winterlights08
New member
I'm sure some of you know about the Ford Windstar recall debacle. I have (had) a '99 that has been sitting at the dealer since October waiting for a new axle (haha) and was just inspected for the newest recall which I believe involved rusting of the undercarriage. Our van is unfixable and Ford is buying our van back and we'll be getting the check Monday. We've been using a Chrysler T & C rental since October and love it but it's time to give it back....
My husband and I weren't really in the position to buy a new car so soon (hence the reason for driving the Windstar) and we're limited on cash, even with the money from Ford and our tax refund. We were trying to avoid applying for financing because of my husband's past credit problems. But today we found an '04 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited and it looks like they are willing to work with us with financing since we're putting down a good down payment and we have a good income. I would have loved an Odyssey or Sienna but we didn't think we'd able to get financing. The car is beautiful....and rode like an absolute dream, has low miles, and just seems wonderful all around...we put a deposit down to hold it until Ford's check clears Monday or Tuesday. And we're getting it checked out by our mechanic on Monday, and the Carfax came back clean.
I really thought Sienna's had an awesome reputation all around (even with all the Toyota recalls) and was thrilled that we're able to get this car. Then I read reviews on some websites after googling "What is the worst year for Toyota Sienna?" Of course it seems to be the 2004 Lots of problems with the doors and other things which I didn't read too deeply into.
Most likely we're still getting this one. We don't have a lot of time to shop around, and the alternative to this is a basic Kia Sedona (which I'm really iffy on) and we're not sure how willing other dealers will be to work with us. This dealer is actually a Subaru dealer, and they don't have a large inventory of 7 passenger vehicles. So tell me, is a 2004 okay? Can I be excited? Will it still be a bazillion times better than my Windstar which is gradually cracking in half? I really, really love that Sienna .
eta: I wanted to add that it was because of the poster here who's Ford Windstar "burnt to the ground" that prompted us to take our van in to get checked for the recall issues. They fixed the ABS problem on my van but kept it at the dealer after finding that the rear axle was so badly cracked that it was unsafe to drive. So thank you to the poster here for sharing her story! To think of what could have happened....
My husband and I weren't really in the position to buy a new car so soon (hence the reason for driving the Windstar) and we're limited on cash, even with the money from Ford and our tax refund. We were trying to avoid applying for financing because of my husband's past credit problems. But today we found an '04 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited and it looks like they are willing to work with us with financing since we're putting down a good down payment and we have a good income. I would have loved an Odyssey or Sienna but we didn't think we'd able to get financing. The car is beautiful....and rode like an absolute dream, has low miles, and just seems wonderful all around...we put a deposit down to hold it until Ford's check clears Monday or Tuesday. And we're getting it checked out by our mechanic on Monday, and the Carfax came back clean.
I really thought Sienna's had an awesome reputation all around (even with all the Toyota recalls) and was thrilled that we're able to get this car. Then I read reviews on some websites after googling "What is the worst year for Toyota Sienna?" Of course it seems to be the 2004 Lots of problems with the doors and other things which I didn't read too deeply into.
Most likely we're still getting this one. We don't have a lot of time to shop around, and the alternative to this is a basic Kia Sedona (which I'm really iffy on) and we're not sure how willing other dealers will be to work with us. This dealer is actually a Subaru dealer, and they don't have a large inventory of 7 passenger vehicles. So tell me, is a 2004 okay? Can I be excited? Will it still be a bazillion times better than my Windstar which is gradually cracking in half? I really, really love that Sienna .
eta: I wanted to add that it was because of the poster here who's Ford Windstar "burnt to the ground" that prompted us to take our van in to get checked for the recall issues. They fixed the ABS problem on my van but kept it at the dealer after finding that the rear axle was so badly cracked that it was unsafe to drive. So thank you to the poster here for sharing her story! To think of what could have happened....