1999 Toyota Sienna XLE review from North America

Purchased the car used on E-bay. After owning 2 other Toyota's and putting 250K miles on a 4-Runner, I made the bad assumption that all Toyota's were good. After winning it, I read about the problems that these vehicles have (i.e., engine sludge, transmission problems, door handles and cd players going bad). We have experienced all the problems except the transmission problem.

In the first 1000 m, it burned several quarts of oil and shortly after that, it started smoking. I figured I was going to have to use ebay's warranty, and took it by the dealership to get an estimate on the engine. I did not give the dealership any of the history--just that I wanted a diagnosis of the problem and an estimated cost. The next day, they said that Toyota would replace the engine block and rebuild the engine (using the existing parts) for no charge -- they gave me the option of replacing the water & oil pump for the cost of the parts (i.e., no labor). While I am a bit disappointed, I plan to keep buying Toyota's but I will do more research next time and would not buy a new model.

The door handle broke on Front Passenger door. It cost $200 to replace.

The automatic sliding door has been problematic, but once we figured out how to reset it (i.e., leave the battery unplugged for 12-24 h), it works after we reset.

The CD-player doesn't work and buttons fall off the radio dial.

The rear A/C only works on the high speed.

The horn is a bit temper-mental -- they should have stuck with buttons.

Overall, we have had less problems with this car when compared to our 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan (don't even get me started...).

It comfortable to drive, quiet and rides like a car.

Performance is reasonable.