Things to know before buying a Solara

[stayhumble]

hey guys, im in the market for a 1st Gen solara and would like to know some things

-do the i4 come in leather at all or is it strictly v6?

-do the convertibles come in i4?

-what do you guys really average for MPG on both i4 and v6 auto/manual

-any preferable year to buy and any known major issues with certain years

-are these just reliable as the camry are?



thanks in advance.

[DriDed]

-do the i4 come in leather at all or is it strictly v6?



-do the convertibles come in i4?

I am not too sure about that but you wouldn't want an I4 convertible,
the car will be so slow with all that added weight.


-what do you guys really average for MPG on both i4 and v6 auto/manual

I don't own a Gen 1 or a 1.5, but having driven the Gen 2 I4 for a while, my average mpg is about 26-28 in both city and highway mix (lots of AC and racing at the drag strip on the weekends).


-any preferable year to buy and any known major issues with certain years


-are these just reliable as the camry are?

The Solara is as reliable as the Camry, that I know for sure.

[GzNutz]

Welcome to SG.

[02slera]

the sle model is auto trans v6 only, i think conv is v6 only, the se can be manual or auto trans and i4 or v6, my sle v6 auto gets 23 mpg city driving with my lead foot and about 27 mpg on highway again with my lead foot (hit 90-100 mph more then a few times in "pass mode" LOL)

[RonnieBoi]

i got the 99 se 4cyl leather interior i get abt 28 mpg with city and hwy driving combined but its got no power. i couldn't even keep up with my friends 98 altima

[toytim]

We have the 2000 convertible with a 4 cyl auto and the 2000 coupe with V6 standard. Both are very nice to drive, they get about the same gas mileage and feel the same on the road. The 4 has an okay supply of power and it can handle being pushed but the V6....well that's a no brainer! hehe

In all, we love them both but if we replace the convertible it will probably be with a V6.
Good luck, Tim

[makethemusic72]

welcome.

[DriDed]

I don't know why some people prefer leather, in cold weather it feels like sitting on ice and in hot weather it feels like a boiling cauldron, plus that stuff have wrinkles and cracks years later.

[GzNutz]

I don't know why some people prefer leather, in cold weather it feels like sitting on ice and in hot weather it feels like a boiling cauldron, plus that stuff have wrinkles and cracks years later.

Initially for me it was the look, but I've come to realize they have a nicer feel to them. Pretty damn comfy. Tints help with the summer heat. Wrinkles and cracks can be prevented with proper care.

[ThurzNite]

i couldn't even keep up with my friends 98 altima

LOL, my 93 Altima se 5sp ran 16.1 with wheel hop through 1st. However, the solara i4 is smooth as heck, just not very torquey nor powerful.

I daily drive a solara 99 se v6 5sp. I get 22mpg city (stop and go, rarely getting into 5th gear). 27-29 hwy cruise control at x79x and A/C going.

I never test drove an i4 solara. I couldn't recommend u get the v6 over the i4. From what other say about the i4 being under powered, I feel the v6 is big hype and doesn't live up to what a v6 should be. However, getting 27-29mpg in a v6 that's 10 years old at 180,000 miles is a major plus. So I'd say get the v6 for fuel economy and smoothness, but don't expect much more unless u mod.

I wish I got leather. These cloth seats are so flat on the bottom and backrest. They're not bucket seats, they don't have lateral support. I regularly drive from NorCal to SoCal and back in a weekend, and it's killer on the butt and back. They're good for taking siestas during lunch breaks tho. The leather seats looks more comfy and supportive.

Major issues? Surprisingly, Toyota got it right, even from year #1. Currently at 180,000, nothing out of the ordinary. Clutch replaced at 130,000 miles. Whole A/C system replaced around the same time, but that's cuz this car's from the east and the previous owner didn't use the A/C much. Headlight housing's not super clear. Car requires special dual-tipped spark plugs which costs like $50-60 for a set, and the rear banks are not easy to get to. Same with trying to get the timing belts changed. I've had to switch to synthetic motor oil and transmission oils for better morning startups and faster warmups. Car took forever to warmup and shifted like crap with regular oils. Car has passed emissions testing everytime without anything special. When driving majority highway, it evaporates oil about 1/2 qt every 2000 or 3000 miles; this's not an issue when driving city/local.

Oh, there is 1 thing: some early solaras have a rocking driver seat. There's a TSB fix for it. Something about a loose bolt. It annoyed me at first, but now I'm used to it.

Dr J

[wkbrdr91]

I don't know why some people prefer leather, in cold weather it feels like sitting on ice and in hot weather it feels like a boiling cauldron, plus that stuff have wrinkles and cracks years later.

Initially for me it was the look, but I've come to realize they have a nicer feel to them. Pretty damn comfy. Tints help with the summer heat. Wrinkles and cracks can be prevented with proper care.

Plus clothe is a PITA to keep clean, especially if its tan... black isnt too bad.

[DriDed]

Plus clothe is a PITA to keep clean, especially if its tan... black isnt too bad.

ain't that some crap, I have tan cloth on mine. But I don't have to worry about stains, I don't eat or drink in the car. There are some dog hair on the seats but that is it.

[wkbrdr91]

Plus clothe is a PITA to keep clean, especially if its tan... black isnt too bad.

ain't that some crap, I have tan cloth on mine. But I don't have to worry about stains, I don't eat or drink in the car. There are some dog hair on the seats but that is it.

I have tan sport cloth in my 08 Pathfinder... between my brother, sister, and everyone's friends that i drive around its already getting stained and its not even a year old

The one problem to being able to drive and having cars is that you officially become the family chauffeur, and not just to family, but siblings friends as well haha

[DriDed]

^^I don't mind being the chauffer, driving is what I like to do. I love cruising on the highway.

But exceptions would be rush hour traffic and windermere main street driving and getting stuck behind slow drivers.

[02slera]

i actually used to prefer cloth seats, my solara sle has leather seats, i now love leather LOL, i used to prefer manual climate controls too as i saw it as "not as likely to break" but now that i have the digital climate controls i love that too. i can say i've owned my solara about 3 months now and couldn't be happier with my purchase. the v6 auto combo is perfect for me.