2001 Toyota Solara Reviews

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2001 Toyota Solara SE 2.2L I-4 from North America

Model year	2001
Year of manufacture	2001
First year of ownership	2011
Most recent year of ownership	2011
Engine and transmission	2.2L I-4 Automatic
Performance marks	6 / 10
Reliability marks	8 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Dealer Service marks	7 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	9 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.6 / 10
Distance when acquired	76000 miles
Most recent distance	86000 miles
Previous car	Nissan Altima

Summary:

Reliable but vanilla

Faults:

No major issues with the car, which is why I gave it a reliability mark of 8. Most issues I am having are with interior trim components breaking loose, like the wood grain. I also have considerable squeaks and rattles, most of which are coming from the sunroof area.

From a mechanical standpoint, very reliable. Trim components and interior have let me down.

The car even seems considerably more worn than my 2004 Pathfinder with similar miles. Granted, there is 3 years difference, but the Nissan vehicles that I have owned in the past seem to echo their "newness" for a longer period of time than this tired old Camry that has incredibly low mileage.

General Comments:

I'm working on a massive refinery upgrade, so I am driving in and out of one of the largest construction projects in North America. Because I travel a bit over 100 miles each week to and from home, I wanted a commuter car that was good on gas and reliable, without shelling out a drastic amount of money for a 3rd vehicle.

A family member sold me this Solara (2 door Camry). I own a high performance sports car, so I am biased towards its horsepower, so my impression of the 2.2L I-4 is one of fairly weak, especially considering I've driven hundreds of rental cars. Though I do take into account the fact that modern 4 cylinder engines make similar gas mileage with more horsepower, my rating of 6 on Performance Marks is meant to compare this car with other cars of the early 2000's time period.

I think that at the time Honda made a much better motor compared to this Solara, and would recommend the Accord over the extreme vanilla offerings of Toyota. I personally prefer edgy Nissans to either of the two. Plainly speaking, this car is reliable with a bit of blandness. It's probably best served as a city commuter where the limits of interstate performance are minimum.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th November, 2011

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2001 Toyota Solara XLE-V6 1MZ-FE from North America

Model year	2001
Year of manufacture	2001
First year of ownership	2001
Most recent year of ownership	2010
Engine and transmission	1MZ-FE Automatic
Performance marks	8 / 10
Reliability marks	7 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	56 miles
Most recent distance	39250 miles
Previous car	Cadillac DeVille

Summary:

Brand reliability has waned. Will not purchase another Toyota

Faults:

Charcoal canister failed in 2006. No warranty on this part at that time. Have not had it replaced since I'm emissions exempt. Estimated cost of repair: $480 - $600+. If you put "charcoal canister failure" into a web search engine, invariably, Toyota comes up more than any other automobile brand.

Air conditioning failed 2009, about 36,000 miles. Not under warranty. Recharged system with refrigerant that contained a sealer. Held for a year. Will redo with a sealer and see if it holds the charge longer this time.

Bridgestone tires needed replacing at about 22,000 miles.

There have been issues related to engine "gelling" associated with this model.

General Comments:

No automatic trunk release. To "pop" the trunk, must open driver's side door and manually pull trunk release.

Considering the high ratings and the reputation for reliability at the time I purchased this car, new, in 2001, because of the above, it has been disappointing, keeping in mind that it doesn't have 40,000 miles on it yet.

It still is an attractive automobile after nine years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th August, 2010

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25th Aug 2010, 09:07

I had the same canister failure on my 2002 Maxima. Seems it is one of those lame parts that they just won't cover so they can whack you with a huge bill. Nissan ended up recalling the part... after I sold it of course, but at least I never had it fixed. Check into that as Toyota may just add it to the list of recalls.

AC failure at 36K miles would have been covered had the car not been so old. You can't expect warranty coverage 8 years later unless you have a Hyundai. Sounds like kind of a rare problem. Could be that a seal dried up, as the sealant you are using seems to work for a short time. You should have gotten it checked out by a private shop. Maybe it was something fairly inexpensive, as it seems like the compressor still works fine.

22K miles out of a set of tires isn't horrible, depending on what type of tires they are and your driving style. Sporty tires with softer compounds give you excellent handling, but shorter life of the tread.

It doesn't sound like you've had any real major issues here. Try one of the GM vehicles I've had over the past decade. $1,000's in repairs before 100K miles.