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Advice on buying older Sienna/MPV/Odyssey

8 messages,  Last post on Oct 14, 2011 at 5:23 AM

You are in the Toyota Sienna Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Mazda MPV, Honda Odyssey, Car Buying, Auto Repair, Engine, Transmission, Van

Messages Page 2 of 2

#4 of 8 RE:Advice on buying older Sienna/MPV/Odyssey [loucapri] by ateixeira

Feb 02, 2011 (11:41 am)

Replying to: loucapri (Feb 02, 2011 10:11 am)
Aren't all power doors problematic? My friend had a Chevy van and it never worked properly.
 
Any how, at that price you may not get that feature anyway.
 
I'd look for a higher mile 04+ Sienna. Not sure you'll find one in that price range, though.

#5 of 8 Re: Advice on buying older Sienna/MPV/Odyssey [ohcardinal] by genericaccount

Feb 03, 2011 (11:25 am)

Replying to: ohcardinal (Feb 01, 2011 7:53 pm)
I lke that cor

#6 of 8 RE:Advice on buying older Sienna/MPV/Odyssey [loucapri] by ohcardinal

Feb 03, 2011 (4:52 pm)

Replying to: loucapri (Feb 02, 2011 10:11 am)
To some extent, would I see some clue about sludge buildup by looking through the oil fill cap at the lifters? Or by wiping a 6" swab like I was taking a "culture sample" inside the valve cover? I've never bought a used car without having a mechanic spend an hour or two with it first. Or is the sludge issue likely to be an invisible problem? Before spending $4-5,000, I would not be opposed to having a mechanic drop the oil pan for a better look if that would reveal a good or bad buy.

#7 of 8 RE:Advice on buying older Sienna/MPV/Odyssey [ohcardinal] by themanindbox

Oct 13, 2011 (10:26 pm)

Replying to: ohcardinal (Feb 03, 2011 4:52 pm)
Im sure you already bought one, but i have an 01 sienna, and if the oil was changed every 3k miles then the likely-hood of there being an issue is slim.. Also if you run synthetic oil in your van from the day you buy it forward, you will destroy any possibility of having sludging develop. Also if you are buying in the 120k+ mile range, then you really are likely not to see the sludging issue. A mechanic would easily be able to see if there was an issue. Sludge is less of an issue then say someone using a cleaning product to clean up sludge, that typically causes the return lines to get clogged and causes the issue..

#8 of 8 Re: Advice on buying older Sienna/MPV/Odyssey [ohcardinal] by jpf

Oct 14, 2011 (5:23 am)

Replying to: ohcardinal (Feb 01, 2011 7:53 pm)
For the $4000 to $5000 price range you won't get much of a van because it will likely have extremely high mileage. It won't matter whether it's a Toyota or Honda with 200k miles because that's all you're going to get for $4000 to $5000. For $10,000 to $12,000 you can get a good minvan, especially a Chrysler or GM with factory warranty. I just bought a 2007 Uplander for $11,900 with only 55k miles and almost 1 year left on the powertrain warranty. Good luck with your purchase.

Messages Page 2 of 2

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