2003 Toyota Highlander

"There's plenty of of cargo space, but that's the biggest plus for the 2003 Toyota Highlander models. The 2003 Toyota Highlander can be great for families as long as your family has 5 people or less (newer models have more seats). If you're a tall or heavy-set person, expect to feel a bit cramped (more room in newer models). It has a lot of safety features, but not as many as more recent models. The exterior paint tends to chip easily. The 2003 Toyota Highlanders can be very costly to maintain. If you bought it new, it had promise for the first few years you owned it, but things went down hill from there. It's one of those cars where you're lucky if all you have to do on it is regular maintenance. However, for most owners, they end up getting everything fixed within the first few years to 15 years of first owning their 2003 Toyota Highlander. It's a case of if it can go wrong on a car, it will go wrong. I've had to replace the brakes 4 times in the many years I've owned mine. I've also had to have part of the transmission replaced, batteries replaced, tires replaced multiple times, floor mats checked out (after a recall due to safety issues with other floor mats on other Toyota vehicles), and safety light issues, in addition to several other issues. The tire rims are very cheaply made and can bend easily. The airbag warning light tends to go off (blinks on and off) when it gets below 35 degrees. Some owners report hearing the wind or outside noise seep into the inside of their 2003 Toyota Highlander, especially when they get above a certain speed. Overall, I wouldn't recommend. It's a terrible car with the exception of the trunk space. It'd be an OK car for maybe running errands or doing short commutes (30-45 minutes or less), but terrible for long road trips."