2002 Toyota Highlander N/A review from North America

We replaced the brake pads at 65,000 miles - brakes were squeaking pretty bad, but the previous owner had put aftermarket pads on (OEM's fixed the problem and it brakes like a dream now).

Had the oil pan gasket and valve cover gasket replaced at 71,000 miles - probably leaking due to my switch to synthetic oil. Leaks were not bad - more like seeping; this repair was mainly preventative. No problems at all since.

I love this car. We previously had an 03 Camry which was leased - we wanted to buy our next car, but as good Clark Howard listeners decided to find a nice used one. Loved the engine on the '03 Camry, just hated the way it drove - felt like a Buick or something - had lost any sportiness! But that engine (the VVT-i 2.4L engine) was awesome - it purred and had great torque - didn't feel like a 4 cylinder, so we saw the Highlander had it and went after one of those.

The car sits high like an SUV, but drives as smooth as a car...it's got a ton of room for storage in the back, although I think newer Highlanders have a 3rd row seat now which blows my mind - this is not a 7 passenger-sized vehicle!!

Anyway, it starts everytime; it drives like a dream; I maintain it and baby it like it's my own kid... I clean the engine probably once a week and wash it probably every 5 days - I'm proud of this car if you can't tell.

Some upgrades I've done on it...

1) I switched to Amsoil oil and filters immediately

2) K&N air filter

3) 4 new Michelin Cross-Terrain tires (the standard Goodyear Integrity tires are the absolute pits) - this was a very good investment!

4) new PCV valve and PCV hose (after cleaning the idle control valve I just wanted to take any precaution to prevent carbon buildup

5) new plugs, coolant flush, brake system flush, tranny flush - all preventative.

Finally, the Highlander is actually built in Japan. My parents have a 1991 Toyota Previa van that was built in Japan. It was 200k + miles on it and other than oil changes and a sunroof motor, the only thing they've ever done on the van was a drive shaft which is common on those. I believe that the build quality of Japanese built Toyotas is unmatched. Toyota also builds all the Lexus models in Japan as well as the Land Cruiser, the Prius and the 4 Runner... how often do you hear about problems with those cars? Case in point.