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Author Topic: Trying to decide on purchase  (Read 3898 times)

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Offline Dannynacc

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Trying to decide on purchase
« on: March 29, 2014, 12:20:59 PM »
58 year old guy here. Always been a MG Midget, fan since I was a kid. Selling my Harley Fat Boy for a play car. I've been researching Miata, Solstice/Sky, and Chrysler Crossfire. I love the Solstice styling, but concerned about the mechanical issues, trunk problems etc. Can someone give me a good review of your experiences and recommendations? Convertible, MT is a must...  Thanks much.


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Offline Critterman

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2014, 01:19:44 PM »
Compared to a midget, the Solstice has no problems.  I have had mine for 8 years, supercharged for 6.5 of those years.  Minor issues here and there but nothing major that wasn't self-induced.
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Offline kwtoxman

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2014, 01:53:48 PM »
I cross shopped those cars back in the day. Here was my evaluation. YMMV.

The crossfire only comes with MT option in the low hp versions. So without a MT in the SRT6 that was a significant negative. Not much support for the platform for mods either.

I don't like the look of the Miata's as much and drastic mods are needed to get the reliable big hp gains that I'd want. Not enough power for me at all stock.

Both of the above cars have less mechanical issues than the sol, imo, which was notable.

GXP looks the best to me. It also has the power and a MT and is a great platform for handling and power upgrades, with aftermarket support. While the sol generally has more mechanical issues compared to the other two (imo), it isn't by a huge margin, and the sol is still leagues better than older cars. And the issues are somewhat hit and miss. I'd avoid 06's myself as GM did a lot of running updates to the car to make it better over time. An 09 would be nice, for example. Well taken care of cars and lower mileage examples tend to have less mechanical issues as well. For my own personal experience, my 07 gxp (which is lower mileage and well taken care of) has not had any significant issues.

The powertrain overall is quite reliable and robust in the sol, though there is the waterpump issue.

GL with your decision.

« Last Edit: March 30, 2014, 01:37:27 PM by kwtoxman »
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Offline scanner

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2014, 05:15:42 PM »
If you can find an Sol MT Coupe buy it! You can't go wrong, they didn't make enough.
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Offline Dannynacc

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2014, 06:35:14 PM »
Thanks for the comments folks....


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Offline ChopTop

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2014, 01:19:40 PM »
http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f43/things-look-when-buying-75062/
Originally posted (#13) by Rob the Elder on the big board.

The vast majority of the deployed fleet of Kappa’s have had little or no issues at all. The owners take them home, have the dealers do maintenance, put gas into them and drive them until they want something new or the car is damaged beyond economic repair.

A tiny minority of cars have issues. And a much smaller minority of that subset have serious problems. To my knowledge, there have been on the order of 12 owners with major issues, like engine failures or differential failures.

NA cars - that is the 2.4 L normally aspirated cars - are going for 100k, 200k and approaching 300kl miles with few problems. The problems are "normal" failures like water pumps, clogged catalytic converters etc. Some of the early cars had issues with the differential. Several were replaced under warranty. There was a recall for all 06 and 07 MY cars that addressed the rear end. Some cars have rear end wine and some have a "clunk" when making significant throttle changes. I have yet to see a failure resulting from these symptoms. The only failures I am aware of were loss of lubrication or just a mechanical failure . Again we are talking less than 10?

The GXP cars are also pretty much bullet proof. A small - very tiny minority have had significant electrical problems that have been traced back to manufacturing errors. One Sky - GS Stage1 on the Sky forum had major issues that resulted in over a year of problems. In the end he got taken care of by GM, new engine, partial remanufacturing of his car . ..
Should GM Buy Back My Car? - Saturn Sky Forums: Saturn Sky Forum

One GXP coupe had a series of undiagnosed electrical problems that GM chose to not address but they bought the car back from the Oregon owner and made him good.

GXPs have had some water pump failures, beginning as early as 25k miles with a cluster in the 50k region. All were repaired under warranty. There are several threads that cover this information,
waterpump woes

Some automatic cars have had hard downshifting issues. It appears that these are related to cam position servo failures that cause the transmission control module to go into protection mode intermittently.
Auto transmission suckage

There have been issues with the tops early on due to improper adjustment of the top mechanism and / or the door windows. Some cars were built without the acoustic liner and are noisier. Some early cars were built with plastic ball end joints which failed in some cases are resulted in a redesign. Putting the top up without opening the doors or lowering the windows will cause issues over time. Failure to lubricate the side hinges over the windows can result in sticking.

top ripping/pinching fix

There are cables that actuate the trunk release and the buttress releases. The plastic retention balls on the ends can fail and make it impossible to open the trunk normally.

Trunk won't open

Get a GM record pulled to verify the in service date and warranty remaining. Any GM dealer can do this for you.

You want to start with the local car because the Sky and Sol are highly susceptible to damage when lifted improperly. The front fenders crack frequently due to road vibration and are easily crushed if lifted with a floor jack. If there is damage you want to identify it before sale and with a dealer you can push to get them to repair the damage as part of the sale. There are basically no available right side factory fenders anymore and few left side fenders. They are repairable and there are aftermarket replacements available from DDM but you need to know if the fenders are cracked as this can be up to a $1k swinger on the retail price.

You also want to take a good look at the bottom front. Because of the configuration of the car nearly every new owner rams them into curbs one to several times and they get damaged. At the very least there will be scrapes on the bottom of the bumper cover that you can use to get a lower price or commitment to repair from a dealer that you probably will not get from a private party seller.

You also want to take a hard look at the top. More than a few cars have had problems with the folding mechanism that has damaged the canvas where it folds over the windows and / or damage to the canvas when it rubs against an improperly adjusted side window. The top is also susceptible to damage from the hold down feet mounted on the trunk lid. The rubber feet come off, fail or even twist allowing direct contact between the mounting structure and the top canvas while the top is in the trunk. I have seen more than one car that has holes in the top due to this. The canvas is $1600 plus installation which at a dealer can run into several hundred dollars. And to the best of my knowledge while there are plenty of replacement canvas parts available, there are no more top assemblies in stock.

You want to visually inspect the cup holders. The front one is notorious for failing and they cost upwards of $100 for replacement parts plus installation labor. The rear one between the seats is much more robust however they can and do get so full of dust and dirt that they will no longer deploy. If treated well they are fine but you do not know till you try to pull the things out.

Another area that I recommend you inspect is the center console. If the previous drivers did like me and leaned on them hard while driving and used them as a support while getting in and out of the car, they all will crack right down the center. I have had mine replaced under the warranty but you are probably out of warranty. The cover is easy to replace but again is in the range of $100 for a replacement part from GM. There are several threads that cover reinforcing below the cover so it will not crack again and DDM has a replacement that is much stonger and includes two cup holders but again that is in the same cost plus shipping and you get to install it.

If you are by chance looking at a 2008 RL, one factor is the production run for the first 6 or 8 months deleted the electronic vacuum pump that provided motive force for the brakes immediately after start up. The issue presents itself on some cars as high brake pedal force required and / or pulsing of the brake pedal for the first few seconds to the first couple of minutes upon cold start after sitting for an extended period or at high altitude. The issue is that the turbo car does not generate much vacuum (its boosted) and as a result once the vacume accumulator leaks down, there is no vacuum for the power brakes when you start. And when you start the factory tune, it is set to heat up the catalytic converter and not optimized for creating vacuum. There was a big safety investigation made and a lot of people had problems with this about mid-way through 2008 calendar year. My wife's car falls in this group and about once or twice a year we get the symptoms but it works fine through it and within about 30 seconds there is normal brake feel. The factory has a software update that if asked they will install on cars with this complaint and in extreme cases there is a retro fit kit that adds back on the electronic vacuum pump. But again, you cannot tell if the car you are looking at falls into this group or not unless you physically check for the pumps presence on the left side of the engine block, and unless you drive the car from a cold start. If you are buying from a dealer you could make the software update part of the deal and get a promise to do the pump retro fit under warranty because GM normally pays for it.

You want to cycle the driver’s seat up and down because a lot of cars have never had their electric adjusters cycled and they need to be freed up and lubricated before they work correctly. In fact, I did a test last year and out of 40 cars and 80 drivers only 5 knew that the driver’s seat went up and down with the switch! Servicing the seat is no big deal but it will be half an hour of labor and some parts allowance so its in the $100 range. If you buy from a dealer you are much more likely to have this addressed as part of the deal than if you buy from a private party. And if you do not have access to the car its difficult to verify operation.

Many, maybe most of the key fobs for 2006 through 2008 at least have a known manufacturing problem. The metal tab / connector that holds the battery in place has a cold solder joint. The fob starts to work intermittently and eventually stops working. If you are good with a solder iron you can easily fix it as many of us have done, but if not, then the dealer will charge you around $100 for a replacement fob and programming it with the car. Potentially times two. If you have access to the fobs, you can pop them open and inspect the condition of the at risk part and know if you are good to go or not. If not, again you are much more likely to get the fob replaced as part of the deal by a dealer.

The door sills have an aluminum insert that is glued to the plastic part. Unfortunately as a result of the attachment method and the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the aluminum trim insert and the plastic door sills, the aluminum part will almost always bow up around .25 inches in the middle during cold weather. In some instances drivers will drag their heels across the door sills and can catch the trim plate and bend the crap out of it. They are relatively cheap - around $25 plus labor to install, but if you find it after the fact then it’s your $25 and not the sellers.

If you are getting a GXP, put an OBD2 reader on it and pull any codes. There can be codes that are not displayed but that can indicate incipient problems.

Have the selling dealer pull the outlet air tube from the turbo at the turbo and check for oil. A little oil is normal. If there is a lot of oil there then have the breather valve checked. When they fail, and if the car is driven moderately hard they pump oil out of the valve cover into the intake at the turbo. If there is a LOT of oil there, have them check the drain on the intercooler to verify that it is not holding pooled oil there.

Check the intake clamps for condition. The factory clamps are basically radiator screw clamps and have been known to fail and allow leakage which can cause tuning issues under boost

Offline Kelu

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2014, 11:38:19 AM »
and Chrysler Crossfire.
Don't go with that option, is just an old Mercedez SLK with a different body. It might sound appealing with Merc as platform, but believe me, is not.
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Offline Dannynacc

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2014, 12:25:46 PM »
Thanks so much for the info guys


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Offline POS VETT

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2014, 04:39:44 PM »
I agree with Kelu, pick any of the two, but leave the Crossfire out.

Offline RobertAshby

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2014, 10:54:07 PM »
Bought mine the middle of February & sent it out the first week of March for a V8 6 speed manual upgrade ! I'll be 64 tomorrow so I'm just settling own a bit  . . . :lol:
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Offline crisco

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2014, 05:54:31 AM »
I found my 07 GXP with 6400 miles on her 2 years ago. Love it!  :drive: The differential was already taken care of and had no problems other then me breaking the cup holder.There is a nice replacement from Santana Interiors. I've done some mods, and I will do more. If you find one I don't think that you will be unhappy.  :)  :2c: 
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Offline wspohn

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2014, 11:40:48 AM »
I cross shopped those cars back in the day. Here was my evaluation. YMMV.

The crossfire only comes with MT option in the low hp versions. So without a MT in the SRT6 that was a significant negative. Not much support for the platform for mods either.

I don't like the look of the Miata's as much and drastic mods are needed to get the reliable big hp gains that I'd want. Not enough power for me at all stock.

Both of the above cars have less mechanical issues than the sol, imo, which was notable.

Good synopsis - you hit most of the things I would have.

Crossfire has solid build quality but an inept chassis, and not allowing the MT with the higher output is crazy, IMHO.

Miata has image problems as a secretary's car, but they are great cars and reliable, although they wouldn't appeal to me.

I've owned maybe 70 different British cars (and still own a few) so know where you are coming from. The Solstice has the usual design silliness - lack of quality in the interior, bad placement of some of the interior bits (you figure it must have been designed by someone with arms about 12" long to operate the window switches comfortably), crappy cup holders that break easily etc., etc., but nothing too serious as these things go.

Agree about buying as late a model as you can, as they had sorted the issues out by the end. If you like the power, go for turbo.  Coming from your Midget, the handling will seem staid and the steering a bit dead, but the basic set up is at least decent and the suspension design is good.  I ordered a bunch of things to set my suspension up as soon as I got the car, as the stock settings are always a compromise so they won't jar the LOLs (little old ladies - of both sexes) when they go over bumps.  Once you improve the suspension they are gratifyingly good!

If you do buy one, get back to us with your reaction to it; I'd be interested in hearing what you think.

PS - everyone knows that the MT coupes are the best..... :devil:
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Offline Dave@DDMworks

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2014, 01:18:10 PM »
58 year old guy here. Always been a MG Midget, fan since I was a kid. Selling my Harley Fat Boy for a play car. I've been researching Miata, Solstice/Sky, and Chrysler Crossfire. I love the Solstice styling, but concerned about the mechanical issues, trunk problems etc. Can someone give me a good review of your experiences and recommendations? Convertible, MT is a must...  Thanks much.


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I have owned Miata's since 1999 and a 1990-1997 Miata will give you the closest feel of a MG of the 3 cars that you are looking at. Really the 3 cars you are looking at are all very different even though they are all convertibles. The Miata's, especially the NA's (1990-1997) are lightweight, underpowered and feel a lot like the old British cars, except that their electrical systems are much more robust, parts are readily available for them and they are easy to work on. They are the least expensive of the bunch and decent NA's can be had for less than $4k. As you go to the NB models (1999-2005) they become a little more refined and not as much like the earlier British roadsters, the NC's (2006-current) even more so. I keep a 1.6L NA in our fleet all of the time since they are very fun to drive.

A friend of ours is a big believer in the Crossfires, he is German and loves the fact that the Crossfire is basically built from a Mercedes chassis. Prices for parts are going to be the most expensive of the 3 you are looking at though on this car. If you are handy though and will be working on the car yourself, it is really not a big deal. After driving the Crossfire though, you may find that it is also going to be the most cushy of the bunch is more of a touring roadster than a sporty roadster. Nice cars though.

We have spent a lot of time with the Solstice/Sky's over the years now and they are more of a GT roadster. The 2.0L turbos have a good amount of power stock, and you can stick a lot more tire under them then you can on the Miata. They are a lot more heavier than the earlier Miata's and do not have quite the feel of a lightweight roadster, but with mods can be very fun to drive with higher limits than the earlier Miata's. The engines will take a lot more power than the Miata's and the Kappa's have a lot more room on the inside than the Miata's also. Parts are relatively cheap for the Kappa's and there are plenty of upgrades to take it to whatever power level you would want.

In general the Miata (especially the earlier NA's) is going to feel the most like a British roadster (smaller, lightweight and underpowered), the Crossfire is going to be the most plush (because it basically is a Mercedes) and the Solstice/Sky is going to be more of a GT convertible with bigger tires, bigger power and a little more weight. They all have very different feels when driving them for sure, and after driving a couple of them you should be able to figure out what feel works best for you. My choice would be a cheap NA miata and a Kappa ;)
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Offline wspohn

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2014, 01:34:09 PM »
Dave nailed it as far as Miatas go, but I'd add one thing.  The later cars had power steering and I do NOT like that. In fact I regret that the Kappas have PS, although I might very well reassess that judgement if I had one without given the amount of rubber you are turning.  There is a definite loss in feel with PS and as you are going from one of the most tactile cars I know (a Lotus 7 is even a bit more so), you might find the difference a bit off putting. If you want to try a Miata, I suggest that you try both PS and unassisted steering versions - and let us know what you think.
2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe
1958 MGA Twincam (race car)
1962 MGA Deluxe Coupe
1957 Jamaican bodied MGA
1971 Jensen Interceptor
2007 BMW Z4M coupe
Recently sold:
1969 MGC roadster,
1965 Jensen CV8,
1969 Lamborghini Islero S
1988 Pontiac Fiero GT
Bill in BC

Offline Dannynacc

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Re: Trying to decide on purchase
« Reply #14 on: April 01, 2014, 04:06:11 PM »
Great information guys. Thanks so much.


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