jhenty

I am currently looking at a 2000 Toyota Solara SLE v6- 5 -speed, black sand exterior, black leather interior. It has 80k miles and the car seems to be in great shape. My question mainly is......should i trade my 99 sts (79k miles) for the solara. I have already worked out an even trade with the dealer so i just have to make my decision. I know it has the same engine as the camry and the es300 of the same years. Is there any other imforation about the vehicle i should know? Any help is appreciated!

Chigga

depends on you, like why you want to consider a Solara?

I've had a 93 Seville pass down from my dad before, and I truely enjoyed the car, but then again I was in high school back then, it was the pimp mobile for me and the crew, after couple months I sold it cause I couldn't pay the gas bills with the part time job I had. I think the NorthStar probally has lot better fuel efficiency than the 4.9.

I really wanted to get a Solara before the Lex, I mean its a nice car that can be mod tastefully and look amazing, not to mention good gas mileage & less gizmos to break.

I think you'll be better off sell the STS yourself and get the Solara w/some left over money to spend on lowering and rims.

-J-P-L-

If all those cars in your signature are yours, then why a 2000 Solara?
Doesn't make any sense to me. Unless those cars are owned buy family.

Please explain your reasoning.

jhenty

the cars are in the fam. the bimmers belong to my parents. Allthough i get to drive them whenever, i cannot mod them (nor would i want to put money into something that isnt mine) The Solara would replace both my caddy and my es3.

herragge

i know this info is uselessbut....save up and get an SC430!!! lol you'd prob have to save up for a little longer and a while...

Solara is a nice car, can't beat toyota and its reliability...

Don't know about looks though and after a hard top convertable, I would never go to soft top again.

flipside909

SLE V6? That only came auto. Perhaps SE V6 Manual? I have a fully loaded 99 Solara SE V6 Manual w/96k miles. Mine is in Diamond White Pearl and Ivory Leather. I have every option the SLE V6 had w/side airbags minus the obvious auto tranny and automatic digital climate control. My Solara is faster in the straight line than my 04 IS3. But in the twisties, that's a different story.

Something to look into is the vehicle's maintenance history particulary oil change. This particular year Solara 1MZ-FE V6 falls into the sludge prone category. You may want to trace the history or even have a mechanic check it out for you.

Another issue is the dreaded suspension noise/creak for the MCV20 chassis i.e. Camry, Solara, ES300. the obvious culprit are worn upper strut mounts. Other than that, the car is great and is very sturdy.

If you can find it, you can always do the usual TRD USA upgrades i.e. TRD/Molly Body Kit, TRD S/C, suspension, exhaust and etc. My favorite mod is the TRD Short Shifter. www.mollydesigns.com or look for the remaining TRD parts at L-Tunedparts.com or www.toyotaparts4u.com

PM me if you have questions.

Good Luck!

talgrl626

sell the car urself?? i duno about you, but for a commission of 200 dollars, i think my time's worth a lot more than figetting around trying to sell a relatively higher ticket item(the thread owner's 99 sts). the turn-around could be an eternity and is definitely a major factor of depreciation.


an even trade with the dealer is a dream come true that solara should leave you worry free for a good 2 years, at least. i believe.

mmarshall

I take it that this 2000 Solara is a coupe and not a convertible, right? I would avoid the convertible.....not that there is anything really wrong or unreliable with it, but it just was not one of the better-braced convertibles structurally and tended to have a significant amount of cowl shake and chassis flex, that's all, which can be annoying over bumps and uneven patches of road.
The main problem to look out for on this car (and on any Toyota/Lexus product with the 1997-2002 3.0 V6) is, as Flip pointed out, the engine gel / sludge problem from too-infrequent oil changes. This engine is NOT forgiving of long oil change intervals. If you don't know this car's history, change the oil and filter immediately and keep it changed every 3-5 months and 3000-5000 miles.

Other than these two things the cars are pretty much bulletproof and should give you pretty good service.
Good Luck.

jhenty

just an update...... I finalized the sale....I have an even trade with my car and the dealer agreed to buy me new tires because i had brand new ones on the STS. So i made out pretty good on this deal considering i bought it for less that I traded it.