Thinking about becoming a Solara Owner

[leepoffaith]

Hey Everyone,

I've been reading the forum on and off for the past two days and you guys give some great information about Solaras. It seems like you are all very passionate about your cars which is great. I am thinking about buying a 2000 Solara tomorrow, but I wanted to ask you guys a few questions about it before I bought it.

Let me explain why I'm looking at it first. Right now I own a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. It is a quick car that performs well, but something litterally breaks every other week. I have had the rotors spun 4 times in 2 months, 2 motor mounts, a oil sensor, and a whole bunch of other crap. I am sick of it and i'm getting rid of it. Mean while I have found the Solara a worthy replacement. It's just about as quick, a little bit less performance, but more luxuaryous.

I have found a 2000 Solara SE V6 5 speed with 80,000 for sale at a Mercedes Dealership. They are asking 9,900. My questions about this are as follows:

1. What price should I pay for this car? It looks to be in great condition inside and out. I am thinking start with 7,000 and negotiate from there.

2. Is there any particular items I should look for to make sure they are not broken? In other words, do Solaras have known bad spots?

3. The car only comes with 1 key. That's it. So I will be needing to buy another key along with 2 remotes for the car. Does anyone know how much these run?

Thanks Guys, and Have a good day!

~Lee

[RichD978]

why don't you look for a toyota dealership? You can start with autotrader.com thats how I found my car 6 years ago when it was 3 years old with 30K miles SE V6 auto for $13000. As for pricing of the car you can look up the bluebook value

www.kbb.com

As for the keys, If it only comes with one key. A cheaper option is to duplicate the key at walmart for $1 and change. Go to any shop that installs audio or what not and get a alarm with keyless entry. I got mines done after I got my car with alarm, keyless entry and remote starter for $500. Definately cheaper than just keyless entry from the dealer

[JMSinMaryland]

Check out kbb.com and edmunds.com for fair pricing. Print up the pages as well and start low. If you start high you can't go down, go low and fight for every penny (I used to sell cars myself). I actually have 2 remotes from my 01 Solara. You can have them for $20 shipped. The key might be more expensive. If you have a transponder (the head of the key will be thick) then getting those programmed can be expensive. Include that in the negotiation, call your local dealer and find out how much a transponder key with programming would cost and how much 2 remotes would cost with programming. It would probably be a few hundred. Then we can tell you how to do it yourself =). Jon.

['00vegas-solara]

I have the year and model your looking at, and I can tell you I have had Zero problems with it. It has never been to a shop for anything besides routine maintenance. One thing to ask would be is if the timing belt and water pump have been changed. I think it's around that mileage that it needs to be done. As for price go to KBB or Edmunds and get an estimate of that car in your area. Good Luck

[2kSoulara]

I have the same year as you and my car has 146K on it and runs great! Just keep up with the oil changes because solaras/camrys have had an issue with oil sludge which can be avoided by proper routine maintenance.
The only other major issue i have had is brake work due to the fact that i drive it alot and here in NJ i'm constantly using them. otherwise I love the car its gonna be hard for me to give it up once my second child is born. Im actually trying to lower it this summer and jazz it up with some newer wheels. Good luck and great car!!!

[leepoffaith]

Thanks for the suggestions. I know about KBB and edmunds, but I know that these aren't always accurate. I know for my Mitsubishi it sells for way under the KBB and Edmunds price. I know Toyotas are different, but I wanted to make sure.

I haven't negotiated for a car for a while so I was just looking for some tips. I think I'll start at 7,000 and not pay over 8,500. KBB dealer retail is 10,200 and edmunds is 10,600. KBB private party 7,200 and edmunds is 9,200. In my estimation 8,500 seems fair.

Also, i've heard that these cars have paint chipping problems. Is that true?

The keys do have the chip in them as well, so I will have to get them from the dealer = more money to negotiate down .

[lilmike2069]

i always use www.nadaguides.com . I believe the NADA is what they use to determine the value for taxes. As far as a second key... you will need to ask the dealer if it is a transponder key, these are standard on the SLE but optional on the SE... a transponder key is a little more expensive to replace and needs to be programmed by the dealer. As far as the remotes... you can get these on ebay for cheap... they probably need to be programmed as well but may come with DIY.

[SleeperSolara]

Oh yeah make sure that you CarFax it, cause you don't want any hidden problems.
Also the for the keys they have a transponder so you have to to another transponder if you needed one.

[leepoffaith]

The carfax is clean, the dealership provided it free of charge. 1 owner. Looks like he traded it in for a mercedes, lucky him .

The dealership also put on brand new fuzion tires and new front and rear brake pads so I'll have to take that into account. They also said that there are a few paint chips though, so I might need to get some touch up paint.

[lilm]

NO A KEY IS SOMETIHNG YOU SHOULD NOT WORRY ABOUT....you can buy one off ebay and program it yourself its VERY easy it would take maybe 10 bucks for the key 5 bucks to cut it and 5 min to program it

[sahuddleston]

for a depreciating asset, you are making a great choice by scoring the solara.. like these guys have said, solaras are solid cars and the sle is a great ride. the guys here can take care of you in regards to the keys and remotes, and as far as the paint chipping goes - ive never heard of it. if its an issue that youd like to adress you may want to consider getting a clear protectant from a site like www.stickercity.com or possibly even the dealer. many new cars come with these and they work very well. hope the negotiation goes well and welcome to the boards!!!!

[dominoSLEV6]

I just bought a 1999 SE V6 5spd with 76k mi on it for $8,099 and am every bit of happy with that purchase, I would have paid even up to 8,500 even though the bluebook on it was only 7,200 or so. It's the fully optioned one to with leather, sun/moonroof, keyless entry, premium 16"alloys, all that stuff. Unless I could have gotten the Supra I was trying to get, I don't think I could be any happier.

-chris

[hanatsuki]

kool, so you getting a manual huh? sweet! well, check your interior completely, just make sure everything works (its good to be paranoid since sometimes dealers can screw you over for little things that DO matter). Some minor interior issues to mention: the vanity mirrors and the back passenger cup holders tend to break so see if those are still intact. Check the sun/moonroof make sure it slides and closes easily and doesnt leak. Make sure the cd player works properly, from what i heard from other members theirs would after inserting the cd would spit it back out (this is where an aftermarket deck would solve the problem)
mechanical wise, the canadian solara is pretty tough, with proper maintence it'll last a long time (im at 142 k miles )

oh and as '00vegas-solara mentioned see if the timing belt and water pump has been replaced, the car is at that time where it needs the 90k service (which will prolly run about half a grand or more)

Good luck and hope you get it!

[leepoffaith]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll make sure to check all the interior items including the cup holders and cd player. As for the 90k maintenance. I would assume that the dealer probably doesn't know if it's been done or not, but I will check to see if they put a sticker on the engine to tell you about the timing belt. If it has not been done I will have the dealer do the timing belt and water pump @ 90k, but I will do all plugs, wires and fluid flushes and fills. I'm sure that you guys can help me if I have any questions. BTW, are the rear plugs that that in my eclipse, where they are hidden under the plennum?

[RichD978]

The dealership also put on brand new fuzion tires and new front and rear brake pads so I'll have to take that into account. They also said that there are a few paint chips though, so I might need to get some touch up paint.

You shouldn't have to take that into account. That gets accounted in the condition (Bad,fair,good, or excellent). Don't let them talk you into raising the price because of that. Think about it, would they be able to sell a car with bald tires and bad brakes?