Faults:

Typical maintenance that I don't fault a company for; stuff like brakes, exhaust, shocks etc., as long as they have an acceptable life span.

However our van has a MERE 110,000 kms on it in late 2012, and we are having trouble with the power steering, which works best if you give it gas when steering; don't bother trying to turn the wheel when it's parked.

The biggest annoyance I have at this point is electrical. At first my locks would constantly click when driving, so I figured out how to shut that off. One time I had all the lights on the dash and the cabin lights randomly going on and off, and now my wipers work when they feel like it. Starting to look like a bad computer...

No gasket or tranny problems yet; using Lucas oil for my trans fluid as an insurance policy.

It also idles strangely, and the air conditioning is very weak and has been recharged once already.

A reliable driver SO FAR.

General Comments:

I like the van's horsepower for being a 4 cylinder.

I think it looks nice; much better than newer square designs.

The big complaint is definitely electrical with these vans. Again, I stress it only has 110k on it.

Faults:

213503 - rear shocks.

217200 - axle shaft broke after hard stop.

Timing belt, water pump.

Recently - both rear brake cylinders, shoes, hardware.

Recently - drivers window won't go up with switch.

Has had no tranny problems whatsoever, and previous original owner said he never had to replace it.

We have had some lifter noise for the last year and some leakage/burning of oil... common with this engine.

3 weeks ago, oil light flashed on/off and we have developed a loud engine knock.. on borrowed time!!

General Comments:

These vans are fairly carlike in feel and comfortable on long trips. We need the room with 4 kids in carseats/boosters and this has fit the bill. We have had this 3.0 and a 91, and my mom has a 99 3.0 as well, none of which have had transmission failures, and seem less likely to have them than that Overdrive 3.3L's.

We bought this van with cash, and do expect to do maintenance as required with an older vehicle. While I like the van and appreciate its longevity and inexpensive price, I wouldn't trust these vans to take me too far, at least at this age! We have driven up to 4 hours a day, but I expect we might be stranded somewhere if we pushed it too much farther. If it were a newer model, I would hope I would feel more secure. My friends with older Previas and Astros don't have this issue, and seem to be able to trust their vans across country. However, I don't find the comfort/drive as easy with the rear wheel drive.

We have mixed feelings - comfort and driveability are excellent, but when we have problems, they are often big ones. Our mechanic had no idea how our axle shaft snapped in two just from stopping. That could have been catastrophic if it happened while turning or driving, but fortunately God was looking out for us that day! The brakes completely failed one day without warning (yes we have maintained regularly and had them checked).

Our van is looking to need the engine opened up for repair, but probably isn't worth it. For now we're driving locally only until perhaps she gives up for good! The stares from pedestrians tell us that we're on borrow time... We're looking to buy a used Suburban to fit our brood soon, with more space.