2004, bought in January 2017 @ 150,000 miles. Now @ 205,000.
Spent a few months catching up on deferred items: sliding door rollers, central lock wiring, windshield rust, leaking injector seal (1st of two).
Reworked weak anchors on 2nd row bench (it’s a cargo chassis dressed up as a wagon... factory side and rear windows, no factory floor anchors).
I have never been left on the roadside, though did have a limp when a boost hose tore open. Patched it parked at an auto-parts store... now I carry silicone repair tape.
I did have a close-to-home episode with my rad fan puncturing my radiator core and dropping coolant on the street, but I don’t blame the van for this as either something got up inside the shroud and broke the fan, or I may have cracked it while I was turning the engine to change my transmission fluid?
I pulled the rattling balance ring off my crank pulley at 200,000 miles and drove for another month before replacing it.
I carry a scanner and a quart of oil under the passenger seat, and a socket/torx/e-torx set, and spare belt, crank sensor, and cam sensor in the back.
In three years I’ve replaced the starter motor (dead at purchase), two injector seals, five glow plugs (a sixth is due), brake rotors and pads, fan clutch (required), fan and radiator (rock?), belt tensioner and idlers (preventative), the dash fan motor, resistor, and dial switch, and all three sliding door pulleys (required). I’ve repaired the central lock wiring on all three rear door lock pins and at the driver’s door hinge. I’ve fixed roof leaks, and seem to be constantly chasing body rust.
I have replaced all the fluids except power steering. I’ll perhaps put new winter tires on come fall, and I’m overdue for new shocks.
It’s my daily driver and our family’s getaway enabler. We’ve all made some great memories with it, and (touch wood...) it hasn’t caused us any nightmares. We plan to keep it for several more years.
-dave