[megapixle]

I'm in the market for a new Odyssey or Sienna and lately I've come across a couple of used Siennas that have been used for towing. Specifically I'm looking at a 2007 Sienna with 30K miles that has "been used to tow a small trailer with an ATV". It does have a transmission cooler.

Should I be concerned about increased wear and tear associated with towing?

(Sorry to post a Sienna question here but the Sienna forums are not too active & you guys have been a helpful bunch)

 

[RinconVTR]

No, not at all. Consider this wasnt a full time thing for the van to be doing, and it has only 30k miles. All good. (but strange the seller was upfront about it!)

 

[skinny2]

Well a hitch on a minivan/car usually causes a raised eyebrow to a potential buyer. Of course he could have been pulling a horse trailer for all you really know. I look at it this way...if I can buy the same vehicle for the same money and one was used harder than the other....i'll take the one with the easiest life.

 

[shall36]

It wouldn't bother me ONLY IF the vehicle has a trans cooler AND the owner has trans service records. At 30K, there should be at least one trans service in there if they've been towing with it.

 

[manualman]

If buying privately, look around when you go to see the van. If there is a small ATV trailer nearby, chances are he's telling the truth. If there is a 24 foot RV travel trailer parked behind the house, be a little more suspicious!

If it's a dealer telling you this, you can tell if he's lying by checking if his lips are moving.....

 

[Steve Pert]

If it's a dealer telling you this, you can tell if he's lying by checking if his lips are moving.....

:joy:

 

[rpintx1]

Well a hitch on a minivan/car usually causes a raised eyebrow to a potential buyer. Of course he could have been pulling a horse trailer for all you really know. I look at it this way...if I can buy the same vehicle for the same money and one was used harder than the other....i'll take the one with the easiest life.

This is good advice. There are a few rules of thumb to consider......For example, my father will not even look at a used vehicle with a trailer hitch on it. He automatically thinks that regardless of the vehicle, it's been used to pull Mt. Everest and towed more than it should have. Me on the otherhand, I look at things differently, I tow a lot, but then I have a Ford F 250 that I do all my towing with. My truck rarely leaves the house without a trailer in tow. Because of this, I maintain the truck religiously, some might consider me OCD with maintenance. At 40k miles on the truck, the transmission fluid has been changed twice.

Look around for the "small trailer" or an ATV, check maintenance records, then go from there. Remember Odysseys are prone to transmission problems. Even our 2009 Ody has been recalled twice to "reprogram" the transmission.

Just my .02 worth......