Car shopping :) 4 day challenge

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needsducktape

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So I sold the 2001 Mustang Bullitt (15k miles) about 2 weeks ago. It was listed on Autotrader and Ebay and it went fairly quick for being towards the end of summer. I was kind of surprised and caught off guard.

Normally, I have another car lined up right away -or a winter beater. Not this year.

My local ENTERPRISE does a weekend special for $20 Thursday -Monday. I roll the dice and let my car go -I must admit I kind of like the personal challenge to find a GOOD car in under four days. My Budget was up to $10K (sold the mustang for 13K but wanted to save a little )

Right away I see several WRX on Craiglists- $7000 for an 03 and the other 2004 was listed at 9200. -123K and 109K respectively.

BOTH CARS WERE disgusting. -The 2003 had NO OIL on the dipstick. NONE. bone dry. $7000 on a car with a turbo that has been lacking oil....no thanks.
The guy kept telling me it was ok and he dumped a qt right away. (I feel bad for the next guy to come along.)

The 2004 WRX was the typical kid beaten ride. -despite his ad CLEARLY saying "adult owned" -yes, technically at 22 years old you are an adult. -its just that you drive like a kid. The car had dents, the clutch was spongy and overall I could not justify 9 grand on a 110K mile car.

I looked at a few Hondas -all overpriced. A BMW M3 --salvage title but the guy didn't tell me until I showed up...ugg waste of time. I was getting nervous....

So then I saw a Toyota Solara -MANUAL tranny. NOT a car that was on my radar. Generally Toyotas make me sleepy but I was having no luck.

I go to check it out. Turns out to be the V6 full leather, fully loaded model. black on black. The car was DEALER maintained and had every record, including the original sales slip for $27,000 back in may 2000.
Driving the car actually felt better than BOTH the WRX's. I was surprised. Also the guy just dropped $600 into the emission canister (a common camry issue) oil change and new tires & alignment. (who gets their car aligned right before they sell it?!) Anyway the guy was older and lived in a fairly upscale area of the city. -He had a new Civic Si and an Acura RL sitting in the garage.

No brainer.

$4200 well spent. (His asking price was 4500)

Also, I know the engine is a sludger, but he definitely kept up with oil changes. I even found the letter Toyota sent back in 2002 admitting that the motor sludges and that they would warranty it for 8 years.

Side note: Any recommendations for the Toyota V6 as a sludge preventative?
 
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Good to see you're different than most close-minded people when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. Most people get in a bind and need a car and make hasty decisions which afterwards, doesn't seem to be the best option. I also hate wasting time on cars that are listed great and in terrible shape. I contacted someone yesterday on craigslist about a truck and asked all the questions I would be looking for if I were to go and look at the truck. I also asked for him to scan the "Dealership Maintenance Records." He couldn't do it but it was worth a try. Anything to save a trip and time is while worth an attempt.

Hope the Solara works out for you. As far as the sludger, change the oil often, perhaps look into a great "cleaner" oil such as Pennzoil Ultra, keep a close eye on it and enjoy driving your "money well spent."
 
On the 2001 RX300 I maintain I changed the PCV. Not sure if the Toyota dealer would do that if they unless it is on there schedule. Lexus did not have it do it, but vehicle has low miles. Been running Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30. Car is driven about 3,000 miles per year, so I change oil yearly. First few oil changes when I switched to PP I added 1/2 quart of MMO to clean things a bit. Not sure if I will do that next oil change. This vehicles has around 40,000 miles, so it may not have much sludge.
 
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Good find, $4200 for a good condition Solara is difficult to find in So Cal.

To minimize sludge problem with that engine you may want to use good Dino at 4-5k OCI or syn at less than 10k OCI. If you need to top off between OCI you may want to add MMO instead of regular oil. If most of your trips are less than 5-6 miles, you should take the Solara on a good highway drive once a week.
 
You got a nice deal on a nice car.

You don't want to run fuel contaminated oil. It would sludge up your engine. Track oil consumption and fuel economy. If the car uses too much of either one have the car checked for mechanical problems. And have sensors tested.

If there is black soot inside the tail pipe treat fuel with Regane. You can use 1/2 bottle in 2 tank fulls.
 
Guys already said all,what I wanned to say. Good luck comrade. I might repeat people above,but keep checking PCV valve, I personally use and suggest you to check rebates forum and get PU,Valvoline SYN Power and QSUD for free or almoust free,there is also rebates on bosch filters and Fram Tough guard. Stock up for 3 changes,until you are done,there will be another great deals. I would do first run for 5k with PU or PP amd 1q of MMO, to see what will come out,use Bosch filter,maybe even 2,since some cleaning will be going on.That leaves you with 1 extra quart from PU or PP jug to add make up oil. Next 2 jugs I would be running with MMO top off if needed,but no more than 1q total,and some in gas. Next synthectic ocis I wouldn't run more than 8k,even if you drive mostly hwy. Also check local big lots if you have and grab bunch of fuel cleaners under $2. Check records for gear oil change.Spark plugs, first plug would be most dirty. Clean MAF and Throttle ones a year,camrys known for rough idle because of that. If you spot oil burning,and or sludge--kreen is your helper. Three is 2 big threads about my car,and saving it from sludge claws...Good luck,treat her good,and she won't leave you on the side of the road. Enjoy good mpg,and don't worry about timing belt,it's non interference engine.
 
just use a synthetic oil, sludge problem should be pretty much resolved..
good find and price!

when I bought my 93 Ranger, the guy showed me all the receipts from Ford. the main issue was the rear brakes. apparently nobody at the dealership knew how to work on rear brake shoes.

when I got it, I decided to inspect the rear shoes just because of all 24 invoices. they looked fine, but I went to Ford, got a new set of 10" shoes, a set of AZ brake hardware and replaced the shoes & springs, cleaned everything and have not had any issues whatsoever for over 150k. I do have to replace the other wheel cylinder eventually.
 
I would highly recommend using either Pennzoil Ultra or Platinum in this engine. Either oil will slowly clean any deposits present and help protect from future sludge formation. We use PP in our V-6 sludger and have had no problems in 112,000 miles. I would suggest that you put in a new PCV valve though. The 1MZ-FE engine is a pure pleasure to drive; it is so very smooth and is quite fuel efficient. Our Avalon with this engine reached 32 mpg on a recent road trip. These engines will give years of reliable service IF maintained. However, they are less forgiving of a lack of maintenance.
It sounds like you found a great deal on this car!
 
[censored], what motivated the sale of the Mustang? That was a nice rare car that would've been great fun to have for years to come? The Solara is a nice car, but they aren't in the same fun factor league though
frown.gif
 
Nice car, and certainly a nice price. That Toyota V6 is a super-smooth honey of an engine. I'd run PP or PU and change it every 5,000 miles and not give oil another thought. Previous advice about PCV system maintenance is good.

A V6/5M Solara has got to be rare. You found a gem there. Post up pictures!
 
I agree, a great find, I don't see many of those on the road around here. I'd change the oil every 5-6K miles using whatever syn you can find on sale. I'd also check the PCV valve again for peace of mind.
 
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V-6/5-speed Camry's are rare - good find!

As for oil, from what I've seen, M1 5W-30 seems to work really well in Ioyota engines. I'd use that, with 7500-mile changes.

Enjoy!
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
[censored], what motivated the sale of the Mustang? That was a nice rare car that would've been great fun to have for years to come? The Solara is a nice car, but they aren't in the same fun factor league though
frown.gif




I LOVED that car however I am moving soon and I am loosing the garage space. The city of Pittsburgh can be hard on cars -very narrow, tight streets LOTS of street only parking. I could not stand to see a perfect car go downhill. I posted it thinking it might not sell at all.. Then poof two weeks...


Believe me the Solara, while nice, is no Testosterone fueled V8 monster!
 
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