Toyota Solara

loneranger3 · April 2003

The styling of the 2004 Solara has been described as similar to the 2003 Lexus SC430.

Is it also suggested the dimensions will change?

Per the Edmunds comparison section:

The 2003 Solara has an overall length and wheel base of 191.5 and 105.1 inches, respectively. It seats 5 with rear leg room of 35.2 inches and 13.8 cubic feet of luggage space.

The 2003 Lexus SC430 has an overall length and wheel base of 177.8 and 103.1 inches, respectively. It seats 4 with rear leg room of 27.1 inches and 8.8 cubic feet of luggage space.

We apparently will know much more later this month.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

One poster suggested it looks like the SC430, if you squint. I wonder if thats like last call in bar/nightclub lighting, after a few drinks???;0)

rubicon52 · April 2003

I have owned 2nd generation (1988), 3rd generation (1995), and 4th generation (2001) Camrys (OK, the 2001 is a Solara). The 3rd generation Camry (92-96) was my favorite. Nice styling and quality materials in the interior. Mechanically, all generations of Camry are so good it's tough to make distinctions. In 1997 I could definitely see the decontenting.

pbc · April 2003

Question for you Canadians or Northern American Solara owners. I'm going to have to replace my tires by the end of the summer (now have 75000 km on them).

Looking for a tire with better handling than the current Michelins, but winter performance is a must as well!

Any opinions out there?

Thanks,

PBC

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

because of the limited tires that fit the OEM rims, many posters have upsized. Many reported that the used Dunlaps. IMO thy are probably as good as the Michelins, and 1/2 the price. Michelins have a tendancy to start out as good tires for the first few thousand miles and then lose almost all wet/snow grip. I am a fan of the "You have a lot riding on your tires" commercials, and try to not let cheapness be my weakness.

oldcoyote · April 2003

Purchased yesterday, Toyota Certified used 2000
Solara, subject to inspection. Mechanic said "good mechanical condition". Body shop said it had extensive Bondo repairs. I checked 128-point inspection list and it does NOT cover body repairs. Maybe they need a 129-point inspection. Caveat emptor!

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

Thats too bad. Toyota is not know for their customer service, consistantly ranking at the bottom of the J.D. Power Awards, so good luck. The current Solara is a dent magnet, so perhaps thats all your bondo whoas.

tk865 · April 2003

cover frame damage (even if it's been repaired), as well as damge that (and I'm not as certain here) exceeds 3 body panels... Everything I'm about to say assumes no frame damage. If there is frame damage, dump it quick! You said the contract was subject to your inspection... Did you get a "too good to be true" deal? If so, the dealer probably sold it cheap b/c the wanted to get rid of the "bondo car." If the agreed price was fitting for a perfect car, and you still like the car, try to work some more price out in light of the bondo. If the UCM missed it, the egg on his face will likely lead to a better price so he can move his mistake and not explain to the GM why the car came back. Terry in "Real-World Used Car Values" could probably tell you the right amount of price hit it should take. Just tell him where the bondo is, and how much of it there is. I've seen some people who are really picky about their cars have bondo'd repair work to fix shopping cart dings, hail damage, etc. See if based on location you can come up with a likely cause. If it's all in one place, a minor collision seems likely - especially a parking blunder (into a pole, etc). If it covers the car, top, sides, front, back.... Well.... Ex-wife and a baseball bat? Hail? Had rocks chucked at it? I guess what I'm saying in a long and windy way is that a car can have paint work and still be a great car, even worth certifying. A car with frame damage, or other serious collision damage, should not be certified. Has the window glass in the car been replaced?

maemark · April 2003

I have a 2001 Ragtop, 22K mostly smiling miles.

I recently asked the local Toyota shop about a full transmission service including replacing all ATF with a synthetic. The reply was, don't do it. I got some story about the fact that Toyota offered a "partial synthetic" in the 2003 model year, and that this led to burned clutches and malfunctioning valve bodies.

I really believe in Synthetic lubes, and cannot believe that there is no acceptable replacement for the Dextron II/III used as OEM.

Anyone (Cliffy?) have any advice on this? I only want to drive this rig about another 150K miles, so I thought the Synthetic ATF was the way to go.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

Relax, it's a Toyota! If all you want is 150k more out of your car, you should be able to put generic tranny fluid in her! Remember the car's mechanical components are engineered to last, and I believe the trannies come outa' Japan, already built. Maybe the car sales guy in the forum can verify it.

Anyone think that Toyota's brand of tranny fluid is acceptable. My baby just got 45k tranny service for $100.95 American, and it only seemed to take about 2 minutes after oil change, and a defective $60 lamp clamp fixed. Jiffy lube would have charged $45.00. Considering I don't do any of the work myself, did I get my huevoes yanked? $82.00 hour labor?

Has anyone heard of a story coming out of Milwaukee, WI, that Toyota Motor Corp., put a computer virus into a diagnostic program, to currupt various Toyota/Lexus computers, to get back at anyone that called Toyota, Torrance, CA, to complain about the sludge problem of yester-year?

maui2k3 · April 2003

I currently own a 1999 Mercury Cougar and have been looking for a new coupe but have not been blown away by the current crop of coupes in the 25-32k range.

The Mazda RX-8 is cool, but I am skeptical about the Rotary engine and no trunk space and low amt of torque.

The Accord Coupe is just not in the picture - very unimpressed with the styling.

G35 Coupe is a possibility, but still somewhat above the range I want to spend since the price is roughly 35k with the premium pkg and auto.

Acura CL has a nice engine, but very bland styling so that is out...

Already had a Mustang and the new ones are not out for another year plus.

So my best hope for a new coupe in the range I want to spend is the Solara. Does anyone know if they will add more HP to the Solara than the 4 door Camry? Better handling and performance? Better interior than the 4 door Camry?

I know these answers will likely come this Thursday, but this car definitely has my attention if they gave it a sc430 type look...

rubicon52 · April 2003

Can someone confirm or deny what maemark (post 2669) has heard about synthetic ATF being unsuitable for a Solara automatic transmission. Just replaced the factory ATF with synthetic ATF in my Solara. Thanks.

coolguyky7 · April 2003

I can't believe not a single spy pic has been leaked. The unveiling is three days away! This is amazing!

oldcoyote · April 2003

I had not given them a deposit so I just returned the car, following the advice of the body shop.

Where is "Real-World Used Car Values"?

Thanks

tk865 · April 2003

ditto on the spy pics..... best cover up ever. Real-World USed Car Values is under the "Smart Shopper" section of the boards. Also, if the body shop thought the damage was severe enough to merit returning it, good deal. I know we have had a car or two we bought at auction in good faith, and either found frame damage during the inspection, or had it found afterwards by the customer. It shouldn't be a problem for the dealer, because most auctions will have to buy the car back from the dealer. All the dealer loses is the time. (And possibly a sale if the customer feels lied to). Sometimes, professionals though they may be, they can miss something on a car. If you're a student of human facial expressions, you simply HAVE to see the look on the face of a UCM who just realised that "Lo-mile Cream puff" he bought from Grandma Kettle for over book has frame damage. File that one under "Sometimes the dog gets bitten."

sequoiasaurus · April 2003

I'm not sure this has been mentioned or not but it appears that the 04 Solara coupe will be announced this week and be at dealers sometime May/June. Still don't know about the convertible yet though.

First runs are going to be V6's in SE and SLE trim.

Kirstie_H · April 2003

Join us Wednesday, April 16 (tomorrow!), 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for Town Hall Trivia Night and member-to-member chat  come test your knowledge and chat with fellow members!

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html

See you there!

coolguyky7 · April 2003

If the Solara is half as impressive as the 2004 Prius, which was unveiled today, it will be a great car!

BTW...the new Prius is absolutely amazing in its design. It seems Toyota has beat GM to electronically controlled systems that GM shows off on its Hywire car.

sequoiasaurus · April 2003

Here it is:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_release.html?id- - =20030417a

Definately see alot of the Lexus SC but yet some Pontiac too. Holding out on my opinion till I see more photos.

silversolara · April 2003

looks like a cross between a Pontiac Sunfire and a 2nd gen Hyundai Tiburon. i'll have to see one up close to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down.

dindak · April 2003

Looks like a smoothed out Chevy Monte Carlo.

Looks primed for NASCAR competition.

canc · April 2003

Thanks a lot for posting the link. I'm sure many of us here appreciate it.

It really is a copy of the SC430. I also agree that it has Pontiac styling cues.

Is it just me, or does the interior look a bit like the Mazda6?

i_luv_toyota · April 2003

The side windows look almost the same shape as the current Solara, IMHO.

Also why does Toyota still put their name on the trunk? Isn't the Toyota symbol enough to ID it as a Toyota?

99solara · April 2003

Did I read this correctly? I do not see any mention of a manual trans with the V6?

jrp6977 · April 2003

I'm an owner of a 2000 Accord EX V6 coupe and just can't as much as I try, warm up to the '03. Now, there seems to be hope. From what I can see from the pics of the '04 Solara, Honda's bulbous, bug eyed Accord will have some very intense competition from a better looking car. I just hope the Solara looks as good in person as it does in the pics.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

Is it just me, or does the new Solara look like a 2 door Camry, with the old Solaras rear windows, and the Tiberons rearend?

ral2167 · April 2003

thanks for the pics but... hard to see what they did with the coinbox.... no mention of the coinbox treatment in the blurb...will have to view firsthand...hopefully they copied the 2001 accord coinbox design...that's a dandy.

maxhonda99 · April 2003

the '04 Solara is defintaely a improvement over the current Solara. Looks good from the front, the rear's a little weird looking. A little bulbuous and looks kinda like the old tiburon and current SC430.

The interior is gorgeous though!!!

BTW, you can see more pics at www.wieck.com

then click on the "Public" tab to the left on the mainpage, and then type in Solara in the search box and you will get about 20 pics of the '04 Solara.

coolguyky7 · April 2003

Wow!

The back is definitely an SC 430/old Solara mix. The front has a Mazda Millenia/ES style. What's with the droop in the body line by the door handles? It looks sort of odd, but not too bad. The way the trunk drops, it looks like the first generation Acura CL. The interior is last generation Accord-like with a lot of influence from the ES in style.

So long as the quality is what you'd expect from Toyota, it should do better than its predecessor.

The bigger 3.3L V6 will produce 225 horsepower. Is that lower than what was expected? I was hoping for 230+.

coolguyky7 · April 2003

Some neat features of the new Solara will be that proximity keyless entry system, which is also available on the 2004 Prius, along with XM Satellite radio option, and 20% more interior room. Antilock brakes and front passenger side-impact airbags along with independent rear headrests are now standard.

sequoiasaurus · April 2003

The photos at wieck are the same as the ones from Toyota press site posted above. Wieck is a portal of official photos for the press.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

Wonder if there is a TRD version in the works, to add some hp's? It looks like a nice ride, and hopefully will have a suspension to match the horsepower, that the old Solara lacked. As for the coin box, Toyota has probably used the current generation Camry box, which is 100x's better. I just hope that the Kentucky plant doesnt leave whiskey bottles in the doors, and panels, like the "True American" cars of yesteryear!

coolguyky7, what did you mean "So long as the quality is what you'd expect from Toyota, it should do better than its predecessor."?

maxhonda99 · April 2003

Well, the 3.3L V6 in the RX330 produces 230bhp. I don't think they were going to have the Camry produce more. As with the old 3.0L V6, they are going to keep the power a bit lower in the Toyota versions.

The Old RX300 had 220BHp while the ES300 with the same engine only had 210bhp, the same engine which the camry now has.

coolguyky7 · April 2003

There have been complaints about the new Camry and its rattles. Hopefully Solara won't suffer from that. Our 1999 is doing great at almost 150,000 miles.

ezshift5 · April 2003

.....(be mated to) a new 5-speed automatic transmission." Solara emulates the Lexus SC300 and drops the clutch (no pun intended) after about 4-5 years of production. RIP, the manual.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

"There have been complaints about the new Camry and its rattles. Hopefully Solara won't suffer from that."

In your opinion, is it build quality or car design, that is causing the rattling problems. I know that Japan has always believed that the USA will never be able to build cars as well as Japan. That seems to be more of a cultural work ethic. In reading through thousands of posts regarding Solara on Edmunds, there were a handfull of very vocal people that basically chased posters out of the forums if they had any bad experience with the Solara and posted them or asked for advice. I hope the new Solara, brings with it a thread of peaceful car discussion, and chat.

I like the style of the new car, albeit somewhat vanilla.

decon · April 2003

I'm glad I have a '00. The new style does not appeal to me at all.

jrsii819 · April 2003

I'm trying to decide whether to go ahead and buy an '03 coupe now or wait til August for the '04. Love the new look, but without '04 specs on interior room, especially back seat (a definite plus on the '03 compared to competitors), and $$$, hard to make the call. Anyone know or know when this kind of info will be available?

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

You may want to call Toyota customer service and ask for a brochure. Since the car debuted at the NYC auto show, there is a chance that a brochure was printed with the specs. One thing for sure, is its bigger and has more horsepower. Pricing is always an uncertainty depending on what Toyota feels people will want to pay for the car. Look at 04 Camry and add $5,000, probably. That seemed to be how a comparable Camry was priced to the Solara without the rag top. The 1999 Solara was much more expensive than a comparable Solara in 2001. First year new production is when people tend to wait for all the kinks to get worked out of the car. The old Solara has all the kinks worked out, as it is on the early, mid, late 90's Camry platform, using proven, easily accessable parts, should your Solara need some repair. The 03 should also be less expensive as Toyota will be trying to get rid of them before and during the 04 debut. The drawback is with 03 style will look like your car is 5 years old, compared to newer cars on the road. If its more about money, wait and see, but if it about style, get the one that floats your boat.

mateyo · April 2003

As an owner of the current model, I must admit that I was hoping for something a bit more radical for the 2004 redesign. I guess all the talk about an SC430 influence had me fantasizing. However I do think the outside of the 2004 is attractive and cleaner than the current model, but some of the lines still evoke the current model as well. Which is probably what Toyota wanted.

Like other posters I'll have to wait until I see one in the flesh before passing judgment, but I'm not crazy about the interior based on the photos. I know it's the SE Sport version rather than the full SLE, but it looks like there's a more overt use of hard plastic this time around. I continue to be impressed with the ivory interior of my 2001.

I think the Solara has evolved from Camry-esque luxo-coupe to a bigger Celica. Whether that's a good thing I don't know, but I'm looking forward to seeing one myself. If anyone goes to the NY Show, please post!

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

There is always exoticwoods.com!!! And Zaino! LOL! Can't wait til the new model comes out, and everyone starts trying to push Zaino, and new interior accessories on the site! That was like the first few thousand posts of old Solara postings!

2k1trd · April 2003

Kinda dissapointed about the new 3.3 engine not haning more power,i mean the new Accord has 260!...come on Toyota get with the program.I was relly hot on getting a 04 untill seeing the pics and now i'm not sure.Maybe i'll just s/c my 00 and put some 17 or 18 inch wheels on it...

coolguyky7 · April 2003

The Accord has 240hp doesn't it?

toycash · April 2003

The Accord has 240, which is only 15 more. But the Toyota has 240 lb.ft. of torque and the Accord only 212. Plus the Toyota peaks at a lot lower RPM.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

And Toyota will likly have a TRD package to upgrade, but usually not in the first year.

japsmkbtrcars · April 2003

Taichi Ono introduced lean production, and a highly disciplined approach to engineering and manufacturing. He imposed strict scheduling, small-batch production and low-cost flexible machines in place of the large stocks of parts and dedicated manufacturing tools that characterized American auto production for decades. This is one reason that we can all look forward to the new Solara, depite the earlier posts about the new Kentucky Camry's rattling.

2k1trd · April 2003

My bad on the Accord HP

was thinking of the Acura CL-S

dindak · April 2003

This model is head and shoulders better than the current model.

Looks primed for NASCAR also. Announcement on that is expected soon. Wonder if Honda will follow.

gpolt · April 2003

My observations: I'm certain that this will be a superior car with both 4 wheel disc brakes and side air-bags standard across the board, not to mention a stiffer chassis and reduced body and interior panel gap tolerances. However,.........

in their "infinite wisdom", the marketing "geniuses" at Toyota have made some blunders IMHO. Just as in the Camry they believe every customer wanting a European feel must advertise it as in mandatory trunk spoiler/wing in the SE packages, here in the SE SPORT package the customer must be acceptant of a ridiculous looking five piece ground affects kit (air dams, ground spoilers whatever - i.. TRD after-market). This reduces the ground clearance (speed bumps!!) and gives the car a pyramid look - i.e. a pup-tent or Darth Vader helmet. I hope the car will look more stylish in the SE plain or SLE. Further, if this is Toyota's "sport specialty segment" automobile ["Consumer appeal in Solara will range from style, to design, to impressions, to excitement. The Solara buyer will want something extra in life regardless of their age or life stage."], then why doesn't the company offer a manual transmission with its V6 engine - i.e. Accord Coupe, Maxima SE, Mercedes C230, BMWs, etc. Reps at the show stated that the 4 cyl will be available with a stick, but that their research showed that only 6% of their first generation Solaras were built with the stick (or stick with V6). When I rhetorically asked how many of those V6 5 speeds were still on the lots unsold, there was no reply).

Styling is a subjective thing and the rear light treatment is very Lexus SC 430 -ish. The front end looks like a cross between an ES-300 (or is it now 330?) and an Acura RSX, and in my view pales in comparison with its predecessor.

As stated above, I'm sure this is a better car, but aesthetically, at least in its Sport configuration, I believe the first generation Solara, especially the 99-01s, are more classic in their apppearance.

canc · April 2003

What!?!? Are you saying that Toyota will be in Nascar soon? *drool*

Toyota Solara

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