Nope, I bought the car. $19,800 tax, title & plate included. On the down side, I finally broke my made of glass 10 bolt rear last week. Sheared the axle in half. Hopefully it will be back together in a couple of days. Just in time for storage!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...8/Axle002a.jpg

 

Perhaps a convertible is not for you, period. From all reports, if a Solstice has trouble accommodating your not so overly big frame, imagine how much of a chore it would be to hop into a Miata?

 

For sure.

 

To be blunt, I'd LOVE to challenge that theory. Too bad you aren't closer I've driven an '04 GT back-to-back with my own car when I tested one of the last '04s a local Ford dealer had. Depending on the road test, a '99+ GT has virtually the same 0-60 of an LT1, but the 1/4s tend to be a little slower and the lateral acceleration falls short.

And the '04 GT drove like that was true. Not knocking your car...I actually like the '99-'04 style more than the new one. But it sure didn't feel as powerful or seem to hold the road as well...

 

Man, your LT1 must have been a real dog considering the number of GT Mustangs I've wiped the floor with, never once lost to one. And hard to get out of? Did I miss something? I'm 6'0, 200lbs and have no problems what so ever getting out of the car. Getting in....well, thats a leap of faith....fall backwards and hope it catched you. And, I as well, am not knocking the Mustang, frankly the 99-04 are the best looking ones and I almost bought one myself, but for performance, the Camaro was the way to go.

 

The Solstice is the kind impractical car that you strap yourself into. Its not designed to travel with, you cant bring your kids, and you sure as hell cant bring the dog.
Its you, the car and the road. The interior is not there to please the MB or BMW driver out of thier SLK's and 3 series, but its there to please the driver with minimilistic stuff such as heat, radio, and guages. On the outside, this car looks fantastic and I want one in the worst way. I know it wont blow me away in performance. I wouldnt expect it to blaze any 1/4 times. But its a roadster in the true sence of the word, and I want one oh so bad.

 

I don't think the performance difference between the Lt-1's z28/formula and the 99-04 GT's is worth debating over given that the numbers are pretty much identical.

I didn't own an LT1, but i did own an Ls1. I've also owned an Sn95 5.0 before i bought the z28, and imo, the z28 was just as livable for me the driver as the mustang. Seating position was good on the z28 i thought (on the mustang, i had the seat lowered, and reclined to about the same position), and while getting in and out wasn't a problem for me the driver, it was for the passengers. The passenger seat was not a pleasant place to be, especially with that hump on the floor. As far as the interior went, i kinda liked the z28's layout better even though niether were anything special. Now the exterior is a whole different thing. I thought the z28 was rediculously long given the limited interior room. I thought the mustang took better advantage of it's length.

In the end, i thought both cars were alot alike in most regards. Niether was good on interior refinement or space. Mustang handled a little better, but that's probably more due to the upgraded suspension it had, but overall performance wasn't really much of a comparison with the z28 easily besting it.

I like the sporty nature of sport cars, but i don't think a sportscar has to be a pain in the *** to live with just for the sake of feeling like a hardcore sportscar. Werm already mentioned this, but the c6 is a nice example. Compared to the viper, the c6/z06 is so much more livable while not giving up a shred/ounce of performance. I hope the same logic transfers over the 5th gen and any future performance car from GM.

 

Perhaps that is what still makes me appreciate the Viper, even though the new Vette has likely bested it. It may sound stupid, but I love how raw it is. I do like the idiosyncrasies of sports cars, I feel it gives them personality, and makes them feel like you are driving something more special than a daily beater. My z28 has been a daily driver for 2 1/2 years now, and before that my Mustang GT was a daily driver for over a year, and I got along fine. I like the Camaro's interior better, I think it is better laid out, but I do agree that the passenger seat is probably not that much fun. Oddly enough though, I can't remember the last time someone I know has complained about it, so it may not be as bad as I think it is.

 

I don't exactly disagree with you. I've driven regular Mustang GTs and I don't like them all that much. I found the Bullitt to be noticably better in acceleration (if only a little), but the seats, handling and braking are much better than your standard GT. With a good driver (i.e. not me) the car should be capable of a 13.80 in the 1/4.

But yeah, a lot of people don't like them that much because they just see the HP and 1/4 mile times as not much better than a standard GT. I personally think the car is underrated by most folks and is the best looking (if not best) Mustang to come out of Dearborn since the end of the 1970 model year. I'd still pick it over any '05.

Anyway, my original point was that I could live with the car on a daily basis, though I don't actually have to.

 

I know Bullitts are only rated 5 more crank HP from Ford, but don't most of them put down somewhere near 240rwhp stock? I know a GT will put down 220-230rwhp, depending on the year, but I have always seen Bullitts dyno alittle bit higher than that, around the 350z range.