2006 Toyota Sienna - not bad, overall
Had this one for 13 years so far. 157K miles. Repairs, yes, but keep up with regular maintenance and nothing major will come your way. More details in the Pros & Cons sections below ...
Pros:
Owned it new since 2006, and it's held up well. Comfy, and can take rough use with carrying heavy loads occasionally. Some of the interior trim bits have failed, but those are minor issues. (I have a sports car I drive for fun, so the van is practical transport for me).
I have the limited AWD version with the larger engine. Very stable on the road, but rotate those tires regularly. And dump the run flats; not worth it.
I pop out the rear seats when I need to haul full sheets of plywood (yes, I sometimes use it as a truck). I also have a hitch on it that I often use for a carry cage and a light duty trailer.
Also camped in it when skiing. Stable and safe on light snow, if you are careful; I have chains that I carry but never needed to put on.
VERY tight turning radius! That surprised me.
Cons:
(3) brake jobs, with 2 sets of rotors replaced. Twice the pad rivets failed and dug into the front rotors, necessitating the two rotors replaced.
At 5-6 years change your upkeep strategy. Dealer maintenance & repairs are pricey to keep the vehicle going long-term. I'd find a good shop for fixits, and trust a drop-in oil change outfit for swapping out fluids & filters. Do that every 3000 miles and it will go forever.
Oh, the cruise control on these fails at around 70-80K miles. The internet has that info. It's a $2000 repair through the dealer. Beware if you regularly need cruise control for long trips.
Same for the airbag system; broken sensor that flashes, but the system still is functional. I just don't want to pay the $900 the dealer would charge to turn off that light.
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