By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I have just ordered a new Solara SE V6 (5 sp with leather), and while waiting for it to arrive, I have read the prior 650 posts. Although I did my research before choosing the Solara, I have learned a lot about this car from this group as well as the S. Vs. Honda etc group. It was interesting to note that so many were choosing b/w the same cars. For me, the American cars were never an option for reasons that have been laid out here many times before. I also had the A4 (used) in the mix, as the lone four-door. I was looking for a sporty, reliable car that could reasonably fit four on occasion. I loved the Honda's looks at first, but was shocked to find the V6 only mated to an automatic (you should have seen my face!) In the end, I became attached to the idea of a V6, 5 speed was mandatory, I wanted long-term reliability, and couldn't afford the European cars that fit that bill w/o going several years used. The Solara became the logical choice for me. After reading all of part 6 (couldn't access the earlier parts), I have the following questions/comments:
1. Yes, ralph, you are nuts. But seeing as I also bought a 5-speed V6 in fairway green, maybe I'm nuts too.
2. The issue with the clunky struts, which may or may not have a TSB associated with it: Is this still an issue with the later models? Not clear if this was something with the 98-99 years only. At least it's nice to know about in advance so I'll know it if it happens.
3. After reading the story about the alloy spare, I re checked and I can only find the words "full-size spare" in the 2001 brochure. Perhaps they changed the brochure or am I missing it?
4. The dreaded coin box problem! It's almost comforting that this is in the top five of recurring complaints as this will never strand me on my way to work (no tolls!) Is there a separate ash tray? That's what I use currently.
5. The real biggie: The Left Pull. I like to drive with no hands and my eyes closed and this could be a major problem. I liked the "safety feature" theory post too. Seriously, this seems like the most serious issue I'm likely to face. A while back someone mentioned something about the REAR wheels being off-true and this seemed a plausible cause and would appear to be resistant to front-end attempts to correct. Any further insight? Also, is this only a problem on earlier models?
6. Lastly, thank you Evaddave for providing the logical answer to the seat belt light mystery. I was starting to scream at the screen until I got to your post. Right up there with "I keep the windows UP when it rains". Perfect.
Keep up the great work guys (and gals)
dave
I also saw the Peugeot coupe in Eurpope over the summer. In person it is even more gorgeous! Too bad they started to improve the cars AFTER they stopped selling in the US!
Added Wood
Every time I'm in my Solara, I appreciate the few added wood pieces. It REALLY makes a difference. I hated paying for the 60% of the kit you throw away (I mean - wood around the ingnition switch? Give me a break!), but it is really worth it!. I friend visiting from out of town got in and asked if I had a new car, it looked so different from a year ago.
PS
I'm still considering another car to get 4-doors, but whenever I look at and drive my Gorgeous, Comfortable, Quiet, Zaino'd DPWhite Solara, I know it will be hard to give up.
'00 SE 4 cyl. 5-spd./ gold
SE V6, MT, moonroof, sports package w/leather, lojack 1, $23,036 plus fees as you listed.
If your car is comparable, our #'s are similar. $200 is haggle-able and you can usually get them to toss in the Lojack for "free"
I also noticed the drop in price since only last fall - I went back to the dealer with 22-24K in mind for 98-99's and found I could now get a new one for that price. My hope is that they had them overpriced before and corrected accordingly rather than something more sinister.
BTW, this site has great stuff regarding this process - very helpful for first-time new car buyer. Read esp the holdback and invoice info.
hope this helps,
dave
Right now the car is very responsive and the ride is not hard at all. There is a slight difference in the speedometer maybe 2 to 4 miles. I did not feel a change in ABS .I was told that the tires were within the tolarance of the ABS that it will not affect its calibration. Ilove the cars handling, ride and looks.
Lojack is the car retrieval beacon system. If you report the car stolen the police can find the activated signal. The theory is that they can get the car back before significant damage is done to it (else you may not wish to get it back.) They have 5 levels with progressively more bells and whistles. Dealers quoted me a price of $595 for this option, which is what it's listed as "MSRP" on the Lojack site. The fact that there's an MSRP rather than a flat price listed further confirms that the dealers probably pay a lot less than that for it. I have no experience with the key immobilizer system so I went with a belt and suspenders approach.
http://www.lojack.com/foryou/lojack.htm
What are other folks experience/opinion of these two security systems?
thanks, but it seems like most people bought their wood dash from exoticwooddash. Has anyone tried the factory wood dash, or the ones from woodtrim.com and woodcorp.com ? since they have less pieces than the one from exoticwooddash.com, I won't have to throw away that many useless pieces. Do they match better?
thanks
Next, you don't have the luxury of letting thieves keep your car. Most stolen cars are recovered but usually after a couple of weeks. In that time, it is generally not something you want back and you never know where it has been, how it was used or what was in it. In states that have LoJack, recovery times run around 4 to 6 hours in most cases.
If your stolen car is taken by experts with a chop shop, they generally will not take it immediately to the place where it will be dismantled. It is set somewhere to "cool off". This is how thieves determine if a car has LoJack without exposing themselves.
There are GPS based recovery systems available now. They are much more accurate in locating the car. They generally have a start up cost plus an annual fee. LoJack is a one time fee. The GPS systems require coordination between the police and a third party to tell them where the car is.
LoJack isn't the future of stolen car recovery. It is presently the best integrated and least expensive tracking system. Hopefully, GPS systems will supplant the homing beacon but until they are run by the police and costs come down, LoJack is the way to go.
According to the service guy, this one is on Toyota. They did order me a new one, so I'll let you know if it really is free. If it's not free, I won't replace it because it will just break again someday. Eighty dollars for a eight dollar plastic piece of junk is just your typical parts ripoff. I do love my Solara, so a cheap rear cupholder is easy for me to overlook.
I was thinking of banning my kids from the car altogether, but that would be cruel. They like to ride in it too. Thank goodness they are not yet old enough to drive it.
I did a bit of checking on the Peugeot 406- absolutely beautiful! Priced at $41,000 American dollars on their website in the United Kingdom. That stopped me there, so did not check on shipping costs or emission control standards.
I have the JBL Premium 3-in-1 system.
-Dave
'00 SE V6 5spd
Thanks
Hood, Fender and Mirror Kit for $110 and Bumper Kit for $110. I have used the headlight protectors and they also work great. Cheaper than replacing a headlamp assembly. I do not know what the Solara's cost, but a Pathfinder's is $140.
On a different subject, was it you that had the trouble with the alloy spare (or lack thereof?) I'm waiting for my car to be delivered and wanted to know the full story before then - if you don't mind repeating it.
thanks in adavance, and good luck,
dave
'01 V6 5sp SE (someday!)
I don't hear it on the left side so I went to the dealer and asked them to take a listen. Instead the guy simply said that he has to do the same thing on this car (a Rav4) when listening to Stern or anything with low bass. And said I don't hear it on the left side b/c my leg is their. Somehow I don't buy this! I've sat on the other side of the car and still hear the occasional pop on the right but not the left which leads me to beleive one of the speakers on the right are shot.
Any suggestions? Does anyone else experience this (I'm sure someone hear listens to Stern as well)!
Can anyone help?
If what they're quoting you is up to $500 over invoice, I personally think you're doing a good deal (others may say you should only pay $200 over invoice...). Obviously, this depends on the demand for the Solara in your area, but given the factory rebate they're probably not selling them that fast.
Any advice appreciated!