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Hi Jack. Am looking to buy a 7 seater wagon, budget $6000 - $10000, prefer year 2000 + Have eliminated all the bubble/van style vehicles eg Previa. Also heard bad things about Chariot choking problem with our fuel, am suspect on the CVTs in the Liberty and stream, tho test drove a nice Liberty. Am liking the set up, look of Toyota Gaia, Ipsum, Isis and have always been a toyota fan for reliablilty. Whats your thoughts on the Odyssey? Which is the more reliable (especially transmission) of the 3 toyotas mentioned? And at what kind of Kms does Automatic transmission failure become a risk?? Any comments on the CVT trans and the Chariot choking issue? Thanks alot, great reference site this.

In this price range, the Toyota models you mention would have the best reputation for reliability and reasonable running cost.
The Ipsum and Gaia share the same platform and many mechanicals, although beware of buying one if it is fitted with the Toyota D4 engine. This was a direct injection engine and suffers from the same complaint as the Mitsubishi GDI engine you refer to in the Chariot - ie, choking, clogging, poor running. The Isis replaced the Gaia a little later.
The Honda Odyssey tends to be a little on the thirsty side, and there is the odd one around with a CVT transmission.
Of all the models you have mentioned, the Ipsum is perhaps the model to go for.
There's no hard and fast rule on when transmissions can start to pose a risk, as much of this depends on the type of use and how well the vehicle has been serviced and maintained. Try to go for as low a mileage as possible, ideally under 100,000km, although it's all a bit of a compromise (model vs kms vs budget), so you may find that most vehicles in the price range may have done slightly higher kms.