Buying an Odyssey, and it was MY choice!

[berettafan]

I can't believe it but after test driving a new Odyssey I was pretty much sold. Something deep inside me loves all the storage and space in that thing.

But what REALLY shocked me was how nice it drives. Very tight and controlled with surprising power. All the good (and then some) i expected in a van with none of the bad i was expecting.

Hate having another car payment but our 01 Grand Cherokee is making me nervous at 133k and dealer offered decent trade on it. Plus i managed 3% financing.

Always said i'd buy a used benz or bmw or volvo over a van but after playing with the van i can't see dropping that kind of dough on a sedan and not having all that space (did i mention the really cool storage?).

Planning to take my son to Watkins Glen and 'camping' in it in the infield for the vintage festival.

[Chocaholic]

Wife drives an 07...has about 75k on it now. Surprised you were impressed with the ride. Compared to our previous mini-van (3 kids and 3 dogs) it is harsh and very noisy. On third set of tires and still noisy, so that's not it. Road noise and harshness is way worse compared to our 03 Pontiac Transport.

At about 60k the power steering pump went (not covered under warranty....$700) as did the torque converter (covered). Other than that, it's been a very reliable appliance for moving kids and dogs in relative filth. This is the last minivan for us. Very handy, but tiring. Probably a Ford Flex next time.

[chuckr]

I have a 2006 Odyssey with 125,000 miles on it ....company car !
Great Van, It Will do the 120mph on the speedo quite easy and stable.I've had no major issues!
Just read the above post about the 2007, my salesman has a 2007 and had the same issues, power steering
and a/c and he hates the ride...go figure ?

[berettafan]

Could be my reference point on the ride thing. Other vehicles are a Tundra, 300k mile miata and a 2300lb 911 w/ 22/28 tbars.

[kanadary]

i have the previous gen 02 ody and its great. had the transmission issue at 110k which is basically poor cooling on the second gear. honda picked up the tab on the trans even though their extended warrantee ended at 109k. its got 165k now and no issues other than the trans. use mobil one 5-30 in it, doesn't drink a drop between 3k oil changes.

[vash]

my friend has a mini van. cant remember which one. anyways, i had an extra extension ladder i gave him. he brought the MV to pick it up. we were in the middle of lashing it to the roof rack. we are both civil eng, so we debated the best way to elaborately secure the fiberglass ladder. tie wire? ratchet strap????how? we had the ladder up there, myriad of lashing devices strewn all over my driveway..my wife walks up.."what are you doing? why dont you put the ladder INSIDE?" we both felt like retards. the ladder tossed inside with ease..shut the back door, cracked opened beer. RETARDS! mini vans are kinda cool.

[Christien]

We have an 01 Odyssey - they're awesome for minivans, which, in general, suck Gas mileage is excellent, and they had the highest crash test ratings of 2001. They're noted for having good handling because of the front sway bar - ours is most definitely better than comparable vans - I drove a 2010 Caravan a few weeks ago and immediately noticed how poorly it handled turning compared the 9 year older Odyssey. About the only thing I don't like about it is the sound system (ours has the basic, not premium sound) and the fact that the doors don't like to hold themselves open and tend to close on me while I'm loading kids in.

[sammyg2]

IMO minivans are the most practical vehicles if you have a family. They just make sense!

As long as they aren't made by chrysler, of course

The wife had a toyota sienna, great vehicle. Good ride, decent handling, good mileage, decent power, plenty of room and reliable. I loved that thing but she just HAD to have an SUV

[gr8fl4porsche]

We have an '06. Goal is to make it to '16.

[krystar]

whatever you do, do NOT get one with automatic sliding doors. my dad's ody had problematic doors starting from 3 months of ownership and the dealer's never been able to fix it after multiple visits

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

IMO minivans are the most practical vehicles if you have a family.

As long as they aren't made by chrysler, of course

Why is that Sammy?

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Why is that Sammy?

The first minivan I bought was a plymouth voyager. We had been married a few years and we had a smaller sports car that wasn't really practical anymore.
They were offering really good deals on the voyagers as they were the last of the square body style and the newer styles were hitting the showrom soon. I bought one and paid cash for it.
What a POS.
Lots O'stuff went wrong with it.
I finally dumped it with 45,000 miles on it. I told the guy the problems with it and all the work I had done and sold it to him really cheap.
IIRC I paid $14,400 for it and sold it for $4500 three years later.

A couple months later the guy who bought it called up and told me the transmission had blown up. I explained that the transmission was about the only thing I hadn't had trouble with.

My neighbor down the street had the same year minivan but his was the caravan. same crap with a different name.
I told him all the problems I was having and he had some of the same. Sure as sheet, a year later the tranny crapped out and he scrapped it.

That thing would eat through brake pads in 10k miles and destroy the front rotors if you let them go past 12k.
Electrical fires in the dash, in the shop 3 times for the AC, failing smog tests, etc.

EDIT I just checked, it was the generation II voyager, 1995 model year built on the k-car platform. Prolly one of the last ones made using the left over parts.

I bought her a new sienna to replace it and the sienna was a thousand times better car.

[ELLSSUU]

Why buy one now? Wait until October and get the new version. That's what I'm doing. BTW, we've got an 03' that's never had a problem. Running on 170,000 miles now.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by berettafan

... Something deep inside me loves all the storage and space in that thing.

...

you can fit an entire 911 power train inside it - trans, motor and CV's - all still attached

think of the possibilities

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

The first minivan I bought was a plymouth voyager.
What a POS.

EDIT I just checked, it was the generation II voyager, 1995 model year built on the k-car platform. Prolly one of the last ones made using the left over parts.

I bought her a new sienna to replace it and the sienna was a thousand times better car.

Then it's really great advice to tell someone not to buy a current product based on your anecdotal input from FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

[Dottore]

OK, I have to post my Odyssey story.

There's a virtually deserted mountain road somewhere near here where the Porsche guys like to go and play. One summer night, we came upon three strange looking machines absolutely flying along this road at unbelievable speeds. So fast we could barely keep up. Ludicrous —and highly improbable—speeds for vehicles of this sort.

We caught up with these guys at a gas station in the next town. Three brand-new rental Odysseys, and three Japanese guys driving them. They had flown over for a week from Japan, just to rent these cars and trash them on deserted roads in our fine country. When we asked the "why the Odyssey?", they said they have a great reputation in Japan for good handling and reliability—and they were available.

So there's an endorsement for you.

[Scott Douglas]

We had a 2000 model EX that we got as a certified used car. Great car compared to the '97 Pontiac Transport we traded in on it.
Power doors are the way to go, especially with small kids if you ask me. Teach them not to touch the doors, the driver does that and you don't have to worry about hands getting smashed by that slamming door. I didn't notice the reduction in stress until we got the Pontiac w/power slider after having an Astro without it. The sound of that Astro slider slamming shut would send shivers up my spine every time.

[Jagshund]

A minivan thread? Really? Can someone start a death metal thread so I won't feel so dirty all night?


Actually, I drove a customer's Odessey back in '03 and was impressed with its performance- for a minivan. But I ain't gonna admit it in public.

[Chocaholic]

We also have the power sliding doors on our 07 and they've been trouble-free.

[Dave Nordhoff]

Minivans rock! My other car is a Grand Caravan. It's great for camping, skiing, hauling 7 people and 4x8 sheets of plywood fit inside. My wife only uses it when she needs it which is quite often.

- Dave