Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Some minor points: I think I've turned the windshield wipers on every time I go to set the cruise, bad planning on Toyota's part, guess I will get used to it; No heated leather seats, brrrr, got an appointment tomorrow to get heated seats put in, at this price point heated seats should be included; why does the memory on the cruise erase when I drop below a certain speed, just a toyota idiosyncrasy; Why do car makers insist on a spoiler for these cars, they look seeker without it.
Toyota should steal a few ideas from Honda like, cruise and volume controls on the steering wheel, heated seats, and 6 disk in dash CD player.
the ITS feature is where you program Individual Track Selections-- so you only listen to the tracks you like-- and once you program these tracks, they're memorized-- so you don't have to re-program them each time you play the cd.
i'd rather install a 6 or 12 disc cd changer in the trunk-- FM modulated--- and be able to put in a Beatles CD, and it automatically doesn't play any George Harrison sitar tunes like Within You Without Me from Sgt. Pepper.
with the dealer's 6 disc in dash cd, i imagine you gotta press a button to skip any tracks you don't care for. after awhile that can be tedious.
i bought the new paul simon CD-- there's only 3 decent tunes on it (paul ain't paul since he lost the toupee and started wearing the baseball cap)...but now whenever I play it, it automatically starts with Pigs Sheeps and Wolves, track 9)-- i don't have to hit the "forward" button 8 times. i'm feelin groovy, you bet.
now i know 2 things you're saying:
1) fm modulated don't sound as crystalline as actual digital cd--- my response: true-- but it's close enough -- what with tire noise and wind noise, you're not in a concert hall to begin with.
2) cd changers take up space in the trunk-- my response: also true, so i suppose if you use every cubic foot in your trunk alot, then it's a negative. i should take a pic of my solara trunk with the 12 disc cd changer and post it-- you'll see it don't take up much room. so I have the JBL single CD for that "crystalline" sound-- plus 12 discs in the changer for that shuffle play, playing only those tracks i like.
all i'm saying is- honda accord EX's have the 6 disk in dash changer-- i say BIG WOW--- spend $220 for a pioneer 12 disk cd changer with wireless remote and the ITS feature, and you'll never have to manually skip over Yoko Ono tunes again. when you sell or trade in the car, just take it out and put it in your new one (my pioneer is in its 2nd car). simple. am i nuts?
Davide
Thanks, 99 SLE, DWP w/32K flawless miles
as a solara owner, i have no knowledge of any past history related to wheel hubs coming off the car. perhaps others will reply also.
glad to hear only minor injuries.
read a re-enactment in a car magazine where they
did a complete blowout of the Firestone tires with
a device that let the air out pretty much instantly....they did this at 30 and up to 60 or 70 mph and never once lost control of the vehicle. In fact, at the lower speeds, the driver even let go of the steering wheel to demonstrate how easy it was to keep the car going straight during the blowout...I forget whether he did any braking, but I think they also did that and did not find any problems....
As for my question, it's a general one concerning driving in winter conditions....how long should a new car be warmed up before you drive it?
Oh, another small question...what's the use of having the overdrive on or off?
When I was shopping around, I was once told by a Toyota salesman (rather inexperienced and new) that the Solara had this feature (can't remember exactly) where some of the oil was kept in a reservoir or something near the top of the engine so that when the car was started the oil from that reservoir would make spreading of the oil throughout the engine faster and therefore less wear and tear? I have yet to read this anywhere in the brochures, the websites, or the manual.
Was this salesman wrong (not like it matters to me really since I'd still have bought the Solara, but just like to know everything about my car).
Thnx.
thanks
when i get my real tags, i will have them look at my door to adjust it so i don't have to slam it shut. I love this car.
cunnr- I haven't tried it with my solara yet, but on other cars you can lock your door by holding the inside handle out and pressing the locking button at the same time. try that. I will try it too after work.
The investigator never went to the scene of the accident to check skid marks, and is unaware that we have pictures. He told the storage yard owner what he was going to put in the report, it sounded more like he was trying to appease Toyota. Don't know that it does them any favors.
As for not hitting the brakes, my daughter never knew what happened until it was all over. She crawled out of the car asking, "Why did my car do that? Why did that happen?" It was the witnesses that told her what had happened. She just knew that the car went into a skid for no apparent reason. In those circumstances, I think anyone's first reaction would be to slow down the car (and she was doing 70 mph, the legal speed limit for the NCarolina hwy.)
00 black SE V6
Another issue has arisen that I would like people's opinion on. I bought my 2000 Solara SLE as a demo with approx 6000 miles. I have since put another 10k miles on the car without problem. During the last routine service call at the selling dealership, I learned that the car had been involved in a minor accident at around 2500 miles (an insurance claim # printed on the service receipt and I followed up with a few questions). As a result of the accident, the left rear wheel was replaced and the associated quarter panel and wheel housing panel was replaced. The repair bill was approx $800. The repair work was done at the same dealer that sold me the car. However, the car was sold to me as a new car (for $23,700; list price was $29,700)and titled as a new car, and I am sure the salesman told me (in response to my question) that the car had never been involved in an accident. But given the volume of cars this dealer sells, I am not sure if each salesman knows the history of each car. Anyone have thoughts on this. I have spoken with the dealer about the facts but have not pushed the issue so far. The dealer initially thought the work was only a "bumper job" but the facts now show a little more than that (but probably not much more). I can't find anything wrong with the car (it even drives straight with no pulling). The repair work seems well done (they even redid the corresion protection). I suppose the resale value of the car might be affected but I plan on driving the car for many years to come. In summary it appears to be an honest mistake and I don't think there was any intentional coverup by the dealer. What do y'all think? Thanks again.
Next, you may have a legal issue here. There are damage disclosure laws that may have been broken. This varies by state but I think in VA it is if the damage is more than 2% of MSRP, we are required to have a customer sign a damage disclosure statement. If this has not been done the car is a "full recourse" which means we would have to refund the entire purchase price at any time the customer wanted it. Even 10 years down the road you would be entitled to your original purchase price.
As I said, this varies by state so see an attorney. The $800 might now have exceeded the limits in your state for legal disclosure in which case you are out of luck.
Hotan
With any good remote starter, there's no need to point the remote at the car--it works on radio frequency (like car radios) not infrared (like a tv remote). The one we bought also has a remote entry feature, so when you start the car, it automatically locks the doors. This is not really necessary to prevent theft, which I'll explain later. Then when you go out to the car, you push the Unlock button on the remote and get into your warm (or cool) car.
The starter has a timer in it that will turn the engine off after 15 minutes of running so you don't accidentally run it out of gas.
Here's the anti-theft feature that I referred to above: if you depress the brake pedal before inserting the key into the ignition and turning to the ON position, the remote starter will kill the engine. The thought here is that you have to depress the brake pedal to shift out of Park, so you can't drive it away without having the key.
And some have a starter saver feature so that if you hop in the running car and try to start the engine, it will keep the starter from grinding.
And here's a funny story just to tie it all together. Mom-in-law used the remote starter to warm up her car, but when she went to get in it, the remote's batteries had died. Naturally she was concerned because she thought the car would run out of gas (she didn't know about the 15-minute limit) before AAA could get there to open the car. She went back into the house to call one of her daughters, who responded, "Why don't you just use the key?"
Latest Solara problem...
Now to add to my growing list of complaints, I have an annoying squeek from the rear wheels when going over small bumps, or entering parking lots at slow speeds! New shocks, maybe? Maybe a lube job. I am up to 19,000 miles, and this car is staring to remind me of my last car, the 1997 Dodge Avenger, probably Americas worst car next to Ford Pinto. I am very unimpressed by Toyota quality, as it seems to be the same as every other car. Maybe their statistics are good, on paper, and I got a lemon. Perhaps I am too picky. I am not one to be trapped by the marketing confines of "brand identification" and will probably not spend another 25 grand, cash, on a Toyota again. All it got me is numerous unresolved trips to the service department, feeling of anxiety when being explained how to answer (told how to answer)the CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY.
1) Third battery in 9 months replaced by dealer.
2) Too many chips on hood to count (poor paint quality).
3) Pulled to left until 3 wheel alignments, and rotations, gave an acceptable ride at highway speeds.
4) Passenger seat squeeks at high speeds, even after repairing a loose clamp, or whatever it was, and having every passenger say,"Hey, your seat is broken!"
4) Drivers seat moves back when accelerating from stop to start.
5) Coin box is mis-aligned.
6) Paint peeled on muffler first week.
7) Ignition is starting to stick, but not bad.
8) Rough trans shifting and dimming lght problem, still unresolved.
9) Strange vibration in drivers seat when driving on wet roads, making noise, or strange vibration when driving at constant speeds.
10) Horrific shudder in dash when front wheels spin on wet roads.
11) Lack of alloy spare, and Toyotas lack of willingness to provide one, as mentioned in the sales brochure.
Don't get me wrong, I still like my Solara, but am not so impressed as many others seem to be. If I had to say what car I had that never gave me any problems, it would be, and don't laugh, but my 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier. I drove it 55k, and then the A/C condensor went bad. That was it! It cost 1/2 of what Solara cost, but never a problem, let alone, bad, chipped paint, and rough shifting.
What is oxygenated fuel? I.e why and beyond the obvious meaning of the word.
Do they go back to "regular fuel" after the winter?