The Search

by **midnightsolara** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 6:39 am

Ok, so I'm looking into finally getting a Solara, definitely in the beginning stages. My roomate is a mech engineer and knows alot about cars and he is learning a lil more about Solaras too (his fam is a Toyota family). He told me it was easier to find an 02 Manual transmission Solara than adding in the color that I want, which is black. We are having trouble finding one in our area (College Park, MD) but still on the lookout. So he told me if I found one but didnt mind driving around a red one for a lil bit that I could have it repainted for less than $250. But I should change the exhaust first rather than the suspension (from what I heard around here). Any suggestions on any of those topics? Thanks ppls

Mid

by **Grazi07** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:03 am

I think it'll cost you more than $250 to have it repainted, at least with any quality. I remember Maaco running ads saying $400, and I've heard bad things about their quality. When you buy a used car, there are much more important factors than the color. You should be looking towards mechanical soundness and overall condition of the car. I hated white cars, but ended up with one because of the condition it was in and the mileage it had on it. Good luck with your search, and keep an open mind to colors, they're not all that important really.

by **krawzyazn** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:49 am

you probably want a good paint job and that cost aleast $1500 get a 3 stage or 5 stage atleast ooh yeah and don't forget you want to paint the door jams also and maybe the interior that you can see cuz a blakc car but with red engine bay does not look good

by **B_Master_Flash** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 12:33 pm

It took me a long time, but I found one. you might want to try a dealer, believe it or not. The 5spd 6cyl 2002 solara was not a big seller, some dealerships still have them laying around. If you don't believe me, I just bought mine about 3 months ago exactly that way, and they had 2 to choose from! Also, the original asking price was 25,500 on my car, I got it for 18,300 because they just needed to get rid of it, so keep your head up.

by **midnightsolara** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:31 pm

Wooohoo a ray of sunlight! A dealer huh? I might continue looking around that way then, thanks man! Wow asking price for a 2002 was 25K? Thanks for the inspiration folks!

Mid

by **HKSV6SLE** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 6:37 pm

hey he might have a point...remeber this car....is targeted to women and middle age people...most of them im sure wiould probably buy it with an automatic...it may seem like a lot of people on the boards have a SE stick..but that's cuz..were enthusiasts..i have a feeling in the overall solara sales..the stick doesnt sell quite as much...

by **SpikedMantis** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:24 pm

If anyone remembers Peter, he had a time trying to find his "Black Sheep" - a black Gen 1 SE V6 5speed.

by **lupous** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 8:05 pm

you totally should keep your head up and your eyes open...it will be that much more worth it to you when you find exactly what you want.

by **WTF??** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 9:38 am

I think your lucky to have time to "wait and look" for your solara...

I was kinda forced into buying what I could find... my other car was dying out on me :oops:

So since you got time, might as well be picky and look for what you want!!! :evilbat:

by **Timbo** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 12:01 pm

As far as your planned upgrades go... I would install a TRD rear sway before modifying the exhaust. You will see significant cornering improvement for a relatively small investment.

by **MGLax13** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:40 pm

Millenium Toyota on Long Island, I was picking up my Solara yesterday and in came a black 2002 SLE V6, manual, 40k miles, leather, tints, chrome wheels. It was hot. I wish I didn't have to find a Solara under $10k or else I would have taken it instead of mine.

by **midnightsolara** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:44 pm

Thanks for more confident votes fellas! Well I dont know how much time I have exactly, for those who dont know I currently drive around in a 94 Ford Tempo...yeah...sucks doesnt it? But anyway, its starting to heap on its problems and thats why I'm looking. But I joined this forum a lil while ago and have been wanting a Solara for a while. I just like the idea of black sleekness cruisin down the road with tinted windows

I guess I could go automatic...and the 04s have grown on me. But we will see

Mid

by **bash0** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 8:10 pm

deffinitly wait as long as possible to find your best match. Searched for a month myself to find my 99 solara v6 5spd for under 10k ... picked mine up for 8800 bucks. 74k miles, but a heck of a lot better than my es300 with 120k. You should eliminate color from your criteria though, it is the least important, and should only be considered when buying new.

-bash0

by **ChrYstiE** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 7:02 am

A $350 paint job will probably be horrendous. You need to spend at least 2000 to get a really good one. Also, the car will depreciate in value because of the paint job.

-Chrystie

by **B_Master_Flash** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 10:24 am

ChrYstiE wrote:A $350 paint job will probably be horrendous. You need to spend at least 2000 to get a really good one. Also, the car will depreciate in value because of the paint job.

-Chrystie

I had a $600 paint job on my old Paseo, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it. It didn't even have a clear coat and it faded fast.

Should Midnight give up on his dreams of finding a manual 02 with low mileage?

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