| I had a little story here about my purchasing experience that I removed
because it was a little longwinded. I also removed most of the negative comments
about my 4 cyl. S10 which I absolutely hated. I will post some info/stats on the
Solara someday, but for now you can enjoy my review of the car. Oh yeah. If you
are having trouble finding information about the Camry Solara you may be
misspelling it. Variations that I have found on the web and even used myself
include Camery, Camary and Camray. Yes I did. Anyway, back to the story..... I test drove a few vehicles but didn't find anything that I wanted to
buy so, after a while I just gave up looking, until one night, at the gas
station, I noticed a car that I didn't recognize right away. I should have,
given that I have seen several Solara websites. I just don't always pay
attention. Anyway... I liked it. I liked the lines. I liked the spoiler. I liked
the size. I then saw another one in a different color later that night. After
that I decided to check out the Solara sites once again to get some info on the
car.
|
| Ok. So I went back online to investigate it further and to look for a car
loan. I ended up getting a loan from PeopleFirst.com which made negotiating a lot easier. I went back to the dealership a few days
later and, after some haggling, filled in a check for the agreed upon amount and
I had my car. Having that check in hand was much better than having to deal with
the "What kind of monthly payment are you looking for?" tactic that
they always want to use on you when you go looking for a car. First impressions
and all the whatnot about purchasing the car aside I have to add a little about
the car since I've owned it now for a few weeks. The Solara still has a good bit
of power, but it isn't a Corvette. It would get it's tail kick by a Corvette, or
even a supercharged Grand Prix, until we got to 112 MPH. Then I would stand a
chance, because my speed limiter doesn't kick in until it reaches 131 MPH. I am
pretty sure that the GP kicks in sooner, but I could be wrong. Oh yeah, the car
does go 131 MPH and without the speed limiter it should reach about 150 although
that may be pushing it. It's also front wheel drive which is a pretty big
negative, but then it's getting harder and harder to find a rear wheel drive car
that I might like and it does very well compared to other cars IN ITS
CLASS.. 2- There are a lot of cars that look better and they are cheaper too. It
looks good though. Maybe I can keep it clean for more than 2 days in a row. The
weather has been a mess. On the day that the pictures for this site were taken I
had had my Camry Solara cleaned. Actually it was just minutes before I took the
pics. It stayed clean for 2 hours after that, until the weather decided to dump
all over my new/used car. I even park it in the garage and it still gets messed
up. I can't win.
3- It may be quiet like a Lexus, but it ain't a Lexus by any stretch of the
imagination. Any Lexus will easily outclass this car. Very comfortable and I
think it feels and handles better than your standard Camry sedan.
4- Well, it is comfortable to drive. One complaint- well, make that 2. The
first one is that I cannot see to back into my driveway because the trunk is too
high or something. I have to adjust one of the side mirrors down to see the curb
because you sure can't see anything through the rear window. Second- It is
uncomfortable to rest your arm on top of the door when the window is down. This
is just something that affects cruising and really isn't a detriment when the
windows are up.
5- Yes, it has a touch of class, but it is outdone by a number of less
expensive cars. My brother recently purchased a Monte Carlo, decked out, for
quite a bit less. Leather seats, side airbags, and a few other goodies that I
don't have. I should be able to take him in a race though. Still, he has a very
nice car. It is not the new model though, which is much more attractive than the
one he purchased. He has the one that looks, acts, and feels like a Lumina. This
is also a very reliable car. One note- I love leather seats but would probably
never actually want to get them. The weather in this area reaches both extremes,
hot and cold. It gets up to 105 F in the summer and it is usually well below
zero during late January and much of February (not the highest of the highs or
the lowest of the lows, but it is bad enough) and I feel that the cloth seats
are more comfortable in these extremes and that there isn't too great a
sacrifice in comfort during milder times. Back to the Solara. The suspension is
outdated and handling suffers a bit because of it. The speedometer is not pretty
and the wood trim is severely lacking in a number of key places. I feel that
they should have placed the trim around the center console and radio, etc. It
would have made the interior of the car a little nicer and it really wouldn't
have cost any more. My car does not have a programmable climate control. It just
has knobs to adjust the heater. The climate control is an option, but the
original purchaser did not order it. Oh well. The leather wrapped steering
wheel is a nice touch. It's nice, but I don't think that it's any nicer than
most of the cars in its class. In fact, it is a little plain in many
regards.
Here's some more of what I think.....
1- The car can use more power. The Maxima makes more power according to Nissan
and there are some vehicles coming out this year that will give it a good run
for the money.
2- It should really have a better suspension. While the 16" rims and the
reinforcement of the front end makes it handle a little better than a standard
Camry sedan, this car really deserves a double wishbone suspension.
3- The TRD supercharger should be available as a factory installed option.
Mine probably wouldn't have had it anyway, but I may have considered buying a
new one instead of the used one. I have placed an order for the TRD/Kazuma
supercharger.
4- Despite all of this I love the car. I am just trying to be honest and brag
about its shortcomings as well as its pluses.
5- It's a Toyota. What does this mean? Well, I have had nothing but good
experiences with Toyota's in the past. I have seen other websites and message
boards for other cars. Many of these people put up with some of the most amazing
crap and accept it as normal. What is normal for a Toyota? Normal for a Toyota
is ---high reliability and none of the BS like I experienced with my S10. I do
not worry that this car will ever leave me stranded. The commitment to
quality is second to none and Toyota prides themselves on the reliability of the
vehicles with their nameplate. This is worth a lot to me. Don't get me wrong.
Toyota's do have problems. I had a few small problems with my Toyota's but they
were well spaced out over 100's of thousands of miles and not all within the
first 20,000 miles like the S10. It really was that bad. If I didn't still
owe money on it I may have ghost driven it off of a cliff. American car
companies build millions of wonderful cars, but I don't like taking the chance
that the model I bought is the one that they've used to experiment on. It is a
coin toss. Most of them are great, but all too often they come out with models
that have nothing but problems for several years before they work the bugs out.
I hope that my experience with this Camry Solara is the same as my previous
experience with Toyotas. I expect it. I demand it. This was a major issue in my
purchase. If I don't love what you've done for me I will keep that in mind the
next time I buy a car.
Overall impression. It's a decent car for the price. The original value of
the car may not stack up next to what you will find with some other nameplates.
Chrysler is currently pumping out some nice looking cars, with decent power and
up to date suspensions for less money. I am sure, however, that several years
down the road my car will still be worth more and it will have given me much
less trouble than some of the "better valued" cars. Occasionally the
big three get one right. You can take your chances with them. I will place my
bet on the Solara. Anyway- That's it for now. If you've read this far then you
deserve a prize. I am so full of crap that I have to let it out somewhere and
this site is just the perfect place for it. Oh yeah. Your prize. Pat yourself on
the back and tell yourself Good Job. How's that for a prize?
|
