About two months ago, my mom gifted the family "spare" over to me. That car is a 1999 Toyota Sienna XLE. It has 206,000 miles on the chassis, 176K on the engine, and 76K on the transmission. To keep the door dings to a minimum, I keep the 335 in the garage.
The relief I feel cramming that van into a "compact" spot on campus or the mall is liberating. I don't think twice about the effects of a door ding on this tank. If I can't open the doors wide enough, I just walk out the side sliding door.
I took all the back passenger seats out of the back, so its like a covered truck. I throw all kinds of stuff back there (groceries, home depot runs, sports equipment, etc.) Filling up with $3.39 a gallon regular unleaded at some run down gas station, boy, I'm happy as a clam.
The beater does have its drawbacks. I get bullied on the freeway (when new v6 engine produced 176 hp) because I can't speed up enough or muscle around other cars. I have to hold the steering wheel slightly to the right because the suspension has sagged so much alignments are useless (I tried 3 times on hunter machine). Blown gasket leaks oil from engine almost like the van is crying, so I can't park it on virgin driveway.
Toyota seats are so plush and so worn. The arm rests make me feel like a captain when driving (did I just type that?). Its handling is not one iota different than a medium sized fishing boat.
When I get back behind the wheel of the 3, its like I am in a rocket ship.
Anyway, if you have a beater, what is it, its condition, and what do you like about it?
