Why is it so hard to find a used Sienna from a private party?

[daisy1234]

I have searched the newspaper, ebay, autotrader, cars.com and craigs list. A I forgeting anything? I am also finding many are unsidedown on their loans and they are listing at riduculously high prices! I am starting to think I may just have to buy new or certified used??? I am not sureI can trust a regular used car lot???? Any opinions on this? I was looking for an 06 Sienna CE or LE. I would even consider a Honda Ody 04.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

we are also going to be buying a Sienna! But we will be buying new...I found out a long time ago, it's not worth buying used vehicles. ****shaking head sadly*****

 

[lisajl]

I have an 07 Sienna and I love it. I guess you may be having trouble because everyone loves their van.
I hope you find something soon.

Lisa

 

[daisy1234]

The deals are awesome for the sienna now...you can get an LE for a bit over 22,000! That is with the rebate! I would just love to find a good used one. WE luckily have had very good luck buying used cars! We are in no hurry so I contine to look! Good luck on your new one!!! It is such a great van!!! Wish me luck!

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I have an 07 Sienna and I love it. I guess you may be having trouble because everyone loves their van.
I hope you find something soon.

Lisa

Yup Yup! A couple of my friends have the Sienna and love it to pieces. We really didn't want to venture into mini-van land, but with a 4th on the way, we have to. But, mini vans are getting nicer over the years. We just have to bite the bullet and do it.

 

[lisajl]

Yup Yup! A couple of my friends have the Sienna and love it to pieces. We really didn't want to venture into mini-van land, but with a 4th on the way, we have to. But, mini vans are getting nicer over the years. We just have to bite the bullet and do it.

Thankfully they are nicer. All of our kids are still at home. We have a 22 year old, a 14 year old and an 11 year old. The 14 year old is 6' 1" tall.
So, for us, the van gives us more room. But, I was just telling my DH this past weekend....I WANT A PRIUS! He said we can look into it after our Disney trip Oct 2009.
I can't wait to have a small car again!!

Lisa

 

[maggiew]

I love my Sienna and won' be selling it either!!

Maggie

 

[thomas998]

I'm not sure where you are located but I just did a quick autotrader.com search and found over 40 within a 25 mile radius of my home... and yeah there were maybe half that were priced insane, but some were not. Maybe you need to expand the search area a little.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Funny you should mention this...my toyota dealer sent out a letter today wanting to buy back used Siennas for their inventory (and I'm sure wanting me to trade mine in for a newer one). They are good vans and the blue book values on them are really good (as are Hondas).

 

[Simba22]

Maybe it's a Toyota thing because I was looking for a used 4Runner and can't find any for sale through private owners.

 

[minniebeth]

Everyone is holding onto their cars much longer. We were also told people are selling them privately to other friends, family, neighbors, etc. since they know the Toyotas hold their value so well.
We had the same situation recently and ended up buying a Toyota Sienna LE brand new FULLY loaded everything with GPS, etc. for $23.000 with taxes, etc., included. We LOVE it and will be holding onto it for like, FOREVER!!!
We have friends that have used CARMAXX and have loved it, and found it to be very reputable.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We had a terrible time finding a pre-owned Sienna in our area. We finally found one, it's a 2004, and I LOVE it! We bought from a Toyota dealer though.

 

[RNMOM]

We bought a used one from a dealer. It was a 2007 with 13,000 miles. The rental agreement was left in the glove box, by accident I am sure because the were very embarrassed when I found it. It was used by one person for a couple months and had to be sold used. We love ours but this is our second Toyota minivan. We had a 91 Previa for 9 years and sold it for $1500. and it is still running for them.

I had a Honda Odyssey for a couple years but at that time didn't need the big vehicle. We looked at Honda but liked the Sienna better.

 

[mjwolfe]

I boiught my used Sienna last year at CarMax. Do they have CarMax near you?

-M

 

[SarahKate]

Try CarSoup also.

The Japanese vans are a little more difficult to find, and they will be a lot more expensive. I agree with some of the other suggestions, that you may be better off buying new! I just turned in a leased 2004 Ody, and gladly would have sold it to ya'!!!

 

[coastermom]

We have an 04 Toyota Sienna and LOVE IT . We got the XLE Limited with everything but the Nav. system. We thought about the Nav. But bought one we could move from car to car instead.

I think my DH wants me to keep the sienna forever but with a 16 ,13 and 6 year old I am hopeful to be out of a van in about 4 years or so. Have to say everyone I know either has a sienna or honda .

 

[estherhead]

I had a Sienna & we drove it till it died & needed a new transmission, etc. So you probably can't find them cause owners love them & drive them till they die. We had bought it used, we were fortunate, but when we went to buy another we couldn't find one.

We ended up buying a brand new Honda Odyssey for $24,000 with very low financing. It was a great deal & it's been 2 years & we are still thrilled. I say just buy new. We'll have this paid off in another few years & have at least 6-8 more driving years in it if not more. Will you really want it after I & my 3 kids have trashed it for 10 years? Ha!

 

[mominwestlake]

I must be one of the few who has a Sienna XLE (2004) and doesn't love it. We bought it new and I didn't like it from day one. I feel there are too many blind spots- especially when carseats are installed. The headrest in the middle row is right in my line of vision. My friend was going to buy one and I had her try out ours before she went to the dealer. She also felt there were blind spots and ended up buying an Odyssey. I also don't like how if you leave a door ajar and the interior lights on they don't automatically shut off within a certain time period. We've had many a dead car battery because of this. Hopefully the newer ones have fixed that problem. I also think the air conditioner has been weak since day one compared to our old van and other car. The dealer told us that is just how newer cars are.

Okay OP, that doesn't answer your post but just wanted to give my 2 cents about the Sienna.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I bought a 04 XLE last fall - used. We buy used cars because we don't finance. We pay cash. To buy the XLE new with all the features I have on mine would've cost over $40K

No thanks! I paid under just over $19K for mine and love it. I don't have problems with blind spots but that might be because I'm tall. I have a sunroof, built in DVD player, automatic sliding doors on both sides and the hatch door opens with the push of a button as well. Not to mention leather interior that still smells brand new! My son loves our van and I love the fact that it drives like a car not a van.

You will have a hard time finding a Sienna being sold privately for 2 reasons. The first as others have stated, people love them and will drive them into the ground before selling them. Second, so many people lease cars rather than buy them so when the lease is up they just turn them back into the dealership and get a new one.

Hope you end up finding one! Good luck!

 

[MrMarv]

Another reason is that lots of folks who've purchased one within the past 3-5 years haven't paid them off yet.

The fact that the 2008 edition is an all-new one might make it easier and less costly for you to get a used one at a price within your budget at a nearby dealer.