Toyota Solara

hertie

I would like to buy a 2004 Solara SLE with traction control and stability control but live in upstate NY. Does anyone have experience driving this car (with traction & stability control) in rough winter weather with snow & ice? Thank you for any information.

rbleland

We have had a '99 SLE V6 w traction control for the past 5 winters in south/central British Columbia and have had zero problem getting around in winter. The key to winter is to add 4 real snow tires (don't try sneaking thru on so-called "all season tires" as they are useless in snow/ice). The combo. of FWD, Traction control and 4 snow tires is fine in winter conditions.

webguyster

Many states are making it illegal to watch tv or movies in cars, at least for the driver. I hope the navigation system doesnt play DVD's. In Chicago it is now illegal for drivers to watch television while driving....FYI.

rbleland

..with Web..agree that NAV and DVD should not be available in cars; at least not in front seats. If you want to watch movies etal, stay home or go to theatre.

jschamberger

i have the 04 SE Sport... not sure if it has traction control, but with all the nasty winter weather we had in Virginia (ice, then snow, then more snow, then ice, etc) these past two weeks my car handled great.

had very little spin when going from a stop and never once felt like i would lose control (and i'm a fairly agressive driver).

did notice that it definitely helped to use the sequential shift though...

matthewh

I hope Toyota make a DVD screen that fit in the center of the steering wheel so I will not miss anything while making a turn. Well at least my head turns the same direction.....just kidding. It is illegal here in California. The store will not install it. They will do it only for rear seats.

2k1trd

The 04 with the traction/stability is awesome in the snow!...i actually tried to get it out of control on a snow covered road and it just would not do so.The stability control works!...it was actually fighting me (audible beeps when activated)as i was yanking the wheel back and fourth trying to get into a spin.I also tried some hill climbing with the traction off verses on and it went right up with it on verses much wheel spin with it off.

russklass

We have an '04 SLE with Trac and Stability Control. We live in the Buffalo area which has has some severe winter weather.
My wife (it's her car) reports great control, and has had the Stability Control activate several times.
We have, however, mounted 4 winter tires as is our usual practice.

ezshift5

...indicates "first 4.9 seconds off the line, the ...automatic Solara outran the 6-speed manual Accord."

In a 3-car coupe comparision, the Solara fell between the Sebring and the Honda Accord.

Honda, as it were, is gutsy enough to offer a manual transmission...................ez

tyresmoker

Hey, thanks for posting the link to those press pictures. They give a whole different perspective to the car when compared to those on the toyota.com website. the 32 pictures that you provided the link for give a good perspective, especially with the top up, unlike the cheezy one on the toyota site.
Does anyone have a definitive date as to when production starts? I know the press release says March availability, but I guess Toyota is somewhat famous for missing these dates by a few months.

steveb84

does begin in March.

I can't recall Toyota ever missing an announced production date.

webguyster

Are they just cutting the roofs off again and sending them to Canada, or are the Soalas going to be built as converts????

steveb84

and the convertible will be built - as a convertible, not as a coupe with the top removed. If you go to Toyota's website, you can watch the unveiling and I think Don Esmond mentions the production process.

tyresmoker

Read the press release that is posted on the site referenced above. According to the release, it is a separate body created for the convertible. I hope they announce pricing and color availability soon.

chorton

The solara was actually designed with the convertable in mind. They will be built from start to finish in the plant.

webguyster

How long should the ignition coils last??? At 51,000 miles mine has failed. Toyota Extra Care covered it, but at this rate I paid retail for the Extra Care and have already made a profit. Bittersweet????

gotsol

Hello,

Does anyone have any information or success story on replacing a 2004 Solara stereo? I want to get a regular DIN MP3 stereo in there in a bad way. FM Modulators are too much of a drag. Solara really missed the boat on the enormous factory stereo panel, lack of xm, and lack of auxiliary inputs.

I have a white 2004 SE 4cyl stick without a roof. This is a very impressive car for the money. I can't wait to TRD it.

Thank you,

ezshift5

.....spark plugs, wires and distributor all working in concert: CA Higway One - Hearst Castle to Stockton. Nice (but twisty along the Pacific Ocean) drive made better by oversize 215's on my manual shift Solara Coupe. Would you believe 30.8 MPG? 54,755 incident-free miles.........ez

mackabee

I haven't checked this thread in a while! What happened with snakerbill? Last time I was here was around the time the 04 Solara was coming out. He bought an Acura? What happened to the Solara order? And what's up with webguy? If it were me having all those problems with this car I would have ditched it a long time ago!
                    ; )
                    Mackabee
   Proud Toyota Internet sales manager

webguyster

Car is paid for Mack, only reason I dont ditch it...remember I paid cash to avoid a car payment the rest of my life,( the contract would have me paying $40,000 for this car if I did not pay it off) having just bailed on an equally badDodge Aveneger. I dont work for a car dealership so I dont get the wholesale cost as you may. I was just wondering if it is typical for the ignition coils and fuel injectors to fail at 51,000 after having them maintainened 2-3 times, and using premium fuel????? Extra Care payed, so I just lost an hour at the dealer, as they stock everything til midnight, and I just made it in b4 7pm so Extra Care was there.

Also any suggestions about what causes a rattle/rumble in the strut passenger side in sub zero weather. Toyota cant figure it out, they hear it, but it goes away as the car is driven and the parts warm up.

rbleland

..now you've stirred up the hornet's nest again. It was nice and peaceful for awhile. :>)

bezahar

Have heard of installed systems that will allow one to view DVDs on front screens but will turn off automatically when one takes car out of park. Of course then again I've also heard of way to bypass those safeguards.

The next question of course would be weather or not the install of the system that is capable of playing movies in the front is legal or if the installers simply wouldn't do it because they might be deemed liable. (IANAL)

More interesting (at least I think) is the fact that one can get in trouble for playing a movie in the back if it is deemed obscene in the locality that you are driving in (if it can be seen from outside the car.) So I guess you could have gotten in trouble for driving around and having this years super bowl half time show playing the the back of the car.

cooldad24

For all whom concern: my reliable mechanician and friend suggest 90k for normal driving condition but 60k for who drive very aggressive, many short trip or hilly area. For most highway cruiser, 90k is no problem. For drag racer and street racing driver, do it at 60k. Or you are not so sure and like to be free of worry, do it at 60k. My father-in-law as example, he replaces tires and break pads every 2 years less than 20K. And he never has blown tires or stopping difficulty!<lol>

motownusa

The newly redesigned Solara is beautiful in my opinion. But does anyone else think the car looks a little feminine? To me it looks like the kind of car Barbie would love to drive. I think Ken to prefer the Nissan 350Z

tyresmoker

Do you have any info on the ragtop...like what colors are availabe initailly? When the first allocations are shipping?
I understand that the first run consists of black/stone combos as well as red/tan combos..is this true? Do you know of any other colors allocated?

oxmead

My list is getting shorter. Now I 'm considering A 2004 Solara SLE 4cyl or V6. I thought the four would save me money. Would like to here what owners think. Thanks.

2k1trd

In my opinion,the 4 cyl just ruins the whole car!...why have a loaded vehicle with a base engine? The 6 makes awsome torque and is very smooth and quiet.Also when it's time to trade it or sell,it will be more inviting to others.

rbleland

I would go the V6 if you can afford it. Does cost a bit more and uses bit more fuel, but you should get that back on resale. I believe this car demands the 6 and the four would be a tougher sell. Our '99 SLE is obviously a 6 and it has good power for the hiway and is effortless. You're not always "straining" as I think you would be moving the Solara's weight with the four; particularily with auto tranny.

suvshopper4

Dunno about the '04s, but the '02 Solara with a 4-cylinder does just fine, IMO.
If you have a heavy foot, it probably would not be satisfying, though.

What the others say about resale value is probably true, so maybe how long you plan to keep the car matters. Would the difference in resale offset the significant upfront premium for the 6?

And future gas prices may be a concern. Or not.

Good luck.

cooldad24

Outlook is very personal thing and your opinion is new to what I heard. As to Z350, it has very futuristic exterior but the color (golden or pumkin) turn me off. And interior material is too cheap for my taste. Plus the space inside is very cramp. I have 13 year girl and she won't fit in to the back seat (probably not even my 8 years girl) and Splara has much useful back seats. My 2 cents.

chorton

Just go drive the 4 and if it works for you don't worry about the 6.

msnpitt

I just bought a 2004 Solara SLE last week, and I oscillated back-and-forth between the 4-cylinder and the V6. I drove both, and while the V6 was fun and all, the 4-cylinder was more than adequate. I couldn't justify spending the extra money for the V6 AND having to put PREMIUM fuel in it. I would have been ready to shoot myself in the head at the pump every time I had to put gas in the car! I had the car out in Philadelphia last weekend, and the 4-cylinder did just fine.

oxmead

That's kinda what I was thinking. The Solara weighs about 220lbs more than my Saturn L and the four has 22 more hp. If I drive the V6 I know I'd prefer it.

canc

I have the V6, and the Toyota is V6 engine is one of the quietest engines I've ever had. It delivers a lot of torque, and is more than adequate for what I need. I was told, however, that the new 4 cylinder is a great engine as well, but it doesn't obviously deliver as much performance as the V6. The 4 cylinder will use up a bit less gas, but then again, if you haul lots of stuff or passengers, the 4 cylinder will get strained quickly and use up a lot more gas.

For the record once again, the V6 does not *require* premium fuel, but it is only a recommendation in the owner's manual. You can run your V6 Solara for years, even to the ground, and always use regular fuel. I've experimented with different fuel grades (even used 94 octane) and saw no difference in performance or fuel economy.

So it all boils down to this: if you want solid performance, and torque when you need it, plus even longer engine life (perhaps), and better resale value, go for the V6. If this is your daily commuter car, and gas consumption is what's most important on your list, while still getting a quiet, good all-around engine suitable in most conditions, then go for the 4 cylinder. Happy shopping, and let us know what you'll get!

ezshift5

..SE-V6/5-speed manual here (54k: no problems)...

As inferred above, either choice is sound: but drive them first.

The four can be had with (I think it's called a clutch, captain) manual shift. That's a no-brainer for this ex-Navy type.

Hint: Drive them more than once.............ez

rbleland

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, it is.

rbleland

mackabee

My initial allocation is showing Absolutely red, Black sand pearl, and Lunar mist. All V6 SLE's with Nav system,. no price on them. Should be here by the end of March and I should have pricing before then. Will keep you guys posted.
             
             Mackabee

oxmead

I've been having a hard time making this decision. Drove both and thought the 4 was fine. Seemed that the 6 rode a little better. I was going to try to find a 4 in the color I wanted. Then they got a 6 in the combo I liked and that did it. The Saturn is gone and there's a blue SLE V6 in it's place. I hope it 's not too bad on gas. ( if i keep a light foot) But that V6 sure sounds sweet.

rbleland

We have had our SLE V6 since Sept '99 and still consider it one of the nicer cars around. Enjoy, doubt you will regret getting the 6 cylinder.

funpilot

Well my daughter is now going on 7000 miles with her 2004 Solara with the V6. After the initial problems of improperly wired dome light and defective tire pressure system, the car has bee trouble free.

cornellpinoy

My girlfriend has a 2002 Solara SE which we enjoy a lot. I just read that the NHTSA is starting to investigate the 2002-2003 Camry, Solara and Lexus ES models for complaints of sudden engine surges/acceleration. We've never encountered this with her car. I'm wondering if anyone on this board has experience this.

silversolara

... congrats, and hope many happy miles to come...

Exshiftright/WebG - nice try.

solara00

Me thinks thou doest protest too much.

How many times have you claimed that this board only has Toyota employees on it? Do you have any evidence of that?

Our 2000 SLE V6 has had scheduled maintenance only and just recently passed 55,000 miles. I'd send you the maintenance bills, but I'm sure you wouldn't believe them either.

All models from any manufacturer are going to have some problems. Sounds like yours had way more than average. But just because many of us really like our Solaras, why do you have to malign us for simply being happy about that?

Mr_Shiftright

Please don't respond to posts like that. The host will take care of them.

thank you

Host

jschamberger

what problems did your daughter have with the tire pressure system???

my tire pressure light comes on from time to time for no reason at all. (usually only does it if the first thing i do is hop on the interstate in the morning... if i do a bunch of city driving and then get on the interstate, it doesn't come on). i checked the tire pressure and they are all at 32 lbs.

i hesitate to take it to the dealer because one, my dealer only seems to want to fix the problem if it is right there staring them in the face. if i tell them about something that's happening and "they didn't see it happen" then they won't fix it... wish i had another dealer that was closer, but that's another story.

toyotaman

Thats a good first step. Dont tell anyone else!

inkwretch

Hi -- I WAS shopping new, 4-door Camrys and then I saw the 04 Solara. To quote a very ex-prez, I began lusting in my heart.

I am trying to justify buying another coupe, when I swore I'd get a 4-door when my '94 Accord Ex Coupe's days were done. It's just getting too hard for some of my elderly passengers to get in and out of the back seat. My 75-year-old mother-in-law, who is short but pretty limber for her age, has a heck of the time.

Having said that, I mostly drive alone (and yes, I'm a chick, so there must be something to that "feminine" styling theory I saw posted earlier), or with my husband. We've got no kids, but we do have the occasional third or even fourth passenger.

Anyone have experience with extricating people from the back seat of the 04s yet? Is it relatively easy, or still a grunt and grind? How is the rear seat comfort?

Also, is the long door problematic in parking lots? I work from home so have a zero commute, but I am also the designated errand-runner, so that means I'm in and out of the driver's seat sometimes a dozen times a day.

Waiting anxiously for your reply -- the local dealer is driving me crazy, and I can't make up my mind!

2k1trd

Well from what i can gather from your post,you have no need for a 4 door.Get the solara!...it has a huge back seat with plenty of room.I'm kinda in the same boat as you with no kids and it's the wifes car and occasionally we have paasengers in the rear.4 doors are for family's....lol