Questions about the 2004 Solara from those that own it

[slingshot]

I test drove the 2004 Solara and it rode better than my 99. I'm thinking of buying the new model but want to first see all the colors and find out any problems anyone is having with their new model.

Questions:

1. Does the front window top inside edge get dirty from the rubber gasket like the previous model always did? I hate having to always scrub that top dirt line.

2. Has anyone seen the new light or dark blue colors? I've seen the red, silver, white and black. To me the white looks best but I'm pretty hesitant having now the previous Solara in white and seeing how the bumpers now are a different color from the body. I also read that any colors in pearl are the absolute hardest to blend in if you require repainting. The black looks great but too hard to keep clean. The red is too bright and cop noticeable. The silver looked incredibly dull. Made the car look very drab.

Thanks in advance,
Dave

[slingshot]

I meant the frameless door window not front window....

[Shoe]

havent experienced the dirt on the window in the 1.5 weeks been driving with rain and sun havent washed the car yet either
shoe

as for the colors ive only seen what you have ( driving red)

[Solarax2]

I'm thinking about a 2004 too; however, I've seen a number of posts in various Toyota forums that expressed a lot of dissatisfaction with the performance of the new electronic throttle control and the 5-spd auto. I have an '01 SLE now (two of them actually), and have been real happy with their performance - hope Toyota hasn't taken a step backward with the new one. Any comments or recommendations from other new Solara owners?

[slingshot]

THis same engine is in the 04 Camry, Lexus ES330 and Lexus RX330 so you'd see those complaints on those cars too. On my test drive, it felt more powerful and fun driving the new Solara than the last version. There was less delay when giving it a lot of gas. The manual shifting mode seemed to work fine. Taking fast turns was much better with less tire squeel and less leaning.

I'm thinking about a 2004 too; however, I've seen a number of posts in various Toyota forums that expressed a lot of dissatisfaction with the performance of the new electronic throttle control and the 5-spd auto. I have an '01 SLE now (two of them actually), and have been real happy with their performance - hope Toyota hasn't taken a step backward with the new one. Any comments or recommendations from other new Solara owners?

[solarax2]

That makes sense - thanks for the reply.

[fotodad]

The silver looked incredibly dull. Made the car look very drab.

Thanks in advance,
Dave

Hey, careful! I've got the silver and I'm damn happy with it! I owned a 2000 SLE before getting my 2004. These are my thoughts.

I liked the black interior leather on the 2000 better than the grayish leather on my 04. The 04 handles and rides better, but not significantly. I like the styling on the 04 more than the 2000, but not much more. I feel the build quality is a step up from the 2000.

[slingshot]

Let me qualify it a little. The silver I saw was on a Toyota car lot and it was not in ready to deliver shape (not waxed and tires not shiny). But this swoopy new design looks best in vibrant colors or black or white it seems to me. I'm waiting to see how it looks in the two blue colors. The new engine has a better throatier sound to it when accelerating hard. The previous model was very quiet, a bit too quiet. The old model also leaned too much on turns and the tires squeeled terribly on a fast, hard turn. The new model shows big improvements in that. Still not a pure sports car but sounds and acts more satisfyingly. ONly interior negatives were the see through plastic transmission plate and a bit too much wood in the interior. Also the chrome plating looked a bit cheap but that's the popular styling these days. Overall, the car looks better in person than the photos (especially in white and black) and drives better and is more comfortable than the previous generation.

The silver looked incredibly dull. Made the car look very drab.

Thanks in advance,
Dave

Hey, careful! I've got the silver and I'm damn happy with it! I owned a 2000 SLE before getting my 2004. These are my thoughts.

I liked the black interior leather on the 2000 better than the grayish leather on my 04. The 04 handles and rides better, but not significantly. I like the styling on the 04 more than the 2000, but not much more. I feel the build quality is a step up from the 2000.

[fotodad]

[quote="slingshot"]But this swoopy new design looks best in vibrant colors or black or white it seems to me.

To each his/her own. Personally, I think the new Solara or even an older Solara looks good in any color. I think black is a beautifully sophisticated looking color, but I'd worry about eventual swirls in the paint. If you like vibrant, I don't see how you can beat the red. It is truly a magnificant color. I understand your point about seeing cars in the lot that have not been properly detailed. Once silver is polished any sense of it being drab goes far, far away.

[Kini]

I have the white (pearl) and it does look much better in person than in pics. I also saw a black one, it was nice but seemed to lose some of the lines (could be good or bad depending on what you think of the new style).
I only have 160 miles on it, haven't left town yet. The drive by wire does have some hesitation or you could even call it jerkiness when trying to be slow and delicate on take off. If you put your foot into it at all, it responds immediatly with alot of power (tourqe) and the transmission shifts better, IMO than my friends 350Z, when in auto or manual mode. I dont know if the computer has a learning curve to it, so that after a while it smooths out a bit at light throttle settings. I have the Sport package and the interior fabric is very nice, the ride and handling tight but definately not harsh, also very quite. The sport package gets more aggressive bridgestone Turanza (?) tires, that are probably a little louder than the all seasons.
Overall I think the car is definately the best per dollar vehicle on the market by a long shot.

Laters :

[slingshot]

One thing I'm worried about with the pearl white is the bumpers changing color like what happened on my 99 Solara. It's a very slight color difference with the body but it did happen and is a little bit annoying. I've heard it is common. Anyone else on this forum with pearl white notice this after a few years? It seems this white looks different on plastic than metal.

Second thing about pearl colors is that they are far harder to color match after an accident than any other type of paint. Metallics are even easier and black is the easiest.

[got sport]

I have the black sport with leather interior. It's awesome. If you can find a sport with leather interior, then you should go with that one. The carbon interior is great, and the center console is simple and elegant. The leather is plush and comfortable. My only wish is that the center console backlights were the same "indiglo" blue color as the gauges. It was tough to find the one that I wanted, and I got lucky. It's true that black is tough to maintain, but maintaned properly it's worth the elegance.

The ride is very smooth, and I'm cruising at 80mph with just a little squeeze on the gas. I've driven with the radio off, and you can barely hear anything; it's just you and the car - peaceful. Like someone posted earlier, best bang for your bucks on the current market - looks, power, price.

[solarax2]

Great info - can't wait to test drive a new one myself. By the way, according to Toyota's brochure, leather isn't offered with the SE Sport option - how did you manage to get one? I really like the SE Sport interior, and the underbody fairing kit/HD suspension. If I could also get the leather with it, it'd be perfect.

[got sport]

Actually, before I went to the test-rive the car I was expecting the fabric cloth interior. But, when the fleet manager opened the car and I saw leather, I was ecstatic. Just pure luck.

I know on Toyota's site and brochure that leather isn't offered, but I've seen on third-party sites that leather is an option. And, since I have one with leather I know they're out there. It was already tough to find a black SE Sport, V6 and with leather it was a huge bonus. I went through the Internet fleet departments at my local Toyota dealerships; 1 out of 7 dealers had the one that I wanted.

Get your hands on a sport with leather. Good luck!

[ani_solara]

what?? My dealer told me the SE Sport didn't come in leather interior. He lied? Damn, the only reason I got the SLE was because of the leater, I just had to have it. The leather in the 04's is like the Lexus GS leather, not the tight slippery old Toyota leather that used to be in the old late 90's Avalons and Camrys.


ani