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Comments
10,000 miles and still loving my Red/Silver 2000 SLE
Raymond
(jrsfl@aol.com)
trd81: pose that question on http://www.camryman.org
Cliff1: good to see you are still active on the board. What happened to your "sister from California" known as Dianne? I'll bet Edmunds ran her off!
beantownyankee: You have one less Solara Convertible SLE Red/Camel/Ivory in New York. I purchased mine USED from a dealer, sdubin1212@aol.com, on ebay. This car is great!
I noticed in closely looking at the top while it was closed, that the driver side did not fit behind the weather stripping, but was sitting on top. So, this allowed the wind noise in, but still kept it dry (my car has already been washed more than my previous 4 Runner!).
So, when I close and fasten the top, I grab the outside of the top by the front windshield frame, pull down just a bit while pulling down on the center portion of the top, and presto, slips right into place.
After doing this just twice over the last few days, the top slides into this spot more easily.
To: cooldude1755, I'm outside of Sacramento, CA.. so we don't see much rain past April until November! We had a freak rainstorm at the end of June, but that is a rare occurrence!
Cruising the highways in my Red/Black Ragtop!
Well, I have the commercial downloaded to my machine and have seen it many times and then I noticed something last night when that same commercial was played. It's now a different Solara! I work in the design world and pay very close attention to auto commercials, and it would seem that Toyota has put in place the 2002 or so Solara model.
When watching TV, see if you can spot the new commercial.
thanks,
kamau '99 5sp V6 Twilight Blue 40K+ miles
want to consider adding a 5/8" gold accent stripe to the trim
on the sides of the car. I did on mine and it make a noticeable
difference and just for about $5.00!!!
You might want to check out the 'freshened' 2002 Solara at the Toyota site. They modified the front to look a bit like the Acura CL, and the tail lights have been revised (a very cluttered look IMHO). The interior receives a different woodtone hue with additional applications around the shifter and the steering wheel center is embelished with a silver Toyota emblem.
It also lists heated seats as an option but I don't see them in any package or as a seperate item.
Michael J.
http://users.ev1.net/~gunpilot/intake
The changes in the grille and front and back lights are very minor. Other cars normally receive a more significant face-lift after their first 3 years (e.g. the Passat).
I'm curious to see the 02 Solara on the street to confirm, but I'm actually happy, because based on those photos I don't feel my 2000 is now outdated...
I noticed the better 4 cyl engine, and that the V6 is still the same, i.e. no VVT-i for the V6.
Rob
I would assume the the "new" Camry will also stay at 198-200. Interesting?
The 2002 looks really weird. It almost looks like a Dodge Stratus.
How come MSRP gets less and less each year?
~alpha
Also- In the interior, I see a one additional piece of wood around the shifter. This is very frustrating for me - I had to pop for the FULL add-on wood kit to get this one piece that was not included in the partial kit from exoticwooddash.com. Oh well- it was worth it - the interior looks really great with the added wood.
But this car is soooooo.. boring to drive, it handles terrible, its suspensions are so soft that it leans too much in hard turn, and very unpredictable in high speed turns, The weight distribution is no good , when I drive slow, I feel the front end very heavy, strange enough, at high speed, the front end becomes so light that I feel it wants to fly.
This car is a great car for some drivers, but just not the type for me, I would even drive my 96 Explorer as my daily drive, I am afraid of falling into sleep when I drive this Solara.
I have had it for 2 years, it only has 19K km on it, what a waste of money! I can sell it for 26.5K cnd$, lost 1/3 of the investment.
I am going to buy 89 BMW 325IC, it's a fun car to drive.
jia1 -the suggestion to upgrade your suspension is a good one. You will probably spend a LOT less on the TRD parts than you will in a single year's maintenance on a used BMW. This is a bad step backwards, IMHO. Upgrade the suspension, and you can have handling AND reliability, ABS brakes, and the quiet ride you are now used to. The parts are available at your dealer and other places. Most are just bolt-on.
Actually early E30 Bimmers are not bad in reliability, the cost to buy a 89 Bimmer is only twice or three times as much the cost of just a TRD package.
I don't mean to offense Solara owners by comparing a Solara with a beat-up 89 Bimmer, but I have to admit I made a huge mistake buying this Solara, during the test drive I was totally attracted by it's smoothness, and forgot about the handling factors.
It's just getting a little bit embarrassing, we use it now as a backup car, and seldom drive it, so we expect it to be fun to drive and reliability is not my concern since we drive it less than 5000km a year now.
I think an earlier model BMW 325 convertible suits my need the best, that's why I am selling my Solara.
Good luck!
but there's no need for TRD...you can go with tokico if you want comfort along with good handling. that setup is very comfortable with the stock springs and a little stiff with the trd springs.
and as for the comparison with the es300...those have bilstein struts...my mom's 97 es300 handles better than my solara did when it was stock for non-spirited driving...when you drove it hard, obviously the weight of the es300 made it plow.
Also - the '89 BMW will not only be of doubtful reliability (lotsa miles by now), but you said it is a convertible, yes? The extra weight and less ridgid chassis of a convertible will destroy any potential handling of the series.
I dont think it's the handling - I think it the image you are looking for. Too bad. Most people I know want to avoid that image!
Tell me this. Why can a person upgrade to a 6 disc cd in dash in a Toyota Corrolla, and can't in a "luxury" coupe like the Solara?
Having vented the above (including not being able to put a 5-speed in a SLE), I LOVE this car! I gave up some of the amentities to have the 5-speed, and while there is some regret, I have never driven or ridden in a smoother, nicer car. It is a joy every time I get in it!
2001 SE V-6 Red Flame Metallic 2400 SMOOTH miles so far
http://members9.clubphoto.com/mark392223
We had it at the dealership all day yesterday and they tightened up the left front wheel well liner. When I drove it home, the noise was still there. I will be taking it back next week but wonder if anyone has had this problem so I can advise the service guys as to what the cause might be.
Thanks to anyone who can help.
rsblaski - I hear a leathery squeak from mine occasionally, but nothing from the wheel well area. Do you hear a thumping sound at all when going over bumps?
Has anyone else had this type of problem?
Thanks.
It's been 2-1/2 years for me, with not a single repair.