Why I will never buy a Pontiac Fiero ever again (Page 2/2)
82-T/A [At Work] JUL 15, 09:26 PM

quote
Originally posted by tbone42:

Well, Ron I just came back from a dealership with a black 2007 5 speed solstice myself! There isn't another car out there I liked the look of so I am continuing my Pontiac 2 seater ownership streak to 26+ years.

I suspect that's the way I feel now, too. I've had far less fieros but enough of them to know the 86 2.5 with the Isuzu 5 speed like a family member. A family member in an unhealthy relationship. 😆




There's a forum for Solstices too, good for technical stuff: https://www.solsticeforum.com/

I don't post much in the general forum, there's a LOT of politics there, and I don't engage that at all on that forum, but spend nearly all my time in the tech section. There's a couple of people who I've known over the years that have come from here over to there. This forum is still better for general conversation though.

I'm on there as just "82-T/A"
tbone42 JUL 16, 01:00 AM
I love it so far. It's not overly powerful but it's pretty fun to drive. It has issues... Airbag malfunction message, power mirror switch won't stay on the door, it's pretty dirty, needs an alignment and perhaps a tie rod?...and some cosmetic stuff.

Biggest issue? I'm used to driving the Fiero and you cannot use that kind of gas/clutch ratio. It's not a throttle cable, reaction time is much different. Shifting right feels more like my 2007 f150 than my fiero.

I'll check out those forums soon, hoping somebody is making those little silver fiberglass wings behind the seats because mine are kinda chewed up.
82-T/A [At Work] JUL 16, 10:32 AM

quote
Originally posted by tbone42:

I love it so far. It's not overly powerful but it's pretty fun to drive. It has issues... Airbag malfunction message, power mirror switch won't stay on the door, it's pretty dirty, needs an alignment and perhaps a tie rod?...and some cosmetic stuff.

Biggest issue? I'm used to driving the Fiero and you cannot use that kind of gas/clutch ratio. It's not a throttle cable, reaction time is much different. Shifting right feels more like my 2007 f150 than my fiero.

I'll check out those forums soon, hoping somebody is making those little silver fiberglass wings behind the seats because mine are kinda chewed up.




There are a whole ton of people making performance and body kits for it. Norms Fiberglass is the most popular: https://normsfiberglass.com/solstice.html

The airbag malfunction message... it might actually be coming from the Passenger Side Presence sensor. In 2017, GM issued a recall. You'll get a brand new passenger seat cushion and sensor... that may be all that is needed to fix it. Check this site: https://experience.gm.com/ownercenter/recalls ... I'd be willing to bet it hasn't been done and it'll be free to you.

There's a lot of parts available online right now... but keep in mind they made only a fraction of the number of Solstices compared to Fieros. They made over 380k Fieros... but they only made like ~65k Solstices. The cars are at their lowest point right now. Sometimes, I see cars being parted out that are in a nicer condition than my own car (we're at that point). So if you see something you need / want... it's best to get it sooner than later. The "drop-off" for support will likely happen much more quickly to Solstices than it did for Fieros.

Another thing worth mentioning... I assume you have the non-turbo version. It was a very restricted motor when it was sold. I had a 2006 originally that I bought new in 2005. I sold it in 2009, but I'd upgraded a few things and the performance difference was night and day. Stock, your Solstice is more or less the same as a well-optioned Fiero GT in terms of 0-60. But replacing the exhaust manifold with a shorty header, the catalytic converter with a high-flow one, and a cold air intake... it adds a SUBSTANTIAL amount of power. Like... I cannot even emphasize. The shorty header is made by Clear Image Performance: https://clearimageautomotiv...lstice-shorty-header ($425)

There are dozens of cold air intakes for ~$100... you can just get a used one and then get a new filter. And for the catalytic converter... you'll want to get one that offers higher CFM.

It'll shave a whole second off your quarter mile from the mid-15 seconds you have right now. I was blowing away BMW 330s and 350Zs.

Also, be gentle with the manual transmission. It's a really good 5-Speed made by Aisin, but they don't sell parts for it anymore. If it needs to be rebuilt, they have to find a used replacement.


EDIT: I'd regrettably state too that the worst stock Solstice still handles better than the best stock Fiero. But it shows... the Solstice was a niche car that used a lot of off the shelf parts, but they didn't skimp where it mattered. The chassis is hydroformed using the same technology and process as the Corvette (C6 at the time), and uses the same suspension technology that was available only for the Corvette and Cadillac CTS. It has things like aluminum control arms, etc. It even uses the same Bilstein shocks that were offered for the Corvette (though slightly different compression ratio so different part number). But they designed a very good handling car.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 07-16-2025).]