reliability, quiet,no squeaks shakes or rattles,awesome jbl sound system

underpowered (4 cyl.)gas tank is loud when almost full(gas slams in tank when accelerating)engine compartment catches lots of sand

my solara is a trouble free, tight ride.it cannot be compared to any american car in its class.they might be faster and more sporty but the solara is about,reliability,refinement and style. i have had many cars and none were built nearly as well.

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VW,nissan, gm product,

reliability, quiet,no squeaks shakes or rattles,awesome jbl sound system

underpowered (4 cyl.)gas tank is loud when almost full(gas slams in tank when accelerating)engine compartment catches lots of sand

my solara is a trouble free, tight ride.it cannot be compared to any american car in its class.they might be faster and more sporty but the solara is about,reliability,refinement and style. i have had many cars and none were built nearly as well.

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VW,nissan, gm product,

Everything, leather seats, sunroof, sound system....

NONE

This car is so awesome and not just for old people. I am a 19 year old college student and I absolutely love this car. I would recommend it to any of my friends or anybody. I have had no problems yet with this car. The leather seats are really cool, probably my favorite thing about the car. I also love the sound system. Sunroof makes it almost into a convertible, for those of us who can't afford the convertible model. I love it!

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I used to drive an 89 Pontiac Sunbird and this car is 100% better. The Sunbird (with all the problems I have had) does not even begin to compare with the Solara.

The interior is so nice, not all plastic looking like the Accord Coupe (my daughter test drove this one). Its quiet, and the sound system is great. I love the sunroof..I had a convertible years ago and this is soooo much better than the noise those come with. My favorite part of the exterior is the front grille/headlights. My '99 did'nt have all the silver!

I do have one complaint...the ride is not as smooth, bumps are punishing at slow speeds too. I did upgrade (at my expense) to a Michelin Pilot Series tire that helped the vibration on the highway, but it seems like the shocks are loose feeling, clunky. I wonder if anyone else has this problem. Maybe its a shock problem and not tires...no noticable steering wheel vibration.

I love Toyota's quality...I traded in my '99 Camry Sedan because I wanted something sportier (my 17 year old daughter once said it was a grandma car, I'm 42). My 20 year old daughter bought one a month after me, mine Silver, her's RED. She says she get more looks in this one than her '98 T-top Camaro she had!

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'99 Camry, better looking than but this one rides bumpy, '99 Pontiac Grand Am, POS, no comparison...I'll never buy American again!

Lexus-like fit and finish, comfortable ride. you dont see that many solara on the road. Great sporty ride and look.

Slight vibration when the engine is at around 800rpm when accelerate from standstill. Do any of you have this same problem? I first thought that was from the throttle cable, but I think it might be from the exhuast system. Warpped rotors when I picked up this brand new car from the dealer. I swear the 4cyl one that I test drove had leather wrapped steering wheel, but the one I got did not. Dealer told me leather wrapped wheel only comes with V6s w/ sport package.

I really love this car. It is semi-lexury like. I got the moonroof, power
seat (only the driver's seat is powered), sport package, 4cyl, Auto transmission all for $20k. I can see why you dont see that many solara on the road, because at this price range, you can and most people can buy an american made/brand with V6 for less than $20k. If I could do this over, I might get the V6 instead, I guess I was overly concern about the gas milage when I bought it(28mpg highway vs. 32mpg, gas tank is 18.5g, thats difference of close to 100mile per fillups). Dont get me wrong, it still has pretty good acceleration for a 4Cyl. I think the warpped rotors might have been from inconsiderate potential buyers that tried to see how powerful the brake system was. Luckily, my dealer replaced both front rotors for me. If anyone had the vibration problem and was fixed by the dealer, please let me know.
thanks!

richard

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Test drove the VW Beetle (too clumsy), Subaru outback, which was nice, but over 4000$ more (brake might be too soft for some people).

Quiet ride, styling, V-6 engine power.

A few teething problems.

The Solara is built in Canada, which made me question how well it was going to be put together, as I would have preferred something manufactured in Japan. However, backed by Toyota's outstanding reputation, I decided to take a chance. I paid $29,600 Cdn for the car, and the package included everything except leather seats, and the JBL premium sound system. I have owned the car for 13 months and a few teething problems have arisen. The front wheels were out of alignment when I got the car home, and it took three attempts by the dealer to realign them before they finally got the problem fixed. The driver's-side ashtray was cockeyed in its orifice, and had to be replaced. The rubber liner surrounding the moonroof came loose on one side and had to be replaced. The driver's seat belt kept sticking, and would not release when pulled out, and had to be replaced. The master control for the electric windows suffered intermittent failure after six months, and had to be replaced. The passenger's-side door panel had to be replaced after just two days, because of a flaw in the construction. The new door panel began rattling and vibrating just two months after replacement, necessitating several trips to the dealer to correct the problem. The final and most irritating problem was the automatic transmission. Everytime I brought the car to a stop, the transmission would noticeably "clunk" as it geared down. At first the dealer claimed that this was because of the "sporty" nature of the vehicle, and that the transmission was set to shift more positively. I did not buy this however, and eventually it was determined that the transmission throttle was not set to factory specs. The adjustment was made about one month ago, and for a few weeks the transmission behaved itself. The problem has returned however, albeit to a somewhat lesser degree that before, but there is still a definite occasional "clunk" as the transmission dowshifts while slowing to a stop. I have been informed by a couple of experts that the transmission solenoid modules are the culprits, but been unable thus far to convince the dealer of this fact. I would be interested to know whether or not any other Solara owner are experiencing similar transmission problems.

In spite of the myriad of niggling problems I have experience with this car, I have not soured on it, yet. I suppose that one is taking a bit of a risk buying a car in its first year of production. At least one saving grace is the fact that Toyota is happily correcting the problems as they arise. Once all the problems are remedied, I look forward to many years of happy motoring with this vehicle.

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Better looking (in my opionion)than the Honda Accord V-6.

A slightly refined car that looks a bit sportier than the Camry sedan, but barely.

An engine suited for a much lighter, compact car and not very exciting at all.

The Camry Solara is a decent car but isn't nearly as satisfying as its competitors. As with the Camry sedan, it has the weakest engine in its class with a mere 135 horsepower engine, yet it's also a bulky and heavy car! Steering and handling is mediocre and styling isn't exactly exciting either. The car is more expensive than more well-equiped cars made by other manufacturers.

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Honda Civic Si, Honda Accord Coupe, Dodge Avenger

Comfortable Ride, Easy to Park, Excellent field of vision (no large blind spots), Great all weather driving, Adequate Fuel Economy, Plenty of Pep vith the V6, Extremely Quiet (No rode noise)

My windguard above my moonroof disengaged itself from the car while driving one day... had to pull over and remove it completly. There is a completely useless and annoying "change holder?" compartment right above the driver's left knee under the dash. This is best completely ripped out of the car. After a year and a half of having the damn thing flip open and hit my knee everytime I hit a bump (while also spilling any change that might be inside) I took matters into my own hands. The stock tired that come with the Solara are absolute crap. I believe they are bridgestone, whatever they are, replace them immediately and get some high-quality tires and you will notice an improvement in your solara's ride that you never imagined. My stock tires went completely bald after roughly 30,000 miles. I checked consumer reports for the best all weather sporty tires for the camry and came up with the Michelin Energy MXV4. Get the all-weather, but get the ones rated for faster driving (at least 215mph!). This is extremely important with the Solara (so I found out), because as some of you have noticed -- the shocks are a little soft on the turns and you can get a little body roll. This is easily eliminated by getting high-quality racing/performance tires with thicker sidewalls/better rubber/stronger interior molding. You'll see your body roll disappear and your Solara will act like a whole different car, hugging turns, and sticking to the pavement like flypaper. The last major annoyance is an inability for the driver's seat to "remember" it's position. Because it is power operated, there are literally an infinite number of positions for both the leg support, lumbar support, back, height, tilt, etc... It took me a couple months before I finally had it perfect. When the time came for me to take it in to get a new inspection sticker, the guys drove it into the garage and changed the seat position. I never thought I could get so upset over something so small, but when you're driving down the street everyday and you can't seem to get the seat back to that "perfect" position you have grown used to for a year's time, then it gets down right irritating.

Buy this car if you're looking for a good "city-car". This car handles very well throughout the city, and excellently on the highway. The quiet cabin eliminates the annoying sounds of the city when you're stuck in gridlock (stereos, mufflers, horns, etc..). In fact it is so quiet, I can turn my stereo way up, roll my windows down then walk 20 feet from my car and barely hear the music. It has plenty of pep (light curb-weight and a 200HP V6) to beat most cars and suv's you might need to get in front of. Excellent handling while accelerating hard. This is very important when entering highways. The ride is extremely comfortable with the leather.

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Montero, Tahoe, Civic, Avalon. This is my favorite thus far, however, I wish there were more aftermarket products available. I'd like to get the horsepower up to 230 and then we'd really be cooking.

Mileage, acceleration, smooth ride

Not in the same league suspension-wise as the Supra: the car bounds, dips, sways and dorks out under spirited driving.

Purchased under duress with minimal research after losing my 1989 turbocharged Supra 5-speed to a dude high on controlled substance, the car continues to be a living example of purchase revalidation: decent mileage - range is 24 to 28 most of the time, smooth clutch takeup/shifter action, and at about 18500 miles the only defect noted was a blow fuse for the accessory outlet....corrected by dealer under warranty.

The car met all my requirements, stylish coupe, standard power features (locks, windows, seats), sweet stereo system, BUT most of all a QUIET drive. Acceleration and braking seem top notch.

I am concerned about the transmission and a very noticable "clunk" on the downshift from 2nd to 1st. (it is an automatic)
The power driver seat is a tad difficult to get in the perfect position.

I am still in the honeymoon period. I think I made a great choice, and hope to feel this way in 10 years.

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I had an Acura Integra for 10 years. This car is on another planet in comparison. I also looked at the Honda Accord, and some American stuff. For the price, nothing held up to the quality and the features Toyota offers.