I purchased my 2006 Solara in 2017 with only 42,000 miles - still loving it at 93,000. Such a sharp-looking car, then and now! Spent $300 to install a Bluetooth system that automatically links to my phone and plays my music when I start her up - and it came with a small mic, so I can actually receive and end calls with my steering wheel controls! ☺️
@@rosalia3468 I believe it was the "USA Spec" brand BT45-TOY Bluetooth phone & music interface. You can find it on Amazon. But it plugs in behind the radio system....so I paid a car dude to take apart my dash and plug the system into one of the "disc" jacks on the back of my car radio. Like I said, I personally didn't do it, but he said it was a fairly simple plug and play system...and as long as you have steering wheel controls, you can pick up and end calls as well as skip songs! The little mic sat up out of the way just to the left of my rearview mirror. Hope this helps! :)
This has been one of my dream cars ever since my mom rented one in '08. My husband and I finally got a 2006 Solara SLE Convertible with black paint and a tan top, we bought it in June of 2020. It has been a fantastic car! It had 155k miles when I got it, it is currently approaching 172k miles. The only parts I had to replace were the thermostat and radiator cap, everything else was just maintenance related (brakes, tires, oil and power steering fluid). It has quickly became our favorite car in the fleet, and like our Lexus ES350 (also a Toyota product), we don't have any worries about it letting us down! It just continues to run like new. The car is good in any weather (even snow up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where we live), it stays nicely climate controlled in the summer and winter because the convertible is nicely insulated, the back seat has room for actual adults top up or down, the trunk is large. All around it's just well thought out and surprising, I didn't expect this car to be so practical to live with. The only thing that had a learning curve was figuring out how to see blind spots out of the rear. Once you get to know the size and shape of the car it no longer poses an issue (plus, adding a rearview camera helped a lot)
I'm glad you enjoy your Solara as much as I have. You are right about the winter, snowy weather. I am also in the midwest where we get snow and it drives awesome in the snow. Continue to enjoy!
Just scored a one owner old couple find of lifetime. They kept everything (except someone lost the boot cover in a move) even the window sticker. 2008 SLE V6 with every option available ordered. Hadn’t even considered one of these as I was looking to buy a new Camry but the dealer markups are insane right now. Gonna replace the stock nav system with maybe a Sony AVX7000 head unit and a backup and dash camera. And that’s it nothing else needed. No accidents garaged and under 5K. I’m buried in finishing a restomod on a classic 69 mustang but I didn’t think I’d find a another older car I could love so much. It fell into my lap as it was my wife’s coworkers husband who can’t drive anymore. 125k miles and always serviced at the dealer. Even had the 100k timing belt service done. I’m having so much fun with it I’m actually looking for reasons to drive it (4 kids not hard to do).
I’m picking up a 2006 Solara which my brother new. It’s been garage kept, well maintained with 160k miles. Can’t wait to get it from Fla to Ky for many top down days’
I bought my 06 in 08 with 50k miles , I still have it and love it still, now it has 256k miles!!!! Runs smooth, hardly had to put much repairs .. typical water pump, alternator, maybe timing belt I don’t remember, luckily, I know somebody but regardless just amazing how reliable the car is
I have a 2007 SE convertible. Oceanous Blue Pearl, with a Tan top and Ivory interior. Yes! This is a factory combination and was hard to find when I bought it back in November 2006. As of now, it only has 20,000k. Excellent car for the money and the big trunk makes it an great car for road trips. It is a shame Toyota discontinued it.
My first car ever. It was my grandma’s for a decade and then mine. I can’t tell you how much I love it. I had to give to my brother and he wrecked it. Love this car forever. I’m looking to buy another baby blue and beige drop top.
Hey Pd Pd, that's awful that your brother wrecked the Solara. LIfe happens though. Blue with a beige top would look nice. The color black attracts so much dust and dirt, but I knew this when I bought it. Good luck on your search!
I've got a 2006 Solara non convertible. I am just reaching the 200,000 mi mark. And of all things I have a brake light out. Lol no other trouble. It's a smooth car for a 2 dr and has decent pickup but it's not a race car by any means. I like it cause it's a rare finder and the car i had b4 this was an mr2. Another rare finder. I don't like to run with the crowd. 😊
Congrats on reaching the 200,000 mile mark as well as the few mechanical problems. I had a 2002 MR2 Spyder years ago and loved it. Good choices on your car selection! 😀
I have a 2006 Solara convertible that I bought in 2017 for 10k with 10k miles at the time. It now has 17.5k miles. I like the cassette player feature because I still have a about 20 -25 cassette tapes that I recorded myself off of my vinyl albums back in the 80s. I live in the frozen north so the car sits covered in my garage most of the year. It has finally warmed up enough today so that I will drive it to meet some friends for lunch. Your watch looks amazing.
Congratulations Randall on finding a Solara with so few miles on it! Cassettes that you recorded off of vinyl from trhe 80's,? Wow. That's awesome. What kind of music did you write and record? Thanks for watching, and continue to enjoy your Solara. :)
@@witchauto7557 I made tapes of classic rock, pop and country music all from my extensive album collection, making play lists like people do now off of the web, like Spotify. I got an iPod for my 60th birthday (I think) from my wife and daughter. I put many hundreds of songs on it from my CD collection and off of Apple Music. I can use the iPod in my wife's 2014 Subaru Forester and my 2010 Ford F-150.
Love my 2002 SLE convertible V6 (gen 1). Enjoyed seeing the differences between your model and mine (as mine is also the black with the same interior coloring). Mine has just over 168K miles, and I have been getting about 22 to 24 mpg. It looks like you do not have the small storage compartment on the driver's side lower left. The earlier model had a compartment just large enough to store a roll of quarters - very useful for parting meters and tolls at the time the car was built.
I have a 2007 ragtop SLE bought new, great, dependable car. I found a couple of different UA-cam videos showing how to fix this radio cut out issue. One was much easier than the other.
Great review brother im in the market for a car and stumbled across this car looks sporty and classy but reliable im looking at two this weekend im definitely have to get one!
@@witchauto7557 I LOVE my Solara! She needs a lot of work. Where I live people do judge you based on your car but no matter what, I am restoring this beauty! Thank God for youtube videos that are helping me! I do not want any other car! She still drives beautifully!
I’m eyeing an ‘06 with 120K miles on it. One owner, all service records complete. I really think it’s a sleeper car. It does have some sharpness, some flash, but ultimately-it’s a practical convertible. You want it because it’ll last a good while if you take care of it-not to mod it out and beat the life out of it.
I have an 'O6 SLE convertible. Handles great, very comfortable. Currently at just a hair under 75K miles. It unfortunately sits out and that may be why there are many cracks in the dash around the radio/CD. It has leather seats, something I would not get again. The back portion of the driver side seat is side wearing from my rubbing when getting in. Mileage isn't that great. On the Pennsylvania turnpike cruising between 65 and 70 the is just a tad over 26. Toyota recommends not using regular gas so it would be an expensive commuting car. I fortunately am retired. Also leaking problems into the trunk. The biggest expense to date has been a new converter, oxygen sensor, and related piping.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the Solara convertible. I've heard that some models had problems with cracks in the dash. Good luck going forward with your Solara.
I bought a 06 solara convertible and it actually had a recall on the dash if your dash is sticky and cracks everywhere it's because it wasn't correctly manufactured they changed mine out for free I thought I was the one who damaged it but it wasn't me. I have 38 miles on it when I drove it off the lot and I just found out I can get 300,000 miles on it wow I'm keeping it.
We have a 2006 model purchased in April 17, 2006. It looks like exactly like yours except it is an SE with cloth seats, tunnate cover and windscreen. Hands down it has been one of the best car we have ever owned purchased. As of today it's about 300 miles away from the 80K mark. I service it myself and it has never presented any major issues. We bought it with cloth seats as they are easier on the skin when the sun is hot. I get stopped by people all the time wanting to buy it, including some of my relatives. It was a originally purchased for my wife, and she traded it in 6 years ago on a Nissan SUV because of exit issues she was dealing with due to knee problems @ 63 years old. I bought it back the next day and enjoy driving it. Since I retired this year, I spend more time in it as I no longer have a company car. I would love to see Toyota bring this model back as a Toyota rather than a Lexus at a decent price, I would buy another one in a heartbeat. There are many out there for sale, but rarely in the condition as yours. "Life is Good" !!!.
It's great you have just about 80K on a 2006. Good for you in getting the car back for yourself! I'm with you, it would be great if Toyota brought the Solara back. They stopped making it due to low sales. With most folks buying SUV's they probably won't bring it back anytime soon. Thanks for sharing your experience with the Solara and continue to enjoy!
@@witchauto7557 I would like to state I placed platinum pinstripes on mine immediately after purchase as I pinstripe all my cars. The pinstriping adds additional styling cues to the solara. You may want to add them to yours. It presents a very different looks, which puts a grin on my face whenever I look at it. "Life is Good".
JDDrou: Thank you. They're out there, especially if you travel a bit from home. Mine was about five miles from my home, so I got lucky. I wasn't actually looking for it, but I test drove it after driving another car they had on their lot. I was extremely impressed with it. Good luck on your search!
I think you are correct in that one reason for the demise of the Solara was the increasing popularity of the SUV. Also it wasn't sporty enough to be a sports car and family cars are usually sedans. It just couldn't find a niche. I saw in the comments some were asking for advice on buying a low mileage Solara at a very reasonable price. I say if there are no appreciable issues, jump on it. After all, it is a Toyota. I think your second gen ('04-'08) was made in Indiana and the first gens ('99-'03) was made in Canada. There were roughly 350k manufactered total I estimate. There were no convertibles in '99 or '04. I have a black SLE v6 that I bought in June '99. The black ones only came with cream colored seats at the time so I had to special order black leather seats. It required an EGR valve in '07 and an O2 sensor last year. Other than that I replaced the original tires last year and it received only it's second battery 5 years ago. That's not much for 22 years, but truthfully it should have needed very little with only 37k miles. It has always been garaged so the paint looks showroom. I suppose it will eventually go to one of my daughters. I just hope they drive it and don't sell it. I inherited a Ford pick up from my dad 20 years ago and I still drive it just because it was his. I like convertibles. I've owned 5. I didn't buy a Solara convertible because, as I stated, there were none in '99. I think yours looks cool and I hope it gives you years of good service. Thanks for the vid.
Dennis, thanks for sharing your experience and education regarding the Solara. I'm glad to see that you have enjoyed yours as much if not more than I have enjoyed mine. Thanks for watching my video!
That's just terrible! So sorry to hear that. That's one of my fears: someone will hit my car and speed off or not have insurance. I hope you get it fixed soon. Nice price! Keep your head up, Mary!
Am i missing something here? Why do more people not go nuts over these? Toyota reliability in a coupe/convertible. Can get them in a v6 and sometimes a manual trans. And their not that expensive? Kinda ugly but is there a bad thing about these that i dont see?
I don't know why these weren't a bigger hit either. I guess it just boils down to buyers wants and needs for that particular generation. You are correct, one would think a reliable convertible would be a fantastic thing.
@@dannygallagher9290 A Miata is reliable. The earlier generations looked too feminine for my tastes. I like the look of the latest generation, but it's smaller that the model it replaced. If it could be bigger I'd definitely get one. I'm in the Midwest where we have about three months of snow and ice so it couldn't be driven year round, unlike the Solara.
@@witchauto7557 ok im in the chicago land area and that weather is actually what scares me off of a miata or other small rwd sports car. Hows the solara been? Im looking for a 2nd gen solara currently. I have an 08 avenger with blown cats right now and i dont think itll pass emissions. And probably to expensive to fix the cats, compared to the cars value. So thats why im looking for something else. Would a 80-100k mile solara with the 3.3 be fairly reliable?
I am thinking of getting one of these cars. If you could answer these questions I would greatly appreciate it 😁. 1. Can you use and daily drive this car in a snowy area like western Massachusetts? And 2. Can the backseats be folded down so the trunk space can extend into the backseats Allowing long items like skis in the car. Thanks so much
Alex, you can drive the Solara Convertible year round. I live in the midwest where we get snow and it does great. Mainly because it is a front wheel drive vehicle. So with good all seasons tires you'll be fine. I intentionally drove it on snowy days to see how it would do, and I was very pleased. The back seats in the convertible do not fold down. Good luck and thanks for watching.
Hi Tijuana. This car is my personal vehicle that I did a review on. Used car selling sites that I use are Autotrader.com, Cars.com & Car Gurus. There are several more out there. I would go on the sights and do a search for who has the Solara for sale. There are lots out there. You can put in how many miles from home you are willing to drive to view the car, as well as the years, and price range you are interested in.Good luck in your search! :)
Hi! I am most likely buying a solara soon. A 2006 sle v6 convertible with 187k miles for $3500. Hopefully $3k. What do you think ab the price and miles?
Hi Rosalia. Sorry about the late reply. The miles and price appear to be a good for that model. One thing you can do going forward though is use some web-sites like Kelly Blue Book.com or NADA.org and enter specific vehicle information and the zip code for your area to see if a vehicle is being sold at a fair price. I'm not a mechanic but keep in mind that if you choose to purchase a Solara with almost 200,000 miles you will need to have the timing chain replaced which is costly. Since the mechanic will be working in that area you might as well replace the water pump as well to save on labor. Speak with a mechanic regarding this and he or she can guide you. Good luck on your search and purchase.
Hello, Thanks for sharing your review of this vehicle. I am currently looking for one and just wanted to know if you have had any issues with yours. I have heard great things about them and want to make an informed decision. Thanks for any info on it.
I haven't had problems other than what I spoke about on the video. One thing I've read is that some of the models have had problems with the dash having multiple cracks causing it to be replaced. I would say look for this, the radio and the check the wear on the convertible top.
I just bought a 2008 with only 60k miles on it. Every thing is wonderful except it has cracks in the dash. I guess I could replace the dash at about 3k but that is a lot of money to spend. Does anyone have any other ideas? I'm almost afraid to do anything because it might ruin a great car. Is there a way that it could be restored without entirely removing the dash?
I had mine replaced by a local company for $1876. Some people are able to purchase the parts and install it themselves. I would check locally for an auto upholstery shop.
Anyone know how to get the pins to line up better when top closes? My right pin comes down slightly to the left of the hole and won’t go in to fully close top unless I shift it a little back and forth.
@@witchauto7557 Are you able to provide me with more information about the install? How much everything totaled out to be? How long the car in the shop for? Thank you very much
@@jqonthego Sure. The cost was $1876.28 at a small company that does seat repair, carpets, headliners, convertible tops and vinyl roofs. It took about two days for them to do it. I think I was told about 3-4 days but they got to it sooner. The materials was $900 and the labor was $900 and then the tax.
So I got this car and love everything about it I just don’t know how to work the hear the ac works perfectly fine it’s feels like a winter night in this car lol but does anyone know what to do please help lol??
That's extremely , extremely high by several thousand dollars. When you're trying to see if the price is in range go to Kellybluebook.com or NADA.com and enter the car's mileage, options, your zip code and you can see if it is a fair price or not. Good luck in your search!
This one is a 3.3 liter V6 engine. It has a 18.5 gas tank. When I fill it up with gas I'm putting about 16 gallons in. Premium fuel is preferred (91 Octane) so 16 gallons x $3.39=$54.24. I average about 22 miles per gallon.
@@usaman7358 it ran ok, but I felt that when I was trying to really get moving it was smoother with 91 octane vs 87. I stopped using 87 octane with it for this reason.
I noticed you used kms vs. miles and the $ behind the dollar amount. In the U.S. 65,000 kms is about 40,389 miles. $7500 U.S. dollars for a convertible Solara is an excellent price. It would be wise to have a mechanic go over the car to make sure all is well. Also check the dash for cracks. I haven't had any dash issues, but I've read that some past models have had cracks in the dash. Good luck, and thanks for the question!
Hello! Im looking at a 2007 Toyota camry solara 2 Dr SLE convertible with 69,073 miles on it for $13,998. Its going to be my first car, do you think for a first car its going to be reliable? Im indecisive.
Sorry for the late reply. With any car it is always good to have a mechanic take a look at it first. Going with a reliable used car is always a good start, but if that car was not taken care of over the years it will be a lemon for the new owner. That price you gave for the mileage for a 2007 is very high. Refer to Kelly blue book.com or NADA guides.com to assess the car's value you are interested in purchasing. That will help you to determine if the vehicle is priced appropriately. Lately car values are on the high side. Good luck in your search!
The top was $900 and the labor was $900. There are kits you can purchase to do it yourself, but I wanted a professional company to install mines. If this wasn't a reliable Toyota car I wouldn't have made this investment on a high mileage car. The price of the car was low enough to balance it all out. Thanks for the question.
I purchased my 2006 Solara in 2017 with only 42,000 miles - still loving it at 93,000. Such a sharp-looking car, then and now! Spent $300 to install a Bluetooth system that automatically links to my phone and plays my music when I start her up - and it came with a small mic, so I can actually receive and end calls with my steering wheel controls! ☺️
Nice!
Which Bluetooth system pls!!!
@@rosalia3468 I believe it was the "USA Spec" brand BT45-TOY Bluetooth phone & music interface. You can find it on Amazon. But it plugs in behind the radio system....so I paid a car dude to take apart my dash and plug the system into one of the "disc" jacks on the back of my car radio. Like I said, I personally didn't do it, but he said it was a fairly simple plug and play system...and as long as you have steering wheel controls, you can pick up and end calls as well as skip songs! The little mic sat up out of the way just to the left of my rearview mirror. Hope this helps! :)
Precio
Do you still have it? I see this comment is 2 years old. I'm off to buy one today! SO EXCITED!
This has been one of my dream cars ever since my mom rented one in '08. My husband and I finally got a 2006 Solara SLE Convertible with black paint and a tan top, we bought it in June of 2020. It has been a fantastic car! It had 155k miles when I got it, it is currently approaching 172k miles. The only parts I had to replace were the thermostat and radiator cap, everything else was just maintenance related (brakes, tires, oil and power steering fluid). It has quickly became our favorite car in the fleet, and like our Lexus ES350 (also a Toyota product), we don't have any worries about it letting us down! It just continues to run like new. The car is good in any weather (even snow up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where we live), it stays nicely climate controlled in the summer and winter because the convertible is nicely insulated, the back seat has room for actual adults top up or down, the trunk is large. All around it's just well thought out and surprising, I didn't expect this car to be so practical to live with. The only thing that had a learning curve was figuring out how to see blind spots out of the rear. Once you get to know the size and shape of the car it no longer poses an issue (plus, adding a rearview camera helped a lot)
I'm glad you enjoy your Solara as much as I have. You are right about the winter, snowy weather. I am also in the midwest where we get snow and it drives awesome in the snow. Continue to enjoy!
@@witchauto7557 I'm glad to hear from another happy Solara owner, I swear this car is my guilty pleasure! How many miles do you have on yours? 😊
@@ToyotaCelicaDude1 , 184,500 miles. How many on yours?
@@witchauto7557 I am at 176,200 exactly right now haha, they just go forever!
Just scored a one owner old couple find of lifetime. They kept everything (except someone lost the boot cover in a move) even the window sticker. 2008 SLE V6 with every option available ordered. Hadn’t even considered one of these as I was looking to buy a new Camry but the dealer markups are insane right now. Gonna replace the stock nav system with maybe a Sony AVX7000 head unit and a backup and dash camera. And that’s it nothing else needed. No accidents garaged and under 5K.
I’m buried in finishing a restomod on a classic 69 mustang but I didn’t think I’d find a another older car I could love so much. It fell into my lap as it was my wife’s coworkers husband who can’t drive anymore. 125k miles and always serviced at the dealer. Even had the 100k timing belt service done. I’m having so much fun with it I’m actually looking for reasons to drive it (4 kids not hard to do).
I’m picking up a 2006 Solara which my brother new. It’s been garage kept, well maintained with 160k miles. Can’t wait to get it from Fla to Ky for many top down days’
Congratulations on your purchase! I hope you have a lot of fun days with it!
I bought my 06 in 08 with 50k miles , I still have it and love it still, now it has 256k miles!!!! Runs smooth, hardly had to put much repairs .. typical water pump, alternator, maybe timing belt I don’t remember, luckily, I know somebody but regardless just amazing how reliable the car is
Watching this while sitting in mine. I just love this car
In July of 2020 i bought a 2007 Solara Conv. SLE 3.3 Eng. I just love this car.
That's awesome. Congratulations!
@@witchauto7557 Thank you!
I have a 2007 SE convertible. Oceanous Blue Pearl, with a Tan top and Ivory interior. Yes! This is a factory combination and was hard to find when I bought it back in November 2006. As of now, it only has 20,000k. Excellent car for the money and the big trunk makes it an great car for road trips. It is a shame Toyota discontinued it.
That color combination sounds like a sharp looking car. Excellent mileage as well!
My first car ever. It was my grandma’s for a decade and then mine. I can’t tell you how much I love it. I had to give to my brother and he wrecked it. Love this car forever. I’m looking to buy another baby blue and beige drop top.
Hey Pd Pd, that's awful that your brother wrecked the Solara. LIfe happens though. Blue with a beige top would look nice. The color black attracts so much dust and dirt, but I knew this when I bought it. Good luck on your search!
I guess Im quite randomly asking but do anyone know a good site to stream new movies online ?
@Lochlan Seth Flixportal =)
@Marley Yousef Thank you, signed up and it seems to work :D Appreciate it!
@Lochlan Seth no problem =)
I've got a 2006 Solara non convertible. I am just reaching the 200,000 mi mark. And of all things I have a brake light out. Lol no other trouble. It's a smooth car for a 2 dr and has decent pickup but it's not a race car by any means. I like it cause it's a rare finder and the car i had b4 this was an mr2. Another rare finder. I don't like to run with the crowd. 😊
Congrats on reaching the 200,000 mile mark as well as the few mechanical problems. I had a 2002 MR2 Spyder years ago and loved it. Good choices on your car selection! 😀
I have a 2006 Solara convertible that I bought in 2017 for 10k with 10k miles at the time. It now has 17.5k miles. I like the cassette player feature because I still have a about 20 -25 cassette tapes that I recorded myself off of my vinyl albums back in the 80s. I live in the frozen north so the car sits covered in my garage most of the year. It has finally warmed up enough today so that I will drive it to meet some friends for lunch. Your watch looks amazing.
Congratulations Randall on finding a Solara with so few miles on it! Cassettes that you recorded off of vinyl from trhe 80's,? Wow. That's awesome. What kind of music did you write and record? Thanks for watching, and continue to enjoy your Solara. :)
@@witchauto7557 I made tapes of classic rock, pop and country music all from my extensive album collection, making play lists like people do now off of the web, like Spotify. I got an iPod for my 60th birthday (I think) from my wife and daughter. I put many hundreds of songs on it from my CD collection and off of Apple Music. I can use the iPod in my wife's 2014 Subaru Forester and my 2010 Ford F-150.
@@randallfrank5682 Oh, I see. I misunderstood initially. Very nice. I used to burn CD's from Itunes years ago. Fun times.
Bought a 2004 coupe i4 in 2009. Still love it! “Sandy” now has 81k miles and plan to keep her for another 10 years!
LJR that's great. It's nothing like owning a car that we absolutely love!
Have a 2006 I've had for about 5 years - "Selena" the Solara only has 93k - she's gonna keep going!!
Picking up a 2005 v6 coupe tomorrow with 52k miles. Cant wait
That's awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I"m enjoying mine! :)
How much? I'm looking at a 05 with 85k for $5k asking.
I’m hoping I get this 2005 convertible later today I’m hoping it’s baby blue with the tan top
Love my 2002 SLE convertible V6 (gen 1). Enjoyed seeing the differences between your model and mine (as mine is also the black with the same interior coloring). Mine has just over 168K miles, and I have been getting about 22 to 24 mpg.
It looks like you do not have the small storage compartment on the driver's side lower left. The earlier model had a compartment just large enough to store a roll of quarters - very useful for parting meters and tolls at the time the car was built.
Mine is a silver ‘08 SE which I love and after seeing yours I’m getting mine detailed !
I have a 2007 ragtop SLE bought new, great, dependable car. I found a couple of different UA-cam videos showing how to fix this radio cut out issue. One was much easier than the other.
Great review brother im in the market for a car and stumbled across this car looks sporty and classy but reliable im looking at two this weekend im definitely have to get one!
Thanks so much! Good luck on your search this weekend!
@@witchauto7557 i ended up getting one with 120k miles all black and im loving it
@@isthatronfr That's good news! Congratulations! Glad it all worked out.
I wish my Solara looked like that! I am restoring it now.
Thanks Keri! I'm sure yours will look great after your work is done. Good luck!
@@witchauto7557 I LOVE my Solara! She needs a lot of work. Where I live people do judge you based on your car but no matter what, I am restoring this beauty! Thank God for youtube videos that are helping me! I do not want any other car! She still drives beautifully!
I’m eyeing an ‘06 with 120K miles on it. One owner, all service records complete.
I really think it’s a sleeper car. It does have some sharpness, some flash, but ultimately-it’s a practical convertible. You want it because it’ll last a good while if you take care of it-not to mod it out and beat the life out of it.
I have an 'O6 SLE convertible. Handles great, very comfortable. Currently at just a hair under 75K miles. It unfortunately sits out and that may be why there are many cracks in the dash around the radio/CD. It has leather seats, something I would not get again. The back portion of the driver side seat is side wearing from my rubbing when getting in. Mileage isn't that great. On the Pennsylvania turnpike cruising between 65 and 70 the is just a tad over 26. Toyota recommends not using regular gas so it would be an expensive commuting car. I fortunately am retired. Also leaking problems into the trunk. The biggest expense to date has been a new converter, oxygen sensor, and related piping.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the Solara convertible. I've heard that some models had problems with cracks in the dash. Good luck going forward with your Solara.
I bought a 06 solara convertible and it actually had a recall on the dash if your dash is sticky and cracks everywhere it's because it wasn't correctly manufactured they changed mine out for free I thought I was the one who damaged it but it wasn't me. I have 38 miles on it when I drove it off the lot and I just found out I can get 300,000 miles on it wow I'm keeping it.
That's awesome that there is a recall on that. So glad for you that it was repaired for free! Enjoy!
Very nice video - I appreciate you taking the time to do it.
Thanks so much! I appreciate you watching.
My dude got the iPhone 14 cameras on his watch. What a boss!
We have a 2006 model purchased in April 17, 2006. It looks like exactly like yours except it is an SE with cloth seats, tunnate cover and windscreen. Hands down it has been one of the best car we have ever owned purchased. As of today it's about 300 miles away from the 80K mark. I service it myself and it has never presented any major issues. We bought it with cloth seats as they are easier on the skin when the sun is hot. I get stopped by people all the time wanting to buy it, including some of my relatives. It was a originally purchased for my wife, and she traded it in 6 years ago on a Nissan SUV because of exit issues she was dealing with due to knee problems @ 63 years old. I bought it back the next day and enjoy driving it. Since I retired this year, I spend more time in it as I no longer have a company car. I would love to see Toyota bring this model back as a Toyota rather than a Lexus at a decent price, I would buy another one in a heartbeat. There are many out there for sale, but rarely in the condition as yours. "Life is Good" !!!.
It's great you have just about 80K on a 2006. Good for you in getting the car back for yourself! I'm with you, it would be great if Toyota brought the Solara back. They stopped making it due to low sales. With most folks buying SUV's they probably won't bring it back anytime soon. Thanks for sharing your experience with the
Solara and continue to enjoy!
i love this car as well.Been driving it several years and still have not needed to do anything outside of regular maintenance
@@witchauto7557 I would like to state I placed platinum pinstripes on mine immediately after purchase as I pinstripe all my cars. The pinstriping adds additional styling cues to the solara. You may want to add them to yours. It presents a very different looks, which puts a grin on my face whenever I look at it. "Life is Good".
Great review. Looking in to getting a cheaper one with about 100-130 thousand miles for a first car.
JDDrou: Thank you. They're out there, especially if you travel a bit from home. Mine was about five miles from my home, so I got lucky. I wasn't actually looking for it, but I test drove it after driving another car they had on their lot. I was extremely impressed with it. Good luck on your search!
I think you are correct in that one reason for the demise of the Solara was the increasing popularity of the SUV. Also it wasn't sporty enough to be a sports car and family cars are usually sedans. It just couldn't find a niche. I saw in the comments some were asking for advice on buying a low mileage Solara at a very reasonable price. I say if there are no appreciable issues, jump on it. After all, it is a Toyota. I think your second gen ('04-'08) was made in Indiana and the first gens ('99-'03) was made in Canada. There were roughly 350k manufactered total I estimate. There were no convertibles in '99 or '04.
I have a black SLE v6 that I bought in June '99. The black ones only came with cream colored seats at the time so I had to special order black leather seats. It required an EGR valve in '07 and an O2 sensor last year. Other than that I replaced the original tires last year and it received only it's second battery 5 years ago. That's not much for 22 years, but truthfully it should have needed very little with only 37k miles. It has always been garaged so the paint looks showroom. I suppose it will eventually go to one of my daughters. I just hope they drive it and don't sell it. I inherited a Ford pick up from my dad 20 years ago and I still drive it just because it was his.
I like convertibles. I've owned 5. I didn't buy a Solara convertible because, as I stated, there were none in '99. I think yours looks cool and I hope it gives you years of good service. Thanks for the vid.
Dennis, thanks for sharing your experience and education regarding the Solara. I'm glad to see that you have enjoyed yours as much if not more than I have enjoyed mine. Thanks for watching my video!
I have an 04 convertible
got mine for 3600 and someone rear ended it on the drive home from dealer, hit and run, too!
That's just terrible! So sorry to hear that. That's one of my fears: someone will hit my car and speed off or not have insurance. I hope you get it fixed soon. Nice price! Keep your head up, Mary!
Beautiful I love mine as well
Great video. Thanks!!! I am considering buying one so this video is perfect for me.
Stay Safe. Be Well. GOD BLESS.
Thank you!
I wish they came with a stick like the first gen solara cause this gen looks really nice
A manual would be nice. :)
They actually do have manual 2nd generation solara coupes...really hard to find but they are out there
Well done video, and a very nice car.
@Beezal Bub: Thanks so much!
Am i missing something here? Why do more people not go nuts over these? Toyota reliability in a coupe/convertible. Can get them in a v6 and sometimes a manual trans. And their not that expensive? Kinda ugly but is there a bad thing about these that i dont see?
I don't know why these weren't a bigger hit either. I guess it just boils down to buyers wants and needs for that particular generation. You are correct, one would think a reliable convertible would be a fantastic thing.
@@witchauto7557 id really love a miata buy that just wouldnt be good for praticallity in the winter/ university moving
@@witchauto7557
Also a miata of the same relative yours is seemingly a lot more expensive, at least around my area
@@dannygallagher9290 A Miata is reliable. The earlier generations looked too feminine for my tastes. I like the look of the latest generation, but it's smaller that the model it replaced. If it could be bigger I'd definitely get one. I'm in the Midwest where we have about three months of snow and ice so it couldn't be driven year round, unlike the Solara.
@@witchauto7557 ok im in the chicago land area and that weather is actually what scares me off of a miata or other small rwd sports car. Hows the solara been? Im looking for a 2nd gen solara currently. I have an 08 avenger with blown cats right now and i dont think itll pass emissions. And probably to expensive to fix the cats, compared to the cars value. So thats why im looking for something else. Would a 80-100k mile solara with the 3.3 be fairly reliable?
Very nice video!
Thank you for watching LJ!
I am thinking of getting one of these cars. If you could answer these questions I would greatly appreciate it 😁. 1. Can you use and daily drive this car in a snowy area like western Massachusetts? And 2. Can the backseats be folded down so the trunk space can extend into the backseats Allowing long items like skis in the car. Thanks so much
Alex, you can drive the Solara Convertible year round. I live in the midwest where we get snow and it does great. Mainly because it is a front wheel drive vehicle. So with good all seasons tires you'll be fine. I intentionally drove it on snowy days to see how it would do, and I was very pleased. The back seats in the convertible do not fold down. Good luck and thanks for watching.
@@witchauto7557 ok thank you very much
Is this car yet available. I really love and Pray 🙏 that God will Bless and allow me to get a Toyota Solara Convertible car. Please help!!!
Hi Tijuana. This car is my personal vehicle that I did a review on. Used car selling sites that I use are Autotrader.com, Cars.com & Car Gurus. There are several more out there. I would go on the sights and do a search for who has the Solara for sale. There are lots out there. You can put in how many miles from home you are willing to drive to view the car, as well as the years, and price range you are interested in.Good luck in your search! :)
Hi! I am most likely buying a solara soon. A 2006 sle v6 convertible with 187k miles for $3500. Hopefully $3k. What do you think ab the price and miles?
Hi Rosalia. Sorry about the late reply. The miles and price appear to be a good for that model. One thing you can do going forward though is use some web-sites like Kelly Blue Book.com or NADA.org and enter specific vehicle information and the zip code for your area to see if a vehicle is being sold at a fair price. I'm not a mechanic but keep in mind that if you choose to purchase a Solara with almost 200,000 miles you will need to have the timing chain replaced which is costly. Since the mechanic will be working in that area you might as well replace the water pump as well to save on labor. Speak with a mechanic regarding this and he or she can guide you. Good luck on your search and purchase.
Hopefully, this'll be my first car
Hello, Thanks for sharing your review of this vehicle. I am currently looking for one and just wanted to know if you have had any issues with yours. I have heard great things about them and want to make an informed decision. Thanks for any info on it.
I haven't had problems other than what I spoke about on the video. One thing I've read is that some of the models have had problems with the dash having multiple cracks causing it to be replaced. I would say look for this, the radio and the check the wear on the convertible top.
@@witchauto7557 Thank you
I just bought a 2008 with only 60k miles on it. Every thing is wonderful except it has cracks in the dash. I guess I could replace the dash at about 3k but that is a lot of money to spend. Does anyone have any other ideas? I'm almost afraid to do anything because it might ruin a great car. Is there a way that it could be restored without entirely removing the dash?
i I would like to get my top done on my 06 solara. Any suggestions on where and how much I should spend?
I had mine replaced by a local company for $1876. Some people are able to purchase the parts and install it themselves. I would check locally for an auto upholstery shop.
Anyone know how to get the pins to line up better when top closes? My right pin comes down slightly to the left of the hole and won’t go in to fully close top unless I shift it a little back and forth.
Where did you have your top replaced? From a Toyota dealership or privately owned business?
A privately owned company.
@@witchauto7557 Are you able to provide me with more information about the install? How much everything totaled out to be? How long the car in the shop for? Thank you very much
@@jqonthego Sure. The cost was $1876.28 at a small company that does seat repair, carpets, headliners, convertible tops and vinyl roofs. It took about two days for them to do it. I think I was told about 3-4 days but they got to it sooner. The materials was $900 and the labor was $900 and then the tax.
How much did it cost to replace the top?
Well done vidieo !!
Thank you!!!
Thank you!
How did you replace the roof? Where can I go to buy it?
I went to a local company and had them replace it. They purchased the top from one of their suppliers (unknown that co name).
So I got this car and love everything about it I just don’t know how to work the hear the ac works perfectly fine it’s feels like a winter night in this car lol but does anyone know what to do please help lol??
I'm thinking about buying a 2008 convertible SLE with only 48K miles on it. Tell me your honest opinion there asking $17,999. ??
That's extremely , extremely high by several thousand dollars. When you're trying to see if the price is in range go to Kellybluebook.com or NADA.com and enter the car's mileage, options, your zip code and you can see if it is a fair price or not. Good luck in your search!
@@witchauto7557 agreed thanks for responding. I offered 14K & walked away. 👍
How much $$ does this model gas tank fill up with? And is it good with gas since it’s a v6?
This one is a 3.3 liter V6 engine. It has a 18.5 gas tank. When I fill it up with gas I'm putting about 16 gallons in. Premium fuel is preferred (91 Octane) so 16 gallons x $3.39=$54.24. I average about 22 miles per gallon.
@@witchauto7557 Will it run ok with regular 87 octane? I did not know these cars ran on premium. Thanks!
@@usaman7358 it ran ok, but I felt that when I was trying to really get moving it was smoother with 91 octane vs 87. I stopped using 87 octane with it for this reason.
Was the top beige color before?
@Steez=No, the previous top was black.
I am interested in buy one use 2007 with 65,000 kms, would you recommend at 7,500$
I noticed you used kms vs. miles and the $ behind the dollar amount. In the U.S. 65,000 kms is about 40,389 miles. $7500 U.S. dollars for a convertible Solara is an excellent price. It would be wise to have a mechanic go over the car to make sure all is well. Also check the dash for cracks. I haven't had any dash issues, but I've read that some past models have had cracks in the dash. Good luck, and thanks for the question!
Hello! Im looking at a 2007 Toyota camry solara 2 Dr SLE convertible with 69,073 miles on it for $13,998. Its going to be my first car, do you think for a first car its going to be reliable? Im indecisive.
Sorry for the late reply. With any car it is always good to have a mechanic take a look at it first. Going with a reliable used car is always a good start, but if that car was not taken care of over the years it will be a lemon for the new owner. That price you gave for the mileage for a 2007 is very high. Refer to Kelly blue book.com or NADA guides.com to assess the car's value you are interested in purchasing. That will help you to determine if the vehicle is priced appropriately. Lately car values are on the high side. Good luck in your search!
Around how much did you pay to replace the top?
The top was $900 and the labor was $900. There are kits you can purchase to do it yourself, but I wanted a professional company to install mines. If this wasn't a reliable Toyota car I wouldn't have made this investment on a high mileage car. The price of the car was low enough to balance it all out. Thanks for the question.
Witchauto I appreciate your quick response, as I am about to purchase a car like yours. The price and labor to do it is not bad.
Thank you
@@cesarorozco8795 That's awesome! Good luck and enjoy!
im looking to getting the 2005 solara and just wondering, do you know if it has aux?
Mine didn't. Not sure if the ones that have navigation will have them.
I have a 2007 rad hard top 4 Cylinder
Love the video. You from Oakland? You sound kinda like me and my buds. :)
@Izzy C= Thanks a lot Izzy! No, not from Oakland. From the midwest.
Is it Bluetooth? I'm getting one
Yes, it has Bluetooth. Good luck on your search. 😀
I need this in Nigeria
No test drive....
No, this was my first review and I was trying to get the hang of doing everything.
Quiero predio
A sports car
Japanese cars are like transformers convertible top. Toyota It looks like the Toyota Camry 2005
он че пальцы вообще не моет ?