SolaraGuy.com

My 02 SLE convertible with 104,00 is great - but I spend a lot of money having every little thing kept perfect. I stopped going to the dealer when I had some very suspicious multi thousand dollar estimates that turned out to be minor issues that got fixed correctly at a foreign car repair shop that has been a great find for me. Had struts replaced at a Goodyear store and (long story) but it ultimately cost me $2000 to correct. Also had to get tires replaced twice when the crap tires Goodyear sold me had tire pull. My "work on it myself days" finally came to an end when I sold my Jaguar XK150 in the early 90's. Recent repairs:
- Had clunking up front and had sway bar ends replaced
- Had some unusual tire wear and had struts replaced
- Replaced top last year
- Had an airbag issue and replaced bag inside passenger seat
- Had rough idle when cold so had throttle body and injectors cleaned
- Rear brakes
- New seals over doors (air noise AFTER top replacement)
- New top latches (one snapped so replaced both)
- Leather keeps going bad on steering wheel so I just ordered a custom one with leather match and same burl wood as rest of car

Found a couple of great people that the dealers use. One touches up rock chips/minor scratches like an artist and I have him do all three cars once a year. Another does leather color blending/repair and I have had him freshen the interior leather a year or so ago. Third guy does the dealer interiors and stereos - having them install a nav/bluetooth/touchscreen head.

Every few years I spend a ton on it, but it is perfect, looks great, always gets comments, and I LOVE bragging that I drive a "10 year old Toyota". I am a real estate developer and bankers love it . My wife drives an almost new Hyundai Genesis that is an amazing car but I would not trade.

Oh yea - low fuel light stopped working (ran out of gas on expressway a year or so ago DOLP - dealer wanted $1100 to fix (have to pull tank, drain new sender bla bla bla) - my little shop fixxed for $135 OEM sender and $20 labor.

iDOPEY wrote:i officially will get the solara

CONGRATS! an excellent automobile!

balow34 wrote:My 99 beauty was holding up just well until December of 2010. Overall the car is running well with the exception of the post I made today about having issues with burning oil.

I have a feeling by this time next year I'll be strutting along in something else sadly enough.

Ihad a burning oil problem when I bought my 99 in 02 and it turned out to be an engine recall. I got a new engine at 75k and I now have 95k and this car is a real beauty. I want to give it some upgrades and TLC now and hope to keep it another 10 years! Dont give up on your 99. See if Toyota is still honoring that engine replacement.

My 1st Generation '99 Solara SLE has 246k. Original engine & trans. Put over $3500 in the two years I've owned it. I love this car it has a lot of room. Ready to trade it for an 04 Altima tho. Have a baby on the way so need a four door.

99 SLE with 125,000 miles on it. Bought it with 113,000 and had it for 1 year now. I knew some repairs would be in order when I got it so here is a list of issues/repairs.
1. replaced thermostat as original was stuck open. (40 bucks w/labor).
2. elusive A/c issue where my condenser fan motor somehow makes my high side pressure skyrocket causing no A/c at idle in hot weather. The fix is yet to be determined, but disconnecting the condenser fan returned A/c to acceptable performance (better than many cars in tip top shape; e.g. 2004 honda civic), without any other adverse effects. New fan motor did not fix the problem. (40 bucks motor, 80 bucks A/c recharge, 20 hours personal time diagnosing-priceless).
3. Engine has begun to overheat in 100+ degree weather if sitting idle for more than 15 minutes. I suspect it has to do w/condenser fan being disconnected. It may have to do with improper coolant refill from when thermostat was replaced. I'm still diagnosing, but engine coolant levels appear fine and timing belt/waterpump was replaced at 85k miles by dealer. Contemplating a flush to rule out coolant levels/bubbles/obstructions.
4. Replaced all 4 struts as originals were blown. Decided to upgrade to Tein s-tech springs and Stagg SHS struts (very happy so far w/the combo). (350 all together for parts, 200 for tools - compressor, impact wrench, miscellaneous-, 20 hours labor on my part, knowledge of replacing suspension - priceless).
5. Obligatory investment in new brake pads, rotors, and rims. (380 for all)
6. Needlessly installed new alternator (some voltage readings suggested alternator might have been cause of A/c issue, but I later confirmed it is related to condenser fan motor or the motor's wiring). I probably would have had to replace it anyway as it was stock. (130, self install)
7. Replaced the battery. The condenser fan motor was sucking so much juice that it killed off 1 battery. (90 bucks)
8. Rear defrost doesn't work, but when I replaced my struts in the rear I noticed one of the wires was disconnected at the rear windshield under the panelling. I did not reconnect it, but the reason for it is a long story. Needless to say, I plan on connecting it before winter comes.
9. Backlight on radio doesn't work. I can read the display with some light so i'm not bothering to fix it as I'll either replace the sterio w/a 2 din touchscreen and I currently play music via my phone and adapter (pandora, google music, etc).

So, i've invested about 750 bucks in repairs, and some personal time conducting them. I wasted some money trying to fix the A/c issue. You'll notice most of my issues arise from the damn AC condenser fan motor problem so I have to say that the Gen 1 is holding up amazingly well for having 125k miles.

I think besides the longevity of this car, a key factor is simply that it is a damn good looking car. To me, it has the perfect blend of classy, sporty, luxurious, and economical. I don't regret purchasing it at all. In fact, I enjoy putting in some time making sure it runs for many years to come.

99 v6 5speed, 248k miles and still going strong. I'm 18 and i bought the car off my dad, hes had it since it was new and done his own regular maintenance on it, which I now do the same, at a quarter million miles I just encountered my first problem - the backlight on my radio just went out. Never been hit, no paint wearing, no rust, no suspension problems (im getting tien lowering springs soon though), never broken down, and never lost a race.

Just hit 181k. Need to replace door handle and cable.. Also changed to only Philips 66 gas and have been getting significantly better gas mileage.

My 2000 SLE V6 has 210k miles on it. It decided that it wanted to over heat so i took a look and ended up taking apart the engine. Long story short the cam shafts were in perfect condition, no scoring of any kind, and the deeper i got the more i was amazed at how clean it was on the inside. The interior is a little worn, but nothing non-fixable, and the outside is still has the shinny white diamond pearl paint from the factory. I LOVE THIS CAR

My 99 Solara SLE now has 250k miles & still runs like a champ. Love this car!

Currently going under a full rebuild with forged internals!

Niice! Mine just got outta paint! crap looks freshasf#ck

Year: 1999
Miles: 145,000
Mechanical Condition: Currently have p0135 o2 Sensor B1S1 code, and leaking power steering fluid from the pressure hose =\ Other then this, car runs fantastic!
Aesthetic Condition: Aside from some small spots on the chrome trim of the grille, and a couple spots in hood, car is in great shape for 13+ years!
Money spent fixing the essentials (mods/maintenance excluded): o2 Sensor for B1S1 OEM $82.60, Power Steering - Pressure Hose Assembly $130
Major Problems Experienced: Only major problem would be the Power Steering leak. o2 Sensor issue is rather common at this point, mileage wise.
*****
Money spent on all other: Denso Iridium Spark Plugs $80, NGK Blue Plug Wires $90, 12 Qts Mobil1 Fully Synthetic Transmission Fluid $100, Transmission Fluid Flush (labor) $60, Toyo Eclipse Tires (new) $549, HID 6000k Headlights $50 (shipped), HID 3000k Foglights $45 (shipped), Custom Tint on Taillights and Foglights (lifetime warranty included) $50. Custom DIY install Alpine Type-R component speakers/tweeters $160 (pair) (had to modify/largen the tweeter openings to fit the larger size tweeters), Infinity 6x9 Kappa 3-way speakers in back $190 (pair), and Pioneer 240w 26w rms Mp3 Headunit $349.99.

I purchased this car @ 111,000 miles on May 25th 2009. This car is amazing. Love it! And can't go wrong with Toyota!

Im in a crappy condition.

As a broke college student who isn't legally allowed to make any money (international student!) besides a 20 hour on campus job I have a hard time keeping my 2000 Solara SLE up in shape.

Here are the known issues:

- Fog lights needs to be replaced, one even has water in it which happened somehow over the summer when I was back home and a friend kept the car
- Engine vibration due to shot rear mount. I have the part but can't afford to shell out the $300 the mechanic wants for labor and I know how much that part should be replaced...
- rear brake caliper apparently not building up pressure, get spongy brake on first apply, becomes firm when pushing a second time
- parking brake stuck and screwing my actually new rear rotors (its probably in gaga land by now)
- suspension is.... barely existent

So yea. I hope she will survive until May when I will either sell and go back to Europe or get a job to properly fix her. Milage is ~111k.

Saranael wrote:Im in a crappy condition.

As a broke college student who isn't legally allowed to make any money (international student!) besides a 20 hour on campus job I have a hard time keeping my 2000 Solara SLE up in shape.

Here are the known issues:

- Fog lights needs to be replaced, one even has water in it which happened somehow over the summer when I was back home and a friend kept the car
- Engine vibration due to shot rear mount. I have the part but can't afford to shell out the $300 the mechanic wants for labor and I know how much that part should be replaced...
- rear brake caliper apparently not building up pressure, get spongy brake on first apply, becomes firm when pushing a second time
- parking brake stuck and screwing my actually new rear rotors (its probably in gaga land by now)
- suspension is.... barely existent

So yea. I hope she will survive until May when I will either sell and go back to Europe or get a job to properly fix her. Milage is ~111k.

Where are you located?