We all know what car “is always the answer,” but it’s really just an answer, and others have done their best to attain at least some of the answer status the Miata has enjoyed so long. We have two such cars today via Pontiac and Toyota, each with their own faults and fandoms, but none of the staying power of Mazda’s seemingly eternal roadster. Which of these might you choose? We’ll get there.
First, let us consider the results of Monday’s Showdown (I’ll leave results coverage of David’s Showdown to him) betwixt an Opel GT and C3 Corvette, which was a study in contrasts between two visually similar cars. Steel body versus fiberglass. V8 versus inline-4. Green versus orange. All there versus no door skins and woodshop dashboard. You can see the long line down there, the Corvette got trounced.
I get it. While the Opel GT left unanswered questions of its own, the “somebody else’s project” factor (and the incompleteness / dubious repair solutions of said project) really did the poor C3 in. I thought perhaps the built engine might be a saving grace, all painted-red and all, but that too was as much a red flag as it was red Krylon.
Now let us turn our attention to today’s contestants.
2007 Pontiac Solstice – $6,200
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter EcoTec VVT DOHC inline-four, 5-speed manual transmission, RWD
Location: Carrollton, TX
Odometer reading: 109,000
Operational status: “Great running, driving, and looking car.”
Looks pretty good, right? From this distance, sure, but if you check out the full ad (or look closely at the rear angle farther below), you can see Bob Lutz’ baby is marred by some clearcoat issues. That’s a bummer for parking lot inspection, but when you’re cruising down the road looking all cool in your convertible roadster, no one’s gonna notice. And I think I’d take the Solstice over its Kappa platform mate Saturn Sky in otherwise identical nick – that one never gelled with me.
The interior looks pretty good, especially for the mileage, and minus that dreadful steering wheel cover. Has it protected the wheel? Is it hiding damage? Has it caused any? Of course, when I say the interior looks pretty good, I mean condition-wise. Styling-wise, ehhhh, not so much. It’s aughts GM at its finest, sarcastically speaking.
This ain’t no GXP model, so you’re getting a naturally aspirated 177-horsepower Ecotec engine. It’s fine, especially when mated to a manual as this one is. A 0-60 time of about seven seconds flat makes the Solstice a match for the same-year Miata, if you care about that (I wouldn’t).
You can see the clearcoat there where the bumper cover meets the trunk lid, and that top is looking a bit scruffy, but it’s all there and appears undamaged, if a little stretched out.
2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter VVT-i DOHC inline-four, 5-speed manual transmission, RWD
Location: Tyler, TX
Odometer reading: 167,282
Operational status: “Drive good.”
Where my fans of the bug-eyed Mister Two at? I know I’m supposed to gush over the baby-supercar W20 even if it does want to kill me, and yeah, they’re great, but I’ve always felt the W30 was closer to the original MR2 spirit. And hey, the top goes down. This one looks like the hood’s fitting a bit goofy, but maybe the owner just forgot to fully latch it before taking pics. Side note: I will never not be baffled by what sellers consider “good enough” for ad photos. Gee whiz.
This looks like a nicer place to be than the Solstice “IMO,” and I’m sure your eyes went straight to that stick. Then again, what else would be there? You could only get the car with a manual, after all (OK, fine, there was a sequential gearbox later, but there weren’t any torque-converted-equipped W30s). Everything looks to be in good shape for 160,000+ miles.
Here we are in the back of the MR2 – it’s mid-engine, remember? I’m sure 100% of you do. Things are looking pretty grimy back here, but the description says “drive good” (is that a description or an instruction?), and it’s a Toyota 1ZZ, so the VVT-i engine with its sixteen valves and variable timing should be pretty OK if maintained at all. And performance? You’ll be neck-and-neck with the Solstice.
I’d argue this MR2 looks even better from the rear than the front, even without the addition of nicely manicured nails. I don’t recall the W30s bulging light treatment being well received at the time, but I’ve always liked the car’s friendly, froggy looks.
So, what’s it gonna be?
Top graphic images: Facebook Marketplace
I would have done a both today, but since that wasn’t a choice it’s the Toyota. I’d just like to try out a mid-engined car.
Wish you had found a Sky instead of the Solstice – always liked the looks of those more than the overly rounded Solstice.
Oh look at you… always reaching for the Sky...
Totally missed that I had grabbed the bawlderized version of the Shitbox Showdown graphic. Profanity restored!
Always liked the MR2, always liked the Solstice (they did a photoshoot one summer solstice at the Stonehenge in Maryhill) but Dear Spouse likes red so that’s what we’re getting.
However: Do either of them have room for dogs behind the seats?
I remember when the Solstice came out – I was pretty excited as I had just had a shot at a Miata, but it turned out that I am too tall for a Miata = not enough leg room. I figured that an American car mfgr would size their cars up a bit. They didn’t – I don’t fit a Solstice, either.
(Oddly enough, I do fit in a Triumph Spitfire (+ TR6))
Anyway – there’s my vote for the Toyota.
The 3rd gen MR2 is far and away the worst, and every time I left the house I’d look at it and sigh, especially in that non-color color choice. Goin’ with the Solstice even though you’re wrong and the Sky is the better looking car.
Not even close. The MR2. It’s a real sports car and a good little autocrosser, the Solstice was a disappointment even when new. You can’t even use it for a fun weekend getaway since it has negative trunk space.
Mazda and Toyota had the same steering wheel supplier in 2001, apparently. Looks like the exact same wheel as the Miata.
I picked the MR2 hoping that it will present better than the Solstice in person. I know you wouldn’t be looking at the faded paint when you drive the solstice but I suck at painting cars, so it wouldn’t be fixed. I think the MR2 could be fun to clean up, and keep around as a weekend warrior although I think it would leave me unsatisfied and shopping for Boxsters again.
I am not a fan of that gen MR2 at all. I’m taking the Solstice.
Toyota makes better cars, so I voted for the white car.
Easy choice for the Solstice, even if I don’t really want a red sports car. I hate the looks of the MR2, and I disagree about the interiors: the Toyota looks like a Corolla. Boring.
I’d take the Pontiac on looks alone. This gen of MR2 is ugly AF. There are body kits to fix it, but that’s not the question posed.
Hey!!!
When did this become the S***box Showdown?
https://www.theautopian.com/which-noisy-four-door-hatch-would-you-take-2001-subaru-forester-vs-2008-saturn-astra/
Apparently today is when it became S***box Showdown.
I have to roll with Mr. Two. I will appreciate the performance and the top-down fun. I did love the first 2 generations of it a lot more. Esp. that first gen supercharged as well as the 2nd gen turbo, both of which my dad had in the same midnight blue color. I never did love the bulging light lenses on these but the top did drop.
I never knew what to make of the Solstice/Sky twins. By the time they both came out, a Miata was a way more obvious choice.
Solstice today. I’ve always liked those things.
I pick the Solstice today for the ease and cost of maintenance compared to the mid-engined Toyota.
If the solstice was significantly cheaper than the MR2 sure but for the same money I’ll always take the toyota even with more miles
First reaction was ahhhhhhhhhhh, you are gonna make me choose between these two??? Then my brain worked, and I realized this was THAT generation MR2. Sole-stASS all day long.
I just can’t decide. I voted and immediately forgot which one I voted for. They seem pretty equal to me. They are both manuals, both ugly interiors, sameish power. The Pontiac is red, so that helps, but the Toyota is mid-engined. Toyota has 50% more miles than the Pontiac, but is GM reliability as good as Toyota? I don’t know; it’s been a long time since I had a GM product, but I’ve never been wowed by Toyota like others have. I guess I’ll just stew on it all day.
Don’t fit in the MR2, give me the Solstice.
Normally I’d be all on board for Team Toyota, but that Solstice looks so much better cared for. There’s no effing way an aughts Toyota was allowed to leave the factory with that Cybertruck-sized hood gap. I’ll put up with the sad GM interior and go with the car that doesn’t look like it spent some time on cinder blocks.
I don’t even think I’d physically fit in the MR2, but I’d rather try than spend time in creaky, spiritually-and-literally-grey interior of a mid aughts GM. I just can’t with that level of cost cutting, even 20 years on.
They are surprisingly accommodating. Many (many) years ago I test drove an NB Miata and MR-S back to back. Sitting in the Miata was a miserable experience–my entire left side was pressed uncomfortably into the door, I had no place to put my left arm, and I felt generally squished everywhere. The MR-S felt absolutely palatial by comparison. Of course the trade off for being spacy and comfortable for people is the MR-S has nearly zero space for stuff. I ended up with neither because I couldn’t fit in the Miata, and I couldn’t get groceries with the MR-S.
Both of these would be great answers to David’s “sports car” question.
I like the looks of the Solstice. A neighbor has an MR2 that he babies and there’s definitely a following there. Maximum Bob wins today.
I only voted for the MR2 just because those wheels on the solstice are a bit to gaudy for me. But both of these seem like fair deals for some nice nice weather/weekend cruisers.
Also late edit are we censoring shitbox show down now or did I miss something?
Oh yeah! I missed that.