looking at buying solara, some issues

[vvsonikvv]

I looked at a 2000 V6 Solara, stick shift today 87k miles. He's selling for $5700. The car's in decent shape. There are a few issues though.


1. Chipped paint on front bumper.
You can see the gray under it. I figure some touch up paint should do the trick. Though there are some patches where it's more than a sq inch.

2. Chipped paint on door edges with rust.
I could sand this a bit and touch up the paint. I dont know how this could have gotten rusted. It's the edge of the door that shuts against the body.

3. There's no key fob.
Don't all solara's have remote entry? It has power doors, and I see a red "dome" thing on the top right of the dashboard on the passenger side. There's also a security blinking light. Can I goto any toyota dealership to get a remote and they can program it? How much does that cost?

4. Clutch feels kinda weird.
I haven't driven a toyota stick shift, so I dont know how they feel. But it feels very very soft. I can barely feel it. I drive an acura and the clutch is very tight on the acura unlike the toyota. Also from 2nd to 3rd gear, when I step on the clutch, it hiccups and you can feel it in the car. It feels as though you are trying to shift and the rpms are not the right amount and the car jolts lightly. This is if I step on the clutch all the way in 2nd gear, even if i don't move the shifter... Is the clutch going bad?

What specific items would I be looking for? I'm going to have a mechanic check out the car. Anything I should ask him to look for as well?

edited to show miles.

[bullet3z]

I just picked up a 99 automatic. I have the same issues as you do with #2 and #3. I was trying to figure out what caused that rust on the doors too? How many miles are on the one you are looking at?

[vvsonikvv]

Just edited the post to show miles. It has 87k miles.

Did you get/are you getting a replacement key fob? I have a friend who works at Toyota. I'm going to ask him about the key fobs, once I get a chance. He doesn't live near me, otherwise I'd get him to look at the car.

I wonder if the rust/scrapes on the door is bc the car was in an accident, and they replaced it/"fixed" it poorly. It's pretty apparent and stands out, there is rust on the door edge near the "I beam" of the car. I guess you would call it.

[DatSRBoi]

All solara comes with a chipped key but not all comes with a key less entry even if it has a "security blinking" light.


I do not know but my solara's clutch was a tad bit stiff. Allot stiffer then a civic. The clutch on that car does not sound too satisfying.


I hate rust.

Theres not much a mechanic can do. They will only be able to see basic stuff. Most mechanic are out there to make money especially the dealership.

[Jakecallun20]

So when you say its very soft, does it feel mushy? Does your Acura have an aftermarket/performance clutch? Me and my friend went on a road trip in his car, and his car had a stage 2 clutch, and my Honda had just the stock clutch, And I remember the first time driving my car after having driven his for a week, and I thought my clutch was dieing. Lol. Also another thing, check the hydraulic clutch fluid. Hope that this helps.

[Yanks0114]

All solara comes with a chipped key but not all comes with a key less entry even if it has a "security blinking" light.

Thats not completely true - most, but not all solaras had a transponder in the key. If the plastic key head is relatively small, than it doesn't have a transponder. However, you are correct that not all cars had keyless entry

[Ivanhoe]

My '99 does NOT have a transponder chip in the key.....

about the key FOB....try eBay, they are around.
My clutch is pretty firm BTW...and it's the stock one

[vvsonikvv]

The one key he had was bigger and thicker in the plastic part, Much thicker than the regular toyota keys that I've seen (97 Rav 4, or '00 Avalon.) It looks kinda like this http://pleervox.ru/images/toyt_big.jpg The other key was a regular blank from home depot or wherever. Does that mean, I have to get a special key for the car to be started (if I wanted another)? And that only gets programmed at the dealer?

The Solara's clutch pedal felt really light. Not much resistance and very little travel. My Acura Integra has stock clutch (about 120k miles), but it's still very tight - has resistance, and a lot of travel from totally engaged then pushing to the floor. The Solara has very short travel from totally engaged then pushing to the floor and very little resistance at all. You could be right, it might just be me being used to my car.

I'll check the clutch fluid to see if it's topped off or a disgusting black mushy fluid.

I think it's very worth it to have the mechanic check it. Aren't there some known issues with the Solara? Sludging with the engines? Are there issues with window regulators, sun roofs failing, leaks in the trunk, etc?

I don't have a lift or anything, but I'd assume the mechanic could check and know if the clutch was operating properly or going bad, transmission failures, hear/know of any exhaust leaks, check radiators for leaks, test the brakes, check the shocks/mounts or anything. I'm not the most experienced car mechanical guy. I'm learning, but I'd rather learn the easy way, than the hard way by buying a bad car.

I ran a carfax, and didn't find anything bad. Sometimes carfax is useful. In another car, I found a few failed emission tests. That is a quick no go for me. I got the 30 day unlimited car fax, if anyone wants one, PM me. (don't bombard this thread though.)

[DatSRBoi]

I learn something new everyday

[Jakecallun20]

As far as the travel being short, I don't think that is an issue. My friends 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse has a very short travel from off the floor, to full engaged. I have never driven a Solara with manual transmission so I wont be able to tell you if it is normal or not. As far as a Solara problem with the clutch, I think the only problems (that I have heard on here) is the clutch slave cylinder going out. Not sure though, as my Solara is an SLE Automatic.

[SpeedySolara]

I havent driven his Solara but as far as the jult, that may simply be based on the fact that you're used to a COMPLETELY different clutch so it may or may not have been a result of what you're accustomed to the clutch feeling like. Something like someone who's a little rusty on driving stick but a few days into it, gets it perfectly. Take the car for a few more spins and see how you feel about it. I have a 5 speed and the clutch is a little soft but I dont know how soft or hard his clutch is. Maybe it needs brake fluid or needs to be bled. Maybe??? These are all possibilities, again I wasn't test driving the car but it seems to be alright, just a clutch you're not used to. Ask for receipts of when he got it but probably at 87K its never been changed. Hope this helps.

[facevedo17]

when I bought my solara the stock clutch is tighttt talk about gettimg tired in traffic it is hard , compare to a civic the civic was really light

When I change my stock to the spec stage 2 the clutch felt a tad bit lighter but stll as hard but softer than stock I love either way

even the Cabrio has a light clutch felt weird driving it cuz i would floored the clutch " since im used to being in the lara

[vvsonikvv]

I get the total opposite with this car. This one has the lightest clutch in the world compared to my Integra. I would never ever get any workout on this Solara in traffic. It feels like a feather. In my Integra I'd get a little workout, but I wouldn't say that's tight either.

Hmmm... That's weird.

In general, would one expect most cars of the same model to have similar characteristics in the clutch? Or does wear and time cause a clutch to get softer and lighter?

The jolt I got wasn't from and shifting/revving at all. It was just from me depressing the clutch, right before I'm about to shift gears. So I'm about 25 mph? in 2nd gear and I step on the clutch to disengage, and it jolts. I shift to 3rd, rev match, let go of clutch and it drives fine. It's just that it disengaged awkward.

Is that normal? I haven't driven many stick shifts.

Oh yeah, the guy doesn't have a dealership himself. He works with one and goes to dealer auctions and gets cars. That's where he got this one. Would that automatically be a no no, for this car?

[Ivanhoe]

Oh yeah, the guy doesn't have a dealership himself. He works with one and goes to dealer auctions and gets cars. That's where he got this one. Would that automatically be a no no, for this car?

My father's a used car dealer himself and Ive always got my cars from the auction....including my Solara!
It's a bit of a crap shoot, but if you have a good eye and know a thing or two about cars, it's a good way to get a nice car and save a couple grand.
Alot of cars at the auction are new car trades-ins....and you cant go wrong with those!!

[Jakecallun20]

Yeah, the amount of driving, shifting and stop and go traffic, do wear out the clutch in different ways, making one soft and one hard/tight.