So I drove a Solstice recently.
 

No Solstice forum so here goes.

The thing is basically a micro car. If they had made it 10 inches longer, you could likely haul a bag of groceries with the top down.
But it was fun. Low miles, stick, turbo.
Am I stupid for considering it?
Maybe you had one & sold it.
Or can't live without it...

I don't have a Solstice, but I have the Saturn equivalent.

About three years ago, I bought a 2007 Saturn Sky Redline with 5-spd manual. I really like it, the wife hates it. She complains there isn't enough room to carry anything, and she read the tire brand and size off truck tires at a stoplights just to be annoying. It is very quick, handles well, and has been fairly trouble free. I average about 2500 miles a year on it. When I bought it, I thought I would drive around with the top down more often than I do. The top rarely goes down in summer, but in fall we take it out with the top down. The a/c works really well, even in 100F heat ewe experience occasionally here in NC.

Mallet makes a LS2 conversion for these. I've seen one at a show a few years back, and it looks like the car was made for a LS2.

Bought a early 2007 base model in 2006 (still have) just before the GXP model available. Wasn’t an issue as I had plans to add the DDM MP62 supercharger they were developing. I was one of the 1st ten users of that and followed it up with the stage 2 update. Cars are a ton of fun to drive but as you note there is not much for room. There are some well noted problems with both engines and without a dealer network it can be troublesome finding someone with experience but if you like doing your own work, less of a problem. DO NOT get in an accident with one. Replacement Parts can be difficult to find and insurance companies will total the car at a lowball amount if some specific components are involved..

I'd put the coupe version of the Solstice in my top 10 best looking cars ever produced. I'd love to have one someday.

My inlaws had one and LOVED it! They had a lot of fun driving w the top down. Got it cheap, well under $10k. Fun came to an end when FIL backed out of the garage w the door open and bent it backwards which totalled the car. They replaced it w a Beamer vert

The first day in 2006 that Pontiac was accepting orders for the new GXP Solstice, April or May 2nd (not sure), I ordered ours. There were 3 dealers not far from us and only one was not putting a 10K premium on it. When our car came into the dealer in November, the manager said, "Dave, I have to tell you that another Pontiac dealer asked me to tell you that they will give me $5,000. not to buy the car.".
I bought the car and never regretted it. I LOVED that car. After about 7 years and 21,000 miles I sold it, because I had to always keep it outside. My GTO was in our 1car garage. I told my wife that we need to sell it before the elements took over.
I wish I would have looked for a garage to rent and kept it. I would buy it back if I could find it.

Great looking car, and makes me eager to replace the grill with stainless wire of appropriate 60's GTO weave. If i ever own one.

Yep, that would look great.

I think the Saturn SKY looks better.... don't like the nose on the Solstice. Still I think they are cool.

George

Go for it, sometimes you just need a roadster that's not good for anything but driving. I just bought a 2014 Z4 which is going to be a nightmare in the future once the rods, turbos and timing chain guides crap out but it sure is FUN! Thing takes 30W-60 oil, I never even heard of it before.

Those are beautiful cars, even the saturn version...

Maybe when the wife retires it will make more sense for us...lol

I own a 2006 Mallett Conversion with a LS2 & Tremec 6-speed manual, great fun car, I have over 46K mostly trouble free miles, only breakdown was the original 5-Speed manual trans did hold up to the 400+ HP of the LS2, I was not surprised. Other than that no issues.
Handles great, stops well, surprises alot of people as it looks like a base model 2.4L car. Everything they talk down about the design is true, limited luggage space, but my wife complains about that in our 67 Firebird the top is overly complicated and you can't put it up or down with the touch of 1 button. You actually have to get out of the car to perform either top up or down. But it is overblown IMO. Driving it makes any nit pick items go away. The top is much easier to operate than my old TR3.
The turbo versions are very fun cars to drive, I would recommend them.

I would like a coupe GXP, but there arent very many and the owners tend to be pretty proud of them price wise. So I doubt I would ever get one, but I do think they are cool.

Wanted a convertible sports car for a while now but couldn't justify the asking prices for a Solstice around here. Almost bought a Merc SL55 AMG but then ran across a Jag XK8 and pulled the trigger.

V8, rear drive, 1 button top down fun, no regrets. The extra size over the Solstice and Merc are a big plus for me.
I think any of the little convertibles will fit the bill if that's what you're looking for.

I bought cammerjeff's '09 Coupe for our daughter's 50th birthday.

I had a ton of fun driving it from the Detroit area to Madison, WI last September!

As to a Solstice forum:

https://www.solsticeforum.com/forums/

My wife decided she just had to have a Solstice the year after we moved to S. FL. She found one down in Ft. Lauderdale that had really low miles, so we went down to test drive it. Needless to say it was never designed for a driver in excess of 6’4”( I’m 6’7”). The Marquis de Sade would have been proud of the design! I talked her out of buying it; she did purchase the ‘14 Camaro LT convertible she still owns a couple of years later (2015). I actually fit in that one….

I remember Cammerjeff's car, you might have to bring it to the Pontiac show in Omro on 9/10.
Maybe I should go look at that Solstice again...

These are great little cars I own a 61 MGA and I’d put it in that class of car. . Or a TR3-6 or big eyed sprite. .
I always said if they made that act bigger like a camaro/ firebird they’d sell a ton of them or even like a 3 series BMW convertible w a little jump seat . Doesn’t matter now I guess our beloved Pontiac is gone. What a shame. .

Been thinking about one for my wife (an excuse to deny it's for me LOL), but like George I actually like the look of the Saturn version better.

Would LOVE to get one and add an LS engine.

Just a fyi the passenger side is several inches shorter in foot room. I fit in mine at 6.1 but am at limit and the passenger side sucks. 08 gxp.