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;^)
I think we can all sympathize with your plight. There are good salespeople and bad salespeople and the same can be said for customers.
I have a 2000 SLE Solara and think it was one of the best buying decisions I've ever made. This car is classy, refined, sporty, comfortable, quick, quiet and reliable. Did I leave anything out? I've never owned such a "well-rounded" car with so much attention paid to every detail. It's a joy to drive (and be seen in). You owe it to yourself to test drive one. I think that will clinch the deal for you.
There are other choices when it comes to buying your Solara. I bought my Solara through (the now defunct) CarOrder, but there are many others out there. One of the nicest guys selling Toyotas frequents this forum quite a bit: Cliffy1. If you want to talk with a straight-shooter with no run-around, he would be your best bet. Depending on where you live, you may want to travel to Cliffy's dealership and buy straight from him. You can still have your car serviced locally.
Another person, who is in the Solara convertible forum a lot, is Dianne4Toyota. She sounds like another person who goes the extra mile to make her customers happy.
You see, it's not just about the money to all salespeople. Don't give up on the Solara, if that's what you truly want.
One more thing I would suggest: get as many options as you can afford. You may want to test drive the manual, 4 and 6 cylinders to see the difference. I got mine loaded and I enjoy all the options. Of course, that adds a bit to the price of the car, but hey, don't you deserve it?
Raymond
To cllmartin. Charging the repair on a credit card then stopping payment is a bad idea, unless you enjoy making trouble for yourself.
If I am wrong and there is more to this story, I apologize. If they were guilty of nothing more than listening and responding to your demands, I can't really fault them.
I also took a long lunch today and finally got to test drive a Solara SE with automatic, moonroof, alloys, and pearl white paint. Both dealers told me that base Solara's without any extra options simply don't exist, and ordering one is out of the question. My goal then was to minimize the useless options. This turned out to be a very good car for me to test drive.
At first, I was very impressed with the car on city streets and bumpy roads. Noise level (or lack of, should I say) was superb! Interior was extremely attractive and well laid out. Then I got onto the highway, and the 4-cylinder engine showed it's true colors. It was a slouch in that department. Basically, the 4-cylinder Solara is an economy car that pretends to be a close relative of the Lexus. I also have no need for such pretensions. I would imagine that the
6-cylinder engine would be more ideally suited to the Solara, but I drive 35,000 miles per year, and fuel economy is a major factor. I can afford the extra gas, but why waste the money at the pump. Too bad that the Solara is not available in an engine size between the 2.3 and 3.0. One is too little, while the other is a bit too much for my needs (and budget for speeding tickets).
Since the Solara does not meet my needs, I did not buy it. However, the moonroof should be considered mandatory for this car, as there are only two windows to open. I judged the power seat to be useless, but that's just my opinion. Alloy wheels should also be mandatory for appearance purposes.
Being that I was on a roll (literally), I decided to test drive the other top two cars on my list, such that back-to-back comparisons could be made.
After work, I test drove the 32 MPG Olds Alero GL1 with the 3.4 liter V-6. This engine has less horsepower than the Solara 3.0, but gets better highway mileage than the Solara 2.3. I checked all the figures for accuracy long before test driving, and these figures are indeed correct. The 3.4 Olds engine was actually designed more with fuel economy in mind than exceeding 200 horses. I was actually more impressed with this Alero than the Solara, and especially with it's $4000 cheaper price tag. Then the thoughts of warped rotors and water leaks came back to mind, and I didn't but that car either.
Now thinking it was time to go home and weigh the pros and cons of each, I chose to drive the third car just for the heck of it. Well, I just drove home a brand new 2000 Nissan Sentra SE with no added options. It's 145 BHP engine has almost as much pep as the Alero's 170 BHP (due to weight differences), good gas mileage, and a great ride to boot. It was also $7,000 less than the Solara, with similar base equipment and reliability history. This was the exact color and equipment I had wanted on this car, and I considered myself lucky that this last 2000 model was still on the lot after we saw it 2-3 weeks ago. Most SE models only come equipped with the Power Package, which has a harsh suspension and an ugly black fabric for the seats. My persistence got me the base SE with automatic, which already has PW, PL, PM, cruise, 100-watt AM/FM CD, fog lights, leather wrapped steering, titanium gauges, alloys, and remote keyless entry. That's all I need anyway.
In the end, I judged the Solara to be a great car, but the engine choices just don't not fit my needs. And yes, there are truly nice Toyota sales people and closers out there. One just needs to keep looking until they're found, and then give them the verbal credit that they deserve. I would not hesitate to send a Toyota buyer to either one of these dealers. As for the one who tried to sell me another Focus, I wouldn't send my worst enemy to them.
Not only that,almost everyone in this forum loves their solara, but so little reviews and attention is put into solara from motor trend..C&A..R&T and any internet sites. Also shopping for carparts online, many times from the scroll down bars, there is no such a choice as Solara. ( I guess they just classify it as a Camry). Why do cars such as accord get soo much attention and not the Solara? when they are in the same market? Is it just not popular yet? how are the sales statistics? I was just wondering..
Can anybody make me more proud of owning a SOLARA!!
Don't fall for all those car awards and top ten nonsense! It's all CRAP and POLITICS just like all those Hollywood awards. Go and read http://www.autoextremist.com and look through the archives- specifically the Motor Trend Car of the Year article and you'll see what I mean. I have the 1999 Car of the Year- 300M- it's the worst car I have EVER owned!
Your Solara is 100 times better then my "Car of the Year"!
fastdriver
Right! Watch how many Chrysler ads- multi-page/ pull-outs- will now appear in Motor Trend. Of course, with their current slashing/cutbacks and new ad agency, maybe MT will be in for a surprise with no big buck ads to bolster MT's coffers!
fastdriver
The Solara is a great car, mine was admired again today by an Accord driver that is now going shopping for a Solara. Enjoy!
The respective BHP per ton figures are: Focus SE=83.46, Solara SE=86.54, Sentra SE=108.45, and Solara SE V-6=123.84. Since these are all calculated from peak horsepower, which no one ever really achieves in real world driving, this could explain some of the bias. As it turned out, the Solara was slower than the Focus on the interstate. Performance-wise, the Focus' weak area was merging onto interstates, but it had no problem in going from 70-90 in little enough time to get out of a "roadblock" created by daydreaming drivers. The base Solara would be stuck behind the daydreamers. Like I said previously, the base Solara is an "economy car that pretends to be a close relative of the Lexus."
My new Sentra SE has more than enough power for my needs, with the Solara SE V-6 having another theoretical 14% power over my Sentra, which I really don't need.
So, if one were to divide 108.45 by 86.54 and then multiply this figure by the BHP rating for the base Solara, the theoretical desired Solara horsepower rating to match the Sentra SE would be 170 to 175 BHP, or about a 2.6-2.8 liter with VVTI. So if the 2.4 liter engine were optimized in design with VVTI, it would indeed be a true "sleeper". If Toyota could do this, they could simply drop the 2.2 and 3.0 Solara engines, and offer this new engine as the only choice. Had this been available on my test drive, I may well have bought the Solara. As it stands now, the two Solara engines are at the extreme ends of the spectrum.
By the way, I am REALLY glad that I did not buy the Alero, as I was shocked to hear that GM plans to phase out the Oldsmobile division. How could they? They should get rid of Buick instead.
As for those of you who are thinking of buying a Sentra over the Solara, I must warn you that the two suspension systems are like night and day. The Solara's was a bit too soft for my tastes, but Lexus drivers would say that the Sentra SE rides like a pickup truck. Personally, I like to know when the road is bad, so that I can adjust my driving. The Solara will disguise bad roads so well, until you finally need another front end alignment. The Sentra will slap you in the face as soon as the road gets bad, which is the way I like my cars - very, very, tight. I doubt if there is another driver out there who would choose a Sentra SE over a base Solara, but it fits my needs very well.
So, Toyota! How about a 2.5 liter VVTI with a true sport suspension on the next Solara? It sounds like my dream car, and I'm sure that a whole new group of buyers would be attracted.
VVTi sounds great, but there's a huge flaw...there are two torque and power curves, one peak occuring at lower rpms, around 3000, and the other at peak rpm, but after 3000rpm, the power and torque drops until 4000rpm and rises again. This "rerouting" of power is great for every day driving, but really slows down 1/4 mile and 0-60 times. that's why the solara v6 can whoop the celica GTS and IS300.
It's great to have different opinions and compare the Solara to other cars of the SAME class.
No point in comparing apples to oranges...
LOL... I just finished adding all my old PLACEMARKS to my Netscape Communicator bookmarks. I have NO clue if this will function like the beloved Placemarks, but I guess I'll find out soon as new messages are posted. I was just going to go to the Talk to the Hosts section and ask the same question.
BTW- does it seem to take a long time for a page to load? I have DSL and it seems really slow here.
fastdriver
Yes, if you can find the Talk to the Host topic, that's a good place to get up to the minute answers!
Host
Please ignore this fool and do not waste your time by responding.
What's up?
The Subscriptions is a reasonable Placemark idea, I guess; about the only thing missing is a "flag" to indicate something new has been posted since you last read through messages...unless I'm missing something--- in other words, I have subscribed to all my favorite topics-- similar to placemarks-- but there is no indicator when new messages have been posted since I last read through a topic. am i nuts?
Well, the dealer has just replaced my front strut towers - a warranty issue that may require a recall, according to the service writer. It is not a big problem, but the holes are just a little oversize, so there was a little "clunk" once in a while when going over bumps. Now, that is gone completely. Also - they had said that my struts were leaking a little, and had replaced those a few weeks ago.
The car seems to ride even better and more solid now - it is really a pleasure. Also- they have ALMOST eliminated the left pull, it is just a slight drift now, and easy to ignore. Hooray! This time the dealer and service manager will get GOOD marks on the review!
So - If you get a little "clunk" in the front end once in a while, talk to your dealer about replacing the strut towers.
They stated the window regulator was loose.
I wish Town Hall would switch back to the old style, this one doesn't work as well
I also hope that everyone comes back to play.
PS - Has anyone done the 30K mile
Neil
'99 SLE
Red\Gray
27400 miles
FYI - If anyone is interested in factory chrome wheels then give this link a try http://www.4chromewheels.com/ . It will run about $600 and you have to send your old set back to them. I have not seen the wheels in person nor have I dealt with these people so I can't back their product. But I am interested in them. If anyone has dealt with this company please post your experience?
99 silver SE
Number 1: I am not the best stick driver yet. I am good, but not great. So my engine is a bit loud now. So I think it could just be my driving ability or the cold weather or the fact that I am breaking in the engine.
Number 2 : My passage door needs to be slammed shut in order to close properly.
Number 3: My brake peel use to make a squeaky noise. but not any more. I was wondering if anyone else's did and if it may come back.
Number 4: I have to really press on my clutch to start my car. I am talking really far down to the metal.
Are these things normal. I can live with them, except for the passage door.
Other than that, I love this car. I have been Eyeing it since it first came out in 1999. My next step is to tint the windows. I still have paper tags on it. I don't want real tags yet, because here in Maryland, I will need to have real tags on the front and back bumper. Now that I have paper tags, it is only on the back. I think all cars look better without the stupid tag on the front. But oh well. Love this car.
Hotan - Welcome to the Solara forum! You have made a great choice. Maybe we can help with your questions -
1. Loud Engine - Maybe you are letting it rev too high before you shift. Get an experienced stick driver to show you. While you are breaking it in, it is good to keep at 2500-3000 or less rpm's at all times.
2. Passenger Door - Some have found that the window glass is a little too high, preventing the door from closing easily. See #386 above. It is easily adjusted by the dealer.
3. Brake Pedal Squeaking - Do you mean the pedal, or the brakes themselves? Disc brakes can squeak from time to time if they get dirty, it is no big deal, and usually goes away.
4. Clutch - Do you also have to press the clutch all the way to shift? Get the dealer to look at it - see if the cluch is adjusted properly. Meanwhile, start the car in Neutral.
Enjoy!
The quality (or lack there of) issue in the Toyota is significant. Toyota's hallmark has been long-term reliability. I believe this is NOT the case now. It may well be a myth perpetuated by Toyota. Owners are likely to have false hope based on this myth.
Did you know that some owners are experiencing sludge in the engine and being denied warranty claims? Did you know that these same owners are paying $5,000-8,000 for new engines? Did you know that some 2000 Sienna owners are having torque converter replacements within the first few hundred miles of driving? Did you know that others have had total transmission failures after after a few thousand miles? Did you know that there are other problems common to this vehicle? Have you had:
1) Persistent drifting/pulling to the left or the right
2) Uneven wear of tires with need for early replacement
3) Premature brake component wear, including rear brake drums
4) Power steering problems, including inner tie rod or total rack and pinion replacement
5) Vibrations, esp. at speeds above 50 MPH
6) Premature transmission problems or failure
7) Torque converter replacement, sometimes just after delivery
8) Sliding door latch problems with sticking and difficulty opening
9) Oil sludge in the engine related to a contaminated system
IF you have experienced these problems, please write to the following agencies and file a report detailing your case. THEN, network with others by visiting sites where owners post experiences.
U.S. Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Defects Investigations
NSA-10.01
400 7th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20590
1-800-424-9393
1-888-327-4236
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
Center for Auto Safety
1825 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 330
Washington, D.C. 20009-5708
http://www.autosafety.org
The Complaint Station--click "T", then "Toyota"
http://www.thecomplaintstation.com
Car Trackers Discussion Forum
http://www.cartrackers.com
Phil Edmonston's Lemon-Aid Car Guides
http://www.lemonaidcars.com
Also, use the USENET groups:
alt.autos.toyota
alt.autos.toyota.camry
Charlene Blake
cblake@erols.com
Answer 1-9 - NO
Neil
'99 Solara SLE
Red\Gray
27,400 miles
Alex
Thanks!
Sludge is directly related to the way the owner drives and maintains the vehicle, and is not, repeat, not the fault of the manufacturer.
Do some research on oil changes and how driving habits affect engine life expectancy before plastering these obsessive/compulsive postings in every Toyota topic in the Town Hall!
I have an '01 Solara SE V6 with cloth seats. Car has been great, but the cloth seats are serious lint magnets. I have found that tape style pet hair removers will work, but at the store the other day I saw some anti-static spray for clothing and was wondering if anyone had ever tried this? I don't think it would hurt the seat material any because it is made for clothing and maybe it would help keep the lint from sticking so bad.
Anyone else have any other suggestions for lint removal/prevention on the cloth seats? Thanks
On any new manual transmission car I am pretty sure you will have to push the clutch in fully for it to start. The clutch pedal has a safety switch that will not allow the starter to operate if the clutch is not fully depressed. I do not know for sure if putting the car in neutral will defeat this feature or not, but I think its a good habit to fully press in the clutch in any manual transmission car anytime you start it (ask the wall at my parents house that I tapped one morning when I wasn't in neutral, LOL).