1999 Toyota Solara SLE 3.0 V6 petrol from North America
Summary:
An Unreliable Toyota
Faults:
Almost everything. I spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on this car.
Suspension was replaced once and broke again 50k later.
Engine leaked a lot of oil.
Replaced oxygen sensors like no tomorrow (around 6 times altogether).
Replaced 3 heat sensors.
Replaced the exhaust every 2-3 years.
Exhaust fumes leaked into the cabin.
Exhaust fell off while driving.
Exhaust manifold started to rust, causing more wear to the engine.
Air conditioner condenser blew several times.
EGR valve started to choke the engine, so I had that replaced.
General Comments:
The car was great in the first 7 years of ownership, it gave little to no problems, other than suspension components failing and several battery and alternator related issues. It somewhat questions me whether Toyota's are actually as reliable as they are said to be. My old Mercedes-Benz 300E was superb, and I owned it for nearly 15 years and it never gave me a problem!
Other than the countless number of problems this car gave me, the car was extremely smooth and drove like a dream. This was by-far the best highway car I've ever owned. It drove absolutely amazingly on the freeway as I drove it from coast to coast.
The interior was quite dull and matched the interior of a Camry, but it had some additional finishing touches that made it different. I loved the exterior styling on this car though.
People I knew called my car a coffin on wheels because of the endless number of issues it gave me.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 18th April, 2015
4th Jul 2016, 11:13
Why keep a vehicle like this? Rather than spend thousands on repairs plus the initial purchase price, I would just take the beating. This sounds like an unending money pit. I had an Acura like this. Lost 24k in 3 years; some of that was depreciation. Besides the money, it's a total waste of time going back and forth to the dealer. Everyone knows you by your first name. The only upside was the free car washes and Snapple. No doubt reflected on the final bill. This sounds worse. It would be gone in year one of ownership for us.