Thinking of buying a 99 - good idea?

[Chinky420]

the 1mz engine block (v6) is rock solid

i bought the car (1999 SLE) in jan of 2006 with 91k miles, now i'm at ~140k miles and still going strong. i bought it from an independent dealer who got it from auction, so who knows how well it was maintained before me.

i did blow the tranny (automatic) at like 115k or something, but that was mostly my fault (i tend to abuse my transmission pretty badly).



let us know the details of your find, is it a 6cyl or 4cyl? SE or SLE? miles? price?

[dug320]

In jest ...

You are worrying about buying a Solara after owning a Saturn?

[99BlackSandv6]

Toyota>Saturn

[solara90]

haha, you really catch them small details...

With all the maintenance records that is a HUGE plus. But definitely get it checked out before you make any final deals.

Is there any information about a faulty oil problem in the 99 Solaras?

A friend of mine said she heard something about it.

please do tell more about your female friend....

[99BlackSandv6]

Whoa! Mole is very observant....he's watching you.

[Mole]

yeah...

i hope its not a "i need 710" girl.

[Midias]

01 ~175k miles 5 speed original clutch.

[LatinDragonXJC]

First Gen Solaras, just keep going and going and going lol. All you have to keep up with is the fluids and regular maintenance. The only headache I've experience driving mine in the last 5 years was last week when my starter went @ 97K miles. That's all, cheap replacement.

[99BlackSandv6]

Only issues I've had are a VERY MINOR power steering leak, it is so minor I have never had to top off and it's been leaking for nearly two years. Also, the suspension makes noise in certain conditions, but that is minor stuff. The engine runs great and the transmission works flawlessly even after almost 11 years and over 118000 miles.

EDIT: One common thing is the valve covers leaking, this requires a $20 gasket set and should be taken care of at about 100000 miles.

[mightymouse402]

I'm going to hit 100,000 miles this week, and I bought the car a little over a year ago with 82,000 miles. Still runs great. I say it is a great idea.

[PTSOLARA]

I have a 1999 Solara V6 SE 5 Speed. This is still my workhorse that i use to drive to work on weekdays. I have around 214K miles so far and it has been very reliable. I had to replace 2 timing belts over its lifetime and a clutch at 175K. The car is leaking a little of oil now which i probably won't fix. So you will have a long way to go with this solara assuming that it was taken care of properly.

[Midias]

I have a 1999 Solara V6 SE 5 Speed. This is still my workhorse that i use to drive to work on weekdays. I have around 214K miles so far and it has been very reliable. I had to replace 2 timing belts over its lifetime and a clutch at 175K. The car is leaking a little of oil now which i probably won't fix. So you will have a long way to go with this solara assuming that it was taken care of properly.

Holy Necropost

[chriscarter]

Toyotas are bulletproof with good basic maintenance. Mainly oil and filter changes...and don't go cheap on this....brand name oil of proper viscosity....brand name filter. There are many good brands. I have used Mobil 1 and Fram filters for years on many cars. Just sold a 1993 Celica with 175,000 miles, engine never apart, original clutch, A/C still icy cold. It's all about good maintenance. Just bought a 2002 Solara with 100,000.

That being said, the one thing that would keep me from buying a car for dependable use would be any evidence of wreck or rust (structural, not surface)....unless you're buying a parts car. You can replace every part that is bolted to the body, including engine and trans.....you only get one body with which to work.

Good advice from folks above too. It's well worth a couple hundred bucks to get a professional independent inspection if the car passes your initial once-over and you're not that familiar with the mechanics of a vehicle. Few bucks now can save you thousands in the future.

[solara99white]

If I were you I wouldn't hesitate,coming from a current 99 toyota solara owner myself

Its a great car,no complaints

Good luck with your purchase

[amabsolute]

Lolz......