Owning a Toyota Previa/Estima/Lucida/Emina

This guide pertains to ONLY 1990 - 1999 models.The good pointsa. The wide body Previa is the most spacious MPV on the market without a doubt (and yes I have driven the Chrysler Grand Voyager and Kia Sedona)b. Very comfortable to drivec. Drive very well if looked after.d. These are back wheel drive so no CV joint/boot issues as with the other MPV's on the market. (although the independent suspension models do have rear CV boots but as these run in one plane of motion they are pretty durable.) Actually one exception to this is the 4x4 versions that have CV joints on the front driveshafts.e. On the 8 seaters the rear seats fold down into a double bed.....very cool (7 seater variants are a bit limited when the rear seats are up)f. With all seats occupied there is still plenty of luggage space in the boot.g. Because of the space between the rear most seats and the rear window your passengers will be unlikely to suffer head injury if you are rear ended.The bad points1. The Petrol versions are known to blow head gaskets although this is not that common and spares are readily available.2. The diesel versions are well known for cracking cylinder heads, this is an expense issue to have resolved and can cost upwards of 10003. Getting insurance on the imports can be expensive although this is changing as imports are becoming more common. Shop around and take a look at the bottom of this guide.4. There are NO official English workshop manuals available for the imports but do a search on Ebay for various offerings. There is a Genuine Toyota manual for the 3C-TE diesel engine but as this book was based on the Corolla there are some subtle but important differences.5. You may have trouble finding garages that will repair the imports and this includes some Toyota agents.6. Spares for the Imports (Anything with ESTIMA in the name) are mostly only available from Ebay and Toyota but Toyota can be expensive. Some head gaskets sold are incorrect for these vehicles. NOTE: - The diesel engine used in the IMPORTS is also used in other Toyota's BUT the head gasket is very specific to the car in which the engine is installed. Put the wrong one in, whilst it may fit, and it will cause the head to crack again but sooner rather than later So yours is running fine and you are quite happy with it. Great here are some points to try and keep it that way.1. Change the radiator NOW. I don't care if it is ok, trust me on this one for 70 it is well worth doing. This goes for the Petrol and Diesels.2. At the same time change the Thermostat3. Change the coolant on a regular basis, every 50K miles.4. Keep the car serviced regularly as per manufacturers guidelines.5. Keep an eye on your temp gauge6. Check the coolant regularly, if it starts dropping on a regular and alarming basis have a pressure test and a combustible gas test done on the car immediately. This is a sure sign that on the Petrol's the head gasket is on its way out and on the Diesels the head