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Comments
"I might actually consider a Chrysler... it's what I had before."
YIKES! Talk about going from the frying pan INTO the fire!! ;-)) I'd think 10 times before doing that! You'll get a lot more than just "chugging"!! Don't believe that "5-STAR" crap for a MINUTE!!! If you're RETIRED and like to hear- "they all do that, can't duplicate the problem, it's a characteristic of the car" then by all means go for it because for 7/70,000 or whatever it is, you'll be at the "5-STAR"!!! Trust me!
As soon as you drive off the lot, it's all downhill from there!
fastdriver
I also am considering staying with Toyota if they can't fix the problem, marking it up as a lemon. If this is the case, I'd either go to a RAV4, or the Corolla S or LE. The Corolla is a huge change from the Solara, but it's very economical and practical.
I was also thinking about the Acura 1.7 EL here too. I'd rather not go with the Honda Accord, since it's a first year production model.
Silver: I've heard about some Chrysler dealers and their 5-star service, whatever that is. The point is, there are some crappy Chrysler dealers just as there are crappy Toyota dealers. The trick is to get a good one and stick with it! I know my previous dealership (Chrysler) had great service. They didn't charge too much for regular maintenance, and even lent me a loaner car if I needed to.
"Did you ever have a Chrysler on which to base these opinions on?"
ALL you have to do is click on my name above and you will get to my webpage and learn MORE than you EVER wanted to know about how I feel about Chrysler, their "5-STAR" dealers AND their factory reps!! NEVER AGAIN!!!
fastdriver
Don't get me wrong, though... I don't feel my car is a "Christine" in this respect. If they can fix this problem, I will gladly keep this car. Your Christine seemed to have so many problems everywhere that I can see why you're so fed up with Chrysler.
Sebring has nice curb appeal, and I actually drove one, when the new model came out. Interior was a bit cheap feeling, less head room, but handled better than the Solara. Being that it is a Mitsu/Chrysler baby, built at the Normal, Illinois plant, I am not sure I would want to recomend this one either. It does appear to have solid build, and replaces, and is manufactered at the same plant that made my Avenger. A plus for the Avenger was that I did not have any paint chips that I did not cause, and the sheel metal was less prone to door dings, as none were noticable, and my Solara seems to collect them. Careless neighbors, or poorer quailty materials used to build 'er??? Not sure! Fastdriver's experiances with the dealers were not that different from my Dodge dealings. O2 sensor goes, they stripped the manifold, and I go 6 days without my car, driving a Neon, which you do not automatically get a loaner, unless you buy their extended plan, if I remember correctly, or make a big scene, on a busy day!!! Don't know about your local Toyota, but that is the only reason, outside of not wanting to throw money away, that I keep the car, and will consider Toyota again. No appointment needed for any service, and they always have my part, or almost always!
P.s. My neighbor that dumped her 99 Camry, just got her first sludge letter. She asked if I got one, and what is engine gell!?!?! AHHHH!!! ;^0~
I wonder if this is just a freak happening, or if it's related to my recent mechanical problems. If it is, then the transmission isn't at fault, is it? I don't know much about mechanics, but if I'm at a stop sign and not moving, the transmission isn't moving either, right? This is the first time my car has done this.
Canc, it may be time to see the dealer, again. Fall, and winter season is not the time to break down, or stall, especially in Canada. Even my car hasn't stalled, yet. What is the build date of your car. I bet it came right off the line with mine! ;^)
I had a rental 2002 Cadillac Sedan Deville, pearl white, loaded, sweet, but a little mature for me, a few months ago, that stalled on me a few times, at stop lights. It too was sooo quiet I did not know it had stalled. If it happens again, see the dealer. I feel that there wont be a code for some reason, when they check for one. My car runs rough when it rains, for a 2.5 year old car IMO.
I believe my car was made in December 1999.
I phoned the dealer about it and said they'd add it to the technician's report they send to Toyota Canada.
So right now I'm looking if I can afford a new Corolla LE or a RAV4. Man are those RAV4s expensive! They cost as much, if not more, than a Solara! The new Corollas, however, are much more reasonable. I'd like to drive one to see how it drives. Of course it won't be as quiet or luxurious as the Solara, since we're talking about two completely different cars here, but with the added height of the Corolla, I'd be able to fit in properly now.
My car is a 9/99 production date, I believe.
Unfortunately, when you do have a problem with a Toyota you're in a tough spot because Toyota dealers are not rated highly compared to other manufacturers.
One thing you may want to consider is buying a less complex car. For example, I have a bare bones 96 Tacoma and a 95 Camry LE. The Camry has had several minor problems - power radio antenna, power door locks. My Tacoma has had zero problems in 7 years. In my case the reason is that the Tacoma doesn't have the things that have failed on the Camry. Of course, my Solara has even more options than the Camry. Options are very nice in the first few years.
How true. The secret is to keep the car as long as the warranty!
fastdriver
I'm more and more leaning towards the Corolla LE, if they can't fix my Solara. Like Webg said, it's a no-frills car, but I sat in one the other day and the quality has gone way up... the one I sat in even had leather seats!!! I wouldn't want that option, however, but it shows how much the Corolla has gone upscale.
Honda Civic seems to have more interior space, and to me, feels more stable on the road than the Corolla I drove did. I had a feeling like I would "roll" the Corolla, if I turned a corner too quickly, as it is a narrow, high car, but the Corolla has more headroom, if your a taller person. Both cars have less sound dampering, so you may hear much more road noise, especially rain in the wheel wells, something we Solara owners do not have to listen too, and may have forgot about.
From a customer service point of view, which is where Toyota is lacking in the ratings, I have been lucky with my local dealer, even if I need to bring it 2-3 times for the same problems. No apointment is better than waiting 2weeks for an appointment, to hear they all do that, then going back a few more times, for the same thing.
As far as keeping the car as long as the warranty, that describes my old car buying ways, but when I look back at all the money I threw away doing that, trading cars at 36,000 miles, I should have bought a Hyundai! LOL!
"I should have bought a Hyundai! LOL!"
Don't laugh. Hyundai has come a LONG way! My friends have one- the 300 GL or L or whatever it's called- and they love it. I have driven it. Quiet, very smooth shifting, nice ride. They haven't had one problem with it. I also know someone who has a new Sonata. Another nice car. She loves it. I have never driven that one.
fastdriver
I like the new Sonata's looks, but the Mercedes look is very misleading. The interior trim makes it look like all the R&D money went on the exterior.
Is a 26-year old guy like myself too young for a Camry? The Corolla's nice, but I'm afraid it would be a bit too small for my needs. The RAV4 is great but is just too expensive. Maybe the Camry, although bland compared to the Solara, would be really the best solution? Man I hope they fix my Solara!
I do prefer the 2 door, coupe style, as I don't like be a car pool for people, or a taxi. Maybe one of Cliffy's guys can hook you up with a RAV4, if you pop into his dealship, maybe on a weekend holiday. What of pre-driven?
Unfortunately, because you live in Canada, I can't help you with the RAV, but it was nice of Webguyster to suggest it.
Anyway, the SE model is really nice, but it gets pricey. Maybe the LE model would best, and supposedly the new 4-cylinder makes people wonder why get the V6.
The dealership called me this morning because they need all my keys because they need to reprogram the entire computer (?), hence why my security light was always flashing. This seems odd to me for two reasons: 1. Why didn't they do this in the first place? and 2. The security light blinks to warn potential thieves that it has an engine immobilizer, and if they steal my car without the key, it won't work. I was, however, able to drive everywhere I wanted to. It kinda puts the whole purpose of that light into question, doesn't it? Unless, of course, there was something genuinely wrong with the ECM.
Sorry for the rant guys!
Hope they fix your Solara. As for any other car, I say buy what you like and what you can afford! Who cares what anyone else says or thinks. They're not making the monthly payments.
Good luck.
fastdriver
But, like the other guy said, but what you like.
Thanks for the info about the keys Cliffy... maybe I should start asking more questions from the dealer--they just said "we need all your keys, can we get them?" More news tomorrow...
By the way, I asked the technician about premium and regular grade fuel. I know this has been talked to death before, but he's told me some interesting information about it. Let me know if this is of interest to any of you.
I'd like to hear your's and the technician's view.
- premium is a better fuel since it burns cleaner, and that the combustion is more efficient since the gas is more pure than the regular fuel.
- using regular fuel is fine with the Toyota V6. He went on to say that he had never seen a Toyota V6 knocking because the owners used regular, and that basically all V6 cars, regardless of make, would benefit from premium fuel. It's just a better fuel.
- He himself owns a Camry V6, and buys the cheapest gas possible. And his Camry is an 87.
- any gas is fine as long as it's not Methanol gas.
Of course if you put premium in your car, expect a performance boost, lower emissions, and a smoother running engine. Otherwise, happy driving with regular fuel.
When I pulled over, the screw must have came loose. Or someone may have been tampering with it. The right screw was loose too.
It would have been more useful if they had included a bottle of Lunar Mist touchup paint. I drive on stone-free streets, but have two chips on the hood in 4 months. The Toyota 1C8 touchup paint is a poor match.
My previous car, '99 Cougar, came with touchup paint, but had no chips in 3 years. My wife's GS300 has no chips in 2 1/2 years.
Saw the new Nissan 350Z or whatever number they gave it, at my gym the other day, and did a double take. SWEET!!! Real sweet. Starting price $4,000 more MSRP than my Solara, this may be worth taking the HUGE trade in loss on my Solara, or just taking on the dreaded car payment.
IMO, if everyone here likes the curb appeal of the Solara, and I believe we all do, some of us might be at Nissan, really soon!!!
Maybe it's just something with the '00 5-speed SE V6, though.
1. Paint chips. Buy any car today and you'll get them, regardless if it's a Toyota, Honda, or GM. Buy a bottle of touch-up paint with Langka (blob remover), or invest in a 3M film or car bra.
2. Engine sludge. How do you prevent this? Change your oil when you're supposed to, or a bit before. You can push it up to 8000 kms. as Toyota recommends, but I believe that's too much. I change it every 6000 kms.. Oil changes are $26.95 at all Toyota dealers, which covers the oil, oil filter, greasing of door hinges and a few other maintenance points. That's a pretty good price. The grit you saw when you opened the oil filler cap is oil that has sat there when the guy changed his oil. That part of the engine doesn't mix in with the oil, so the little bit of oil that sits there eventually cooks with the engine temperature. It's not an indication of sludge. If the previous owner, however, hasn't changed the oil in 80,000 kms., then yes, you have sludge...
3. Left steer. I don't have problems with that, so I can't comment on it. Maybe some here will be able to offer their advice on it.
4. Extended warranty. Most used car books say that it's not necessary.
5. Structural faults in the rear suspension. Can't comment on that.
Hope this helps you out!
1. Paint chips. Have had more chips, and scratches with this car than any other car I have purchased, ever, and I usually changed cars every 1-2-3 years, depending on my likes, styles, and my needs. Spoke with Toyota person in Torrance, when sludge-mania was at it's peak, and this (poor paint quality) is a known problem with the car. My 2 cents, maybe too many enviromental laws in Canada, as that is where it is built and assembled.
2. Engine sludge. How do you prevent this? Change your oil every 3,000 miles, regardless of what the owners manual says, and do it at the dealer, to prevent Toyota from saying that all you have is reciepts for oil changes, not proof that you paid for them, and they may not have been done.
3. Left steer/pull/drift. If it is present when you drive it, keep looking for a different car, as it will never go away, and you will spend more time at an authorized tire places, swapping, rotating, inverting, etc, and having seemingly endless, costly alignments to correct the problem.
4. Extended warranty. I bought 1, heck, then upgraded, at my expense because I was having soooo many problems with the car. I had paid cash for this car, and saw it as somewhat of an investment, not a liability, because the interest rates for car loans were higher in 2000, than my money was making in the bank. Thus my reason for not wanting to take another financial loss on the car. I do not want to trade it, lose money, and have Toyota sell it, making double profit. I believe the dealer I traded my last car too, made about $8,000 profit, cash, plus whatever they make with the finance deal, according to a salesman I spoke with, that said he believes he sold it.
5. Structural faults in the rear suspension. One little recall. I did see a Solara at the dealer, while strolling the lot waiting for service, that collapsed on the rear end, both sides, waiting in the back of the dealer for service. No idea if this was what may have happened from the recall problem. I was strolling the lot with one of my Hyundai owner friends. Quite the embarrassment.
Hope this helps you make YOUR decision.