Faults:

Nothing critical has gone wrong with the car in my ownership.

The exhaust flexpipe needs to be replaced, and the engine will occasionally stall when in Park or Neutral.

A previous owner had to change the supplementary drive shaft, as noted on the invoice.

I can't shift into first.

And some characteristic rust around the windshield trims and wheel wells.

None of these have been an inconvenience or problem.

General Comments:

I love this vehicle, and bought it as a winter beater to pack a bunch of people and snow gear to the mountains.

I got a smokin deal, and it passed safety inspection with no problems. However I have grown to really appreciate it, and will be investing to make this THE family vehicle.

It has character, it has room, it's AWD, carries 7 quite comfortably, and has great reliability. Plus I am finding it relativity easy to tinker with.

I have put 2500kms on it during a 5 day roadtrip with no fear of breakdown or problems, and am thinking about doing a 7000km round-trip to Ontario with it this summer. I am totally comfortable that this will get us there and back with no issues.

Also the rear seats that fold flat to make a bed are a huge plus. Great for power naps on the side of the road.

The only drawback I have found is that it is a little underpowered, and one needs to plan before attempting to pass. It's not a bad skill to have anyway.

In summary... Love it...Love it... Love it.

Faults:

Heater fan intermittent.

Sliding door handle operation comes and goes.

Front crank seal has a light leak that results in burnt oil smell outside the vehicle after long distance highway trips.

5-spd transmission - Clutch accumulator started leaking fluid.

Wheel arches rusted on all 4 corners.

General Comments:

Traced the heater fan problem to a worn motor - it is 17 years old after all. Polished the commutator shaft and it works like a charm now (if you don't understand what I said there, just put a new fan motor in).

The sliding door handle broke off in my hand after getting stuck in freezing weather at around 250,000 km. Replaced the handle, but cold weather still seems to stop it from functioning from time to time. Annoying, but hasn't left me (or the kids) stranded.

Crank seal leak not annoying enough to spend the money on the repair. Consumes ~ 1 litre of oil every 8 fill ups.

My wife loves the van, and while I find the 4-cylinder buzzing annoying, I don't hesitate to throw the whole family in and drive across the country with it. Never worried about being stranded, but at 17 years old it does need more attention than a new one.

Not exactly a power-house, but capable on Canadian highways. Will run all day at 130 km/h and still get reasonable mileage (11.5L/100km running between 120 and 140 km/h through the mountains from Hope to Revelstoke).

Dealer-installed child seat anchors, but could only find spots on the left side of the vehicle, hence all the kids were strapped in down the driver's side, rather than 2 in the middle row. Still, enough room to take 2 kids, 2 adults and the 120 lb dog camping with all the gear inside the vehicle. Can reasonably haul 4 adults and 3 kids (2 in child seats) with room for groceries still.

We're quite pleased with our purchase.