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SolaraGuy.com • View topic - 2005 Vert
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2005 Vert

PostPosted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:23 am
by stephenson
Bought sister a 2006 vert last year ...took forever to find a nice one for her with 80k miles. She loves it!

Was looking for a convertible for our lake house and considered BMW and Mercedes ... but after extensive research and talking with lots of friends with them, I decided I just didn't want another car requiring massive care and money for maintenance.

So, began the search for a nice vert ....very hard to do it turns out in our area near WDC. Finally found a private owner yesterday with low miles 70k version in silver with gray leather. Nice interior but very dirty, and body a bit rough from city use - wife drove it back and forth to work - but always garaged so top is very nice.

I think I'll put $500 into touching up some paint spots ...have some curb rash on wheels ...what are options?

Had recent coolant and trans flush, brakes last year and tires replaced in pairs 5k and 500 miles ago.

The inside is so incredibly dirty ...no dash cracks and no seat tears or even much wear ...when I prepped my sister's 06 for her, I did the usual vacuum and scrub down with carpet cleaning. Lots of Armorall on the dash and doors, etc. I used Lexol cleaner and leather compound on the seats. Any other suggestions?

The car runs very well, but takes a bit longer to start than my sister's 06 ...nothing terrible, just seemed noticeable. Thoughts?

I'll do the usual oil and filter changes on it. Anything else come to mind should do prior to getting on the road? (Tbelt and water pump replacement not yet done ...can wait to 90-100k?)

Thanks All!

Re: 2005 Vert

PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:56 am
by stephenson
Picked it up ... here are issues:
- TPMS light came on as it did during the test drive - we reset it during test drive so will do some troubleshooting and rebaseline the pressures, reset battery and then do another reset
- floats more than other Solara verts have driven, so likely needs struts - would appreciate hearing what brands everyone uses! Was considering just doing all the corners with KYBs ...options? BTW - the Solara vert is known for having a lot of flex ...anything help to mitigate this?
- re the float, likely the various bushings should be replaced - which are most commonly needed? What are the most common "kits" to get?
- have some work to do on the body, including the headlight lenses .... lots of polishing needed
- it was grossly dirty so have started the effort on vacuum, scrub, carpet cleaning, etc.

Thanks for any comments in advance!

Re: 2005 Vert

PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:51 pm
by GzNutz
For struts KYB GR2. For body flex the TRD RSB and FSTB are the way to go.