but not enough to overcome quality issues. My Xfire feels as solid as the Benz I drove for over 20 years. I passed on the Infiniti G35 or Nissan Z because they were everywhere. I wouldn't buy a miata because they are two common. In a couple of years I think the Solstice will be the same, unless they get a bad reputation. I stopped at a gas station today and had two people want to talk about the Xfire. Even in Southern California, it's unique. You can't get that with a Boxter, Z4 or Miata.