scion tc vs saturn sky

The Toyota loyalist in this NG will naturally tell you no. I would suggest you drive and obtain a 'total drive home price,' then decide if that two seater suits your needs and your budget..

mike hunt

Only you can answer that question. Does the Sky fit your needs? Have you driven one?

The Sky is a very different sort of car from the tC -- a roadster versus a closed coupe -- so the two are difficult to compare.

Geoff

Well, this sounds pretty good to me.

But I am single, no kids, and have another car (or two..or three..or..) that if I NEED room I have it. Shoot, one of them is a van. For me a Sky would be a fun go -to-work car and Sunday Let's Go Get Ice Cream car.

And I have a garage, too...

If you are going to check out the Saturn, you might as well check out the Pontiac version as well.

As to whether they are a good replacement depends on how you intend to use the car and whether fuel mileage, performance, cargo capacity, handling, engine smoothness, transmission feel, seating comfort, driving position, etc. of one suits your tases and needs better than the other.

Only you can tell if it fits your needs.

As a second or third car, I'd consider a convertible with negligible trunk space. For my primary vehicle, giving up decent "cargo capacity" would not be an option. It's not every day you take home a 27" TV or room air conditioner but there are tasks like that to be done a few times per year. It's embarassing to have to borrow a friend's Civic because your convertible can't even get a week's worth of groceries home.

This guy had some nice things to say about it:

You might also look at Edmunds. Some people pooh-pooh reading reviews but I like them because the reviewer may bring up things I won't think about in the showroom or on the test drive that may really be pertinent to my long-term happiness with the car. One thing I noticed in the "truthaboutcars" review is that the reviewer found the car to be unusually quiet with the top up, for a convertible; he compared it to a sedan for quietness. If this is to be your daily driver, that would make a big difference in your comfort on your daily commute - or if you decide to drive across the country at some point. There's a thought; whatever you do, drive it with the top both up AND down for a while and go through putting the top up and down, too.

Have you considered the Pontiac Solstice? It's pretty much the same car but it looks like the base price is lower. You might find one that's got everything you want at a better price than the Sky.

Also, I notice you can get a lean-and-mean version of the Mazda Miata for less than the Sky. If you've enjoyed your Scion, you might consider a Camry Solara convertible but I believe those are sort of spendy, compared to the Solstic, Sky and Miata and it's more like a full-sized car than a roadster.

If you're getting a convertible, know this: I envy you.

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If he needs a four seat convertible he might want to drive and price a Mustang. The V6 beats the Solara 4cy by $8,000 and the V8 beats the V6 Solara by $6,000. I priced and drove the V6 Solara and the V8 Mustang last year and it was no contest, I bought the 2005 V8. The V8 Mustang even has better resale. NADA list my 05 at $30,200 retail . That is $1,000 more than I paid for it. ;)

mike hunt

But it's a Ford!

If Ford is severely restricting production of certain models, like the GT, then maybe you're going to see some bubbles in Ford's generally crappy resale value.

Otherwise, Edmunds says the Camry Solara V6 costs a little bit more (< $2,000) than a V6 Mustang convertible and will return FAR MORE money at trade-in.

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The tC is a practical, inexpensive, FWD coupe. The Sky is an impractical, not too expensive, RWD roadster that is designed to look a little like a Corvette. Neither the tC or the Sky (or the Solstice, the Sky's mechanical twin) is very sporty. The Mazda Miata is more fun and is in the same price range. I think the Honda Civic Si (FWD coupe) is the logical step up in performance from the tC while retaining some practicality. If you want a stylish convertible, I like the look of the Pontiac Solstice better than the Sky but the Solstice, Sky and Miata are all worth consideration.

That may be your opinion but me thinks you need to compare the differences in standard equipment and big differences in real world drive home prices, not MSRP before you can make a comparison.

As to production number Ford increased mid year production of V8 and convertible Mustang in 2005 by 80,000 cars to meet demand. For 2006 by another 20,000 and another 15,000 will be available now with the 2007s, coming to market as we speak.

mike hunt

Great tall tale you have there. Let's go back to reality, shall we?

They can't be comparably equipped. The Solara has more advanced features that the Mustang doesn't have. The Solara has electronic brake assist, independent rear suspension, VVT-I, overhead cam,

4-valves per cylinder, 4-channel ABS rather than a 3-channel one, color-keyed side mirrors, tandem rear-brakes, home link receiver, vehicle stability control, tire pressure monitoring system, and a deluge of other items that add cost. Some of these are technologies that Ford wishes they can perfect like Toyota has.

Transalation in real English:

The logical people who know quality will recommend the Scion. Since I'm not one of them, I would suggest you try the cheap Saturn anyway regardless of its poor reliability, build quality, and missing refinement.

That may be your opinion but it is the opinion of a minority. The real proof, of which is a better place for a buyer to spend his hard earned money, always shows up in the annual sales numbers. Wanna bet the two GM two seaters will out sell Toyota and Hondas two seaters in their first year? LOL

mike hunt

The Solar may have four vales per cylinder but the Mustang has three per cylinder that develop more torque and HP. The Mustang RWD will our handle the FWD Solara and blow the Solaras doors off. That is why the Mustang out sells the Solar six to one among sporty car buyers. LOL

mike hunt

Toyota no longer sells two seaters in the U.S. The Honda S2000 has never been a huge seller so the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Soltace will probably outsell it.

The major American car magazines seem to be rather impressed with it.

I'd define "sporty" as being optimized for performance (handling, acceleration, speed) over practicality. The best examples are sports cars in the classical sense of the term, two-sat roadsters with minimal creature comforts and baggage capacity like, say, a

1950s/'60s MG, Triumph, Austin-Healy, Lotus, etc.

The Solstice/Sky is a two-seat roadster with a stick shift, in the classic sports-car style, just like the Miata/MX-5. That would seem to make it just as sporty as the latter car. Now, if you want to say that the Mazda has superior handling, acceleration or whatever, well and good. But that isn't quite the same thing as sportiness, per se.

Agreed. The original poster's apparent eagerness to dismiss the practical attributes of his tC was what prompted me to ask whether a car like the Sky would really fit his requirements. In particular, the Sky/Solstice doesn't have a lot of trunk space; the fuel tank intrudes into the middle of the trunk. That's one of those bizarre, half-assed GM things, like those sedans they made in the late '70s and early '80s whose rear-side windows didn't roll down.

Geoff

Blah, blah, blah, "real world drive home prices," blah, blah, blah.

People trust Edmunds and they don't trust you. Sites like Edmunds and KBB exist to assist people and, if they didn't provide trusted, reliable assistance, they'd cease to exist.

I've been out to look at cars, I've bought several in the last few years. GM, Ford and Chrysler used values are crap. Toyota used values remain high. That's part of the reason I bought Toyotas. Givebacks on a new car won't make up for trashy resale values. Morons look at "drive home prices," sensible people look at overall automotive expense and depreciation is a huge factor in that, larger than fuel cost for many people.

As I suspected and suggested. Short supply makes a few models of the car more valuable on the used market. The increase in production will probably put the resale values of even the GT convertible in the dumpster. Unload that tank while you can, WBMA. LOL.

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I guess we can assume you have not been out in the real world and comparison priced a new vehicle lately, if you don't understand the difference between a vehicles selling price and the actual 'drive home price.' If you did you would know the latter can add thousands of dollars to the selling price, before taxes and government fees. You will even find big differences in price on the same vehicle with the same factory MSRP among dealers of the same brand. Me thinks you never heard of 'required dealer installed options' that we marked up 500% to 1,000%. When I was in retail we added $40 floor mats that we priced at $195 or $20 paint stripes priced at $150 or paint sealant and fabric guard for $495 that cost a few dollars to apply or the 'Fair market value adjustment.' that add $2,000 to $4,000 to the MSRP on all of our import brands.

mike hunt