Pontiac Solstice GXP (and other Pontiac) discussion thread.

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Holladay and I own the same car so I made this thread for he and I to chat about it but wanted to open the talk for anyone else who has driven the Solstice/Sky (Kappa platform) and has something to say about it.

I then figured I would just open it up to any chat about the Pontiac brand as I'm fairly certain that it was probably a pretty popular brand among CP'ers at some point in their lives.

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Originally Posted by Holladay

Correct 260 hp. 78k. Only had is for 6 months, thus no clue

We could have a 2 hour convo on the car, but not in this forum

BTW, the car is a BLAST, stupid, no trunk, but a blast...

Ok, whole thread for just Pontiac stuff and we can have that convo.

Mine is an 09 and it had 91k miles when I bought it. Got it for a song at $7,250 though I had to fly to Roswell, NM to go get it then drive it back.

If you have only had the car for 6 months and don't know much about it... I have some thoughts.

If you have access... check maintenance logs if your dad kept any. The timing chain/water pump/tensioners are a $2,500-$3,500 job. If your dad already did it then you are golden. If not, the manufacturer recommends changing out those components at 100k miles or 12 years... whichever comes first. It is *MASSIVELY* important you get this done because our cars have an interference engine which means that if the timing chain goes... you are buying a whole new engine or having that one rebuilt.

I recently upgraded the suspension on the car and if you are needing to do the same... let me know because there is an absolute shit ton of information I have related to it that will not necessarily save you any money but it will make the money you spend vastly more worthwhile.

Is yours manual or automatic?

[George Liquor]

I had a Grand Prix for a long time. Best car I ever owned, until I got rear ended.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by TLO

I've owned 2 Grand Prix GTP's.

That 3.8 is one of the best motors ever produced.

Had an '02 Grand Prix GT with the 3800. Great car. Drove it for over a decade. The few issues I had with it were fairly easy DIY fixes.

[loochy]

I just saw a black Sky in my work parking lot.

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Originally Posted by loochy

I just saw a black Sky in my work parking lot.

I have yet to see a Sky in the KC/Liberty area. I work with a guy who has a base model Sol, I saw a white one running around, and apparently there a blue one running around Liberty as well.

One of the things I've really enjoyed about this car is that it is rare enough that I don't experience the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon with it. Every other car I have ever purchased... I begin seeing it absolutely everywhere as soon as it is mine. I'm always mindful to look for them while I'm out and about but they are nowhere to be found.

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

In 1990, I bought a 1987 black Pontiac Fiero GT that looked like this. I loved that car. It was well designed and it fit me perfectly on the interior. I had it until 2001 when my wife insisted that I get a new car.

I love the Fiero and it looks damn good in black. Was that a photo of your old car or was that a random photo to show us that it looked like?

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Originally Posted by ToxSocks

I still own the Pontiac I bought when i was 19 y/o. A 2001 Pontiac Firebird Formula. I dont drive it often. It's my baby.

I grew up an F-body fan, ever since i was little when my uncle bought a 1981 Trans Am.

Of course I watched Smokey and the Bandit too many times to count, and grew up watching Knight Rider as well.

I have a die-cast toy collection of nothing but firebirds that keep in my office.

I keep my eyes open for a die-cast/hotwheels/matchbox toy car of the ragtop solstice but they were all discontinued years ago and people are asking $30 for a matchbox brand toy car.

I don't want it THAT much.

Have you done work to the Firebird or is it in the same condition as when you bought it?

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx

I keep my eyes open for a die-cast/hotwheels/matchbox toy car of the ragtop solstice but they were all discontinued years ago and people are asking $30 for a matchbox brand toy car.

I don't want it THAT much.

Have you done work to the Firebird or is it in the same condition as when you bought it?

I two-toned it Satin/Glass black. Top of the car (Hood, deck lid, sail panel, mirrors) are all gloss black, the base of the car was painted in "Hot Rod Black". Put some gloss black 18x10's on it. So it has that mean, "murdered out" look to it now. Did some interior modifications to make it more palatable for the modern era. Blue Tooth double din stereo, back up camera, new amp and subs. Replaced the factory speakers with better, newer ones. Added some USB charging ports.

Did some real minor mods. New Ram Air box, new Ram Air hood with 4-port heat extractors. Some basic suspension improvements. Billstein shocks, BMR springs etc.

Nothing too major.

[Dunerdr]

Had a 00 Trans Am Ws6 right out of high school. Was great for cruising. And with t-tops the ladies could get on top. Had it lowered, 3.73 gears, built tranny (is a 4l60 ever really built lol) and had a 408 stroker built to go in. Traded it for a trail blazer SS with a spun main. That was a wicked ride too but not a white trash Ferrari like my T/A was.

I was topping my Trans Am out on the way home from cruising memorial in Tulsa. I passed an OHP int he opposing lane while doing 160ish (speedo went to 150 and it was buried and still gaining). My butthole puckered to say the least.

One of my favorite cars was my wife's 09 G8 GT. Put whatever was the popular CAI, cat back and a tuner on it and had a ****ing blast. Such under rated cars. I hit 140 in 4th with two gears to go. I never tried it any faster but always wondered how much more it had.

There's a special place in my heart for Pontiacs.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by loochy

I just saw a black Sky in my work parking lot.

No offense to the op and Holliday but the Skyy looks so much better IMO. Always wanted to put an aluminum 5.3 and a t56 in one.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Mephistopheles Janx

I love the Fiero and it looks damn good in black. Was that a photo of your old car or was that a random photo to show us that it looked like?

That's a random photo, but other than that odd label thing in front of the right rear wheel, it's a complete twin. (Edit: wait. Mine had a sunroof and the one in this picture doesn't.)

They had a cool carbon fiber body and mine had a little tiny chunk about the size of a quarter taken out of the door where the first owner had somehow broken it off. Whenever I see a picture of a black one like this, I always peer at the spot on the door to see if it might be mine. It wasn't noticeable unless you knew where to look, so I figure that no subsequent owner would have replaced the entire door to fix it.