@Markwnjr. What makes of minivans have you owned? Working on vehicles is different than owning one. Back in the early 1960s I worked in a filling station. 90% of the cars brought in for repair were either a Ford or Chevrolet. We rarely saw a Studebaker. When I was ready to buy a car, the message was clear: I should buy a Studebaker. Now the reality is that 80% of the cars sold in our area were either a Ford or Chevrolet. Less than 1% were Studebakers. We didn’t see the Fords and Chevrolets that were running well. One doesn’t bring a vehicle to a repair shop for a social visit.
I carefully maintain the vehicles I own. I keep the maintenance records. What I reported is not my opinion, it is based on my experience. I am not generalizing to all Uplanders and Siennas–I am just noting my own experience based on the service records.
For an older vehicle, I will still base my purchase on the condition of the vehicle and not the make.
That may be correct, but what if the faulty trans had been replaced with an updated and more reliable one.
As I’ve previously stated, I worked on all makes and models for many years. We saw Toyota all the time for regular maintenance. Now I work for Toyota and understand more about them to a depth the public eye could never understand. My personal experience with minivans in the northern hemisphere has always leaned towards Toyota and Honda. Fords and dodge/ chryslers are absolute rust buckets. I have never had to replace head gaskets on Toyota. Never on Honda. I’ve never had to replace, brake lines, fuel lines, tie rods, sway bar links on Toyota. They don’t have upper ball joints and I’ve never had to replace lower ball joints in a Toyota. Honda, you can’t say that much but depending on the area still may not need that maint. A 10 year old Toyota, as a service technician is hands down the best vehicle you can buy. Van, SUV, car or Hybrid. Doesn’t matter.
Now if you see a Sienna posted on Craigslist and ends up he used it off road on a farm for 70,000 miles… different story. But on average I guarantee you’ll find a honda or a Toyota much MUCH more valuble and longer lasting that any other brand. Or van.
Someone has been drinking a bit too much of the corporate kool-aid… It’s understandable when people are excited and proud of their employer but it’s getting to the point I want to don my boots…
I’m not exactly fond of my employer at all. I don’t get a Toyota paycheck. It comes from the dealer. But if I’m going to be a service technician then I’d rather work for a Toyota dealer. That’s for sure.
Amazing how people whom haven’t a clue know so much more than those paid to know.
We are never so full of dirt as when we are when you are full of ourselves. Have you noticed that, @Markwnjr? I didn’t think so.
Consider my 2003 Olds Silhouette. It is still on the road after 14 years and 185,000 miles. There have been a few problems as always occurs on old vehicles no matter what the brand. I had a few on the 2005 Accord I just sold. Not as many as the Silhouette, but the cost of repairs on either has been low. Until the Honda, I haven’t owned an Asian brand. I was generally satisfied with my GM vehicles. Before the first Honda, I had a 1998 Buick Regal that had very few problems. My daughter wrecked it when it was 12 years old, or we would have kept it longer.
Another regular poster here showed us a graph of brand reliability for late model vehicles. It showed that Honda and Toyota had 100 problems per 100 vehicles at age 7. It also showed that the same level of problems occurred on Ford and GM vehicles after five years. That’s real data from a third party, not a corporate cheerleader.
Yeah? Glad you like your domestic cars. Working on them is an absolute pain in the neck and the amount of mechanical energy lost through all the unnecessary parts is absolutely ridiculous. You can say your car is in good shape at 185,000 miles but that doesn’t mean anything to me. I haven’t seen it for myself. What part of the world are you located in? I live in the most severe part of the hemisphere so our cars go through a heck of a lot more wear just sitting in our driveways.
All I did was answer a post with my opinion on what the OP should buy secondhand with my first hand experience. And now I’m a biased - full of myself monster? Are you people liberals? I HAVE WORKED ON CARS FOR MORE THAN 12 YEARS. What YOU have owned is irrelevant!
Did you even read your own statistic??? Not only are they wrong but they support my argument! Here’s your graph. Looks like Toyota makes the top of the list every time!
Here are graphs from 10 years ago. Considering the OP is looking at these years and my sole purpose here is to help… here they are for Him/ Her and for your benefit too. Toyota is at the top of the list every time. LOL
All I know is, I’ve been wrenching on vehicles for almost fifty years.
And the make of the vehicle determines how often you’ll be wrenching on it. No matter how well the vehicle is maintained.
My observation over the years.
Tester
I’m a middle aged mechanic . . . literally been turning wrenches for decades
So I AM “paid to know” . . . to use your own words
And I agree with @Twin turbo . . . you’ve been sipping a bit too much kool-aid
perhaps a change of scenery would do you some good. I mean that in a good way. See what else is out there, you may actually like it.
In the beginning, I worked for a fleet, for several years. Then I was at a dealer for many years. Now I’m working for a different fleet, again for several years. We work on all sorts of vehicles, all different sizes, all the way through class 8
When I was a the dealership, for awhile I used to think the product was better than some others. Of course, that only lasted so long. In fact, I often advise AGAINST that particular brand. I’ve been gone from there for awhile, but now I realize a car is a car. Some are better than others in certain regards. But no brand is perfect. They all have their problems. More so, if the car isn’t maintained well and/or abused.
Another thing . . . for me, the REAL learning and skills acquisition occurred working for the fleet(s). The first job of the day could be a Prius. The next one could be a class 8 Kenworth. First job could be an oil change or a pad slap. The next could be hard-core diagnosis. It kind of forces you to hone your skills.
I’ve been doing this long enough, that I would not state Honda and Toyota are tops, while domestics are garbage. I know better by now
In fact, to tell you the truth, some of the most reliable vehicles, in my own experience, have been the larger ones. For instance, in my opinion the GMC/Chevy C4500 series is not only rugged, but also reliable. More reliable than some pickups and cars, again, in my opinion
There’s more to automotive than just small cars and trucks
There might just be several people on this forum that have been wrenching longer than you, or have worked on more makes, or have worked on vehicles you’ve never even laid a hand on. Or a combination thereof, or maybe even all of the above
May not apply to mini vans, but here’s some info on sensors that are sometimes placed in car seats, fyi.
“Sensorsafe is a technology found in some car seats from the brand Evenflo. There is a receiver that goes into your car’s diagnostics port, a socket located inside a vehicle that accesses various vehicle subsystems where small receivers can be installed to tap into a car’s computer system….”
Child seats can be removes just as easily as they are installed, there should be no harm to the vehicle.
Are there any air bag implications with removing rear passenger seats?
This discussion reminds me.of a discussion I had with a real estate salesman back in the spring of 1972. My first wife and I were going to have a house built on a parcel of land we had purchased and were touring a parade of new homes looking at the quality of the houses. When we were going through one model house, I noticed that the refrigerator was plugged in through an adaptor. The refrigerator had a three prong plug, but the outlets were the old.style.two slot with no ground. I pointed this out to my wife that the wiring wasn’t up to code. The salesman overheard my comment and became quite agitated. He said “X is a fine builder. Do you know how I know that? I work for X, that’s how I know”. “Sir”, I replied. “Your logic is impeccable, but this doesn’t make the wiring meet code”. My wife and I then walked.out.
If I worked for a dealer, the product the dealer sells would be the best cars on the road. (I didn’t make it as a Yugo sales representative).
A home builder was building new homes in 1972 without the three prong outlets? That would indeed be a reason to look elsewhere. I’d have guessed all new homes would have required that in 1972. How could a city building inspector not notice?
@GeorgeSanJose Our inspectors seemed to look the other way. I actually wanted to take off the outlet cover plate and pull out the outlet to see if the wiring was 12/2 with ground or 12/2 without ground. It may have even been 14 gauge wire. I don’t know when the code first required 3 prong grounded outlets, but I am certain it was before 1972.
Oh my Lord.
Well you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink I guess.
h.neverus1 Get a Toyota. You’ll be happy.
In 1998, we got plowed in Austin and needed another car. We rented a big Buick and drove back into the Snow Zone. I still thought of cars as too pricey and bought what looked like a nice 1989 Caravan with 98,000 miles on it.
By the time it had 150,000 we would leave McAllen and drive all day to Amarillo. Next morning we would make an appointment with a mechanic.
A few days later, we would drive to the Quad Cities (western Illinois). when we got there, we’d make an appointment with a mechanic.
After a few days, we’d drive back to Amarillo, and make an appointment with a mechanic.
After a few days, we’d drive all day back to McAllen, and make an appointment with a mechanic.
The transmission failed around 100 miles from home. The vehicle chronically over-heated, and mechanics tried to stop it with no avail.
I mistakenly thought if I replaced enough stuff, it could be a usable vehicle. Not so.
I finally got a new 2002 Sienna, a few days after the Trade Towers went down, at a good price.
That car is still in good shape and if it weren’t for Mexican import laws, I’d be driving it now. Transmission and motor in great shape. The ten years I drove it into Mexico, six months at a time, except for the bad battery, all repairs were made back in McAllen.
I was telling someone yesterday that I’d get in that car in McAllen, and in the next two days, drive it to Florida, hang around a few days, and in two more days drive it back to McAllen, and not bother to check the oil, because I knew it was okay.
So, fine with me if you say the brand doesn’t matter. It is your right to believe what you want. Just don’t waste time trying to tell me brand doesn’t matter. And, look up the words statistical aberration in reference to your high mileage, minimal repair cars…
Yes, a 1989 Caravan would be a poor choice but the OP isn’t looking for a vehicle that old. My neighbor drove his 1992 Caravan until about two years ago, those old minivans are out dated in comfort and performance by today’s standards. Even the 1996 Caravan was a vast improvement compared to the early minivans.
As far as “Brand does matter”, I still see first generation Caravans on the road but it has been many years since I’ve seen one of these;
That’s all fine and dandy if you live in California.
But if you live in the rust belt, here’s where the Chrysler mini vans first start to rust out.
Tester
My father bought one of those in 1983
Two tone silver and burgundy, burgundy suede seats, 2 moonroofs
That’s the good part
The bad part . . . it was woefully underpowered
My dad’s colleague also bought one, same color as the one you pictured, come to think of it
He was driving on a rural road, and a boar decided to ram the side of the van. The boar was fine, but the van suffered significant damage
