Hi everyone. I'm a lady in her 60s looking for a good: 1998-2003 Toyota Sienna. I currently own a 2000 Toyota Echo ( INZ-FE, 1.5L). I am NOT a mechanic, but I frequently check out Scotty's You tube videos and also the Car Care Nut videos. I live in a small Midwest city with very few good options as far as good used cars that are not "mechanics specials". My dad always taught me to have a used car inspected before buying. Well, pretty much every Sienna I've found on Facebook Marketplace gets sold as soon as I start asking questions like: When was the timing belt/water pump last changed, Does it have a clear title and if not, why, etc. etc. I'm trying to do my due diligence, but it seems that people are buying these Sienna's sight unseen. I've expanded my search to 500 miles out, and it just happened again today to a low mileage good looking 2003 Sienna. I guess what I'm asking is how in the world can an average person, without mechanical/auto training or any relatives with mechanical/auto training find a good car if people are willing to buy a car sight unseen and take the risk? I buy older Toyota's because I can't afford the newer ones. Simplicity and reliability are what I look for. Where I live, there are dirt/gravel roads, lots of severe weather and homicidal semi truckers on the highway, so I care most about what's on the inside. Not really concerned about what it looks like, but definitely would not buy a rust bucket either. I've been looking every day on Craigslist and FB Marketplace for about 6 months. I think that, unless you're a good mechanic, which most of us are not, buying a car without having it inspected by a reputable mechanic is like buying a lottery ticket. I always go to Carcomplaints.com to check each make, model and year for complaints and history. That's why I like the 1998-2003 Sienna's. I have always dreamed about owning a van, and the 1998-2003 Sienna's seem to have the least mechanical problems according to Carcomplaints.com. Would anyone know if 1998-2003 year Sienna's have an interference or non interference engine? Anyway, I would appreciate any suggestions this community might have about how to find a good older Sienna when you're not a mechanic and how to compete with people, who seem to buy sight unseen. Thanks
P.S. I'm only guessing that people are buying the Sienna's I'm interested in sight unseen. It's the only logical explanation I can come up with when a Sienna that interests me on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace is available one day and then sold the next.
You're talking about buying vehicles that are decades old. No matter what sites like carcomplaints.com say about the reliability of that model the condition of the one you are looking at is the most important thing. Also when starting out with something that old it may well only going to have a few more years left in it before expensive repairs are needed.
Buying a car sight unseen is extremely risky. If you do not have the knowledge to thoroughly inspect a used vehicle yourself it is imperative that you have a good mechanic so so before purchase. Afterwards is too late.
