A few years ago when I started thinking of getting a convertible, I gave strong consideration to the Saturn Sky. GM also produced a sister car called the Pontiac Solstice, and there was an Opel version produced as well for the European market. But of the three, I always thought the Sky was the best looking.
I spoke with a few people who owned them, and by and large they were happy with the car and its performance. But when I would ask for the downsides, the number one complaint was "no trunk space". Unlike the retro Tbird, when the Sky's top came down it essentially filled up the trunk. With the top completely down, you could fit a very small duffel on each side of the trunk. Think travel shave kit, or velcro lunchbox size.
Not surprisingly, I heard numerous complaints about how they couldn't take an overnight ride to the beach while enjoying the top down, because they had nowhere to store their things. In fact, that community got kinda creative and many owners obtained a motorcycle trailer to make up for the lack of trunk space. I saw a few
on eBay etc. where they had carefully matched the paint colors. Check these out:
The feedback I received stayed with me, and it's the main reason I abandoned the Sky as a consideration. As cool as these trailers look, I just couldn't imagine pulling one.
So before we completely poo poo on the trunk space (or lack thereof) in the retro bird, keep in mind most of us haven't had to resort to this type of stowage. It looks quite spacious by comparison.
🙂