2004 Toyota Solara

scottdude

I think the Solara is indeed a hot car, but I also think there is a lot of competition out there. I'm still deciding if I want a Solara, Altima or Mazda 6. (I've crossed the Accord coupe off my list.) Although I like the Solara's looks, I think having four doors might be better for me in the long run.

If it's true that coupes are not as popular as sedans, I'm skeptical that the Solara will be a huge hit. I predict that it will probably sell just as well as the old Solara.

webguyster

Not trying to accomplish anyhthing, other than helping people not get burned by creepy car salesmen! MSRP on a car! LOL Good for the salesman, but not the customer!

Wait a few weeks, shop the other local dealers if there are any in your area, send a few emails to to the internet salesmen at local dealers. Also remember many dealers or salesmen need to make a monthly quotas, personal and corporate, and are more likely to budge on the price at the end of the month, maybe the last day of the month. Beware of lowering the price of the car and jacking up your interest rate if you finance. I recommend not playing the salesman goes to his manager game, repeatedly, and come out paired,and try to make you make an un wise buying choice. Never answer a question like "How much do you want to spend?" So if you find a dealer or a salesman that doesnt do high volume, at the end of the month your phone will ring, and it will be the salesman making you a better offer. When you get your new car for less, if you didn't get it from the salesman that so politely told you "what you see is what you get" pricing, stop by and show him your new car, and send his manager, area manager, Toyota Torrance CA., a letter of your experience with the salesman and the dealership. Remember Toyota wants you to be COMPLETELY SATISFIED! Good luck!

Many people do not know how auto sales works, so I help this helps them! God Bless!

sazaman1

Could not resist to pitch in my 0.02

All potential buyers, You cannot go wrong following Webguyster's advice.

If some car has to wait for the Media blitz one month after it has been introduced, very unlikely it will sell like a hot cake!!!

nabeelw2

I dont get it, XM radio announces that they are a dealer installed option for the Solara but it will cost you $500 plus labor? How is that any better than buying and installing a Sony XM radio for half that price?

nabeelw2

I took another test drive on the 04 Solara. Perfect balance between performance and luxury. The sunroof DOES have an auto open switch.
The passenger seat needs to be able to slide forward by the mechanical lever in the back so a rear passenger can easily get in and out of the vehicle. My only gripe so far is the bogus XM Radio Ready claim.

tscull

has anyone seen the oceanus blue color? in my area
all that is coming through is silver[central ny]

mackabee

Since you know so much about the car business. Educate us folks on how it works. I really like to hear your version of it.
              ; )
              Mackabee

randyr52

Hey, Mackabee

Could you shed some light on the XM Radio setup in the Solara? I have one ordered, but my understanding is that the service is ready to go at delivery. Is this correct? Or what's up with this stuff????

webguyster

or you tell us, since your in the biz.

snakerbill

The only way to punish these crumb balls is to not give them your money. That is what I am going to do. Off to the Acura store. Screw Toyota.

jchan2

have fun in your new Acura CL! (or RSX, but who knows what you're buying?!"

webguyster

LOL! Good luck at Acura! They are the reason I bought a Toyota! It was a HOT day, and I could not get a saleman to come out to the lot, although I called them from my mobile phone while in the lot, looking at what they had in stock! Toyota has my business, as long as I live near where I do, because of the local dealers service department, 6 days a week, no appointment, most parts in stock, and seemingly honest employees, now that I have been talkin' to them for the last 3 years.

kgw707

Well, today I got my XM radio installed in my SLE V6, it was a sight to see in the service department, with half of the interior laying around the car. The receiver mounts on the inside right rear quarter behind the trunk lining on the frame. The antenna 'mouse' was mounted on the right rear forward (towards the back window) corner of the trunk exterior, accordind the the template that was supplied with the kit. Looks kind of weird up there, but hey, its 'factory' covered. Took just around 2 hours to do, and activation took about an hour.

emaki

I'm new to thread--hello all.

I saw several '04's (black, silver, red) last week and test drove two. The salesman in one dealership told me I would HAVE to get the optional stability/traction control and side curtain airbags if I wanted an SLE V6--that they are ALL configured that way and that any dealer who says they can get me one without these options is lying. Anyone have any comments about this? Maybe he was trained in the NE region.

Also, most dealers gave me the sticker-price only line, but I don't buy it because Carmax is already discounting the car (I told this to one salesman and he started shouting, hope it wasn't anybody from this thread).

On another note, I rented an '03 Camry sedan recently and was shocked--I thought I was in a Ford Escort. Nothing like the old Camry's. What happened? The salesmen tell me its because I'm used to the higher trim line/V6 but this sounds like nonsense to me.

Truth is, I don't love this car (Solara) enough to pay MSRP, especially with options I don't want, and if it gets too close to 29-30K I think it makes sense to start looking elsewhere (for example at the G35 coupe which I also test drove last week--gorgeous car, much more beautiful than S but pricey loaded and they too don't want to deal) especially with a lot of '03's around. How do people think the depreciation/resale value will be on this car?

I will say I was disappointed that if you get the Nav system (I travel alone a lot and have gotten screwed up with Mapquest) you lose not only the 6 CD changer but also the tape deck. A high price to pay for a $1300 option. Toyota should take a cue from Infiniti which has a beautiful set up with its Nav system--retractable when not in use, you don't lose anything.

Want to say that I'm grateful to those people who come back and say what their car is like after they've had it long enough for the honeymoon to wear off. More helpful than those in the throws of first love.

Kirstie_H

If you want to talk about sales tactics, please visit the Smart Shopper board -- just cruise the topic list for the word "Inconsiderate," and you can JIP the discussion at about message #6500

emaki, I'm sure mackabee can answer some of your questions about options. Remember that depreciation/resale value also depends largely on how long you plan to keep the vehicle. If you only plan to keep it a year or two, I'd bet you'll take a huge hit.

nabeelw2

I'm not sure the GT35 is in the same category as the 2004 by design. It certainly was not in last years model but. The GT35 is perfect for the younger affluent driver in need of some real speed and class. I see the Solara as more for the seasoned driver that may or may not be in/approaching mid life crisis but does not want to show it.

jchan2

how did the Camry feel like an escort? I used to have one and I'd like to know what it was like inside the Camry- as I'm considering an XLE V6 version to replace that Honda Civic. (I'm rethinking with the high gasoline prices.) Also, the Solara does not compete with the G35 since it is not badged under the Lexus nameplate and also does not have some features that the G35 does have. For example, the G35 has looks that portray a young driver who wants a luxury brand and car with great handling but does not have $37K to drop on a BMW 330i. the Solara is for the person who wants a coupe but also wants the horrible dealer experience that comes with Toyota and all their dealers. (toyota West in Columbus OH is a very good dealer. Siennas can be had for no more and no less than retail, which isn't bad considering what people are paying for Siennas on the west coast.)The Solara is also for the person who wants Camry build quality but wants something a little classier and a little bit less boring.

loucopits

The Dayton, Ohio Sunday paper had a Toyota dealer's ad for a 2004 Solara. They had a sticker price of $27,xxx and a discount from sticker of $2,xxx. I did not pay a lot of attention as I am pleased with my 2002 Solara, and have no idea what options the car has. I know that at times the dealer has a lot of low-cost stuff on the car (like gold trim) and can then offer a spectacular discount...

snakerbill

I do not know what ichan2 means about who knows what you are buying. Please explain. What kind of bad experience did you have with an Acura dealer? I have an RSX Base Auto with a bunch of miles on it and I am looking for another car, and another RSX is the best thing I can come up with. The dealer I have is the best dealer I have ever been associated with, and had given me wonderful service and sold me my current car at what he called "tripple net" (l8,900), and I did not have to take anything that I did not want on the car. The same deal can be had on the 04 RSX, and I think the 50,000 warranty is better than what is offered by Toyota. The local Toyota dealers are nothing but a bunch of liers trying to rip off the customer. They have so many hidden charges and junk added to the cars they are trying to sell that I wonder why anyone would want to do business with them. They tried to tell me that Toyota will never make the SE V6 with no added equipment, and I am wasting my time trying to find one with no port or dealer adds. Who wants to do business with such jerks?

mackabee

Are you by any chance in the Southeast Toyota region? In my region Central Atlantic Toyota,50% of the V6 SE were ordered with SR,RF,SZ options and the other 50% with SR,RF,SZ,GY, options. These are all factory options. SR moonroof, RF rear spoiler, SZ convenience package which includes power driver's seat, 17in alloys with 215/55/R17 tires, and JBL 3-IN-1 6 disc in dash changer with cassette. The SLE V6 was ordered in the following fashion; 80% with GY,VS,RF and 20% with GY,VS,RF,NV, which translate to side curtain airbags, vehicle stability control w/traction control, rear spoiler, and navigation system. These are for the month of August order. We'll see what the order is for September next month. Hope this clears things up somewhat.

                  : )
                  Mackabee

alpha01

Just received the very comprehensive and interesting Oct. 2003 issue of Car and Driver, which includes a one page "Short Take" on the Solara SE Sport V6. Awesome! Barry Winfield really seemed to have NOTHING but praise for the vehcile, and the article is bereft of the new model caveat cynacism so popular with the C/D editors.

Their $23,830 tester covered the quarter mile in 15.4 sec. @ 92MPH and ran the 60MPH mark in 6.9 seconds- ON PAR WITH AN ACCORD EX V6 MANUAL (which just attests that torque is JUST AS important as hp). I expected braking to be slightly better, but 188 ft from 70MPH isnt terrible.

Overall, a glowing spread. I want this vehicle.
~alpha

alpha01

I completely lied about the Accord EX V6 thing- I had the numbers and names in my head mixed up and typed too quickly. The new, improved Solara V6/5sp AUTO is quicker than the old Solara V6/5sp MANUAL. Thats what I meant to say. The new Solara V6 is just as quick, but NOT quicker than, the Accord EX V6 auto.

~alpha

jchan2

he, he, he. My local Honda dealer is a bunch of jerks. they say a cargo tray in the back of the Odyssey minivan I test drove two years ago can not be removed. Well, I pulled it out and showed them. They also said that every single Odyssey on their lot has that special "Odyssey preferred equipment package" which includes door guards, mud guards, a dealer sticker and a cargo tray all for the low price of $1,995. When I asked what they do if they trade Odysseys, they say they take off all the equipment and then puts it on the new Odyssey. We said we couldn't afford the $28K almost $29K price and the sales said, how about the LX? We wanted the power doors and the CD player, so we said that we wanted an EX. They lowered their price to $28K. The $29K odyssey they showed us was a 2002 EX cloth model with no options except the dealer installed odyssey preferred equipment package. The Toyota dealer that I went to didn't serve me, so I left. I bought my Odyssey from a small dealer about an hour north of town and got $500 off sticker, which was pretty good at the time. I left the dealer that tried to sell me the odyssey preferred equipment package. The dealer is called Hidy Honda. They tried to sell me the crap on an Odyssey.

mackabee

Sorry to hear about your experience, but shouldn't you have posted that in the Odyssey board?
            ? : )
              Mackabee

toyotatoys

I can see myself already in either a red or desert sand mica '05 Solara. This car is much better in person. Forget about similarities with Tiburon or Sunfire. I'll wait for the next year model because I've had "first year model bugs" in my '01 Sequoia. All covered by warranty, but still a hassle. I'll have to get rid of my '93 Lexus SC 300 for the '05 Solara. I thought the Accord Coupe was good, but the Solara has much sexier lines (IMHO).

snakerbill

The point of my complaint is that I want a SE V6 without adds of any kind. Port, factory, or dealer. This makes the MSRP 21975 dollars incl shipping. You don't get it. Why can I not buy the advertised SE V6? If you are a dealer, can you get a base V6 SE for me?? I thought not.

loucopits

Several months ago I thought I read a brief article that said Toyota would have the ability to build a car to your specific order. You select only the options you want and they build it without all the excess stuff they tend to tack on. GM does this and built my last GM car exactly as I wanted it. I'd like to get another Solara but only with the features that I want.

coolguyky7

Ebay has a 2004 SLE V6 up for bids. There is a good collection of pictures of it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate- gory=6017&item=2430241694#lg

coolguyky7

For those of you with the 2004 SLE, what exactly is the special interior lighting this model has? Color? Placement? etc...

gpolt

For what it's worth, I did see a V6 SE in your region (Baltimore) this evening WITHOUT the SR. Did have the spoiler, power seat, wheels, JBL, and side air bags.

In any event, IMHO the car is very attractive. There are a couple of styling cues that defy logic. I.e. - the front and rear side panels have a gap running along the bottom but the door is solid which therefore breaks the flow of the line. Also, what happened to the rubber strip/guard along the door and side of the car as on the 99-03? The Solara may be the new kid on the block but I don't think that will deter others from still dinging the door on the mall parking lot. Is this an oversight or is it now a cost cutting Toyota option?????

Also am I alone in thinking the 16" alloys look better than the 17s?

jchan2

Thought I'd share it anyways. As I have posted it in the Odyssey board the day after I picked up the Odyssey. Does anyone have a worse dealer experience than that? Anyone from the SE region that drives a Toyota that didn't want ToyoGuard?

mackabee

I am a dealer* and you can get the car without any factory options. The only catch is you may have to wait 3-6 months before you even see the car. And that's provided the factory accepts the order.
                 : )
                 Mackabee

*this is not a solicitation for business. Lest our hosts delete this message. Contact your local dealer.

loucopits

If Toyota now supports a "build to request" option, why would you say 'provided the factory accepts the order'? Why would they not accept it?
My only experience with a GM build to order was easy - we sat at a computer terminal in the dealershop, picked our desired configuration, and 6 weeks later had the car exactly as requested. I'm hoping Toyota will get to the same level in their order/build process.

mackabee

Actually, the "build to order" is projected a year from now. And I'm hoping it does come true. It shouldn't be that hard to do. They way things are done now, someone in manufacturing and marketing decided it was better to build x number of cars with the "most popular" options. That's why if you visit several Toyota dealers you will see most Tacoma Pre-runners for example have BU,CL,PP,OF,WR,LX, as factory options, which stand for bucket seats, cruise control, power package, off-road package, rear sliding window, and SR5 package. BL,V5,DH,CF are port installed options, which are added at the port, these are bedliner, upgrade security system, and carper floor mats, there are more port installed options but for the sake of clarity I won't list them all. So let's say you want a Pre-runner but don't want the power package or the cruise control. You go to your local dealer and ask them to order one for you without these options. At the time of your order all Pre-runners are being built with the options I described. Your dealer would then submit a "special order request" for a truck without the options you don't want. The factory then makes the decision whether to build your truck or not. Keep in mind that they have planned to build x number of trucks with the factory options I just listed so only the parts needed for x number of trucks are going to be delivered to the factory. This is part of the Toyota Production system known as "just in time" production, which eliminates waste and is more efficient. If they do decide to build your truck then they now have to plan a date to build it that will not disrupt the planned schedule they already have. They notify the dealership that the request has been approved and provide a "projected delivery date" usually 90-180 days. In my 7 years plus with my dealership I've personally handled 4 special orders and 3 were approved and 1 rejected. One was for an extended cab tacoma 5spd with a V6 (probably one of the last ones made)which got here 91 days after the order was approved. Another was for a 4runner in the Autumn Bronze color, which I've only seen two of, and the customer got tired of waiting for it and ended up buying a Sunfire red instead. Our F&I director ended up with the special ordered one and to this day still gets "ribbed" due to the color. This one ended up being a 98 vice a 97 and one of the options ordered was no longer offered so we had to make concessions to the customer. The last one I did was rejected (03Matrix) base model with nothing but a cd/cassete combo and abs. Factory said no. I do hope Toyota gets to the point of ordering what you want and delivering in 6 to 8 weeks.
                               : )
                               Mackabee

icangelat03

I had a double bonus with the Solara today. The brochure that I requested finally came, and I stopped in at my local dealer. The dealership had 3 new Solaras. 2 SE Sport V6s (one Red and one Pearl) and a SLE V6 (Red). I was very impressed with the styling of the SE sport. I can't wait to get out and test drive one. However I'm holding out for the (hopeful) convertible release near me at the Chicago Auto Show. Put me down for a SE sport V6 in cosmic blue.

jchan2

I'm getting in line for the SLE 4 cylinder loaded convertible.

jchan2

Oh yeah. Color- Ocean Blue or however you spell that word.

icangelat03

definitely a convertible for me too. Would go with the SLE but I hate leather seats

snakerbill

If Toyota uses the just in time delivery system to the production line, a car with nothing but that which already comes standard could hardly interfere with those cars which have options which must be delivered "on time" as the car I want would already have everything needed to build any car. It seems to me that the whole thing is to sell as many worthless options as possible to people who do not have the time or sense to stand up to Toyotas silly method of doing business. All that crap worked when cars were in short supply but it is not true in this era of overprodduction, and factorys desperate to remain open. Toyota should enter the 21st century and quit trying to screw their customers. In any event 3 to 6 months is much too long to wait to give Toyota my money. It seems these people have no sense, and by the way what is this "port crap" these cars are made in KY. Does Toyota still think they come from Japan. (I wish)

matthewh

Just picked mine up in Monterey yesterday. Beautiful car. The ride is very smooth and quite. Just one comment regarding the manual shift 5 speed auto transmission. I wish that I don't have to move the lever over the left before I can shift up or down. This infact delays a little bit when you suddently need to down shift to pass or going up the hill. May be I need practice. Just got the car yesterday and drove 230 miles so it is still new to me. Any one feel the same way? One thing I have to say about this tranny is that it gives you a feel of a manual transmission (without clutch of course) better than my MBZ E320. With the Benz, I have to watch the rpm and shift on time otherewise it could easily redline the engine.
Thanks,

pzev

I think most car companies when releasing a new model like to add lots of options. The more options a customer buys, the more money the company makes. Since the Solara is all new and could be a hot car Toyota probably feels it's to their advantage to load up most of their first cars with options. In a couple of months I would think that would change and you'll see more cars with less options or no options at all. The SE V6 in my opinion is the best deal of all the trims and I don't blame you for wanting one without any options. If you can wait just give it a couple of months and hopefully a few will show up.

jchan2

I wanna SLE 4 cylinder loaded convertible in dark blue. Tan Leather interior. (In place of Chrysler Sebring LXi convertible)

funpilot

Well, all that is between me and a new Solara is a dealer who is interested in selling it to me at a fair price (MSRP is not my definition of fair). To make it more interesting, I will also order the 2004 Prius loaded ( again at a fair price). I am near Virginia Beach.....

The Solara is for my daughter, the Prius will be for me.

jchan2

OK. The Solara is for your daughter and the Prius is for you. What about your wife? How about a Sienna or a Highlander? The dealer will really deal if you buy a combination of the three or all four. Good Luck!

snakerbill

Hi. Finally, someone who understands what I am trying to buy. I had to go to a small town to find a dealer who would order or preference a car just the way I want, but they said it would probably be a waste of time because Toyota has not accepted this order. You are right the SE V6 with no junk of any kind is the best buy and this rural dealer said that he would give me a discount to invoice as he has several Solaras with all of the junk on them and they have not sold in the three weeks they have been on his lot. He said that most people that have looked at these cars have said that they did not want (in some cases) 2400 dollars worth of useless junk on their cars and he has not sold one of the Solaras he has, even offering a discount. I did not want one of them either. If two months go by and nothing has been done about this order I will go elsewhere. There are too many good cars out there to put up with this kind of crap. It seems that the new Solara is not a hot seller. Good.

snakerbill

You are absolutely right. Not only are the 16 inchers nicer looking, they ride much better and are lighter than the l7's. The tires on the l7's wear out within l8000 to 20000 miles, and it is the dumbest thing I have seen lately. The l7's increase unsprung weight which is a stupid thing to do to any car. The l6's cost a lot less to replace than the 17's, and the quality of the 17 inchers is very poor. They bend and dent at every pot hole. Beware.

mackabee

I'm sorry you feel this way about Toyota. Hey, it's a business and they are in business to make money. That's the great thing about our country, we have plenty of choices. Good luck with your search.
            : )
            Mackabee

P.s. I don't know what region of the country you are in, but we are having no trouble selling these cars. Just wait until the advertising blitz starts!

snakerbill

I live in Texas, and have to deal with Gulf States Toyota which is really silly. Yes, selling cars is a business, but why not sell every car that can be produced? If I want a stripped car why not?? P T was right, and I guess you can say thank God most of them lived, but I am not going to be ripped off. There is no sane reason in the world for Toyota to act in such a manner. Most businesses are run for the convenience of the customer, and it seems that
Toyota views their customers as an inturuption to their work. This arrogant attitude is not going to fly in this depressed economy. These cars are not selling that well in rural Texas. I do not know about the city sales, but with all the discounts on new cars I think Toyota needs to hire a person who understands the American car market. Surely you know that what Toyota is doing is stupid. The fact that one cannot order a car direct from the KY factory is insane on the face of it. No offense, but everything you said about their ordering situation is only you being their appologist. Also, why would such a super hot car need an advertising blitz??? It does not seem hot to me.

webguyster

I hear ya! I was checking out the Scions at the local dealer, and the base model was $14,000. The sticker with added options was $25,000ish, or a loaded Camry, Solara, or a Rav! Wait until you guys see this beauty!

jchan2

What gear did the Scion dealer add to mark it up all the way to $25K? I understand that the only factory option you add is side airbags. And even that costs less than $500. So what was added to make this car have $9,000 in dealer installed accesories?