Overall impression of the 2004 Solara....

[mattyboyl]

This post is to get the pluses and negatives of the owners. This will be kind of like a Motor Trend article, but with different test drivers. Please follow the format below, to keep it uniform throughout. Here's my take.

What's Hot:
-A Lexus with Toyota badging
-Torque monster
-Better 0-60 & 1/4 mile times than the much sportier Celica GT-S!?!?
-Aggressive & sexy styling
-Minimal body roll in the SE Sport
-Peace of mind, reliable transportation

What's Not
- Little noises that come and go on driver side dash and rear chassis
- Where are the 18's & HIDs?
- Wannabe racing pedals but no white face gauges in the sport??
- Could the hp come up just a bit to dip in the 14's for the 1/4 mile??

Don't Miss
- The best of both worlds with tiptronic and full auto transmission mode in the SE Sport. Plus, don't miss that aggressive body kit!

Bottom Line
Toyota goes all out with their brave, youthful styling that isn't for everybody but has the performance numbers to back it up if someone has something negative to say.

[ChrYstiE]

Hot
*Dashboard and console are awesome
*Absolutely Sexy
*in essence, a Lexus
*Quicker than my '99

Not
*Wheel wells are HUGE, rims do not look good unless they are at least 19" with a drop
*An aftermarket radio will make dashboard look ridiculous
*Non-leather interior looks Hyundai cheap
*No M/T for V6 (BIG DOWNSIDE!!!)
*XM ready? Please! Only with $200-400
*HID's would be nice (I agree with him^^)

Bottom Line
Gorgeous car, will most likely be my next. Beats the pants off of an Accord (has buck teeth, eww) or a Sebring (just plain ugly) and is the absolute nicest car for the money. Go Toyota!

[Jewls]

Praise:
great gas mileage
nice futuristic look interior
lots of gauges (temp. outside etc.)
reliable Toyota name
Very sleek sexy design
standard equip. that is optional in most cars

Downfall:
cheesey interior
cd player is huge to replace
lots of blind spots
cd player does not play CDR's


Overall best car for the money IMO.


I totally agree with most of what everyone else wrote, so most of mine are repeats!

[biggie]

My cd player plays cdr's.

[fotodad]

What's Hot:
A Lexus for the price of a Toyota.
Interior is classy and sophisticated.
Clean, aggressive body style.
Unique looks. Not another Accord look-a-like.
Dependable, well-built.
Good performance from a smooth engine.
Good gas mileage for a V6.

What's Not:
Intermittant, annoying rattles.
Styling isn't for everyone (actually that's a good thing).
Can't get 6-disk changer AND navigation.
XM radio is far too expensive to add.

Don't Miss:
The interior looks, feels, and acts like it came straight out of a Lexus. Easily the highlight of the 04 Solara.

Bottom Line:
Easily the best mix of elegance, sport, comfort, and practicality in its price range.

[Prophet]

What's Hot

Rock solid interior (10k miles, no rattles up front)
Smooth as silk tranny
Dependable
It doesn't look like every other car out there

What's Not

The left drift (getting it fixed tomorrow hopefully)
Niagra falls if you crack the window when it rains
Speaker rattle at low volume
Blind spot. Blind spot. Blind spot.
Dash light color should match the radios lighting

Don't Miss

The interior. Far superior to cars in class, and many cars above.

Bottom Line

The perfect car for any road. Comfortable and mellow in traffic, fast and fun on the open road.

Oh, and my CD plays CD-R also....any chance it's the brand of disc? Plenty of home audio CD players and burners have issues with specific brands of media. Just a thought.

[Shoe]

Whats Hot

- Aggressive front end
-Fog lights
-many Exterior colours to choose from
-rear tail lights and spoiler new not the same old spoiler or square back tail lights ( you know your following a solara)
- roomy interior ( im 6'1 lots of head leg room)
- decent back seat not a 4 door but not a shelf either
- comes with floor mats
- center consol apealling
- sle black on white looks very nice with silver centre consol
-leaher seats perferated ( sweaty summer legs wont peal off and make that SUCK SOUND)
- seating will be comfortable after a long drive
- lots of storage space sunglasses cds maps ect
- I dont feel like im in a tank ( the windows arnt narrow) if you dont understand test dive an 03 - 04 accord
- gas millage for hwy driving
- sun roof has wind deflect that pops out when open ( less air noise)
-1 touch open close sun roof ( as oposed to hold and open)
- price ( bang for buck)
-roomy trunk
- canadians get full size spare with rim ( nanananana lol)
- peppy engin growls makes you feel like a man ar ar ar
- a$$ warmers are quick and enjoyable


whats Not

- canadians cant get nav or XM radio
- sle body kit unavailable ( at time of purchase the longer you wait he more the color fades)
- windows after rain or car wash leave film when opened and closed ( did away with ruber sealer used fabric instead)
-WINDOWS ONE TOUCH system is touchy
- only 2 interior color options ( the cream was 2 tone brown to cream on the dash YUCK)
-gas tank cap sucks ass ( the cord is unessesary its like the kid withthe mittensand the string) its an adults car not a kids leave that stuff for old lady trecels and lil girls sunfires
-heating takes a while to warm up in winter
- no stereo options unless you make a mess of the centre consol
- no mp3 on the stereo
- personal preference id perfer the sunroof controls away from others touch ( a la accord(( its below the far left air vent)
- wood trim interior options - i personally like it others dont

Dont miss

me while i drive by this car is very nice looking its nice to stare at



Bottom line

it dosent get much better than this toyota reliablity and quality fun to drive cruiser with room for 4 comfortably great on long trips. classy car with head turning design. Strong performace.

This car has raised the bar well worth its price if you dont mind lack of 3rd party options due to its popularity.


shoe

[pantyninja]

Whats Hot
Torque torque torque- and that's good
Still haven't seen many of them and I have had mine almost a year.
Doors go whoomp even when its -5F with a -30 wind chill
Two fat guys can fit in the back and be comfy. Rare in a coupe.
Fits 4 sets of golf clubs
Lights are bright bright bright- I like em.
Can't believe a tranny can be that smooth
A lexus coupe for sure.

What's Not
Left drift -ugh
Moisture smears on the windows when you open and close - why
Water all over your leg if you open the window at less than 40mph
Stock 17" tires are absolute crap
Why is 6 disc changer not standard??
Could use 30 more hp


Don't Miss
An arm rest that doesn't cause your passenger to bump elbows with you. Hurray!!


Verdict
A true performance value that will last for 150,000 miles without missing a beat.
Looks and Lexus Quality for half the Lexus price.

[mattyboyl]

Very nice. It's nice to see that people share alot of the same views and then some others said some things I really didn't realize until it was written. That whole window situation with the grease line is something I couldn't figure out. Thanks Shoe. I would like to add a few since I was lugging around rims all day yesterday. The trunk is HUGE!!! I fit all four rims (w/out tires) in the trunk laying down! Also I tired the air conditioning and was not impressed at all! It was quiet even on high, but the car took too long to cool down. It may be time for tint to help with this problem a bit. Here are a few I want to add to the list.

What's Hot
Trunk space of a Hearse (however you spell it)

What's Not
Subpar air conditioning

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

What's Not

Niagra falls if you crack the window when it rains