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
This isn’t the generation of MR2 I’d have, but this generation is by far the most attainable mid-engined car money can buy. It’s also the more reliable of the two options here.
This was actually a tough one. I picked the MR2, though.
No thanks. I already have a not-Miata.
I’ve got both (well, a Sky, not a Solstice) and for me it’s easily the MR2 Spyder. I’ll preface it by saying the Sky has a rebuilt title from being rear-ended into a curb (my best guess) and the Spyder was a fleet car that got pretty well beat up in its previous lives.
The base Sky/Solstice just feels ungainly for what it’s supposed to be. The extra power in the Redline/GXP/GT might tip the scales in its favor there, but I’ve never driven one so I can’t really say. The Spyder has the power of a contemporary Corolla, but the lighter weight and (to me) better suspension setup make it feel way more nimble and more fun to drive overall.
In terms of aftermarket, they both seem about equal for what they are. They’re both unique roadsters made out of their respective corporate parts bins, so replacement part availability is decent. There’s a good number of upgrades and engine swap options from some dedicated communities. But I still have to give the edge to the Spyder as having more potential from the get-go.
Remarkably, the Spyder has more storage space than the Sky thanks to the frunk and behind-the-seat cubbies. With the top down in the Sky, storage space is whatever you can fit in the cabin. Making a car with less storage than the Spyder is a real accomplishment for the General!
And maybe it’s just me, but the sight line out of the Sky makes it very hard for me to place the front end, and I’m always afraid that I’m gonna hit a curb in it. That’s not a problem in the Spyder since it doesn’t have such a long hood.
But I don’t wanna rag on the Sky/Solstice twins (triplets? quadruplets?) too much. Aesthetically they still have the edge to me, and the 5 or 6 years they have on the Spyder make them feel much more modern between the styling and cabin creature comforts (but both are plastic fantastic to the end). The size of the engine bay definitely gives you more options for swaps (I just prefer lightness over power, also K-swaps). And putting the top up or down is a bit more slick in the Sky than it is in the Spyder.
In conclusion: I’m planning to build the Spyder into a more trackable car, and putting the Sky up for sale. So if anyone’s interested in a dinged up base model Sky in Polar White with ~60K on the clock and an ESC code that I have yet to fix, hit me up. :^)
I really wanted a Solstice back in the day, but had three small kids, so it just didn’t make sense. Also, I kinda dig the over the top interior styling.
Nothing against the Toyota. If it had been an option, I’d have voted for both. One for me, one for my wife.