Car makes one click when I turn the keys but car won't start
The car has 87K miles on it. Here are the symptoms:
When I turn the keys everything works (lights, radio, dash etc.)
But when I turn the key, all I hear is one loud click but car wont start
So far the car starts after trying 2-4 times
Also after car starts and has been driven for a while (10 mins) this problem goes away. Its only when I haven't started the car for a while, this happen.
I'm sure its not the battery or terminal connections because both were replaced just over a year ago. Also, I have never accidentally drained this battery since being put in. All my cables are also in impeccable shape. I'm original owner and I have never misused the car. The only things I can think of as being the problem are:
1. Bad ignition switch or ignition (least likely)
2. Bad/dirty starter solenoid (likely)
3. Bad starter motor (likely)
The only thing that throws off me being sure of the problem is the fact that the car starts up like a champ after its been driven for at least 10 minutes and the engine is still warm (like say 1-2 hours after first starting the car). Yesterday I had a DR appointment and I had started the car up one and a half hours before the appointment.
The problem with the clicking happened initially (car hadn't been driven for 9 hours at that point). But when I was going to the DR an hour and a half later it started with no problems. It also started with no problems half an hour later when I left the DR. That night (11 hours since last start) it happened again and this morning (10 hours since last start) too. Just to test out my theory of it starting after being driven I turned the car over twice this morning after driving it and it started up perfectly.
If anyone has an idea of what they think the problem is, I would really appreciate it. Thanks