'00 Toyota Solara Convertible - Yes or No?

[Art_Vandelay]

Looked at a 2000 Toyota Solara Convertible with 55,000 miles. It's a 6 cyl automatic with leather seats.

One owner car with all maintenance records since new. The owner of a gas station claims he's selling it on behalf of his neighbor. There is one decent sized dent on the lower passenger side rear and the front spoiler is cracked. There are some paint chips here and there but it looks pretty good overall. All the body seams line up and the doors, hood and trunk all open and close correctly.

I started it up and the engine sounds as though it were brand new. Smooth and silent. It revs up to 4000 and back perfectly.
I drove it around his parking lot (car has no plates on it) but couldn't take it on the road. I pulled the car over by the window of the building next door, put it in park and gunned the gas pedal a few times. There was what looked like smoke or water vapor coming out of the tailpipe.
So I ask the station owner(he's a mechanic)to get in the car and floor it so I can see first hand what's up. Lot's of vapor comes shooting out of the tail. I ask him and he says it's just because the car's been sitting and it means nothing at all.
Now this guy is a mechanic who owns this place. He seems to have a very good business and looks competent. But should I be concerned that this is a potential problem with this car? I mean the Toyota sludge prone 6 cyl can put the fear of God into a person.

Here are some photos. There is white sealant in the spare tire well. Is that from the factory or indicative of body repair?
The oil fill whole is obstructed. I reached in with my finger and it was a little gritty. But I remember some of you saying certain Toyota's you cannot see into the fill hole?

Is that rusted piece attached to the exhaust manifold something you'd expect to see in a car with 55k on it?
When I saw that rust it made me think the car had been in a flood.

What do you guys think?

 

[Mark_Walk]

oil fill hole looks pretty dirty. I think the rust around the exhaust manifold is normal but the valve cover looks very corroded. I would get a second opinion.

 

[Mr Nice]

I would pass

 

[gregk24]

Pass....it doesnt look well cared for

 

[Trav]

Oil fill= Normal for this engine, they used a mottled finish on that plate.
Remove the front valve cover before buying, some were sludge engines.
With care and regular OCI with synthetic and PCV replacement they were fine.

White seam sealer = Looks normal, my wifes 2000 had the same thing.
Exhaust manifold = Normal,in fact not bad at all for this vintage. Don't worry about the oxidation on the covers it happens, its meaningless.

Pull the cover if its clean your dealing with a small quarter repair and a front bumper cover. Could be low mile diamond in the rough for the right price.

Your probably looking at $500 in body repairs inc paint if you can do it yourself.
Don't be too quick to kick this one to the curb, some of the best cars i ever owned were similar to this when i got them.

Edit: If you don't buy it and its within 1000 miles of me let me know for the right price i will have it thrown on a trailer.

PS don't worry about white steam coming from the pipe you didn't get the engine hot enough to clear it out, these are not known oil burners or coolant leaker's.

 

[Vikas]

That rear bump alone is worth $1500; I learned it today :-(

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Oil fill= Normal for this engine, they used a mottled finish on that plate.
Remove the front valve cover before buying, some were sludge engines.
With care and regular OCI with synthetic and PCV replacement they were fine.

White seam sealer = Looks normal, my wifes 2000 had the same thing.
Exhaust manifold = Normal,in fact not bad at all for this vintage. Don't worry about the oxidation on the covers it happens, its meaningless.

Pull the cover if its clean your dealing with a small quarter repair and a front bumper cover. Could be low mile diamond in the rough for the right price.

Your probably looking at $500 in body repairs inc paint if you can do it yourself.
Don't be too quick to kick this one to the curb, some of the best cars i ever owned were similar to this when i got them.



Trav,

I'm sure I can convince him to pull the valve cover since he's a mechanic.

Would you be worried not being able to drive the car on the highway?

The price is what really got me. He's willing to take $5000 for it because of the bodywork. Book value in Fair condition is about $9000.

 

[fdcg27]

There doesn't appear to be anything really wrong with this car.
Buy it?
At what price?
At the right price, this would be a good buy, but not at a premium price, regardless of the miles, if they're real.
A little corrosion here and there is nothing on a thirteen year old car.
A little water and vapor out of the tailpipe of a car that's been sitting is normal.
The sludge level of the engine cannot be judged without removing a valve cover, and if you have the service records, it should be easy to see whether it's a sludge monster or an engine that's seen regular oil changes, in which case it won't be.
How's the top?
A new top for this thing, if required, will cost you well north of a grand, as is the case for most covertibles with real all weather tops.
Something like my old MGB is cheap and an easy DIY job.
Not so with something like this car, or my BMW.

 

[JC1]

I have a 98 Sienna which has the same engine. If that engine is not abused, then it can go 300K miles no problem. I would remove the front valve cover. It's held in place with 10 mm bolts and hex bit to remove that plastic cover which covers some of the spark plug wires.

You can fix up the body parts yourself or search the web for replacements. The old filler hole is a baffle that stops oil from splashing out. It normally looks sludged up, but it's just the metal surface.

Regards, JC.

 

[Trav]

Hey Art,

I just edited my post. No i wouldn't give it a second thought as long as its clean under the cover.
That body damage is nothing, i fix a heck of a lot worse than that in a weekend.
This to me looks like a perfect DIY car and the price is right. I would buy it myself.

 

[Sayjac]

If 55k is the original miles, then that is low miles for an 2000 for sure. And yes Toyota sometimes uses a baffle under the valve cover by the fill hole like on my 3.4L Tacoma which can give a false indication(darker) of valvetrain condition. Don't know if the Solara has same baffle cover, but that looks much darker than my 01 3.4L.

That said, 2000 Solara 6 and 4 are on the known sludger engine list posted in the link below. My advice Caveat Emptor. Your call.

Known Toyota Sludger engines lisitng.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Here's a full shot of the car.

Note: It's missing the SOLARA emblem that goes across the trunk lid. God knows why?

 

[BAJA_05]

If the top is in good shape--not dry rotted--snatch it up at that price with that low mileage!! Trav didn't hesitate to mention that he would take it and so would 2/3 of the rest of us if the funds were there. I always look when a Solara passes me whether im walking or driving. Nice looking car that have a very quiet drivetrain. Grab it Art!!

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Hey Art,

I just edited my post. No i wouldn't give it a second thought as long as its clean under the cover.
That body damage is nothing, i fix a heck of a lot worse than that in a weekend.
This to me looks like a perfect DIY car and the price is right. I would buy it myself.


Trav,
I really appreciate the information. If it's clean under the valve cover I think I'm going to bite the bullet and take it. If for any reason I don't buy it I'll forward you all the information so you can pick it up.

How long would it take a mechanic to pull the cover and replace it? I ask cause he's got a pretty busy shop and probably doesn't have a lot of time to spend indulging me. Should I offer to pay for the new valve gasket to make it a fair proposition?
I'll stop at Toyota and get an OEM if that's worth the extra over a third party replacement. Plus I'll be happy there's a new one on there if it winds up being mine.

I do love the car.

 

[ecotourist]

Agree with Trav.

I had a 2000 Solara. It was an excellent car. Gave it to my daughter who has since sold it.

The dark mottled finish in the oil filler tube is normal. Should pull a valve cover to check for sludge (this engine is sludge prone but will be fine with regular changes using synthetic).

The white sealer is normal.

The rust on the exhaust manifold is normal.

This is actually a good car to work on. The oil filter is staring right at you.

Suggest an independent mechanical inspection. This may be a great car once you get past the body issues.

Ecotourist

 

[hypervish]

The front valve cover takes 20 minutes tops. And, yes that is the baffle you see under the oil fill cap that grit is normal and like that from the factory.

The 1MZ-FE is a great motor if cared for. My uncle has nearly 400k on his 99' RX300 and it still purrs like a kitten. It's a very smooth and quiet engine.

I change my oil at 4k miles and It look's like a brand new engine under the valve cover in both my RX & ES.

It's a fantastic price btw!

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
There doesn't appear to be anything really wrong with this car.
Buy it?
At what price?
At the right price, this would be a good buy, but not at a premium price, regardless of the miles, if they're real.
A little corrosion here and there is nothing on a thirteen year old car.
A little water and vapor out of the tailpipe of a car that's been sitting is normal.
The sludge level of the engine cannot be judged without removing a valve cover, and if you have the service records, it should be easy to see whether it's a sludge monster or an engine that's seen regular oil changes, in which case it won't be.
How's the top?
A new top for this thing, if required, will cost you well north of a grand, as is the case for most covertibles with real all weather tops.
Something like my old MGB is cheap and an easy DIY job.
Not so with something like this car, or my BMW.


The top is in OK shape. I'd guess a new one will be needed in the next couple years. Fine for now though which is good since they're expensive.

Thanks for the input it's appreciated.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay
Here's a full shot of the car.

Note: It's missing the SOLARA emblem that goes across the trunk lid. God knows why?




Looks pretty clean on that side. When my wife bought her Solara Conv new the dealer changed the badges from chrome to gold.

What a horror.
Guess where they ended up. Hint its big and round. LOL

The more i see of this car the more i like it. Rear bumper cover looks and fits OEM. I'm not seeing anything scary body wise. Rockers good and solid?

The plate in the cover looks like every other 3.0 that vintage i have seen.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Originally Posted By: hypervish
The front valve cover takes 20 minutes tops. And, yes that is the baffle you see under the oil fill cap that grit is normal and like that from the factory.

The 1MZ-FE is a great motor if cared for. My uncle has nearly 400k on his 99' RX300 and it still purrs like a kitten. It's a very smooth and quiet engine.

I change my oil at 4k miles and It look's like a brand new engine under the valve cover in both my RX & ES.

It's a fantastic price btw!


Thanks for the vote of confidence Vish.

Yeah the grit had me a little worried when I stuck my finger in there. But as long as that's normal it's a relief. Everything about the engine seemed perfect. Like I said it starts and sounds like it's sitting on the showroom floor. I can't believe how smooth Toyota's 6 cyl is.

 

[chad8]

Remember , its a 6 . 2 valve covers. I wouldn't even bother 5 grrrr for a low mile car that will go 250+ is a decent deal. I had 2 sienna's with the 3.0 "sludge motors" I also have my best friend who works at a large Toy dealership. Every sludge motor he had torn down had signs of a lack of maintenance. A lot of the dip sticks had an almost grey foamy sludge.
Both my vans went 130+ before I sold them. I think that your engine might need a timing belt at 60000 and its an expensive bear to do. check it out first.
If you have someone who can do the body work cheaply , its an even better deal.
The solara is nothing more than a fancy camry so all the under pinnings are cheap too.
I drove a few of that vintage. i do not like the feel of the doors. It feels like you are closing a large gate. The driving position was not good for me either. Its more of a woman's / small person car.