So what other cars were you considering before the Solara?

[sydemoid]

Audi A4
VW Jetta
VW GTI
Lexus SC300
GS300
Subaru SVX


Thats a few of them.... I wasnt even looking at the Solara to be honest.

But, I remember when I lived in San Antonio TX, that the Solara had just come out..... I recall going thru the TRD catalog (too bad they killed most of their support/parts), I remember the corolla 97-01 having a TRD coilover setup... lmao

I remembered the Kazuma supercharger for the Solara/Camry, because my ex had a 97 Camry plagued with many issues. I thought back to the Solara, and luckily found one.... and now Im turning it into a tame, yet savagely sexy car.

No regrets here!

[variant]

accord

[NeFaRiOuS_SLE]

Wow. Another dead thread reactivated.

Well, since it has been reopened, let's see:

• BMW E46 M3 drop-top with a Stage 3 Dinan conversion (yeah baby I still want that car!)
• Audi A4 quattro drop-top with mods to make it look meaner
• Gen2 drop-top, same thing.
• 1968 Pontiac GTO (if I were to have the option of restoring a vintage car)
• Classic Dodge Challenger
• Lamborghini Gallardo (if I were filthy rich)
• AH HELL, ANYTHING that replaced a 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8S that was falling apart on me so bad I got rid of it through the Lemon Law!

Since my last car was falling apart, my dad agreed to dump that piece of sheeit and get me a car with my grandmother's money from selling her house and moving in with us. At first my dad was trying to force me into a new car with a budget of only $15,000 (which would only enable me to buy a friggin' Hyundai or base-model cars like Corollas or Civics).

Even at one point, he was FORCING a base model PT cruiser with stick on me (which at the time I didn't know how to drive stick and I had to drive my grandma 400 round-trip miles 2 weeks later on hill terrain, which I still have difficulty with but then again I haven't truly praticed since I was only taught on level ground), but I eventually talked him into a used car, but sadly, not a triple-black Gen1 drop-top that had me drooling (he doesn't even like sunroofs).

However, this 'Lara is still the best car I've ever owned, and if you see me going around town with both windows and sunroof open, now you know why .

[RDKamikaze]

Nissan 350Z, Nissan Altima, Honda Accord V6, Toyota Solara V6 (got the I4 on accident at the auction, the only one with I4 that day arggg!), Infiniti G35 coupe.

Almost got it but insurance would have raped me. Twice.

[theprodigy79]

Wow, another old thread...

My runner up was the G35 Coupe, but I decided against it because:

#1 They are way too common around here (I can't spit on the road without hitting one)

#2 I can sit comfortably in the back seat of the Solara (I'm 6'2"), which is a LOT more than I can say for the G35 Coupe... The Solara is a more comfortable car for road trips and daily driving...

#3 I drove my Solara SE Sport V6 off the lot for $30K with my TRD rims, TRD strut brace, TRD springs, TRD muffler, TRD air filter, TRD radiator cap, TRD oil cap (didn't fit so I sold it on eBay for $55), auto-dimming rear view, upgraded alarm, "paint protection" with 3 spare bottles, extended warranty, and ALL INSTALLATION... I was hoping at the time that TRD would launch the supercharger for the 3.3L which would bring it to around $35K, which would have brought it to a comparable straight-line performance of a stock G35 Coupe... The G35 Coupe I was looking at would have run me $38K off the lot with poot to boot (jack squat extra)...

Other cars considered were (all 2004 models) the Altima 3.5SE (SE-R wasn't out at the time), 350z coupe (I'm not a 2 seater fan, with some exception), Maxima (drove like a bloated goat, waay too heavy feeling), and Lotus Exige (my outlier, but I decided I needed a solid daily cruiser before I got a play toy...)

There were a few others, but those were the biggest competition.

[red2002solara]

I took a look at these vehicles before settling on my 06 Solara:

06 Honda Accord Coupe EX-V6
07 Camry SE V6
06 Avalon Touring
06 Infiniti G35 Coupe
06 Lexus IS250
06 Honda Civic Si

I did test drive each of these vehicles. Ultimately, I had reasons to discount each of them:

- The Accord's interior isn't as nice as the Solara, and a manumatic shifter is not available.
- The new Camry is very sporty looking. But the Solara still looks more sporty, and in April SE Camrys were few and far between, and none of the dealers were willing to negotiate price. I could have gone either way with this vehicle, it was very nice.
- I was very impressed with the Avalon, but it was a bit too big for my taste, and I couldn't help but feel 20 years older driving it.
- Infiniti drove very nice and I love the desgin. But Nissan has had too many quality issues for my to chance spending $30K+ on their product.
- The price of the IS I wanted was simply too expensive to justify the purchase. $35K+taxes is ridiculously too high.
- The price of the Civic Si is also ridiculous, over $20K for a compact car, I don't care how well equipped it is. And I didn't care for the front end styling.

[linmk2]

When my lease on my Acura CL Navi was up, I looked at a TL. Really did not want a four door car, plus we could not get together on a price. I also looked at an Infiniti G45 Coupe. Got a good price, but the dealer was more than 100 miles from my home. That would have been too much of a hassle for warranty work. Also looked at a Z350, but at the time the dealer did not have one with a Nav system, and could not seem to find one in the time frame that I needed. I then looked at the Solara. They had one coming in with the equipment I wanted and the deal was a good one. The rest is history. I will not be in the market for another car till the 11 model year. I wonder what I will get then?

[HID04V6]

When I was looking at my solara, I also checked out

Pontiac GTO
Infiniti G35 Coupe
Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS


Obviously in the end, I ended up with the solara. Why not the others?

GTO didnt and can't have a sunroof, xm radio or navi, so no go on that one.

Infiniti G35 Coupe- Loaded how I want it, its about $44K, so that will be a few years down the road, when my job pays me more

Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS- Interior quality is horrible and overall was not impressed with the whole car.

Overall, my solara has been an Ok car, its fair share of problems, but thats what I get for buying one that was built in July of 2003. My next ride will be a black G coupe.

[canuck101]

Ive been looking at:

G35 Coupe
Lexus GS 430 (02-04)
BMW 330ci


I wanted Lexus GS 430 badly but hard car to find. Ended up buying solara due to deal i could not resist.

GS 430 looks hot with chrome wheels with huge lip and dual pipes. Sounds awesome too !


My next car is going to be bmw 645 once i cook up more money. Between solara and bmw i do not see any cars taht i would be interested.

[GaryPSU]

I wanted a convertible, so I considered Pontiac Solstice (too small) and Pontiac G6 (hardtop convertible). My brother-in-law works for a GM subsidiary, so I get employee pricing. However, the Solara was so much nicer - even with a soft top and even though it cost me a few thousand more.

[Biggi_e]

When I was looking at my solara, I also checked out

Pontiac GTO
Infiniti G35 Coupe
Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS


Obviously in the end, I ended up with the solara. Why not the others?

GTO didnt and can't have a sunroof, xm radio or navi, so no go on that one.

Infiniti G35 Coupe- Loaded how I want it, its about $44K, so that will be a few years down the road, when my job pays me more

Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS- Interior quality is horrible and overall was not impressed with the whole car.

Overall, my solara has been an Ok car, its fair share of problems, but thats what I get for buying one that was built in July of 2003. My next ride will be a black G coupe.

why cant the gto have a sunroof? i wouldve taken that care in a heartbeat. such a nice sleeper car

[linmk2]

I'm glad I'm not the only one regarding the G6 Hardtop Convertible. That car was not "out" when I bought my Solara, but I did have a look, not to buy, just a look recently. I really like the idea of a retractable hardtop , but the interior was so cheap looking compared to the Toyota. I know the Solara will be gone when it's time for me to trade. Maybe Toyota will offer a well equipped Hardtop/Convertible at that time, but I don't think that will happen.

[HID04V6]

When I was looking at my solara, I also checked out

Pontiac GTO
Infiniti G35 Coupe
Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS


Obviously in the end, I ended up with the solara. Why not the others?

GTO didnt and can't have a sunroof, xm radio or navi, so no go on that one.

Infiniti G35 Coupe- Loaded how I want it, its about $44K, so that will be a few years down the road, when my job pays me more

Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS- Interior quality is horrible and overall was not impressed with the whole car.

Overall, my solara has been an Ok car, its fair share of problems, but thats what I get for buying one that was built in July of 2003. My next ride will be a black G coupe.

why cant the gto have a sunroof? i wouldve taken that care in a heartbeat. such a nice sleeper car

They aren't offered from the factory (Holden Australia) with a sunroof, its just not an option. I was in no way shape or form going to have a crappy aftermarket one installed- not a fan of that. They look bad and tend to leak, so I went with the Solara, that already had a sunroof in it.

[FLUXEMAG]

G35C - tire cupping problem
Accord Coupe - too much $ and soooooo boring to look at
Corolla - too cheap feeling and small
s2000 - don't fit, not even close unless I want my head above the windshield
is300 - too small, it's a corolla with a v6 etc.
kia sorento - just kidding