The early 2000s were tumultuous years for GM. Most of the company’s brands were in disarray, and buyers were deserting by the thousands. The Camaro and Firebird were dead, SUVs and trucks ruled the product mix, and car line innovation was sorely lacking. GM leadership had to do something, or continue to fall behind Toyota in the American sales race. …
Things to Know
Solstice and Sky roadsters have depreciated to the point that there is not much price difference between the different models. Mileage and overall condition will have a larger impact on price than model year. GXP/Red Line models command a premium, and most owners agree that the cars should have shipped in this trim from the beginning.
These are not especially common cars. According to GM numbers, around 34,000 Saturn Sky convertibles, 64,000 Solstice convertibles and 1200 Solstice Coupes were produced.
The only car most GRM readers should consider is a GXP/Red Line with a manual transmission and a limited-slip differential, which narrows the field somewhat. The Saturn has more standard equipment but will be harder to find. If you want a Coupe, prepare to do some serious searching. Of the 1200 or so Coupes produced in 2009, the majority (781 according to GM) were GXPs; however, only 226 were delivered with the manual transmission. These are the most desirable of all the Kappa variants and have attracted some collector interest. Time will tell if this will be a repeat of the Turbo Corvair or of the Shelby Cobra.
The Kappa platform actually managed to live on as a V8-powered hotrod produced in Spain. A miniscule supercar manufacturer called Tauro bought the Kappa tooling from GM in 2012 and designed a new Corvette-powered supercar around a face-lifted version of the chassis.
Chassis
Several TSBs were issued for differential leaks, so most of these cars have been treated for this problem. Differential failures are also a common issue.
The basic Kappa suspension and chassis are great starting points for a competition car. The geometry contains few compromises, and there is plenty of room for more tire and a larger engine. Rhys Millen and Gardella Racing both fielded Solstice drift cars, and the model was successful in T2 and SSB while it was in production.
Driveline clunks are a common complaint with these cars.
Body
The body panels can be fiddly to get right after an accident, so look carefully for misaligned panel edges, inconsistent gaps and other problems.
Attempting to shut the trunk with the top partially down can result in a tweaked lid, another common issue that can be addressed by a determined owner or a good body shop. Convertible top problems (leaks, poor fitment and difficult movement) are often reported as well.
Coupes are generally no different from Solstice convertibles. However, there is no place in the car to store the top, so you’ll need extra garage space if you want one with a roof.
Engine and Drivetrain
The Ecotec engine in the base Solstice/Sky is no powerhouse, but it provides reasonable fuel economy. Supercharger kits are available to boost power from the factory 140 wheel horsepower to around 220–about the same as a stock Red Line/GXP. This isn’t a bad deal, but starting with a turbo 2.0-liter engine will leave more room for further power increases.
GM Performance Parts offers a kit for the LNF turbo engine that boosts power to 290 horsepower and torque to 340 ft.-lbs. with nothing more than a couple MAP sensors and an ECU reflash. The kit may provide only a modest horsepower gain, but it includes a full family warranty and can even be installed by a dealer.
If that’s not enough for you, V8 swaps began as soon as the Solstice/Sky twins landed on dealers’ lots. Several companies offer the parts to do the conversion, and while it’s straightforward, it’s far from a bolt-in swap. Any of the recent LS-series V8s can be swapped into the Solstice/Sky. For a period during the cars’ production, a company called Mallet marketed LS-powered Solstice roadsters through GM with full factory warranties. Mallet still performs the conversion on customer cars as needed.
Interior
As the cars have aged, their weak points have mostly concerned the budget-priced interior parts. Rattles, scratches and broken clips are frequent annoyances mentioned on the message boards.