Competition for Sky/Solstice

[MDREDLINE]

Originally Posted by DropTop2

i hope so. dont get me wrong. i love honda, and i also am in love with the sky, but......gm has gone bonkers!!! personally, the sky was a great car when it was priced around 23ish. what a steal. now that it has gone up to 25-28k for the base? i mean, come on.....and the RL at 29+???? i think they are way overpriced now. saturn is supposed to be the cheap, reliable brand.....i think for this price the car should have a power top (preferably hard) and come with a hyundai sized warranty. so i would have more confidence in it. the miata is cheaper!!!

Droptop,
Is a 5yr./100,000 mi. warranty not enough? And the Sky/Solstice has been around for a couple of years now so the prices of course are going to go up with normal cost of living increases and customer requested additions of more standard options..after all, how much has oil went up in the past 2 years?.......we do need oil to produce all of the plastic and rubber on cars right?....and prices are not 28k for a base......you can get a base sky redline or gxp for that.......since when is Saturn a "cheap" brand.....u may want to stop in and check out the 2007 car of the year (Aura) which beat out your beloved Hondas and Toyotas and also the new upscale Outlook.........and last but not least.......why do u think the Miata is cheaper?......maybe because it has been around for 15 years now and still looks like a tiny underpowered soap dish with wheels and they are sitting all over dealer lots.....GM must be doing something right with the Sky/Solstice because they have been sold out for a few years now and are still demanding MSRP and above......

[snaponbob]

Originally Posted by MDREDLINE

Droptop,
Is a 5yr./100,000 mi. warranty not enough? And the Sky/Solstice has been around for a couple of years now so the prices of course are going to go up with normal cost of living increases and customer requested additions of more standard options..after all, how much has oil went up in the past 2 years?.......we do need oil to produce all of the plastic and rubber on cars right?....and prices are not 28k for a base......you can get a base sky redline or gxp for that.......since when is Saturn a "cheap" brand.....u may want to stop in and check out the 2007 car of the year (Aura) which beat out your beloved Hondas and Toyotas and also the new upscale Outlook.........and last but not least.......why do u think the Miata is cheaper?......maybe because it has been around for 15 years now and still looks like a tiny underpowered soap dish with wheels and they are sitting all over dealer lots.....GM must be doing something right with the Sky/Solstice because they have been sold out for a few years now and are still demanding MSRP and above......

Oh boy!!! Here we go down THIS road again. Come on MdRedline - do as I have done. I have accepted that none of us have any real clue as to what we are doing! S2K's, 350Z's, Boxsters, Miatas, new/used BMW's are ALL better choices. (Welllll, maybe the Z4 M Coupe!!!!) In order for us to succeed in "recovery" at Kappanon, we must first ADMIT to the errors of our ways. Hey, everybody, my name is Bob and I bought a Sky. Hi, Bob.

[DropTop2]

Originally Posted by MDREDLINE

Droptop,
Is a 5yr./100,000 mi. warranty not enough? And the Sky/Solstice has been around for a couple of years now so the prices of course are going to go up with normal cost of living increases and customer requested additions of more standard options..after all, how much has oil went up in the past 2 years?.......we do need oil to produce all of the plastic and rubber on cars right?....and prices are not 28k for a base......you can get a base sky redline or gxp for that.......since when is Saturn a "cheap" brand.....u may want to stop in and check out the 2007 car of the year (Aura) which beat out your beloved Hondas and Toyotas and also the new upscale Outlook.........and last but not least.......why do u think the Miata is cheaper?......maybe because it has been around for 15 years now and still looks like a tiny underpowered soap dish with wheels and they are sitting all over dealer lots.....GM must be doing something right with the Sky/Solstice because they have been sold out for a few years now and are still demanding MSRP and above......

i love how much you have flipped my words. I was giving a bit of construction criticism of what i would like to see and you pin me as a gm hater/japanese car lover? you really need to chill a bit. It is common knowledge that gm and all other american brands are not up to par with the japanese!! for the matter, neither is korean automakers or european automakers (even tho the europeans are overengineered and wonderful in some respects, reliability is way down. check out consumer reports and see what im talking about. see who is at the top of the list genius) Im not here to bash saturn. i freakin love the car. my point is that gm has been doing poor, and yes they are improving. but if i decided to go and buy a sky, i would prefer it to have a larger warranty!! sorry to insult anyone, but reliability doesnt seem to be the best on american cars in general. no i dont like the miata but the sky is its main competitor, which in my book says the price needs to be in the same ball park to compete. You cant price it to high. otherwise, your opening yourself up to a new market segment (possibility to puchase a 350z, s2k, even a bmw z4 if you can stretch a few thousand more). Last time i checked, the base sky with an upgraded radio, maybe an auto if you need it and nice rims came to apprx. 27.000. And i hate to tell you but i live in NY and the dealers here are not sold out for years. in fact, one dealer near me has a surplus (4 lol well i guess not a surplus, but more than most) of skys sitting on the lot since january.....and the aura did win the car of the year but wasnt it the north american car of the year? i believe thats based more along the lines of styling, appeal, improvement,etc. not so much on reliability or durability like the motor trend or car and driver test. just because its one of the better cars an american manufacturer has made, doesnt mean its going to sell. The aura is a wonderful car and has the potential to compete but the stying is appealing to a select few. Once the new malibu comes out (definitely a looker) and the new accord comes out, its possible that it will look dated. thats my own opinion though. i am allowed to have my own opinion right? o and let me just inform you, the accord was on the ten best list again for what the tenth time in a row.....cant even bash that and the toyota was (i believe) motor trends car of the year. You should really stop being so ignorant and have a more open mind to the car market.....

[Talz]

The Sky and Solstice are similiarly priced with the Miata. As for reliability, well the Miata is an older but more polished platform. It's also much more boring IMO but that goes to taste. Mazda as a brand is not even close an industry leader in reliability though, very middle of the pack, out of 38 manufacturing nameplates sold in the US here's where they are on three year vehicle reliability ratings. Saturns actually one of GM's worst brands in this regard for now though.

20 - Chevrolet
21 - Nissan
22 - Mazda
23 - Porsche

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...asp?ID=2006133

p.s. I'd still take a free Porsche even if they aren't as reliable as a Chevy.

And the North American Car of the year award is for any car sold in North America, the runner ups were the Toyota Camry and Honda Fit. Past winners have included the 2006 Honda Civic, 2005 Chrysler 300 and 2004 Toyota Prius.

[DropTop2]

Originally Posted by Talz

The Sky and Solstice are similiarly priced with the Miata. As for reliability, well the Miata is an older but more polished platform. It's also much more boring IMO but that goes to taste. Mazda as a brand is not even close an industry leader in reliability though, very middle of the pack, out of 38 manufacturing nameplates sold in the US here's where they are on three year vehicle reliability ratings. Saturns actually one of GM's worst brands in this regard for now though.

20 - Chevrolet
21 - Nissan
22 - Mazda
23 - Porsche

p.s. I'd still take a free Porsche even if they aren't as reliable as a Chevy.

And the North American Car of the year award is for any car sold in North America, the runner ups were the Toyota Camry and Honda Fit. Past winners have included the 2006 Honda Civic, 2005 Chrysler 300 and 2004 Toyota Prius.

Thank you for a much more respectable comment back than some other people have posted. i definitely agree, mazda isnt the most reliable car brand on the market. but then again, looking at this list, im really surprised that nissan did so badly.

[ParrotHeadNation]

When I was getting an idea for a roadster, i looked at all options. The only three in my price range are the solstice, sky, and miata. I realize I could probably get a hardtop miata for the price of a sky what I want on it. But I don't like the bubble look of the miata. It has no hard lines. I also hate the "ALTEzzzzzzzzAs"

[Caramel_guy]

Originally Posted by JohnD

For the record, the very LAST thing that I want to see on a SKY is a power hard top. It would add weight, add complexity, add expense and totally change the character of the car.

I like it just the way it is...

..."Everything goes great with Caramel"

...Not only would I LOVE to see a "POWER TOP" on the REDLINE...but also:

1- More Power to say 325 HP !
2- POWER ANTENNA !
3- INDIVIDUAL gauges for OIL PRESSURE - ENGINE TEMP !
4- Power-Window, Power - seat controls MOVED to the CENTER CONSOLE..for easier access !

I believe that the ABOVE refinements will allow the REDLINE to take MOTOR TREND & CAR & DRIVER'S coveted "COY" AWARD! (The lack of fluid interior ergononmics PREVENTED the RL for winning the "COY" award in 2006)

I believe the ABOVE "refinments" should be offered on A "NEW REDLINE" - (2008 or 2009 MODEL).........while the current REDLINE...should become the "BASE" model.....this way..the "SKY" stays affordable ($28,000) for those who can't afford the UPGRADED REDLINE model, which will probably be priced at around $34,000.....A price I would glady pay for the above UPGRADES!!

[TOY4TWO]

Honda butchers the S2000 and NSX, I thought Bangle still worked for BMW???

[R Sky Rox]

We've owned two honda accords, drove them over 100,000 milies with no major problems and loved them both...but this new concept looks hideous to me .

There is a rumble seat in the SKY--it comes with a little bump to to put your feet up on, and the trunk top doubles as head rest. Kinda hard to get in and out, though...

[RPIpower]

We're not going to find a better looking roadster/convertible out than the sky. Though I love my sky, I wish my car handled like the s2000, weighed as much as a miata and has just as much trunk space (even though I have the trunk extension).

[GREY GHOST]

It is possible that Honda purchased the use of the kappa platform in Japan Hence the humps.

I know in Japan you could buy a Toyota Cavalier... So in all honesty the outside may be blah but it looks like a kappa platform to me.

[RPIpower]

Originally Posted by GREY GHOST

It is possible that Honda purchased the use of the kappa platform in Japan Hence the humps.

I know in Japan you could buy a Toyota Cavalier... So in all honesty the outside may be blah but it looks like a kappa platform to me.

HIGHLY doubt it. The looks could be questionable but the driving dynamics of the Hondas are rock solid.

[RobDebK]

I personally hope people go out and buy that Honda when it becomes available instead of the Sky, that way I still have one of the best looking cars on the road. The Sky is absolutely beautiful, no contest, the Honda doesn't hold a candle to it! Let the competition start, my Sky's not worried!!!

[GREY GHOST]

HIGHLY doubt it. The looks could be questionable but the driving dynamics of the Honda's are rock solid.

Personally the dynamics of the Solstice and Sky are rock solid... Not seeing your point. I have had 3 Pontiacs and never had an issue... at all... Only being in my twenties otherwise I might have more... I will admit even Pontiac's styling is going far far away from the nice lines of the Grand Am... But that Grand Am was put through hell and back... for 7 years... Yet I never had a major malfunction EVER... Our vibe is 3 years old Again other then oil changes no issues....

My Brother has an 82 Chevette... with about over 600 000K KM... Still runs fine.

GM quality is not as bad as people think. There are just more GM's in North America as they are a domestic vehicle that does cost less then the competition.

More cars on the road means you will see more issues in general.... But in no way does that make a fair statement in the company's engineering.

And as for the Kappa frame (If that is all that would be used by Honda) would be a great safety feature for that car. Not sure if you have seen most of the accidents on the Solstice forum but other then a few scrapes and bruises the kappa frame has been able to withstand hits from a Chevy Tahoe and still the drivers of the Kappa walked away.

[RPIpower]

I wasnt taking anything away from the kappas as far as driving dynamics. Yes, its a solid car. I love my sky and I just think its foolish to bash the Hondas, etc. Personally I dont like their torqueless 4 bangers but the cars just tear it up on the track. I am sure the fact that they weigh less than our cars has to do with it though. GM makes some great cars, and then they make some crappy ones.

[GREY GHOST]

Heh I agree and so does everyone...

The Pony...

The CRX rust issues...

The Taurus

You name it every company has had a bad car at one time or another.

[Skyflare]

here it is the kiss of death!

[ebonysky]

Originally Posted by RPIpower

I wasnt taking anything away from the kappas as far as driving dynamics. Yes, its a solid car. I love my sky and I just think its foolish to bash the Hondas, etc. Personally I dont like their torqueless 4 bangers but the cars just tear it up on the track. I am sure the fact that they weigh less than our cars has to do with it though. GM makes some great cars, and then they make some crappy ones.

Remenber the Chevy Vega and the Cadillac Cimeron.

[hdwizard]

Originally Posted by ebonysky

Remenber the Chevy Vega and the Cadillac Cimeron.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Had a friend back in the day who shoehorned a Vette motor (small block Chevy 327) into a Vega wagon, painted it midnight blue, tubbed the rear, etc.

Sucker was pure evil, and not bad looking, all things considered. Amazing what tunnel rams, ladder bars and slicks will do for a car, even a Vega ...

[SkyBaby]

Originally Posted by Rick Tinley Park

Worst car I ever owned was a Honda (best bike though)...

Got to agree with that.... loved my Honda 996... hated the car. SkyBaby