1989 Toyota Van review from North America

I acquired the van about 8 months ago.

It had 242000 miles on it, and the interior was in almost perfect shape, minus one small stain on the rear carpet.

I was the second owner, and the first owners used it as a taxi to haul people from Bakersfield to Los Angeles.

Nothing major has broken on the van; it has had the brakes replaced and oil changed, and the whole ignition system replaced, but otherwise nothing has been done to it.

It gets really good gas mileage for being able to carry 7 people (assuming they aren't huge).

It now has over 257000 miles, and starts right up without any problem.

Seats are all in good shape, and no real stains or tears.

It can be a pain to work on the engine if you are over 6' like myself, but I do love the excellent turning radius.

If you see one of these vans for sale, you should seriously think about purchasing it, because they are pretty rare over here in Southern California, and I don't see why.

If you know of one for sale, please send me info because I would love to have a second one, and they are usually pretty cheap to buy. eschertztaft@hotmail.com

The stock radio was pretty massive, but for it being old it actually sounded good.

I have never seen a vehicle that has the engine under the front seats until I acquired this van.

It handles quite nicely, but I would not recommend driving it in very windy conditions, because it is very skinny and tall, and gets blown all over the road.

Although I am a teenager, I have gotten into some pretty costly trouble with this van; it can do some serious burnouts, and that was how I received my first ticket.

The only real major thing that I don't like it the front. In a head on crash, survival is most unlikely.

This van can do just about anything; it is rear wheel drive and is usually hard to get stuck unless the driver isn't paying attention.