@old_mopar_guy. Mrs. Triedaq is responsible for me driving a minivan. My doctor wrote me a prescription that to sustain my mental health, I should have a Mazda Miata. Mrs. Triedaq said she would have the prescription filled for me. Unfortunately, she had it filled generically and came back with a minivan instead of the Miata. The Miata is engaging to drive, so I could get “married” to one. However, a minivan isn’t engaging to drive. Marriage to a minivan is out.
Translation: I would rather drive a Mazda Miata than a Sienna minivan. However, the Sienna fits my needs. The Miata, while fun to drive, doesn’t fit my needs. I can’t transport 6 passengers along with 2 celli, a French horn, a violin, a trumpet and a flute in a Miata as I have done in the Sienna. Why don’t I own both a Miata and a Sienna? I have my eye on another French horn and I can’t afford both the horn and the Miata.
If there’s a spot In your ensemble for a pianist, I’ll volunteer.
I do have a Miata, and there is plenty of room for a violin, a trumpet and a flute as well as my wife and me. The other stuff … no. We all make choices. Zoom zoom.
Hi Lauren,
I have the same car (well, 1999), with over 300k on it, bought it more than 4 years ago, when my mechanic suggested I think about Toyota instead of the Caravans I’ve had.
I got really lucky on mine. Without a history or an odometer, I gambled and won, and bought it far under the usual market for those cars. I’ve since learned that it got a new transmission and timing belt about a year before I bought it. Based on what I learned from dealer records, the original transmission went at least 280,000 miles. It’s reasonably good on oil too, probably like a quart in 1000 miles). I’ve had no significant issues issues on the Sienna, less than $1200 on repairs in four years. Mostly I’ve had to fix door handles…go figure.
I definitely like this car. A lot. I don’t check local mileage, but on long trips, it’s reliably close to 25mpg. And it’s very comfortable. I had a chance to drive a newer one (maybe around 2015 +/-) owned by a friend and hated the seats.
I agree totally with @bcohen2010, particularly on price, and on the hunch about the timing belt - it’s for sale because the owners won’t spend that much on an “old” car. I don’t know about prices there, but $3400 for a private sale would have been high in central California 4 years ago, unless the records were impeccable, and it had a new timing belt. Study Craigslist for comparisons.
The picture shows the car looking very nice. If the interior is equally pristine, then it’s probably been well maintained. As for durability and reliability, the abundance of first generation Siennas here where I live in the CA foothills speaks volumes.
So I encourage you to give it a good look to see if it feels right for your family.