Still happy with my Sienna
Pros:
Toyota quality and reputation, standard equipment, safety standards and test results.
Cons:
Some "American Made" qualities
The Bottom Line:
Toyota's reputation speaks for itself. After reading Consumer Reports, talking to other Sienna owners, and test driving, I was sold. I highly recommend!
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Author's Review
I have owned my 2001 Toyota Sienna LE for just over a year now and still love it. I've had no mechanical problems whatsoever, but It has developed some, what I call "American made qualities", which are small annoyances that I hope to get fixed soon. What I mean by this is I have always been a foreign car lover, I have owned 3 Toyota and always considered them superior to American made cars, mostly for their solid, soundproof, "stay together qualities". What I found soon after purchasing my Sienna is that different things inside the van started rattling and creaking; the dashboard, one of the rear seats where it hooks to the floor, and something underneath the driver seat. It started with the dashboard creaking and I took it to the dealer about 2 months after purchasing, and of course that day it didn't make the noise for the technician. I attributed it to the fact that the weather had warmed up and I think the dashboard expanded. It made the noise for me on the way home, so I decided to wait and see if it corrected itself. It's been 1 yr now and the creaking has not stopped.
Having said that, I am still extremely pleased with my purchase. Given my opinion of American Made vehicles, we limited our minivan search to Toyota, Honda, and the Mercury Villager, which is manufactured by Ford but essentially the same as Nissan Quest. After driving them all, the Toyota was hands down my favorite. Sitting in the van and driving it felt the most "carlike" to me. I also like the fact that I didn't have to pay over sticker or wait 6 months like I would have for the Odyssey.
The LE comes nicely equipped, we purchased one with the LE Extra Value Package which included:
dual heated foldaway power outside mirrors, roof rack, remote keyless entry, second-row captain's chairs and carpeted floor mats. Ours also has a full size spare tire, and cargo net. I opted to not get the automatic sliding doors, I figured they were just something waiting to break. Now I wish I had them!
Once I get all the squeeks and creaks fixed, I'm sure I'll enjoy my Sienna for many more miles and years to come.
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