Toyota Sienna anyone?

[dsmith]

It's looking like a minivan is going to be the best option for us as dh's parents get older. We do a fair amount of traveling, so the added space for luggage is an added benefit. Quite a few people have recommended the Sienna. If you have one, how do you like it? Is it worth the extra cost? We would be buying a used one in the 15,000-30,000 mile range. I'm especially interested if anyone has the reclining 2nd row captain seats. I think that would be great for my son on long drives, but he is a big (6ft) kid. My father in law would probably benefit from that too but he is even bigger. I'm assuming nobody is sitting in the 3rd row if the middle seats are recliner. We've only had Ford and Chevy cars but we are ready to try something new.

[Lorien]

We have a 2000 Sienna and have had it for around 9 years now. It's still going strong! Haven't had any mechanical problems at all. It's well-built - there was no damage to our vehicle when we were rear-ended by a truck (caved in the front bumper/grill of the truck, a minor scratch to our bumper) .... no complaints at all!

 

We do have the reclining captain seats, but haven't ever reclined them due to having kids in the third row.

 

It's been a reliable vehicle for us, so to me it was well worth getting! We bought ours used, and it was/is an "old" vehicle so I can't speak for the newer models. If their standards haven't changed, then a newer model would be a good vehicle too.

[OneStepAtATime]

12th year with a Sienna and we were the third owners.

 

My biggest recommendation:  Get a thorough inspection with an independent mechanic if you can possibly swing it.  There have been a lot of recalls of little things and not so little things with certain model years and if the previous owner was not paying attention they may not have taken care of those things so see if you can find a list of the recalls/parts repairs ordered by Toyota for the model year you are looking for.  Make sure anything promised you (like an extra set of chipped keys) is IN WRITING.

 

Things we love:

1.  Lots of room.

2.  Captain's seats in the second row are very comfortable.

3.  3rd row seats can still be used if the second row captain's seats are slight reclined (but not all the way).

4.  Front row seats are very comfortable.

5.  Turns on a dime.  Seriously, at least with mine, I have a better turn radius than many cars.

6.  Good gas mileage.

7.  Repair costs have been reasonable.

 

 

[Cinder]

We have a 2005 and still like it. Both my sons are comfortable in the middle row--they're 6' 2" and 6' 4". If all of us are in the car--dh, me and 3 dc--then one ds will sit in the 3rd row middle seat--lots of legroom there. ;)  Occasionally on long trips I will sit in the 3rd row--one of the side seats--and I'm comfortable there. I'm only 5' 10", though.

 

ETA: just saw the other responses and have to agree with OneStep about the turning radius--it's excellent and handles much like one of the smaller sedans in that regard. In fact, when I had to drive MIL's old Cutlass Supreme I was floored by how wide it turned--yeah, missed my parking spot--because I was so used to the tighter radius the Sienna has.

 

Also, we did have one structural issue: the thingee that keeps the door from flinging open broke on the driver's door. Our mechanic did try to fudge a fix (for free) but that didn't last and we didn't bother to get the "real" fix. I just have to remember to hold onto the door when I open it.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Cinder

[hornblower]

I have a 99 & just bought the new 2016. My dh is 6'4" and my ds is taller than that. They fit even way in the back though I don't use 3rd row as I have big dog crates permanently in there.  2nd row is very roomy for them. 

[StephanieZ]

We had a Sienna, bought in mid-2005, so probably a 2006. We enjoyed it, but it didn't give us the reliability or longevity we'd hoped for. We dumped it in about 2011 for the Kia Sedona we have now (and are handing down to our college girl, as it has about 155k miles on it, and she needs wheels next year.)

 

Anyway, the most irritating problem was that the automatic sliding back doors had issues. After about 3-4 years, one went totally kaput, a little cable that is exposed outside to the elements busted. To replace it was over $2k!! Per door!! It could NOT be repaired without replacing the entire motor assembly, which was over 1k each for this tiny thing. And it really didn't work to just use it manually. It seemed unsafe as it didn't work right either way. It made me pretty mad! The second sliding door cable was also showing signs of wear . . . Meanwhile, all those years, sometimes the doors would freeze shut if it was icy/snowy/gross weather. It drove me nuts. I absolutely would NOT buy another van with automatic doors when we went shopping for a replacement, lol. "Not even if they are free." was what I said when the Kia dealership tried to upsell me to the model with automatic sliding doors. :) 

 

Other irritant was the vans then had "run flat" tires, which sounds great until you find that they wear "unevenly" no matter how many rotatations you do, and run flat tires are very expensive. It was $1000 every 20k miles to get a new set. Made me crazy. We live in hilly, snowy, WV, so tons of folks have the Siennas since they are the only AWD minivan . . . Most of the families I knew replaced the run flats with regular (cheap) tires after the first set, and either just had a spare entire wheel/tire in the back of the van all the time or left the spare at home and planned to call the spouse for a rescue if they had a flat! Not ideal, lol, but after replacing those 1000 tires at least 4-5 times in 130k miles or so, I can totally understand it. I would NOT buy a vehicle with run flats again, having lived with one. 

 

So, anyway, we got rid of it, and got the Kia. We've been very happy with it. 150-160k miles so far in just over 5 years, no problems at all. Not one. Tires last a reasonable length of time (30k-40k miles, but not certain since we switch out snow tires with regular tires seasonally). No mechanical or other problems. We've only done routine maintenance. 

 

For us, a new Toyota minivan would have been about 40k vs 25k for the Kia, and we knew we'd be doing LOTS of miles (as we did, lol) on it, so we didn't want to invest in another Toyota after our disappointing experience with the first one. 

 

Surprisingly, our Kia has been our most reliable minivan of the 3 we've bought (Ford Windstar 2000, Toyota Sienna 2005, Kia Sedona 2011, all bought new) . . . We never got past 110k /5 years with the first two pricier vans before major problems happened . . . And we're at 155k-ish miles and 5 years problem free with the Kia so far, so we're happy with it. 

 

One silver lining on our Toyota was that MAN it held it's value! We traded it in on the Kia and got like 11k for it, even though both doors needed fixed (4k-ish) and there was 1500 in new body damage AND the TV/DVD thing was kaput (1500) . . . and it had serious mileage, too, probably 120k. Anyway, that is good for trade in value. We were so shocked when the Kia dealership told us the trade in value that we were like RUN and SELL IT before they change their minds. :) 

 

[wintermom]

It's looking like a minivan is going to be the best option for us as dh's parents get older. We do a fair amount of traveling, so the added space for luggage is an added benefit. Quite a few people have recommended the Sienna. If you have one, how do you like it? Is it worth the extra cost? We would be buying a used one in the 15,000-30,000 mile range. I'm especially interested if anyone has the reclining 2nd row captain seats. I think that would be great for my son on long drives, but he is a big (6ft) kid. My father in law would probably benefit from that too but he is even bigger. I'm assuming nobody is sitting in the 3rd row if the middle seats are recliner. We've only had Ford and Chevy cars but we are ready to try something new.

 

We love our Sienna, though I'm not sure I'd recommend it for your specific purposes. It's big - far bigger than what you really NEED. So every little trip you do, you'll be pushing around a large, heavy vehicle and the gas will be expensive. Also, vans are higher off the ground than cars and can be more difficult for people, especially aging or people getting up from a wheelchair, to get into a van. I used to drive a wheelchair-bound young man to church, and it got to the point that he couldn't lift himself into our van and I wasn't strong enough to help him up into the seat. 

 

I'm not sure how mobile your parents are, and how much they will actually be driving with you on a regular basis. I'd test drive the vehicle with them, for sure.

Edited April 20, 2016 by wintermom

[Mimm]

We just bought one a year ago and we are the second owner. I love it! The turn radius was such an improvement over my Ford Windstar that it took me a while to learn to park. :) I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Actually because we bought used, we got one with some of the extras that we wouldn't have paid for ourselves if we were buying new, like leather seats, heated seats, and a nice sound system. There's a surprising amount of space. I recently collapsed the back seats into the floor to move some bookshelves for my brother and he was all, "I dunno if these can fit," then he rounded the corner and saw the open van and said, "Oh wow, yeah they will."

[mom2samlibby]

We've owned our Sienna since 2003.  It's the 2004 model.  We love it.  It gets great gas mileage.  It has plenty of room and it's very comfortable.  We've not had any problems at all with it.  I'm amazed at how much I can haul in it.  I'd buy it again.

[lovinmyboys]

We have a 2002 and a 2007 sienna and have been very happy with them, although the sliding door did break in the 2007 and they did say it would be over 1k to fix it. It is annoying, but other than that we have been happy.

[Denise in IN]

We have a 2010 Sienna, and it has worked very well for us.  Minimal repairs up to this point, comfortable for all six of us even on long road trips, great cargo space.  

[MrsWeasley]

I drive a 2008 Toyotoa Sienna. We have over 100,000 miles on it, and we haven't had any significant repairs. 

[Erica in OR]

Original owners of a 2004 Sienna. It has worked well for us. It does have the problems mentioned by others—issues with the doors have been the main irritation. There have been several warranty notices sent to us the past few years, with new fixes they're offering (for free). The latest was for seat belts starting to not retract. If you aren't maxing out the number of passengers, it would be much more comfortable on long drives. We do cross-country drives often and when you put someone in every seat, plus the snack box and everyone's bag of things to do, it gets crowded. The cargo area is roomier than it looks (very deep), although we eventually purchased a cartop carrier. As someone also mentioned, it really does turn on a dime. The salesman who took us out on our test drive noted it specially and had us do a Y turn on a narrow country backroad to show us.

 

Erica in OR

[gardenmom5]

my sil liked it a lot. (her ee dh will only buy Toyota.) her son is now driving it (though not sure if they can fit five car seats) - so it's going strong.  it's probably around 20 years old.

 

I test  drove one - but I bought a chrysler T&C becasue it is bigger and has more storage room.  and it has AWD.  (I won't buy anything they've made in the last 8 years.  and I'm looking at an awd highlander for my next car.)

Edited April 20, 2016 by gardenmom5

[TrixieB]

We bought an '01 Sienna in '03.  Dh got it at the Toyota dealer and bought a warranty.  A couple of months later the power sliding door broke.  The door repair + loaner car made the warranty purchase a very good deal indeed.  Apparently it was some unusual part with the door, or else we were among the first people to have that issue for that model year.  We had the loaner for about a week.  That's the only major trouble we've had with the van. 

 

It's quite comfortable to drive on a road trip, and it's fine in town too. 

[Plateau Mama]

I've owned an 03 and currently own an 09. I love my Sienna's. The 03 had an issue with the back hatch and one of the sliding doors (wouldn't stay open on an incline), both issues were taken care of under warranty. I bought my 09 in 11 with 25k on it. We just hit 100k this week. I've had two non-maintenance repairs totaling $2500. The back hatch had the same repair done, again under warranty. I'm hoping to get at least 4 more years and then I will downsize to another Toyota, probably a Highlander. (That thing has an even tighter turning radius than the Sienna.)

 

Oh the only reason I go rid of my 03 was I wanted AWD.

[Lady Florida.]

We have a 2004 Sienna that we bought in 2012,and I love it. I often forget it's 12 years old because it runs so well and was ahead of its time on technology. I'll be sad when it dies. We really don't need a van anymore, so when my Sienna gives out I know I'll downsize. I'm hoping to get a few more years out of it, and if we were at a point where we still needed a van I'd get another Sienna.

[BooksandBoys]

We have a 2010 Sienna purchased used in 2013. I love it! We do have reclining middle row captains chairs, which have come in handy for my mother when she goes on cross-country trips with us. Our middle row is slightly adjustable. You can put the seats right next to each other, leaving more space on one side for getting into the back (this is what we do), or leave a space between them.

 

Engine/mechanics/etc are in great shape at 80,000 miles (I'd be highly disappointed if they weren't). Enough power in the V6 to climb the mountain passes. I do wish we'd gotten 4-wheel drive due to those mountains, but we're very happy with it.

[dsmith]

Wow, I didn't expect this many replies! We have rented minivans for small trips and it works out well for all of us. We had a Sienna once, a barebones model and we liked it. It seems that even though I may be paying more for the Sienna it holds value better than other minivans. Thanks for chiming in everyone!

[dsmith]

We love our Sienna, though I'm not sure I'd recommend it for your specific purposes. It's big - far bigger than what you really NEED. So every little trip you do, you'll be pushing around a large, heavy vehicle and the gas will be expensive. Also, vans are higher off the ground than cars and can be more difficult for people, especially aging or people getting up from a wheelchair, to get into a van. I used to drive a wheelchair-bound young man to church, and it got to the point that he couldn't lift himself into our van and I wasn't strong enough to help him up into the seat.

 

I'm not sure how mobile your parents are, and how much they will actually be driving with you on a regular basis. I'd test drive the vehicle with them, for sure.

Thanks for your input. My in-laws are fine getting in and out of a minivan now, in the future that may be an issue though. We do a fair amount of overnight trips with them, go out to dinner when we can or a day trip here and there. Most of our traveling is dh, ds and I. We have an SUV and it is tight. We have a fair amount of luggage and work necessities when traveling. I'll have to put some thought into future mobility issues. We do have a car, but for our own travels we need something bigger. Lots to think about!

[dsmith]

Other irritant was the vans then had "run flat" tires, which sounds great until you find that they wear "unevenly" no matter how many rotatations you do, and run flat tires are very expensive. It was $1000 every 20k miles to get a new set. Made me crazy. We live in hilly, snowy, WV, so tons of folks have the Siennas since they are the only AWD minivan . . . Most of the families I knew replaced the run flats with regular (cheap) tires after the first set, and either just had a spare entire wheel/tire in the back of the van all the time or left the spare at home and planned to call the spouse for a rescue if they had a flat! Not ideal, lol, but after replacing those 1000 tires at least 4-5 times in 130k miles or so, I can totally understand it. I would NOT buy a vehicle with run flats again

Thanks for the heads up, and I'll have to take a look at the Kia Sedona, too. 🙂

[dsmith]

As far as the reclining seats, they're not supposed to be used reclined while the vehicle is in motion, in case that weighs in to your decision.

I didn't know that! I think I would skip that option then if it's a safety issue because my son would probably want to recline anyway. Thanks.🙂

[magnificent_baby]

I had a 2006 and drove it for nine years. Loved it! Downsized a bit after having a van for so long and I do miss the convenience. It was really zippy and like others said, turning radius was awesome. No problems with it at all, other than the radio acted weird every now and then, I think something electrical but they could never pin point the problem. My parents bought a brand new 2014 and love theirs; have driven half way across the country a few times and commented how comfortable and smooth it drove. I'm 5'4 and it fit me perfectly (DH is 6'4 and no complaints from him either). 

[Storygirl]

I have a 2005 that we bought new. We're starting to talk about replacing it, because it has 180,000 miles. I do a lot of driving around town, and we may do some longer distance driving for vacations over the next few years, so we think it's about time to get a newer model. We've loved this van and will probably buy another Sienna.

 

At the time we bought it, we only looked at the Sienna and the Honda Odyssey, because they were the only vans at the time with side curtain air bags. DH is 6'5", and the Sienna was the clear winner for comfortable fit for him, so it was an easy choice.

 

We had to have the power sliding door fixed once when it stopped opening. We recently replaced the wheel bearings and have had to replace the tires and battery several times, due to normal wear and tear. Otherwise, we haven't had any issues.

 

The only thing we have not liked is that the battery will wear down if just one of the little overhead reading lights is left on accidentally over night. More than once we have gone out to the car in the morning to find the battery is dead, because one of the children has left a light on. That has been super annoying, but someone told me they have fixed that issue in the newer models.

[Cinder]

I have a 2005 that we bought new.

 

. . .

 

The only thing we have not liked is that the battery will wear down if just one of the little overhead reading lights is left on accidentally over night. More than once we have gone out to the car in the morning to find the battery is dead, because one of the children has left a light on. That has been super annoying, but someone told me they have fixed that issue in the newer models.

 

Oh, I almost forgot about the battery problem in our 2005. The battery kept dying (near its warranty expiration date) and we were able to get the first one replaced under warranty. Then the same thing happened with the second one. (We did wonder if they really put a new battery in or not. But I see now it wasn't a problem unique to us.) Dh decided to spend the money and get one from Interstate Battery. At first IB didn't want to sell him a battery because the Toyota battery would test as fully charged and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. But it kept dying for little things--like a light left on. So dh got the new battery at IB and we haven't had battery problems since. I'm glad to hear they've fixed that problem.

[plansrme]

I drove my Sienna until the wheels all but fell off.  After wrecking it four times (yes, four, none of which was my fault) and having it hit twice more and not getting the repairs made, and putting 180K hard miles on it, I sold it for $5,000 in 24 hours.  I  rarely changed the oil and had almost no preventive maintenance (not a big believer in that), and I never had one single engine issue.  We did have the side electronic door mechanism get wonky near the end.  By the way, we only got one side with the electronic door, and that was ideal.  The driver can always open and close the door on the driver's side; it's the passenger's side that may need to be open and closed electronically.

 

One thing we found when we bought ours back in 2001 is that it was, at that time, difficult to find a slightly-used Sienna, especially one without all of the bells and whistles.  The only extra we cared about was leather seats, so we bought new with cloth seats (we almost never buy new) and had the dealer add leather for $1,000 or so.  We ended up with a brand new van for significantly less than any of the slightly-used models we could find.

 

I've always wondered why more older people don't drive mini-vans; I would think it would be much easier to get in and out of a mini-van than a low-to-the-ground car.  

[StephanieZ]

I have a 2005 that we bought new. We're starting to talk about replacing it, because it has 180,000 miles. I do a lot of driving around town, and we may do some longer distance driving for vacations over the next few years, so we think it's about time to get a newer model. We've loved this van and will probably buy another Sienna.

 

At the time we bought it, we only looked at the Sienna and the Honda Odyssey, because they were the only vans at the time with side curtain air bags. DH is 6'5", and the Sienna was the clear winner for comfortable fit for him, so it was an easy choice.

 

We had to have the power sliding door fixed once when it stopped opening. We recently replaced the wheel bearings and have had to replace the tires and battery several times, due to normal wear and tear. Otherwise, we haven't had any issues.

 

The only thing we have not liked is that the battery will wear down if just one of the little overhead reading lights is left on accidentally over night. More than once we have gone out to the car in the morning to find the battery is dead, because one of the children has left a light on. That has been super annoying, but someone told me they have fixed that issue in the newer models.

 

Oh, gosh, I forgot about the battery draining thing! Ours (similar year) did that, too, and it was terrible! Happened to me so often -- at least dozens of times -- that we bought a plug-in battery charger thing. A single interior light could drain that thing, and they didn't turn themselves off. So, anytime a kid or I left any door (even the back) open for more than an hour, boom, you had a dead battery. I have no idea what stupid thing they did wiring those vans. Neither our Ford nor our Kia (or any of our other cars) have done that!

[tm919]

Oh, gosh, I forgot about the battery draining thing! Ours (similar year) did that, too, and it was terrible! Happened to me so often -- at least dozens of times -- that we bought a plug-in battery charger thing. A single interior light could drain that thing, and they didn't turn themselves off. So, anytime a kid or I left any door (even the back) open for more than an hour, boom, you had a dead battery. I have no idea what stupid thing they did wiring those vans. Neither our Ford nor our Kia (or any of our other cars) have done that!

Yes, our Sienna (2010? 11?) automatically shuts those off. If not, I'd constantly have a drained battery... my kids never turn them off and I forget too. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by tm919

[StephanieZ]

Yes, our Sienna (2010? 11?) automatically shuts those off. If not, I'd constantly have a drained battery... my kids never turn them off and I forget too. 

 

I'm glad they fixed that weird glitch! It was one of those things where we constantly asked ourselves, "Why do they make it this way!" LOL

[Plateau Mama]

Thanks for your input. My in-laws are fine getting in and out of a minivan now, in the future that may be an issue though. We do a fair amount of overnight trips with them, go out to dinner when we can or a day trip here and there. Most of our traveling is dh, ds and I. We have an SUV and it is tight. We have a fair amount of luggage and work necessities when traveling. I'll have to put some thought into future mobility issues. We do have a car, but for our own travels we need something bigger. Lots to think about!

  

 

DH's parents are in their mid-70's. They don't have any issues getting in the van. Actually, I think that it's easier to get in than any sort of SUV. They actually had a small SUV and sold it because it was too difficult to get in/out of.

Yes, our Sienna (2010? 11?) automatically shuts those off. If not, I'd constantly have a drained battery... my kids never turn them off and I forget too.

 

This drives me crazy. The car should know the lights are on because the door was left open. Stupid, stupid design. I just turned all my interior lights off and the kids know there will e hell to pay if they turn the lights in without my permission. We also have one of those plug in chargers. It has saved me a couple of times.

[cjzimmer1]

I grew up with Toyotas and I've always loved them.  We have gone shopping for a minivan twice.  Both times we compare everything available to us.  The Sienna was always looked at closely because I've heard so many good things about them and the Toyotas we owned we very reliable (I had one car for 19 years and then I SOLD it because it was still running strong but I needed more space).  Anyways, every time we have shopped we check out riding in all the rows, we take the vehicle home and pile all the kids and let them ride around and see what they think. We compare features and "feel" of the vehicle.  Sadly both times the Sienna has come up short to the Odyssey.  For us the Sienna just isn't as comfortable as an Odyssey, there is less leg room (especially in the third room), the seats aren't as comfortable and the "feel" is just off in the Sienna for us.  On the other hand I know many die hard Sienna owners.  It's a very good vehicle and if it's your only choice I would buy it without hesitation but if you have a choice, I would shop around and make sure it "feels" the best for your family.

[Lady Florida.]

 

The only thing we have not liked is that the battery will wear down if just one of the little overhead reading lights is left on accidentally over night. More than once we have gone out to the car in the morning to find the battery is dead, because one of the children has left a light on. That has been super annoying, but someone told me they have fixed that issue in the newer models.

 

I've always been told that leaving an overhead light on (even the little ones) can drain a battery regardless of the make and model. .Always. I've been driving since 1970 and got my first car in 1973. Maybe I haven't owned enough newer model vehicles to know it's not supposed to be a problem anymore, but I've never thought of it as a Sienna (or Toyota in general) problem.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[Storygirl]

I don't know if the light-and-battery issue is specific to Siennas. But it's the only car we've ever had that has had that issue. My neighbors have a newer model, and they say that the problem was indeed fixed. I'm not sure what year the fix happened, though.

 

It happened often enough that it became a problem for us. DH used to have a car that seated five, and we made sure when he replaced it that he bought one that could seat our whole family (there are six of us). Before we had two cars that could fit all of us, there was more than one time that we were late getting somewhere because we had to jump my battery first.

 

The battery issue has been on my mind, because we just replaced my battery last week. I know all batteries have to be replaced periodically, but the Sienna has had more problems than my previous vehicles.

[lynn]

We had our 2000 sienna we bought new and had it for 13 years without a single major issue, Dh is good at keeping up maintenance. It was one of the best investments we made. We drove cross country a few times and several shorter trips. To us it was very comfortable. We had second row captain chairs so all kids had their own space. We sold it only because after 13 years I was bored with it and wanted out of the mini can caravan. I hope you find one that works for your family.

[Lady Florida.]

We had our 2000 sienna we bought new and had it for 13 years without a single major issue, Dh is good at keeping up maintenance. It was one of the best investments we made. We drove cross country a few times and several shorter trips. To us it was very comfortable. We had second row captain chairs so all kids had their own space. We sold it only because after 13 years I was bored with it and wanted out of the mini can caravan. I hope you find one that works for your family.

 

We have the second row captain's chairs but without the middle seat. The second row seats are removable and the back bench seat folds down flush with the floor. I think we only had to remove the second row seats once or twice when moving large items. We knew we could have bought the third seat for the middle row, but we are a small enough family that we never had a need for it.

 

Dh is a stickler for regular maintenance. I never did that with my cars when I was single, but since I've been with him I do see a difference between fixing things as needed and preventative maintenance. 

 

We just bought a 2016 Camry last fall that we intend to turn over to ds in a few years (he'll take over payments and insurance at that time). Right now everyone drives whatever vehicle is available. I love all the cool new things the Camry can do - we got it tricked out with technology - but every time I get back in my van I realize how much I love it. The Camry is quite a nice ride but I really think my van is more comfortable. Both are XLE (top of the line) models. 

 

While we chose the XLE for the car, we didn't choose it for the van. I had what seemed like a minor accident with our old van but insurance totaled it. It was a 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette. Besides the fact that it was 10 years old, Oldsmobile no longer existed by that time. We looked at a lot of vans to replace it. We couldn't find a Honda Odyssey that fit our budget even with the insurance payout. We also looked at the Kia Sedona, Dodge Caravan, and Chrysler Town and Country. We already knew we didn't want a Nissan, Ford or Chevy van based on a number of reasons. We were almost ready to settle for the T&C but there were some things we didn't like. One of the Toyota dealers we had been to called us while we were looking at the Chrysler and told us a used Sienna just came in and while he didn't know much about it, it seemed to fit our requirements. We test drove it, looked it up, drove it again, bought it, and have never been sorry.

 

As for ease of getting in and out, I don't know if it's age or my back issues but I find my van - both my Sienna and my previous van - easier to get in an out of than a car. The Camry is fairly easy, and it's one reason we chose it. Dh's two previous cars were a Hyundai Elantra and Honda Accord. I found the Accord a bit difficult, but really, really, had a hard time with the Elantra. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[Catalytic]

I drove my Sienna until the wheels all but fell off.  After wrecking it four times (yes, four, none of which was my fault) and having it hit twice more and not getting the repairs made, and putting 180K hard miles on it, I sold it for $5,000 in 24 hours.  I  rarely changed the oil and had almost no preventive maintenance (not a big believer in that), and I never had one single engine issue.  We did have the side electronic door mechanism get wonky near the end.  By the way, we only got one side with the electronic door, and that was ideal.  The driver can always open and close the door on the driver's side; it's the passenger's side that may need to be open and closed electronically.

 

One thing we found when we bought ours back in 2001 is that it was, at that time, difficult to find a slightly-used Sienna, especially one without all of the bells and whistles.  The only extra we cared about was leather seats, so we bought new with cloth seats (we almost never buy new) and had the dealer add leather for $1,000 or so.  We ended up with a brand new van for significantly less than any of the slightly-used models we could find.

 

I've always wondered why more older people don't drive mini-vans; I would think it would be much easier to get in and out of a mini-van than a low-to-the-ground car.  

 

My mom has to drive her 92 yr old mom and 65 yr old sister (both quite overweight) around, and because of that she has to purchase cars with them in mind.  (She always has to get leather seats for the slide they have, but she usually has the dealer do them vs buying a higher end model)  Anyway, they can both get in and out of my '13 Sienna fairly well, they did fine with my mom's '10 Hyundai Santa Fe, but she needed a new vehicle recently, and we checked out all kinds of things (she wanted to downsize, too).  The small SUVs (CR-V/Highlander/Rav 4) were actually higher to step into than my Sienna and her Santa Fe.  We got to talking about cars and gas mileage, and I told her how my family LOVES the Prius (thank you Jeff Dunham, sigh) and how cute it is with that fantastic mpg.  We went to a dealer and looked at the Prius and she felt it was just too low for them to get in and out of.  I went home (we were there visiting for a month) and one day she calls to tell me she bought a new vehicle and wanted me to guess what it was.  I guessed all kinds of things....nope.  Well, turned out, she bought a PRIUS!  When she took my grandmother to the dealer, they discovered that the Prius was easiest of ALL the vehicles for them to manage the in and out.

 

  

 

DH's parents are in their mid-70's. They don't have any issues getting in the van. Actually, I think that it's easier to get in than any sort of SUV. They actually had a small SUV and sold it because it was too difficult to get in/out of.

 

This drives me crazy. The car should know the lights are on because the door was left open. Stupid, stupid design. I just turned all my interior lights off and the kids know there will e hell to pay if they turn the lights in without my permission. We also have one of those plug in chargers. It has saved me a couple of times.

 

We had that problem with our '95 Mercury Villager.  GEICO had to send out roadside assistance to jump start it 4 times in one week once.  On average I had to call for a jump start at least once a month for 2 years.  I asked GEICO why they didn't just buy me one of those portable jump start things LOL.  My '13 Sienna shuts its lights off after about 15 minutes, thankfully.

 

I don't know if the light-and-battery issue is specific to Siennas. But it's the only car we've ever had that has had that issue. My neighbors have a newer model, and they say that the problem was indeed fixed. I'm not sure what year the fix happened, though.

 

It happened often enough that it became a problem for us. DH used to have a car that seated five, and we made sure when he replaced it that he bought one that could seat our whole family (there are six of us). Before we had two cars that could fit all of us, there was more than one time that we were late getting somewhere because we had to jump my battery first.

 

The battery issue has been on my mind, because we just replaced my battery last week. I know all batteries have to be replaced periodically, but the Sienna has had more problems than my previous vehicles.

 

Definitely not just Siennas.

 

 

 

For the OP, I have a '13 Sienna, bought new.  I LOVE my van, with a few minor gripes.  1.  The paint SUCKS.  Mine is white, and I have a zillion paint chips from rocks.  To compare, I drove my Chevy van in Alaska (where they use a ton of gravel in the winter, no salt) for 6 years and had zero paint chips when the van was 11 years old.  Toyota refuses to acknowledge the paint is bad, and you can find lots of gripes about it.  When I mentioned it to a salesman recently, while debating trading in for a '15 or '16 AWD Sienna, he swears the paint was changed.  I think he's full of caca cuz if the paint was changed, then Toyota has to acknowledge the '13 paint was bad.  JMO.  2.  No automatic headlights, or even driving lights.  3.  While it does have multi-zone climate control, it's not as amazing as I would like.  My 2500 Chevy has amazing climate control.  However, of the 3 minivans I've owned in the past 10 or so years, none of them had great climate control.  (Chevy, Toyota, Mercury)  4.  The 8th seat is utter crap.  My Chevy seated 8 adults very comfortably.  The Sienna could only seat 8 comfortably if the 8th was a newborn without a carseat imo.

 

If I had to buy a new vehicle today, I'd buy another Sienna.

 

*eta*  Forgot a couple things.  According to a few car websites, the Sienna has the highest rating among minivans for both resale value and longevity.  For safety ratings, the Odyssey edges it out by 0.1 on a 10 point scale.  Last but not least, there is a fantastic forum for Sienna owners, they've been very helpful for me.  http://www.siennachat.com/forum/

Edited April 20, 2016 by Catalytic

[Rachel]

My friend has an 06 she bought new, she loved it the first 4-5 years. Since then they have had several expensive repairs: automatic sliding doors quit working (they didn't fix that yet), navigation system/radio/DVD quit which was $3k, lift gate issues (dealership wanted $600, her dad fixed it for much less), the ac quit and that was a couple thousand, and there was a recall for the spare tire holder. Theirs broke, Toyota hasn't yet developed a fix for the problem so they were told to carry the spare on the roof rack. They are Toyota people, her dad just retired from management at Toyota, but I'm not sure she will buy another one.

 

That said, most people I know with Siennas and Odysseys love them. We had a Nissian van that we drove a year and I disliked it so much I'm not sure I'll ever drive another Nissan. It had a lot of annoying little problems including the heat running at full blast constantly unless we pulled the fuse.

[Heathermomster]

I can't think of a Sienna without remembering this video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

Edited April 20, 2016 by Heathermomster

[Janeway]

I have a Sienna and I hate it. My Odyssey was so much better. 

[Janeway]

Actually..if you are looking to buy a used one..want to buy mine? I would sell it to you. Then I would buy myself an Odyssey. It has a lot of miles on it but is maintained. I used the dealership for maintenance.

[Guest]

I have an 06' with less than 100K miles on it. I love it! Haven't had a single problem with it at all. I have the true 8th seat version, too! Love that I can fit a room full of IKEA boxes in it, trek across country to Idaho without kids being buried with luggage in it, and kids are always comfortable in any seat. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by Paradox5

[Forget-Me-Not]

I'm driving an '05 with about 170K miles on it.  It's a little beat up looking (totally my fault) but it's going strong.  My mid-row captains chairs do recline--I think. We've got a carseat strapped into one, so it stays put, and we do have people sitting in the 3rd row when we all go somewhere.  My teen son usually sits in the second captain's chair because there isn't much leg room in the 3rd row, and you can guarantee the kids in the back would have a fit if he tried to recline :) I'm amazed at what we can pack into it, though in the interest of full disclosure, we also have a Thule cargo box for the top.  Somewhere around kid #4 we just needed the extra cargo space.  Now that he doesn't need a stroller and a pack-n-play on long trips, we could probably squeeze it all in, but it would be tight.  We get pretty good gas mileage, even with the cargo box.  

[RootAnn]

We have an '05 Sienna -- full on 8 seater. LOVE it.

 

We have the one auto door off due to closing issues, but it isn't a big deal to open & shut manually. (The dealership always claims there aren't any problems with it. Well, at least they claimed that every time we took it in under warranty for those issues. They would probably have another story now that it isn't under the extended warranty.)

 

The only thing I'd change is to add a floor-to-ceiling sound-proof barrier between the 2nd row & the front seats. That isn't something they offer, though. Too bad. It would be PERFECT with that.

 

Hope it lasts many more years. Comfy to drive. 3rd row isn't as comfy to ride in - leg-room-wise & seat cushion thickness, but that's where we put our booster seats & youngers. We've been able to do 5 car seats (one of them a booster) in the 8 seater, but I recommend a max of 4 for best in-out. 

[AFwife Claire]

We are the original owners of an 07 Sienna.  I *love* that minivan.  We have a ton of miles on it, but I hope it lasts many, many more.  It is so comfortable and easy to drive, and the seats fit me well.  We have an 8-seater.  Leaving an interior light on does not run down our battery (thankfully, because it did in our old Odyssey, which we experienced many times . . .)  We have had no sliding door issues, or any other issues either.

 

When our 00 Odyssey died in 2014, we looked at new Siennas, but we were not impressed by them.  They had a weird middle seat in the middle row--lower than the other seats, and really narrow, so it wouldn't seem to fit any person, or a carseat.  Not sure what it was good for?  But we absolutely need 8 full seats, so that ruled it out.  We ended up buying a 2014 Odyssey.  It's okay, but honestly, I prefer driving my 07 Sienna.  

[KrissiK]

I have a 2004 Sienna. Bought it new. It has 116,000 miles on it. Runs great! I love it! I'd buy another one if I were in the market for a mini-van. I'm hoping to keep driving it till I don't need to haul around 5 kids and then get a smaller car. But I would definitely recommend the Sienna.

[Catalytic]

We are the original owners of an 07 Sienna.  I *love* that minivan.  We have a ton of miles on it, but I hope it lasts many, many more.  It is so comfortable and easy to drive, and the seats fit me well.  We have an 8-seater.  Leaving an interior light on does not run down our battery (thankfully, because it did in our old Odyssey, which we experienced many times . . .)  We have had no sliding door issues, or any other issues either.

 

When our 00 Odyssey died in 2014, we looked at new Siennas, but we were not impressed by them.  They had a weird middle seat in the middle row--lower than the other seats, and really narrow, so it wouldn't seem to fit any person, or a carseat.  Not sure what it was good for?  But we absolutely need 8 full seats, so that ruled it out.  We ended up buying a 2014 Odyssey.  It's okay, but honestly, I prefer driving my 07 Sienna.  

 

That 8th seat is beyond useless.  I didn't get to see how the seats were in the years that the Siennas had a real seat there, but I had a 2004 Chevy Venture with 8 seats that was amazing.  We traveled many times with 8 people in the van (I mean 500 mile trips, with 4-5 adults and 3 teens to pre-teens) and everyone was always amazed at how comfortable it was.  I can't believe Honda and Toyota can't manage to make the 8th seat like that  :confused1:

 

*eta* You are correct, tho, in my 2013 Sienna, NOTHING fits there (kids that could fit should be in a booster at a minimum and boosters are too wide for it, I guess that travel vest carseat might work, maybe).  The only thing I've found that *almost* fits in that seat is my dog carseat.  (And by almost I mean it is squished between the outboard seatbelts, ugh)

Edited April 21, 2016 by Catalytic

[DaisyDay]

A few people mentioned car seats. We're going to be on the market for a new vehicle soon and have also considered the Sienna. We're a foster home for medically fragile babies and always have two infant seats (as well as two teenage boys). How well do the car seats/carriers work in the captain's chairs? How about the third row? How easy is it to load an infant carrier into each row? Is the 3rd row easily accessible to the older kids without climbing over the car seats?

 

Sorry so many questions but love this thread!

[OneStepAtATime]

A few people mentioned car seats. We're going to be on the market for a new vehicle soon and have also considered the Sienna. We're a foster home for medically fragile babies and always have two infant seats (as well as two teenage boys). How well do the car seats/carriers work in the captain's chairs? How about the third row? How easy is it to load an infant carrier into each row? Is the 3rd row easily accessible to the older kids without climbing over the car seats?

 

Sorry so many questions but love this thread!

The Captain's chairs worked just fine for car seats in the second row.  We never used the third row for that so I can't help you there.  The only issue with loading an infant seat into the 2nd row was that we had a runner board and I am short.  I banged my leg quite a few times on the runner board trying to get the hang of how to handle leaning in with the car seat.  Eventually I figured out how to stand partly on the runner board while leaning in.

 

What we did for easy access to the third row when there were things like car seats in the second row was sometimes flip the single seat down in the third row (it is split so there is the two seat width section and the single seat width section) so people could climb in through the back to sit in the 3rd row.  I found older kids liked this way.  

 

This isn't always necessary, though.  Depending on the configuration of the 2nd row Captain's seats there IS access through the side door without climbing over anyone.  You can have the Captain's seats separated, with a gap in between (where a second console can go) or you can have them side by side.  If they are side by side there is space for someone to enter through the side door and move into the 3rd row of seats.  It is just a tad tight if you are pregnant or overweight or just a big, beefy guy or something.  Doable, though.  And you can change the location of the Captain's seats to suit your specific needs of that moment.

[MyLittleBears]

We have a 2003 Sienna. We bought it used with under 50,000 miles. It now has almost 200,000 and still going strong. It will easily go to 300,000 I think. Never had a single problem with it aside from one of our boys putting pennies into the cd player as a toddler and shorting out the stereo!

[OnMyOwn]

We have a 2005 and I really like it, but we have had a lot of very expensive mechanical issues with it. We had to replace the transmission a couple of years after we bought it to the tune of $4,000. I recently paid $1,500 to replace the radiator, water pump and timing belt. And, now, I am faced with a $3000 repair because it won't pass emissions. The car is running fine and no smoke or anything is coming out of the tailpipe, but it won't pass. Very frustrating. We did buy the car used.

 

We are considering buying another used vehicle instead of doing the repairs for the emissions. I had really hoped this one would make it through my kids' high school years.