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2004 Toyota Solara
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Comments
I would not want a 6 year old Solara any way, warranty or no warranty.
The car is overstyled and will look extremely dated in 5 or 6 years.
Enjoy it while it is new and move on to something else in a few years.
There are conflicting reports as to whether Lexus' "fix" (they don't call it a fix because they don't consider it a problem, and they do the software fix with an amazing quantum of disclaimers) is effective. I will hold off on a purchase for a few months until what I consider a problem gets sorted out -- or buy from another manufacturer. Jeff
I don't want to get into a car that will start having problems from new. I have found out more info here about the "goods and bads" from you people. Just want to know, so lets hear you new Solara owners SOUNDOFF!!!! Thanks and keep talkin'
The surveys are only for the people who give their approval ratings to the president of the USA. They are people nobody knows.
It is amost impossible to find an impartial form of media about anything, sucj as cars. The biggest names in auto reportin g are sponsered by auto makers, like Edmunds is sponsered by Toyota/Lexus.
After I got the car, I heard about the problem with the 5 speed Auto transmission. I am really concern so I have been testing the car (it is my wife's car) for the last few weeks. Here are what I found.
1. Going up hill, the transmission is kind of slow to shift to 4th when I need to pass (I may got used to my MBZ E320). I have step on it then it moves quick. Just a hair of delay. The best is to use manual shift when you go up the hill (not stop and go). This way I can shift up and down between 4th and 5th gear. It get much better response.
2. City driving up to 50 mph. It seems pretty good.
3. For highway driving (60-75 mph), it works pretty well. I feel a little delay when I need to speed up. However, I don't think it is that bad.
Overall driving, I don't see a problem. The only time I don't like this tiny bit of delay when I try to race someone (bad bad boy...not recommend). I feel the car is not quick enough. BTW, a G35 coupe beat me on I80 the other day. He was very quick. And remember, the Solara is not a sport car. The G35 is a 4-seat Z.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks
It's Absolutely Red, with gray leather trim.
We have some winter wheels (Buffalo area) and bodyside moldings, none from the factory on the '04 ,ordered .
It's not big or clever to hurl insults and point fingers. Quit focusing on each other and turn back to the '04 Solara. Further posts along this line of conversation will be deleted and put this discussion at risk of closure. Thank you.
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Does anyone know if you can order the body kit separately and have the dealer or someone put it on? I think the car looks alot better with the kit and it's a shame that Toyota didn't make it an option across the model range.
Thanks.
The 2001 handling sucked but I loved the car otherwise. Does anyone know if the handling they claim to be improved is in fact better?
Also noting from description they have added heated seats and remote trunk release.....good additions.
; )
Mackabee
I got my 04 SE V6 Sport with AT, Sunroof, wheel lock, floor mats for 22,900. It took less than 10 minutes to make a deal over the phone, 1 hour to do all paperwork and received the car at the dealer. I drove it home right away. This was back in August when no body have them. I see a whole bunch of them now at local dealerships with 1.9% financing. Good luck. It is your call and your time (to wait)....
I'm very surprised to hear about this 5-speed automatic transmission concern. After a month of driving, I have experienced no form of hesitation. I find the transmission to be very responsive to my throttle inputs, and the manual mode to be great for increased acceleration or deceleration.
Interestingly, my father owns a 2004 Sienna with the same engine and (I think) same 5-speed transmission. He told me that at times he feels a hestitation, and when I rode with him, he kept pointing out a half-second delay in shifting when he would mash the throttle. I found it just to be normal downshifting, and nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly not a safety concern. He mentioned it to his Toyota dealership, and they advised him the condition is normal, but they would inform him of any future updates. I guess it boils down to what feels like a hestitation to him, is interpreted as a 5th to 3rd or 4th to 2nd downshift to me. Again, all a matter of perception.
Matching bodyside moldings, phone and radar dectector going in over the weekend.
: )
Mackabee
"If the manufacturer or dealer cannot fix the vehicle to conform to the warranty within a "reasonable" number of repair attempts, then the manufacturer must replace the vehicle or reimburse the buyer or lessee for its purchase price, whichever the consumer prefers (less a mileage offset for the consumer's use of the vehicle prior to the first repair attempt), subject in certain cases to arbitration that the consumer may or may not accept.
The Lemon Law uses a presumption as a guideline for determining whether a "reasonable" number of repair attempts have been made on a new vehicle. In order for the buyer or lessee to use the Lemon Law presumption, all of the following must be true:
The vehicle must be one that qualifies as a "new motor vehicle" as described above.
The vehicle's problems must be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.
The problem(s) must occur within the first 18 months of delivery or 18,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first.
The problem(s) must substantially reduce the use, value, or safety of the vehicle to the buyer.
The problem(s) are not caused by abuse of the vehicle.
The manufacturer has not fixed the problem(s) after four or more attempts or the vehicle's problem(s) could cause death or serious bodily injury if driven and the manufacturer or dealer has made at least two unsuccessful repairs attempts; or the vehicle has been in the shop for more than 30 days (not necessarily in a row) for repair of any problem(s) covered by its factory warranty and if the warranty or owner's manual requires you to do so, that you have notified the manufacturer about your problems. (Best done in writing.)
If all of these criteria are met, the Lemon Law "presumes" during the first 18 months/18,000 miles (whichever comes first) that the buyer or lessee is entitled to a replacement vehicle or a refund. However, a replacement or refund may not be automatic since the manufacturer is entitled to prove that no problem exists, that a reasonable number of repair attempts have not been made, or that the problem does not substantially impair the vehicle's use, value or safety. This is predicated upon the consumer's decision to utilize the manufacturer's arbitration program, which they are not required to do unless they decide to pursue the "presumption" rule.
Even if the vehicle does not fit the 18 month/18,000 mile "presumption" criteria, consumers may still be entitled to a buy back if the vehicle has been subject to a reasonable number of repair attempts ANY TIME during the entire New Vehicle Limited Warranty period, which is typically 3 years/36,000 miles, or 4 years/50,000 miles, depending on the manufacturer.
Note that if the manufacturer of the vehicle offers a certified arbitration program, the buyer or lessee must utilize the arbitration program only if they wish to use the "presumption" rule, which is in effect only during the first 18 months/18,000 miles of purchase/lease date. After that date (and during the entire period of the balance of the manufacturer's New Vehicle Limited Warranty period), there is no requirement that a consumer must utilize arbitration, so a consumer may directly contact a Lemon Law attorney if they wish. If the consumer wants to use a Lemon Law attorney during the first 18 months/18,000 mile of purchase/lease of the vehicle, they may also do so if they wish, if their vehicle meets the requirements of the Lemon Law.
Note: Consumers must be aware that 3 potential decisions are awarded as a result of a arbitration hearing. 1. Repurchase or replacement of vehicle; 2. Denial of request for repurchase or replacement of vehicle; 3. Repair decision "award", allowing the manufacturer another attempt to repair the vehicle. The automobile manufacturer may also try to "settle" the consumers case by offering "solutions" such as a free Service Contract, refunded payments, "next vehicle" discount coupons or other offers to avoid the arbitration (whether before or during the Arbitration). Consumers should know that arbitration is not publicly funded by any state or governmental agency, but rather by contributions made by the automobile manufacturers.
Consumers must also be aware that though the arbitrator's decision is not binding on the consumer, that any documents, audio recordings, statements by any/all parties, the consumers decision to reject a repair attempt decisions, etc., can be used by the automobile manufacturer against the consumer in a later civil court action. "
I would say if you put a little sugar on your car, you could make lemon-aid!
The light colored wheel looks pretty plain. It would look better with some wood trim to match the dash board.
1. Ride: Smooth, relax but never floating. The suspension is firmmer than Camry and similar to Accord sedan. It's not as sporty as BMW nor Nissan G35. Road imperfection will not upset the passenger but clearly feel what is going on underneat. It rides more like Lexus ES300 with Adaptive suspension at sport mode.
2. Drive: maneuverability is good but not great. Body lean is obvious but never a threat. Steering wheel is quicker than Camry and on par with Camry. The weight toward the light side but not yet like traditional american sedan. I will rate it at the middle. It's better than the previous Solara which is very similar to the Camry. The steering wheel is also improved.
3. Noise: hardly heard any noise in the cabin. Neither wind nor road noise. Low groan from the engine when press hard. The ambient is very like the one in Lexas.
4. Material: first rated and on par of Lexus. My friend sat in the car and mistakenly think is Lexus. Another friend owned a 2003 Lexus ES300 praised the material is like lexus in stead of Toyota. The back of the seat is Synthetic leather but has very good texture on touch and thick. Surface wraped is natural leather. Only thing show non-luxury brand is the head liner. It is the same as in Camry/Accord with thin padding unnlike in Premium brands who use leather or thick padding texture one.
Engine: Quiet, smooth but potent. Low end acceleration is less than I like. After 20mph the speed came up fast with strong pull. The AT works great and smooth. I can sense the gear change between 1 and 2 but not bad at all as the old Honda and Mazda 4 speed. I will report how it works when passing 1000 miles.
Extrior: Everyone laid eyes on it liked it. It looks very sporty and sexy. The cosmic Blue metallic I have is a very soft color and pleasant to eyes. This is the point triggered my wife to choose it over Accord Coup.
Overall, we are satisfied with car in every category including the price. Too bad we couldn't get some luxury options like Xenon Head light, swirl head light, or Adaptive suspension. Or open all windows by pressing keypad. But for 26K+, it provides features better than we expect for this price.
The wheels are 16 6.5, sparkle silver finish, with Toyota center caps. Price was $350 the set of 4, delivered, no tax, plus $26 for chrome lug nuts & valve stems.
Anyone interested can find them by typing "Toyota Solara Wheels" in the E-Bay search engine
First, congrats on getting your order through for the base V6. I believe I've read the same thing about other cars before so it's not exactly uncommon. The G35 for example, if you ordered a cloth version or a non sunroof version I believe some people had to wait a little longer than people who wanted cars with more options. This must be the case with the Solara, and that they don't plan to make a lot of base V6 cars so only occasionally will they make any, and when they do they make them all at once then it could be months before they get around to making more.
Some Accords are in fact built in Japan. I'm not sure if the coupe version is but the sedan can be made in Japan. It can also be made in Mexico. So they have 3 different locations making US Accords. Again this is for the sedan, not entirely sure how the coupe works. Also not sure if the Japanese built Accords are like some of the Japanese built Corollas I've seen. The sticker says a lot of parts are from the US, so I'm thinking they're shipping parts from the US to Japan and then they're put together there?? Maybe a Toyota dealer in here can explain this, not sure if all those parts are made in Japan.
If you're not aware, there's a lot of talk about rust problems in NA built Mazda6's right now. Apparently something went wrong at the Flat Rock plant and some Mazdas are having premature rust, coming from the inside out. Even 2004 Mazda6's still in the plastic are having the rust on them as well. So far no one from another country with the Japan built versions have reported the same rust problem, so it may be exclusive to the NA ones. I just noticed your comment about Japan built cars so decided to throw that in.
And as far as the G35 coupe is concerned. The tires are very expensive to replace, especially the 18" versions. Both the 17" and 18" have bigger tires in the back (like the Corvette I think) so you can't rotate them, which combined to the low tire life of these sporty tires leads to shorter tire life. Unless you have some extra money to play with I would stay away from the coupe version of the G35 for this reason alone. I only say that because I don't have a lot of money, people who buy these cars probably have the money to replace them so for most potential buyers it's not an issue.
With all that said, I think a base V6 Solara is a good deal and you could definetly do worse. I think if you want a coupe and money is an issue I would go with the Solara or Accord coupe. Test drive them both and go with the one you like. Good luck with your purchase!
Oddly enough, almost their entire line-up is built in Japan. The Protege, future Mazda3, MPV, RX-8, and Miata are all built in Japan.
I think Honda is getting some from Japan because they wanted to free up space in Ohio for another model. Toyota must have plenty of space for the Camry's and Solara's so no need to go to Japan for help. I believe the same applies to the Corolla. More demand and not enough space so some Corolla's are being built in Japan.
I have visited the factory of joint of GM and Toyota in Fremont, CA. They use same process and QC procedures as other Toyota factories all over the world. They collect the defective rate and problem, and have sent engineers from Japan to investigate the unusal high defective rate. So initial quality should be the same no matter from which site.
Honda start to built their cars in US later than Toyota. For satisfying the demand, they have to use their oversea facilities to build more to meet. Now, they have two different platforms for North America and Asia/Europ markets. I wonder how can they build two platform on the same line with almost no re-schedule and planing time for the change. That is the reason why they can't increase the volumn for the Odyssey/MDX/Pilot in the past 3-4 years. So I don't believe Honda really built NA version in Japan and ship them here. I bet they ship more parts from there to US for unexpected shortage of parts or sudden high order from dealers. Remember, none of the manufacturer can change the assembly line in days. It usually take 3-6 months minimum for that change. Dealers just try to make you believe the car from Japan by the sticker actually imply more parts were made in Japan not built there.
Also the Honda Inspire is very similar to the US Accord, so it wouldn't be that difficult to build US Accords in Japan. Also a recent article said the Toyota Prius hybrid is being built on the same line as 4 other mass-produced sedans in Japan. Before it needed it's own line to itself. Compare to the Honda Insight which the article says is pratically being hand-built. The Prius is also being cranked out 1 every minute compared to before when it took 1 every 8-10 minutes.
Also here is a little info on the Mazda Hofu, Japan plant.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.arcview.php3?clid=18&id=- 86363&usrsess=1
"Mazda’s Hofu plant is the first car-assembly plant in the world to feature a mixed body-assembly line, which means that many different models can be assembled at the same time without interruption of the production line.
This system enables mixed production of up to 12 different models in variable volumes. It can cope with model changes, addition of new models and fluctuations in volumes without making substantial changes to the facility, ensuring consistent product quality, reduced costs and also minimal preparation time required for mass production.
In addition, the body-assembly shop features 700 robots offering 100 per cent automated spot welding."
Also I don't have the article anymore, but I read one where the Ohio Honda plant would have a lot of upgrades done within the next year. Not necessarily new techniques to increase output, but they were adding equipment and raising the quality bar for the cars built there. Even though I don't think the article mentioned it, one can only assume the Japanese factories already have these techniques and equipment in place.
I have no problem buying a car built in NA. In fact I'm considering buying a Korean car as my next car. Where a car is built is not a deal breaker for me, but I think we can agree that all factories are not created equal. Some have better equipment, some have machines doing jobs that humans do in others, etc.
By reading that article on the Mazda plant, where would you rather have your Mazda built if you were buying one? From the high-tech Japanese plant or the one from the Philippines? Not to say that the Philippines plant is all bad, but quality control may be better from the Japanese plant.