I am looking at a 1990 Toyota Previa with 235,000 miles on it. The owner says it runs very well. That’s a lot of miles - do Toyota vans run as long as the smaller cars if they’re well maintained (which this owner says it has been)? He’s asking $1400, but Blue Book for a 1991 Previa in good condition is $1050. Any advice would be welcome
I wouldn’t touch it. Not because it might not have a few good years left, but unlike the Corollas and Camrys, the mechanics were so different than subsequent vans, I’d worry about the availability of parts. I don’t think it is worth the worry, as the reliability of any car that old is a function of care not make. If the owner thinks it’s that good a car and that well maintained, he’d keep it. I’d take it for free…that’s about it.
Whatever “magic” you think Toyota has in comparison to other makes it doesn’t apply to a 20+ year old 235K+ vehicle. If you do a lot of car work on your own, then fine (get a repair manual with it). But if you have to rely on mechanics then I doubt it is a good gamble. It will need work on a fairly regular basis. Old, high mileage cars do no matter who made them.