Is this a good deal on a 2005 Toyota Sienna?

[JS80]

2005 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD 94,500 miles
Navi, DVD, rear camera...basically every option

$15,000.00

 

[Vette73]

Seems high to me, but I am not a Mini-Van expert.

Milage seems a ltitle high for price, but I know people overpay for used Toyotas all the time. That and did the Sienna have some issues as well? For some reason I don;t remember it having that great a rating. Maybe thinking of something else?

 

[Trianon]

yeah, with that many miles, and out of warranty, I would expect the car to be closer to 10K... Most likely due for timing belt change and other expensive maintenance

 

[JS80]

damn i thought i did a swell job negotiating down to that price
kbb says $16,240 http://www.kbb.com/kbb/UsedCars/Pri...rue|67125|true&Condition=Good&QuizConditions=

Edmunds TMV is higher.

The car is in tip top shape too. Can't find many comps on autotrader either.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Well, here is a somewhat comparable deal in my town... and this dealership typically has lower-end prices on used cars. It's hard to get them to haggle down much.
http://www.joemachens.com/Pre-Owned-Inventory/2004_Toyota_Sienna_Columbia_5TDZA22C04S005645.aspx

I'm going to lean on the side of you're getting a "decent" deal. Just remember to check the tires. Make sure a mechanic takes a good look at it.

 

[CraigRT]

For some reason most people seem to really hate those vans.

You might benefit from doing some more research before you buy..

For the record, I don't know why, I've just seen it around on the 'net.

 

[vi edit]

The XLE trim just jacks the price up to retardedly high amount. You can get LE's that are two years newer, with the better 3.5L and half the miles for close to the same price. Those are better values, just not as desireable because they have less creature comforts.

If you can hold off for a little bit, I'd maybe wait to see if the new version of the Seinna brings used prices down a bit more. Honda is supposed to have a new version of the Odyssey released this fall too so that might help bring down the prices in that market too.

 

[Vette73]

For some reason most people seem to really hate those vans.

You might benefit from doing some more research before you buy..

For the record, I don't know why, I've just seen it around on the 'net.

Yea I swear I have heard some not so good things about them but I can;t remember off the top of my head, and its been a while since my wrenching days.

I think the timing belt on that is VERY hard, even more so then most Toyotas. So price that out as I think it was a 105k item on those.

 

[kornphlake]

I think the year you're looking at is okay for the most part. I've got an '01 I bought with similar mileage a few years ago, the drivetrain has been pretty solid, but everything else is crap. The rear hatch leaked and the carpet got mildew so I had to tear it out, the "premium" factory JBL stereo had 2 tweeters blown before we bought it, the rear power windows only work sometimes, the power sliding doors are a hassle they need to be reset every few weeks, often during the middle of a rainstorm (thank goodness I don't have carpet anymore,) the front driver's door handle cracked so it couldn't be opened from the outside, the clip on the front passenger's door handle broke so the rod that engages the latch was dangling and the door couldn't be opened from the outside. I've got the dreaded P0420 code, which basically amounts to Toyota goofing up the programming of the ECU and ignoring it since it only affects vehicles that out of the emissions warranty. Gas mileage is 20mpg at best, often closer to 15mpg if there's any city driving involved, I think it's got excess power except at 2k-3.5k rpm, where it falls on it's face. The injectors are pretty noisy, the dash rattles, the fan belts squeal often, the brakes feel a little weird some times like the system is burping, power steering at idle can feel heavy. I don't care for the traction control system, I'm not sure how it works but it feels like it applies the brakes rather than locking the differential, it may work better on AWD but with FWD it doesn't seem to do anything.

In it's class the sienna is still one of the better options. All of the domestics have serious drivetrain issues at or before 100k miles, Nissan and Kia/Hyundai are gas guzzlers and have some drivetrain issues as well, the only real competition is the Honda, but it too has transmission problems depending on what year you're comparing it to and the seats are the most uncomfortable seats in any mini-van I've driven. The Sienna isn't a bad choice, but the whole mini-van platform is a compromise as far as reliability, durability and quality of materials and workmanship go. I'd say a middle of the road SUV is better in those aspects than the best mini-van.

 

[vi edit]

Worse part about that era of Toyota's is they are souless and the accellerator lag. Which is funny given today's issues. But the Siennas/Highlanders/ect that used the 3.3L and their 5 speed auto have some sort of tip in lag where it hesitates for about half a second before it "catches". Makes for a nasty clunk and then a bit of whiplash if you aren't used to it.

 

[kornphlake]

To be fair I should mention that I didn't expect a 6 year old vehicle with 90k miles to be perfect when I bought it, but I figured that for $13k it would be more than a year or two before things like the door handles started breaking (does this happen with any other vehicle?) or the weatherstrip leaking. I don't mention the alternator that I've replaced or the crank sensor I replaced, or the oil changes, or brakes or tires, because I consider that normal wear and tear. I expect any vehicle to drive at least 150k miles or 15 years before the weatherstrip becomes a problem.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

OK, to give you a perspective. The woman wanted to trade in her 06 Sienna LE I believe is the trim, with 70K miles on it. Power doors ect. Stealership offered $6K for it and wouldn't budge no matter what.
It's a Toyota you can offer stupid low amounts and they'll probably take it. I would never pay more than $10K for a vehicle with that many miles on it.

 

[Vette73]

I think the year you're looking at is okay for the most part. I've got an '01 I bought with similar mileage a few years ago, the drivetrain has been pretty solid, but everything else is crap. The rear hatch leaked and the carpet got mildew so I had to tear it out, the "premium" factory JBL stereo had 2 tweeters blown before we bought it, the rear power windows only work sometimes, the power sliding doors are a hassle they need to be reset every few weeks, often during the middle of a rainstorm (thank goodness I don't have carpet anymore,) the front driver's door handle cracked so it couldn't be opened from the outside, the clip on the front passenger's door handle broke so the rod that engages the latch was dangling and the door couldn't be opened from the outside. I've got the dreaded P0420 code, which basically amounts to Toyota goofing up the programming of the ECU and ignoring it since it only affects vehicles that out of the emissions warranty. Gas mileage is 20mpg at best, often closer to 15mpg if there's any city driving involved, I think it's got excess power except at 2k-3.5k rpm, where it falls on it's face. The injectors are pretty noisy, the dash rattles, the fan belts squeal often, the brakes feel a little weird some times like the system is burping, power steering at idle can feel heavy. I don't care for the traction control system, I'm not sure how it works but it feels like it applies the brakes rather than locking the differential, it may work better on AWD but with FWD it doesn't seem to do anything.

In it's class the sienna is still one of the better options. All of the domestics have serious drivetrain issues at or before 100k miles, Nissan and Kia/Hyundai are gas guzzlers and have some drivetrain issues as well, the only real competition is the Honda, but it too has transmission problems depending on what year you're comparing it to and the seats are the most uncomfortable seats in any mini-van I've driven. The Sienna isn't a bad choice, but the whole mini-van platform is a compromise as far as reliability, durability and quality of materials and workmanship go. I'd say a middle of the road SUV is better in those aspects than the best mini-van.

Tell me what those are on GM and Fords? Chrysler I can can see with some.

And what do you call gas guzzlers compared to one you said get 15mpg?

 

[desy]

130k miles on an 01 Windstar no hint of powertrain issues yet
I bought it w 55k miles as a bank reposession for 8G, 3 yrs old, tires tranny flush and tune up and drive

However I'd sooner a Honda or Toyota but wasn't getting anywhere close to that deal

 

[angry hampster]

If you can, look for a Symphony edition Sienna. Fantastic sound system.

 

[StageLeft]

You ARE fvcking joking, right?

When you are buying used something that old forget the bells and whistles. Waste of time and money. You want to keep wear and tear low; you want low miles. I have seen a year old sienna--granted barebones--but a year old with 15-20k miles for $20k. Now tell me how the bells and whistles and only $5k saved are worth an extra half decade of above average use. They aren't. I also would not pay over A$10k for that and even then, that is a lot of miles. There are a ton of vans out there. KBB can lick it, who cares what it says! People are crazy over toyotas, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 2002 with 230k asking $11,999 on a dealer lot or something.

130k miles on an 01 Windstar no hint of powertrain issues yet

Friends of ours have one that vintage perhaps a touch newer, similar miles maybe 10-20k less, got the bad news today the transmission is cracked to sh*t and done for, needs $4k to repair it with the other issue they originally brought it in for and the guy doing the repairs is a family friend and absolute trustworthy in his assessment. They are going to part it out it looks like. Bad luck I guess.

 

[desy]

The transmissions on the Windstars weren't great in those 00--02's and then I think the O3's and up were better
I was looking at towing trailers on some camping forums and not really recomended for those early ones even w trans cooler, mines never towed and I just did a second flush a couple months ago.
It also gets pretty easy miles mostly HW and properly warmed up every trip,
That being said the oddy was worse for those yrs