It was a hard decision, but I simply couldn't avoid it...........oh wait, you didn't think I was talking about my truck did you ? Nah, after 2 years with the Jeep Liberty I traded it in on a mini - van. Narrowed the choice between a Honda and Toyota (both seem to be heads and shoulders about the rest) and went with the Toyota based on feedback and availability of vehicles. Picked up a 2005 Sienna (8 passenger) with all the fixin's last week.

With 2 little girls, and their friends, the Liberty was just too small for the wife. This vehicle is simply too small for a family (IMO). Despite having all of the employee discount pricess on the FORD/GMC/Chrysler vehicles I stayed with the review/feedback I got and went with the Import. I keep telling myself that it was worth it to pay the premium for the Toyota over the others. Toyota was offering a whopping $500 rebate

Despite the stereo-typical image, I really can say that this thing drives great. It has a 230hp engine and actually has some guts. The Dodge Caravan I drove was an absolute turd (had 180hp engine). The girls actually have some room back there, and can actually have some friends ride with them !!! This is the first time ever in my life have I bought an import vehicle. Lets hope it turns out good.

On side note, I traded in a 2003 Jeep Liberty Limited with 45K miles, got $13K for it, and owed $11,700. Got Toyota for invoice minus $900. I thought that was decent, although it might not compare with some of the employe prices going around.

Also, I will say that even though Toyota isn't offering an employee pricing program, the dealership I bought the Sienna from was MUCH busier than the Ford dealership sitting right next to it. The sales people said that they were doing a ton of business, even with the employee pricing stuff going on.

 

We bought an 04 Sienna and my wife loves it. It came down to a Grand Caravan with many more options for about $4000.00 less but the seats were really hard and my wife had to have the Sienna. I didn't like that it didn't have the DVD player but the dealer would not throw it in because I had really gotten them down on the price. Well, two weeks ago I finally installed an aftermarket DVD system and now the van is perfect. One thing I didn't like at first was the shifter setup. I don't drive it much and half the time I grab the wiper lever instead of the shifter. My wife also didn't understand how the shifter detents worked and we took a 2000 mile trip without overdrive and were very unhappy with the fuel mileage!! We have the SE that has the hubcaps and they are a real pain to clean too.

 

Take it from someone who took the bait on the the "employee pricing" promotion. It's nothing more than a ploy cooked up by the automakers to rid the lots of 05 models. That said I bought a Liberty for the wife, trading in our 5 year old Impala. I've found the Libby's 3.7l V-6 to be dissappointing. It's a little thrashy under heavy accelleration, and so far is a real gas hog. She's getting only 18 mpg on the highway so far. The Impala OTH got 30mpg on the highway with the 3.8l and had excellent accelleration. The upside is this little SUV is heavy and well built. With 4WD, I'll never again hear crying on the other end of the phone, sobbing that she can't get up our steep driveway in the snow.

 

I also opted for a Toyota for the other new vehicle in the family. We just got my fiance an 06 Solara Se. Bright red to match my truck. We were deciding between that and a Pontiac G6. I talked her into the Toyota and she is glad I did. I do miss my Tundra sometimes though, but not as much probably after I get the Xzillaraider.

Nick

 

A note about the employee pricing. I looked at an '05 4x4 auto base model (manual windows/ locks)Q.C. 2500 about 4 months ago. It had a sticker price of $31,000. A friend of mine looked at an exact copy and it totaled out with the employee pricing (no tax or fee) at 31,999. Sounds like employee pricing is a great deal .

Randy

 

Just about the same no matter where you go.. They mark up the price then "show" you how much youre saving. Instead of retailing at $30,000 the vehicle is now $37,000 but with employee discounts at $6,000 its now $31,000!

You usually give up all the financing options and 0% offers they give if you go with the employee discount.

Watch the tranny in your sienna! Ive talked to two owners one with a 2wd and one with a AWD model and both had tranny problems (hard shifting, etc) below 20,000 miles. Typical import

 

Dodgezilla, I will agree with your wife. When we went to Disney a couple of months ago, we rented a Chrysler Town and Country (almost identical to a Caravan) for the week. The seat were small and more firm than the ones in the Sienna. I am in love with those seats. This liquid cell technology is da bomb.

Timmay2, lets hope I got a good one. I had talked to current Toyota owners, and they just kept talking about how their vehicles just kept going and going and going.

 

I just edited my original post. I had a line in there that I meant to delete so my post seemed kind of strange. Sorry but I had just woken up!!
Good luck with your new van......

 

If I were to buy a new vehicle, a Sienna AWD would be at the very top of the list.

The Hondas are good, but the Toyota is preferable to me.

The new Nissans are UHHHHG-LEEEE. Yuck!

I like the new Caravan/T&C, but it's still a DC vehicle and I am convinced they are lacking in quality compared to the Toyota.

The fit&finish of the newer Toyotas is every bit on par with Audi, BMW, Mercedes, etc.

 

Finally got around to getting insurance for the Sienna. Despite costing approx $6K more than the Liberty, my insurance actually dropped $12 a month. Thought that was a nice surprise.

After getting more time with the vehicle, as much as I hate to say this, the quality of the Toyota blows away the quality of my Dodge truck. Its turning out to be a very nice vehicle.

Oh, HOHN, I will agree with you. Those Nissans are horribly ugly. I guess the same guy who designed the Titan designed the Qwest.