PURCHASED NEW SOLARA THAT WAS NOT SOLD FOR ONE YEAR

[STORMKING]

Greetings,

I am the new member that recently posted a report of my new 2007 Solara SLE nearly breaking down on the highway - and now needing a new throttle actuator (see that post for details). When I requested the dealer make a new valet key for me - they had problems - and today told me that I need a new "key ignition sensor".

Anyway - now to the point of this new topic. After these problems, I am naturally becoming a little worried about this car. So - I decided to run a vehicle history report from CarFax to see if there is something I should know about it's history.

What I discovered using the VIN number is that the car was manufactured in May 2006 (an early 2007 model), and delivered to a different dealer than I bought it from in June 2006. I bought the car as "new" in May 2007. This means the car has essentially "sat" somewhere for almost a year. I know the dealer had to "trade" to get the car - because they did not have any 2007 V6 Solara coupes (only convert. and 4's) - and no other dealer had any either. The car had about 150 miles on the odometer when I got it - but I know the drive from the dealer trade was at least 60 miles - meaning it had about 90 miles on it from June 2006 - May 2007. I had the dealer reflect the milage on my contract for warranty purposes.

I was aware of the milage - and was a little bothered why it had so many miles - and even asked the dealer - which stated that "all new cars have some milage on them due to drives to dealers, test drives, etc" - but I had no idea the car was delivered in June 2006. I should have run a VIN search before I signed for the car - but then again - I had no reason to be suspicious at that point.

Now that I am having problems with this car - coupled with the fact that it was manufactured so long ago and not having been sold, I AM now very suspicious regarding this car.

My question - is this something I should be worried about? What is "acceptable" in terms of how long a car "sits" before sold? When people buy a previous model year car - it probably has sat longer than mine - but will this effect the mechanicals of a car? I know leaving any car for a year and barely driving it is not good. I would assume dealers have to "maintain" the car until sold - but do they really do this?

Sorry for the long dissertation - but - like I said - I am really getting pi$$ed off at this whole experience...

[woa_its_j3ff]

sorry about not answering your questions but welcome to sg.

[kingkakyle]

well im not sure wat to say
i got my 05 in june of 05, this was the time the 06s were out already
so my car had to have been sitting for at least 6 months, it has no problems wat so ever, it did only have 7 miles on it....i think, so no test driving or anything.....only problem ive had was the battery, which was replaced under warranty....if i find out more info ill let u know

[cklinh]

Hm... just for info... I bought an 04 in May 2004; it was built in December 2003. It had about 90 miles due to a dealer swap (they actually drove the car).

[HarryAdventurer]

Well, my Solara, just bought 10 days ago was built in January '07 and had 35 miles on it. It was the last hardtop they had, (the last four-cylinder they had), and I purchased it off the showroom floor. Who knows how long it was there. Before that, I bought a Ford ZX2 in October '98 that was built the previous March. No mechanical problems with either.

When a car sits, the tires and the battery age. The gasoline and oil may also change over time but modern tires, fuel, batteries etc will usually stand the test of time with little ill effect. However, if it stood unsold due to a known mechanical defect, and it cannot be corrected by the dealer within a reasonable time, you may have to resort to the "lemon law"

I don't know if this answers your question, but just the time a car sits on the lot should not effect its quality.

['Cole]

I just bought an 06 model that had not been purchased. It had 200 miles on it when I got it. The dealership is supposed to do oil changes while the vehicle is theirs, my dealer did provide proof that they have been changing the oil every 5 months. As far as having any problems, so far I have not (*knock on wood that I dont) but your warranty starts the day the vehicle is first titled, so there is a lot of comfort in knowing that you still have 3 years of the manufacturer's warranty.

and welcome!

[Paladin06Greg]

Was the car sold to you as a new car? Was it at anytime used as a dealer demo? If so it can not be sold as a new car.

Does the dealer have any history of repairs other then scheduled maintenance? If so I believe it can not be sold as a new car because it has been used. Depending on how long you have had the car and the mileage you put on it, you may be able to give the car back to the dealer under the lemon law. Check your local laws to confirm.

Good luck.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

I bought a car that sat for a while. As long as you are the first owner and you loan (if financed) is the first lien...carfax will pick it up. Relax...you bought a toyota!!!

[STORMKING]

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes - the car was sold to me as a new car - and no mtc records were supplied to me.

To be fair to the dealer - I had not asked for the mtc records - because I was assuming this "new" car was actually newer and not having sat for a year - and had no reason to question it at the time.

If I knew what I know now - I really would have questioned the dealer more - and demanded records.

FYI - I have contacted the Toyota experience number and established a record of this experience. I have not complained about the dealer service - because they have not done anything wrong up to now and have been responsive. I called Toyota regarding the mechanical failure - basically asking if they have received any similar reports - and stating that this was unacceptable in a 1200 mile new car. And I did bring up the "year old car" issue - and they confirmed what I knew regarding original mfg and delivery date. They stated they will get back to me tomorrow with more info.

While the age of the car is probably unrelated to the problems as some stated - it is beginning to pi$$ me off more and more - because I was not told upfront.

[PXLpainter]

I think you'll be okay... as long as they take care of your issues and you didn't over-pay for the car in the first place!

As far as I know, there isn't a "freshness" date on these so sitting at the dealer shouldn't hurt it - as long as the warranty starts when you drive it off the lot.

[HID04V6]

I feel for ya. I bought an "old age" car also. I bought my 04 SLE in October of 2004. It had 250 miles on it, it was dealer traded from a different state, so that is understandable. Little did I know that it was one of the first 04 Solara's that was made and had been sitting since the summer of 2003.

My car has been an absolute pile of **** since I purchased it. It has been in the shop an absolute ton of times. Its actually sitting in my parking lot at work right now awating a tow to Toyota because I think the engine may have blown up again. I can't wait to dump it when the other car I ordered comes in.

[rollaevo99]

well, that could be an 04 and they slapped the front & back end to look like an 07 LOL .......you never know!!

[CalL]

Before I buy any new car, I always check the build date on the manufacturers sticker located in the door jamb. My 2004 Solara Convertible was built in May 2004 and I bought it in early June, the same year. In three years there have been no issues. Since December, 2001 I have owned seven new Toyotas and none have required any warranty work. Perhaps I'm just lucky.

Cal

[Biggi_e]

Before I buy any new car, I always check the build date on the manufacturers sticker located in the door jamb. My 2004 Solara Convertible was built in May 2004 and I bought it in early June, the same year. In three years there have been no issues. Since December, 2001 I have owned seven new Toyotas and none have required any warranty work. Perhaps I'm just lucky.

Cal

you are lucky.

[linmk2]

I worked for many years in automobile dealerships, and frankly its not that odd to have a car in inventory for a long time. Remember, the Solaras of late, have not sold like hot cakes, hence one of the reason Toyota axed them. Again, the fact the car was not shipped to your selling dealership first is not that odd either. Dealer trades are done all the time. Sometimes dealers will swap aging units just to have some fresh cars on the lot. Nothing to worry about. The warranty start date is the date the car is first used, and/or sold. By used, I'm talking if the unit was put into demo service. Since your car has so few miles on it, there is no way it was a demo, so you should have full warranty coverage. While I know having problems with a brand new car is not what we hoped for when taking that sparkling beauty home, they do happen. I can say that having worked in the number of dealerships I have, Toyota was the one car we rarely saw in the shop after the sale. The worst you ask? Jaguar, hands down was the worst! To be fair, that was the days before the FoMoCo purchase. Equal to the Toyota in fewer service problems was Acura and Honda. Everything else seemed about equal. The cars dealers I worked for sold the following cars: Ford, Lincoln/Mercury, Mazda, Suburu, Jaguar, Toyota, Chevrolet, VW, Porsche, Audi, Chrysler/Plymouth/Jeep, Honda, Pontiac, GMC, M/B, and Acura. I think once you get back on the road again, you will be happy with your purchase. Good luck.