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http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=598163689&r=0&t=0
Basically my choices are set on either the Sebring Sedan, the Accord Sedan, or the Solara (I know the latter is a 2-door, but I dislike the coupe versions of the Accord and the Sebring).
For the same price as a 4-cylinder Solara SE, I could get an Accord Special Edition V-6 with all the bells and whistles. I could also get a fully loaded Sebring, with a V-6 engine. My question is this: do you think that the Solara is still worth it, considering I'm not getting as much for my money (or so it seems) than the Sebring or Accord? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Like people always told me when I had my 1999 "award-winning Motor Trend Car of the Year" Chrysler 300M, some bad ones are bound to get through. Mine got through alright. I couldn't wait to get rid of before it hit 36,000 miles with NO warranty. Let me just say that no matter how "bad/cheap" you think the Solara is, there are WORSE cars out there in the same price category.
As for the paint- a front bra works wonders if you do a lot of highway driving and want to avoid chips. These new cars with their aerodynamic shapes leave a lot to be desired when it comes to the front hood. I know the bra is a pain, but it does help. All depends on how much the chips bother you. As for the shine, well, you are new here! ;-)) Ever heard of Zaino? It's a polymer polish. Too detailed to go into here, but if you click on my name above, you'll see what a shine it gives. Check out the 300M and the Acura pics. Those are the cars that have Zaino. I've been using it since the summer of 1998.
The instructions at http://www.zainobros.com may SEEM complicated, but they're not. The initial steps might be time-consuming, but after that, it's a BREEZE to keep the car looking like mine. I do NOT spend 24/7 keeping it like this. Not sure what color your car is, but the darker the better, although the Diamond White looks great too. Just ask automophile to send you the link to his pics. Maybe they're in his profile too.
Anyway, rest assured, that in the long run, I think you made a good choice with the Solara.
Canc-
If you're retired and like to spend time hanging around the dealer while they TRY to fix minor and major problems, then by all means get the Sebring Sedan! They're probably the best deal out there right now with their gigantic rebates and deals, but unless you're keeping the car until it dies, their resale is for the birds!
I'd say to stick with the Solara or the Honda. Their reliability is not even in the same category as the Sebring! Just my .02 cents.
fastdriver
I won't put a bra on my car, because I think they're ugly. In response to the Zaino recommendation. I don't care what you polish a car with, Zaino will not make a Soalra look like a Jaguar paint job. I used to detail cars, professionally, and I have sold them for years. I do know cheap paint when I see it. I've seen Solaras shined up really nice, and I've seen Solaras polished with Zaino. Zaino makes the fair piant job on the Solara look as good as it's going to get. However, it's still shined up low quality paint. I'd rather have better, more durable paint, and use cheaper wax, wouldn't you? The paint on Solaras, and Accords for that matter, is on the lower end of the scale. If you want to see nice paint, go look at a Jaguar, Ferrari, Corvette, Mercedes, or BMW, then take a close look at a Solara. I know these cars are expensive, but they are excellent examples of nice paint jobs. I think it's great that you use Zaino, because it's top shelf stuff, but I don't think the Solara piant job warrants the use of such a high quality product. In short, the paint is cheap, soft, and thin for that matter. For such a high quality car they should step up a bit on the paint.
I guess you can sum it up by saying - you get what you pay for?? Ever since they took the lead out of car paint, they haven't been as good. The Solara paint is probably no better or no worse than any other car in the same category/price range. I also have a 94 Toyota Corolla that sits outside 24/7 and goes to automatic car washes all the time in the winter. No problem with that paint at all. Very few chips on the hood and only a few on the bumpers from OTHER people.
To each his own.
fastdriver
Although having a V6 is very nice, the current Toyota V6 doesn't impress me. I think I'd be very happy with the 4-cylinder. From what I've read here it's supposedly far better than its predecessor, and I've tried out the 2001 Solara with a 4-cylinder. I was impressed by the torque I got from it.
It's alluring however, when you start comparing the two cars, and you can find so many more options in the Accord for just as much money.
I agree with you completely. Paint on most of today's Japanese cars is not what it used to be. Toyota IS in line with the other Japanese car producers in regards to paint quality. However, would you agree with me that GM and Ford cars in the same price range have much thicker paint? I guess my real problem with Japanese cars today (and I don't mean to offend anybody who meticulously cares for their car's finish) is that how much of your time should be spent cleaning, polishing, and waxing your paint when every rock, pebble, or speck of dust that comes in contact with your car scratches the paint down to the primer? Does anybody here remember when you could rub out all but the worst scratches with some good polish? Does anybody else find these new finishes frustrating to maintain? I mean, I haven't resorted to Valium yet....
Canc,
I'm telling you, Honda doesn't insulate their cars equally for sound. Go drive an LX and an EX and see if they are the same. I know more than one Honda salesman that would state it. It really sucks, because I don't like a sunroof, so I would rather have an LX. Also, a fully loaded EX cost less than a fully loaded Solara. I think they are closer in price in their basic models, though. The new 2002 4 cyl. is good on gas and has decent power, better than last year's, try it you might like it. There is no contest in transmissions: Toyota makes a better tranny. They are smoother shifting and they last longer, don't believe me, ask your mechanic. All this being said (I know I talk to much) the EX Accord is a great car, second only to the Solara!!
Toyota trannies are the best compared to Hondas. What about a Toyota engine? Is the 4-cylinder in the Solara as reliable as the Honda competitor?
Well, sorry to have to disagree with you again. While you only mention GM and Ford's paint, I'm not sure if you would include Chrysler here or not. Let me tell you, the paint on my 99 Chrysler 300M SUCKED! I had chips on the hood the FIRST week I had the car! It only got worse the 33 months that I had that car! The car was red, the chips were WHITE!! UGLY! I didn't have a bra for that car.
So far, after 8 months and 10,400+ miles, on my 2001 Acura(Honda) CL-S, driving on the SAME roads/highways as the 300M, I have ONE chip at the very tip of the hood when something came flying on I-95 about a month ago and bounced off the hood and HIT the top of the car. I thought for sure from the sound of it, I would have a nice chip AND a dent on the roof! Not so. There is a slight dimple in the top, but with that Zaino shine, no one but me would even notice it. I only put the bra on the car if I'm going on a "long" trip on the highways. I think the Acura bra looks good. Fits nice and tight with no flapping.
This is only my opinion. I'm not a car detailer. I know nothing about paint thickness. I don't know if foreign paint is thinner than American paint. All I know is my experience with these latest cars. There is someone at work who details/repairs/paints cars on the side. I'll ask him when I see him what he thinks. When he fixes a car, you could NEVER tell that it was ever fixed. He's a fanatic because he loves cars too.
You really have me thinking about paint now. When I have time, I'll have to research this some more. Do foreign car companies use paint other than DuPont and PPG??
fastdriver
(Great car, but I love the 2002 taillights.)
mark
Sound deadening is one of the first areas that the automakers cut back on with cheaper models. You can't take steel out of the body, but you can leave out the soft stuff. As fastdriver said "You get what you pay for", and automakers will do what they can to save pennies on a car.
By the way, I have also been using the Zaino, and find that the polymer is so strong, that it seems to help the paint's durability while giving it an awsome shine. It sure keeps the bugs from sticking!
fastdriver
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=598318850
What do you guys think?
I remember also test driving the 4-CYL Accord and do recall being fairly impressed with the engine (for a 4 CYL it outperformed some 6's I've driven). Never drove the 4CYL Solara.
I did find the Acord Coupe V6 was a sportier drive, but not as luxurious or quiet as the Solara. Both engines are almost identical on acceleration, HP, etc. At the end of the day it was a hard choice. I think a major factor was the 2.8% financing on the Solara vs the 8.9% on the Acord at the time which helped in the decision to buy the Solara!
Can't go wrong either way. I didn't like the look of the 4-door Acord, but that is really a personal preference.
It's a win-win situation.
Although, I have to admit, today I'd have to take a long look at the 3.2 Type S 2 door Acura vs the SLE. I know it costs a bit more, but I like the look of the exterior and interior better than the Solara. But then I'd just be complaining even more about gas mileage b/c of the 260 HP!!!
Paint - My next door neighbour has a black Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, and I have to say even his paint looks much nicer than mine side by side. Appears much smoother, less "swirls", not as dull. We both wash and wax with similar products (not ZAINO). I really think Toyota cheaped out considerably with the paint. Hambone, I even noticed a Lincoln LS on the road the other day, the paint looked excellent on that car as well.
"We both wash and wax with similar products (not
ZAINO)."
LOL........that's your mistake!! ;-)) J/K
fastdriver
Yeah, the SE costs $28,500 in Ontario, and the SLE is around $33,000. For $28,500, I could get an Accord SE with a V6. After what I've read on the Accord forums, however, this is another case of "you pay for what you get".
At a cost of 18% more (our local Mobil is $1.12 reg and $1.32 prem), there was no increase in mileage by any degree, let alone going from 24 to 28 mpg. Certainly no increase in power from 197 HP to 223 HP (or from 167 to 197, if you will). By the way, that 18% increase in gas cost over 60,000 miles at 24 mpg would cost an extra $504, which could pay for an injector problem IF it occured and IF you had the car that long.
My $0.02
Probably not, but airplanes do...
You have to remember that people often come to these forums to share problems, so naturally the ones having problems are going to complain about quality. So reading these forums will give you a sort of skewed perspective.
Consumer Reports gives a very good rating to the Accord, and to the Camry, Solara and Corolla as well. I wonder if Consumer Reports is really the best source out there for an objective study of cars.
I went to a dealership in the city today, and happened to come across a beautiful 2000 Solara V6, with 30,000 kms. on it. The dealer told me it was an end of lease car that they just got a few days ago. The car seems to have been meticulously cared for, and they even added the wood accents package to it. It comes with a sunroof, fabric seats, alarm system, plus every other option standard on Solaras. It also has the diamond white pearl paint, which on quick inspection doesn't have any chips. The tires are not worn-out (they're Michelins btw), and the dealer is asking $23,900 CDN for it. I'm thinking I could make him an offer for $23,000 CDN. What do you think about all of this?
I've been studying and drooling over Solaras for a long time now, but please let me know if something sounds fishy here, or if I should watch out for something. Many thanks in advance for all your help.
Get a NADA (or equiv.) at your local bank and look the value up for your area.
Good luck - these cars are like the energizer bunny, they keep going and going...
'99 SE V6 5-Speed, 34k flawless miles and still like new.
Does the Toyota 3.0L V6 use a timing belt or chain? I know this has probably been talked about before, but I didn't really pay any attention to it until now!
In late September, 2000, my sister was successful in "custom" ordering a 2001 4 cyl gold Solara auto with ABS and side air bags. The car came in before Thanksgiving. So, it can be done. Keep in mind that the rear brakes are still drum, not disc. With the increase in hp and torque to the 2002 year, this would be an even more desirable model. Good luck.
The Solara really IS a huge step up, and whenever I sit in one it's like I'm in a Lexus.
I do have ABS on my Corolla--I had it ordered from the factory because I insisted on having ABS. I'm glad the Solara has ABS as standard equipment. I definitely wouldn't need ABS if I lived in warmer climates, but here in Canada, Land of Snow, it's practically essential when roads are slippery. We've been getting our first snowfall today, and we're expecting 3/4" of freezing rain by tonight. ABS came on this morning on one of the slippery spots on my daily commute. With all this stuff coming down from the sky though, I won't be able to test drive tonight the Solara I saw yesterday. I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow or Saturday.
I finally saw my friend at work who does body work on the side and asked him about the paint. He said that the Toyota/Lexus paint would be the same and the Honda/Acura paint would be the same and the Mercedes/BMW paint would be the same. He mentioned different paint names other than DuPont and PPG.
I'm sure he's right because like I said, he is a fanatic. When he does a repair job, you'd never know it was repaired.
fastdriver
What's this about the engine sludge in a V6? I read posts 1-550 or so, and found just a few mentions about this. Does the Toyota V6 need more care and maintenance than a competitor's V6?
Canc, I'll take a Japanese car built in Japan any day over one built in North America. It's one of the things that makes an ES300 worth so much more than a Camry.
You must be in Edmonton right? The name kinda suggests it.