Advice on vehicle selection...

I just acquired a 1999 Venture Base Extended, 99,500 miles. The intended usage is 35% with an additional 600 lb load (passengers+cargo), 45% with 1000 lb, and 20% with 1350 lbs. The average is about 900 lbs. No towing.

The minivan will be used occasionally, and will not be a daily driver. 90% of driving will be highway, sometimes congested, and 10% city.

I got the minivan from a friend of mine for free. I only paid for towing. The minivan was not used in 2 1/2 years and I am told that the "engine blew". It appears that coolant came from the passenger side of the engine. I was also told that transmission was rebuilt just before the "engine went", but since it has been sitting for a while I am figuring a tranny rebuild, but I might get lucky. I have no problem re-building the engine and the transaxle if needed.

But the biggest question is should I be looking at another minivan for the usage I intend? This is not my primary vehicle and contrary to money, time is on my side. So I want to spend very little upfront but perform the repairs myself at my leisure. Plus I plan to modify the engine for better performance and fuel economy. I will also make mods in interior/exterior, audio/visual etc. Just the A/V budget is $ 1000 for parts and DIY labor.

I have researched 1st Gen Oddyssey and found them lacking sufficient interior room and lightweight for my intended usage. 2nd Generation Oddys I don't like the fact that the tranny is guaranteed to fail. Chryslers actually don't appeal to me and personally I have had better luck with GM vehicles than Chryslers.

I am looking at Toyota Previas, which are about the same as Venture in interior space. Venture is superior in power. Previas seem to be more reliable in general, but at my price point I am not sure if there is any difference. I actually like the GM pushrod engines better than Toyota's OHC. However I like that Previa is built upon a truck underpinning, while the Venture is rooted in the sedan world. Again, from the perspective of my intended usage....

I don't have a lot of experience with minivans, but I have owned and worked on multiple cars, SUVs and full-size vans. I prefer to deal with electronics rather than swinging wrenches and I am very good at breaking things.

What would you advise?

With a friend of mine (shop owner) we got both in the garage for an inspection: my 1999 Venture Extended and a 1997 Toyota Previa LE Alltrac (candidate for purchase). Up on the lift, suspension-wise, it seemed that the Venture was lighter components, but if you read the specs it is only about 150 lighter. Deducting Previa's Transfer case, front shaft and front differential, the Venture is about 150 lbs heavier. Upon further inspection, Venture's cabin seemed better insulated. Body-wise I think the Venture weighs more, however Previa has better undercarriage components.

The real question my friend and I were discussing is: am I better off with an old Toyota minivan or an old GM minivan? And I don't have any previous repair and service records on either.

Anybody's opinion is welcome.

This is the equivalent of a crap shoot.

Both vans have had tranny faults/electrical problems and quirky power sliding doors.

Add to that, the 3.4L V6s in the GM sisters (plus other GM vehicles ) had the infamous intake gasket leak.

I'm not positive if the Toyotas had a rusting rocker panel problem or not, but I know for a fact the 3 GM sisters did.

it will be harder to work on the previa being mid engine. i here a head gasket job on a previa has to be done on a lift. plus you will pay a premium for the previa. also the front drive shaft that runs the accessories (off the front of the crank) is expensive (and a known failure point) on a previa. mike

p.s. is the previa all wheel drive? more to go wrong if it is. personally i would go with the venture because if you keep the img in good shape it is a 200,000 mile plus motor

also alot of shops refuse to work on previas since they are scarce and quirky and hard to work on.

what type a business are you running, courier?

Yes, I just bought a 1997 LE Alltrac Previa with 148k miles as well. Mechanicals are good, body has issues that I can work on. I am counting on both minivans having the head gasket job. Previa actually runs well. Regarding rust, both have their own issues. Funny thing, Previa's both front doors have issues and I locked myself inside yesterday, I had to break the left 2nd row glass to get out. One more $ 100 thing to fix.

I am not running a business, but I live in the city, drive to work very occassionally (projects/meeting outside the city), and will use the minivan for weekends/trips extensively. I bicycle a lot, alone and with family, 3 seasons, and carry routinely 3-4 bikes (with a roof carrier full of stuff). I have an Isuzu too (2002 Axiom XS 4WD, my wife's), love its ability in bad weather, so I like the Previa's Alltrac, but it is not a deal-breaker. I hear that Venture's FWD provides good traction. Actually a question on this: has anyone used tire chains on a Venture and provide feedback?

I have been researching the 3.1/3.4 motor extensively and at this age and mileage they all are a crap shoot, just like Roadrunner2 said. What I don't want the Venture to do, is besides large repairs, bring on me a myriad of simple things, that has me pinned down in the garage, rather than out.

I understand people are frustrated with the LIM gasket jobs, but it has to be done once every 3-4 years (50k miles old gasket?). Even if I do the LIM in a shop (which I probably won't) the $ 600-700 is about my $ 500 co-pay to have bodywork done on my Axiom, which parked cars tend to hit my wife regularly on the right-hand side...

238k, replaced the LIM with a Felpro Permaseal set, still chugging along. Just take care of it and it will take care of you....