Does anyone know much about these?  I thought they were supposed to have Corvette engines in them.

 

I have been going back and forth on getting a (new?  used?) vehicle as a replacement for my truck (which turned over 265K miles yesterday).

 

Today, it finally hit me!  I want a Corvette, I want a convertible, and I kind of want a small truck/SUV.  Isn't that the SSR?  The down side is, they don't make them anymore, so I can't get a new one (so I can't trade my truck in for Cash for Clunkers).  Seems like they don’t make any of the cars I’m interested in anymore – my other choice was a Dodge Magnum SRT8 (425 hp).  However, there are a number of SSR’s available (I found one here in town from a Chevy Dealer, certified pre-owned, so it has some warranty) for around $25k.

 

So what can anyone tell me about these?  Performance?  Reliability?  Collector status (not really that important - if I get one, it will be a daily driver).  Your personal opinion?  Are they fast?  Do you know if they can tow?  I've been thinking lately that if I were to go to the 2010 gathering and it's in the Northwest, I don't think I'd want to drive the car all that way, but maybe I could trailer it.  A convertible truck for the trip out might be a nice alternative!

 

So lay it on me - what do you know about these?

I had the opportunity to drive a new one while at the 2004 C3X.  It is a heavy vehicle and the ride was ok.  With the automatic tranny is seemed to be a bit of a slug off the line though.  In a few of the reviews I've read on it the 2006 version seems to be the one to get.  The original 300HP V8 was replaced with a 400HP LS2 and a 6-spd manual tranny was available.  If you want to use it for a daily driver be prepared to ramp up your fuel budget as it is only rated in the mid-teens for mileage and uses premium.  And it only has a 2,500 LB towing capacity so towing your car for any distance would not be a good idea.

Thanks Jim.  I was actually hoping for some "cons" since I really didn't know anything about the vehicle other than the looks and the hype.  Scary that the report lists "build quality" as con, but doesn't go into any detail.

I've worked on a few of them, and the owners had nothing but praise for the vehicle. I don't much care for them, meself, but I do think they look pretty kewl. The ones I've driven have been automatics, and for me, they were just dang hard to get comfortable when driving top-down...just too weird for me to be driving a "pick-up" with no top! I suppose ya could get used to it, tho.
The interiors are a bit "clunky", imo. I think the overall idea is good, but the execution just didn't make the grade...

Well, I test drove one last weekend.  I really liked it, although I did find a few things out.