by "Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
Published 01/27/2017 at 02:56
by "Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
Published 01/27/2017 at 02:56
Tags: Saturn
; Sky
; Roadster
STARS: 3
Reflecting on things late at night before going to bed, and I definitely miss having this car in my life. While I wouldn’t trade any of the current fleet for my specific example, I hope that in the somewhat-near future when I am in a better position I can find a clean, low-mileage nice manual Redline. Maybe tear it down to the frame and do a ground up restoration with top quality parts and a nicer interior covering the hard plastics. Its a wonderful little roadster that holds a special place in my heart and I miss it dearly. <3
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
01/27/2017 at 05:27, STARS: 1
There’s a guy here with one in black and a tan top - works at a local aerospace composites place. Not a bad little car!
"Bourbon&JellyBeans" (bourbonandjellybeans)
01/27/2017 at 06:10, STARS: 1
My neighbor behind me has a targa Solstice that I want so bad!
"dropthatclutch" (dropthatclutch)
01/27/2017 at 08:40, STARS: 1
I’ve been debating selling mine and getting something similar with more room for weekend bags. This post doesn’t make me feel better about it.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
01/27/2017 at 12:18, STARS: 1
I’ve always loved these. As much as I am a Pontiac guy, I would take a Redline over a GXP any day. They just look better. Maybe do an Opel badge swap.
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 13:54, STARS: 1
While there is nothing wrong with the Solstice, I also prefer the Sky/GT’s looks (although if given the choice between a GXP Coupe and a Redline, I’d take the Pontiac faster than you can blink).
I was just about to pull the trigger on doing a Opel badge swap (front grill, side fender, rear bumper with badges) when I decided to trade it in too. Even less people would have had an idea of what it was if I had swapped though, and it would have made stop light conversations even more entertaining.
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 13:56, STARS: 1
I want a Solstice GXP Coupe so badly, I just wish they weren’t going for silly money. I need that targa-life again, and they look so much better than the soft top.
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 13:59, STARS: 0
What are you considering on replacing it with?
Knowing nothing about your situation, is there a chance to keep it and get something else? I know I really regret getting rid of mine, and it’s only been six months.
As for weekend bags, have you tried the fitted luggage set from KappaSphere? The girlfriend and I were able to fit enough clothes for six days, personal effects, and spare parts in the Sky’s “trunk” with that set and managed to comfortably do a two week cross-country road trip.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
01/27/2017 at 14:05, STARS: 1
Well duh I mean the coupe is the only way the Solstice looks good. I just wish the targa top fit in the vehicle. :/
Why did you trade it in? What replaced it?
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 14:25, STARS: 1
The targa top not fitting in the vehicle was definitely a major messup on GM’s part, especially since they could have made the whole rear of the coupe a liftback (like the Corvettes) instead of just the glass.
Traded it in for two reasons for a 2016 Mazda MX-5 ND, both of which I regret: A) I was trying to keep the fleet of cars manageablee, as I was dead set on getting a MX-5 ND. So having the Sky, plus the BooSTang in addition to the MX-5 would have greatly annoyed the better half, our roommates and the neighbors.
B) The Sky had just crossed over 105k miles and was showing its age, most notably in that the clutch desperately needed to be replaced after holding 397whp for the last 50k miles or so. I didn’t have the time due to work, nor the faith in myself, to change the clutch and the cheapest somewhat local quote (all the local shops wanted crazy money) to get the clutch done was $5.5k. Too steep for a car that was worth maybe $8-9k in a private sale.
Also, while I had bought my Sky a few years ago with lower miles, it was not the most perfect example I thought it was at the time. There was a long list of little things that needed to be done.
Traded it in on the MX-5, regretted getting rid of the Sky that night/next moring, drove the Mazda happily for a bit, and about a month after starting looking for another Sky to buy.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
01/27/2017 at 14:36, STARS: 0
WHAT?! Who the fuck was quoting you $5K? A new flywheel, clutch/plate, and throwout cylinder cost $672 at GM list and maybe a couple hours of labor and maybe you a pressing $2-2.5K depending on the shop. Hell I got a lot done for half that , but employee discount helped.
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 14:46, STARS: 0
Supposedly the labor quote time on a clutch replacement is 44 hours, which is backed up by what I’ve read on the Sky/Solstice forums and from several quotes I got. Due to some weird chassis bracing/mounting shenanigans, it’s almost an engine/transmission-out kind of service. It’s also really easy to fuck up the car/transmission/electronics, with the local Chevy dealer refusing to do the job since they had ruined a Solstice in the past changing the clutch. The cheapest quote I got was from a performance shop with $500 in BS Florida fees (so glad to be back in CA), ~4k in labor and ~1k for the parts (Upgraded clutch, matching flywheel, throwout bearings, new shift bushings, misc parts, etc.).
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
01/27/2017 at 14:53, STARS: 1
Hmm.... must be a subframe that they drop the engine and trans at the same time.... Stupid Opel.
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 15:00, STARS: 1
Something like that, although the credit for the Kappa chassis does go to Pontiac. :P Either way, I wasn’t going to pay $5k+ for a clutch, as I’d just spend $8k for a whole new (used) Sky, so sadly I got rid of it. Kinda wish I would have kept it as now I have the time to do it myself, but that’s life I guess.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
01/27/2017 at 16:14, STARS: 1
Yeah that is life. Oh well. Just means you can find the perfect one for you eventually.
"dropthatclutch" (dropthatclutch)
01/27/2017 at 19:46, STARS: 0
Probably a C6 Vette of some sort.
Does the set allow for the top to be down while it in is the back?
"Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
01/27/2017 at 20:05, STARS: 0
Stealing this image from DDMWorks
Yep, top can still go down with the baggage set, depending on how you organize and how full you stuff the bags.
I think for our set-up, we had the totes half-full with toiletries, chargers and misc. stuff. We had the duffle bags full of all our clothes, and we slid them out further to the edges than pictured.
Stuffed in between the duffle bags and back out towards the rear where the plate light access is, we had crammed another tote full of tools and spare bits.
Since the side totes were only half full, and the duffle bags didn’t extend too far froward, we could lower the top into its normal spot but on top of the totes no problem. Our laptops and iPads and stuff we kept in small messenger-style carrying bags behind the seats.
It worked out surprisingly well for our trips in it, and made loading/unloading the car very easy.
That said, C6 Vettes are some very nice bang for the buck, and you can’t go wrong with one of those either.
"dropthatclutch" (dropthatclutch)
01/27/2017 at 22:33, STARS: 1
Ha! Well I guess I have some decisions to make. The Sky RL is paid off and I really enjoy it. I’ll have to look into the bags further. Thanks!!