Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

folkmuse · March 2002

Seems like there is not negotiating with the local
Honda dealers on price. Arrogant salesman at one
dealership - wouldn't even walk out to the car
with us. Said he would put us on a waiting list
for two months - take what we could get. No
thanks, we walked.

Another dealer had two Odysseys on the lot. EX and
EX-L, both at MSRP. We talked about the EX-L and
were offered the vehicle with 4.5% financing.
Seems like a good deal on this popular minivan.
I had not heard of this Honda financing incentive
before - I wonder if it was something special this
dealer had arranged. Anyone else find that?

vshah3452 · March 2002

I WILL APPRECAITE IF ANY BUYER CAN SHARE WHAT BEST PRICES DID THEY PAID LATELY? AT WHAT DEALERSHIP AND SALES PERSON. I AM LOCATED IN LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA AND MOST LIKELY PAY ALL CASH

THANKS
VICTOR SHAH

dmathews3 · March 2002

Why are you shouting? We can hear you ok without the capital letters.

jmurman42 · March 2002

I haven't gotten anything from Honda on special incentives on Odyssey. Then agaon I am not in your region, and they do have differing programs in different regions.

Jerry

fibber2 · March 2002

I am aware that there are two styles of aux lights from Honda that fit the odd shaped bumper cutout, and that they are both ungodly expensive. I also downloaded the instruction and see that bumper removal is recommended, etc.
My dealer was asking $450 for them w/installation!

I am not interested in adding fogs - looking for tight patterned driving lights that I can run with the high beams (thru a relay) when totally alone on country roads.

Questions: Are the Honda offerings Fog, or Driving pattern. Has anyone shopped for aftermarket, and experienced the joy of pioneering their own brackets, attachment points, wire routing, etc.??

Thanks,

Steve

mark189 · March 2002

Take a drive down to Norfolk. There are at least two dealers here (Hall and Checkered Flag)that have been selling Odyssey's for MSRP since the '99 rollout.

mudry1 · March 2002

I've been to many dealerships in the greater Hartford, CT area. They are all selling for MSRP. I just put in my order for a 02EX-L Beige. Will have about a three month wait.

cagt · March 2002

My wife and I just placed our order for a 2002 EX in silver from Honda of Lisle in the Chicago area. We paid MSRP and was able to get it without any extras. There were a couple of dealers in the area that had some but they were loaded up with options. $1200 for a cassette deck, cross bars, and mudflaps seemed extreme. Only complaint was the Honda Care. They tried to sell 7yr/100k/$0 for $1600. When I asked why they were selling for $900 or so on the internet, I got the answer that it wasn't possible and that it cost them more than that. They speculated that it wasn't priced for an Odyssey. Well, I call Ms. McCrystal in KY and she quoted me $875. Needless to say, I am going to buy it from her. We were really impressed with the Odyssey. It isn't perfect in every way...but it was close.

mooky6 · March 2002

Does anyone know what the interior color is with the new blue exterior? My guess is ivory. Drove a 02 Odyssey EX last weekend, very nice. Thinking of replacing 93 Quest. Only problem I felt with Odyssey is that drivers seat feels narrow and uncomfortable. Someone mentioned side air bags as cause.

dave84 · March 2002

We have a '00 EX with 39k miles, still has the original Michelin tires. For the past month it's been on my to do list to replace the tires, as the tread is getting down there. This chore moved to the top of the list today, since we now have a fast leak in the front right. We live in Maine, so winter driving considerations are a must (although this winter has been a bust so far). Any recommendations on good, all-season replacemant tires? I would like to stay with a 215/65R/16.

shelmoky · March 2002

To "cagt": I think I contacted every Honda dealership in the Chicago area in October and November...we needed a van asap as we were expecting our 3rd baby... Honda of Lisle was very helpful, except that they could only place a few orders with every shipment. I know about the dealer that added the mud flaps and rust-proofing, for a mere $1700. We eventually bought from Planet Honda in Chicago Heights, even though we're in Naperville. They were one of the few who stocked them. My husband went to pick it up as I was on bed rest...said they were very friendly and wanted MSRP, not over and didn't have any unwanted extras...so far been happy!

carleton1 · March 2002

According to the inside back page of my Honda Odyssey 2002 Brochure which shows an Odyssey LX in Havasu Blue on page 18 and states the Havasu Blue will be available in spring 2002.

tj_610 · March 2002

TRY THE HONDA ODYSSEY - PRICES PAID DISCUSSION. LOTS OF FOLKS FROM YOUR AREA HAVE POSTED THERE!!!

Whew, I feel like Garrett Morris on Weekend Update, circa 1970's Saturday Night Live -- "OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT..."

We have a 10 day old, Silver 2002 EX-L. Love it. Wish list for future redesign:
1. More front seat leg room.
2. Some funky design that allows car seat on right side of middle row when pushed together, but the belts don't block 3rd row access. If anyone knows a way around this, please help! Our 15 month old can't stand to have his front view obstructed. :-). Apart from removing the left 2nd row seat, I don't see a solution.
3. Tailgate opener on key fob. Hmmm, on second thought, that might be dangerous...
4. More stereo controls on steering wheel. Rode in a friend's BMW 3 series this week, he could do lots more from the wheel than I can, like CD track change.
5. Power front passenger seat.
6. Memory settings for driver seat.

tj_610 · March 2002

...ditto, carleton1. Just checked my 2002 brochure. Fern is the interior for Havasu Blue.

Which reminds me of one last request to Honda -- I would love to be able to choose interior color. I think the ivory leather would look great in our silver van, but maybe Honda is protecting me from some minivan fashion faux pas. In general, I like Honda's no-nonsense, everything-is-standard-just-pick-your-trim-level approach (more options = more price haggling and more spousal disagreements), but interior color choice would be nice and keep all those Ody's from looking too similar.

carleton1 · March 2002

I asked the salesman if he would order us a Havasu Blue 2002 Odyssey LX with a $500 REFUNDABLE deposit. Sorry. Only with a $500 NON-refundable deposit. Result: We are now driving a Light Almond Pearl Metallic 2002 Chrysler T&C eL we got 1/26/2002.
We knew our 2nd daughter and her husband were getting ready to get a 2nd vehicle and wanted to buy our 99 GC SE when we traded it in. We almost got a 2002 Ody LX when the dealer got an extra allotment but were notified by the nice salesman just a few days after our oldest daughter got a well used 1991 Astro RX EXTD. She and her husband had also stated they would like to buy our 99 GC SE when we traded.
Meanwhile, we got too good a deal on a 2001 Ody EX with only 11,505 miles on odometer to pass up so we now have photos with BOTH a 2002 T&C eL and a 2001 Ody EX in our driveway. I can not tell much difference in the power, ride, quietness, etc. between the two based on the type driving we do. The Odyssey is a VERY NICE minivan.

cagt · March 2002

Hi,

A friend of mine used to sell Honda/Acuras in the Chicago area for years recently quit the business. I asked him about this deal with the Honda dealers in the area. I found out a couple of things that are interesting. The first thing is that in IL, it is illegal for dealer to have non-refundable deposit. They may make you sign whatever...but if you don't want the vehicle, then you will get your money back. Second, in his opinion, all the Honda dealer in the chicagoland area basically stink. I guess it is their reputation that is getting to their head. I remembered going to Honda of Illinois in Springfield when I was 23 and my sister was buying a car. Would you believe they told us to bring our parents back?!!! Needless to say, they lost both my sister and my business forever.

shelmoky, I did not call as many Honda dealers. I called about 5 of them. I live in Yorkville and work in Batavia. I choose Lisle because I have heard some good stuff on them on the CRV board before. Also, I figure they were close for service. One thing was for sure, I am not going to Valley Honda. Not after one of their salesperson in a dealer car cut us off on I55 and flipped us off for driving 70 in a 65. I got his plates and reported it to the dealership thinking I would get an apology. Zippo reaction from the sales manager. Gave me the standard excuse of not knowing who had what car. What kind of dealership would not keep track of their vehicles? When I get my Odyssey, I plan on driving over to Valley and thumb it in their face.

billg7 · March 2002

Its illegal in number of states to have a non-refundable deposit. You could check with your state agency on this.

In some places, only if they can show that they would have difficult time selling the special order vehicle otherwise, would it be legal.

There is no reason to have a non-refundable deposit for an Odyssey because they can easily sell it if you back out.

With a non-refundable deposit I would agree to it if there was an agreement that I get my vehicle within a certain period of time. Say 2-4 months and that the price is agreed upon as that in they contract signed.

brucevr · March 2002

Try and sell one or the other and see what your offered! Resale on the DC would be < Honda by leaps and bounds. Oh well you knew what you were doing, good luck!

I'm hoping to get MSRP and have the joy of driving my Previa until it comes down that low...

Regards,
Bruce

odyowner · March 2002

We also have the middle row pushed together. We use a LATCH car seat there for our two year old. The LATCH system doesn't use the seat belts, but instead it has anchors that connect the safety seat to the van's captain chair. We need it, as we are a a party of five, and we need to get in and out quickly out of the third row. It also provides unobstructed view. We use the Costco Triad, but other LATCH system car seats are the Britax Expressway and a Fisher Price I can't recall. If you go up the threads on this discussion, there are links to info on the LATCH seats about 20-30 posts above.

Good luck, and enjoy your van.

tj_610 · March 2002

Thanks for the tip! We were considering a second car seat anyway -- one for my car or grandma to have when on nanny duty -- so we can take the Alpha-Omega out of the Ody and get a LATCH system seat to replace it.

Thanks again! Long live Edmunds and all its contributors!!!

caviller · March 2002

Odyssey Carseat info:

http://www.car-safety.org/odyssey.html

LATCH and tether carseat info:

http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html

stangelj · March 2002

Dave, if you go back in this forum and also the Tires, Tires, Tires forum there have been a number of discussions on replacement tires for Odyssey. I went with Michelin X Radial Plus (which is same as X-One but sold by Costco and other discounters). Have had them since the fall and have been very happy with them in the snow and very icy conditions. I had the Firestone Affinity tires OEM and have also noticed a bit less tire noise with the Michelins. I bought 225-60-16s but they are also available in the OEM size 215-65-16. Judging by these boards, they seem to be the most popular replacement for the Odyssey.

dave84 · March 2002

Thanks for the reply. Interestingly enough, I just got back from BJ's (Costco equivalent) where I had them put Michelin X Radial Plus tires on our EX. I went with the OEM size, to replace the original Michelin Symmetrys. I'm glad to know you're happy with the X Radial Plus. I was wondering if the X Radial Plus was the same as the X One, so thanks for confirming that for me. BJ's price was $99.99/tire. Tire Rack has the X One on their web site for $112, plus you have to pay for shipping.

pat84 · March 2002

Fibber2- the wiring for the fog lights only allow them to be used with low beams. So if you want driving lights to be used with high beams, you can't use existing wiring. I have installed driving lights on other vehicles. I installed a separate under dash switch that had an indicator light indicating the driving lights were on. Make sure you use sufficient gauge wiring for the driving lights. Some are quite high wattage. You don't want to use your current to heat up wires.
14 gauge wire will carry 15 amps, 12 gauge - 20 amps and 10 gauge - 30 amps. The wire to the relay is no problem. It is the wire to the lights that has to be sufficient size. I would go one gauge larger than necessary.

(tj 610). The steering wheel controls work with CD's Both up / dn volume buttons function and the "change " button changes tracks. That is how they work on my 99. I have both the Honda CD and Cassette players installed.

shelmoky · March 2002

cagt...you read my mind. How did you guess???

caviller · March 2002

Both Valley and Lisle were pretty mediocre for me. Both claimed no add-ons and a 3 month wait. Still, at least once a week they'd call me because they had a "customer backout" or an "extra allocation". Of course, there was at least $1500 of paint sealant and rust proofing to pay extra. I had little doubt they were selling vehicles at extra profit that should have been going to people on the wait list. No way was I going to support that. MSRP is plenty of profit.

Honda of Ottawa, IL and Eliott-Demick Honda in Michigan City, IN were both excellent and honest. I'd do business with either of them again despite the distance. Jacobs Twin Honda in Chicago often sells at $500 or more under MSRP, at least according to a number of forum reports in the last year and a half.

So far, Honda of Lisle service has been OK.

stever · March 2002

Welcome - better late than never. Tell your friends :-)

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

odyinfl · March 2002

Just drove home our GG EX-L (one of our kids insists it is blue the other insists it is gray). Got it for MSRP and naturally refused to pay the insulting $695 they tacked on for trim, pin stipes and (would you believe) mats! Since a new huge dealer just opened up about 15 minutes away, they were really trying to get folks to stay at the local dealership. The new dealer was selling all new Hondas with a 5/100 powertrain warranty. As a result the local dealer agreed to include a 5/75 extended Honda Care warranty (which by law required them to reduce the MSRP by $895 since they are not allowed to include extended warranties for free). Overall I think we did OK getting the door and wheel trim, pin stripes and 5/75 Honda Care all for MSRP + doc, taxes, tags, dealer fee, etc. I imagine by the summer you will see more dealers selling them for under MSRP. This dealer just took delivery of 12 Odys this week alone.

popper · March 2002

I've been reading that some of you have used this as a replacement tire. Own a 2000 Ody LX with Firestone Affinitys. I've never liked this tire- lots of road noise, tendency to hydroplane, and I've pushed it to get 50K out of them. So I went to the local tire guy and asked his opinion yesterday. Says he's heard the X One is bad about hydroplaning, then shows me the tire- no side sipes for water to exit and pretty narrow grooves. Recommended the Toyo Ultra 800.

jcroberts · March 2002

Fellow Odyssey owner. We have been very happy with our 99 GG LX. It has averaged 20.4 MPG for our 33K miles. My wife lets me drive it when it need gas. I wish it had the 240 HP with a 5-sp auto, especially when we get into the mountains.
In resent tire inspection, I concluded that this summer would be a good time for tire replacement. Costco has the Mich. x-Ones and another Mich. for about $100-110. They have a summer special offering a $50 mail-in rebaate. I think I would like to go with the 60 series tire. The 225-60 would actually be smaller in diameter than the 215-65, just putting my speedometer even more off calibartion. I am wondering about the 235-60s. Would that tire be too great an increase in width? What has been your experience increasing your tire size? Are their other tires besides Michelins that may be quieter, better handling wet and dry, less hydro-planning and good rolling resistance?
I called my local dealer to ask about the free replacement of the front speakers with a better sounding dual speaker. They said that they were not aware of the free upgrade, at least not here in Hampton Roades, VA.
Thank you for your input.

mark189 · March 2002

I thought I read somewhere that the Odyssey would be redesigned for the 2004 model. That would be five years after the last one, so that seems about right.

If so, that's only a year and a half away. I may decide to wait if that's correct.

Anybody have any info?

shelmoky · March 2002

we also had the same issue when our 3 yr old wanted to sit in the middle, right seat(she had been with the older one in the third row). The baby sits in the left seat behind the driver. This caused a problem because we had the middle seats put together so they could get to the third row easier and we could buckle the 3 yr old into her seat (still in a harness). I found a couple of latch systems at Babies R Us to convert older carseats so that the latch system can be used. It sure made life easier for the 6 yr old, who no longer has to be a contortionist to get to her seat!

ody01 · March 2002

Could have purchased Sedona, Sienna, Windstar, Caravan, MPV etc. off the lot. Odyssey value reason people place deposit and wait 2 or 3 months.
Laugh when bargain hunters brag about discount on many minivan or low price of Kia Sedona. Odyssey has most power, most passenger room, most cargo room, almost best gas mileage.

dchopp · March 2002

Don't forget The Most Problems also and not the most comfortable front seat either. Oh!! the sound system sucks also and maybe someday they will get my doors to work right.

dmathews3 · March 2002

I and many others here think the Odyssey has very comfortable seats. Of course how would you know when you can't even spell Odyssey or when I clicked on your name you drive a 1996 Isuzu, which in itself says a lot. No wonder the doors on it don't work. Also the car you are shopping for is a 04 Odyssey. Makes me wonder about your statements.

dave84 · March 2002

Here, here...

fibber2 · March 2002

Pat84 - Thanks for trying to reply. My main question was whether anyone had tried to mount other than OEM lights. PIAA, or other brands. The electrical part I am comfortable with (electrical engineer by profession....).

Thanks again,

Steve

mschafer · March 2002

I have them on my 99EX. Second set already, since I have 129,000 miles on it. They are super, and the ride is MUCH better than the OEM's. There's plenty of room for them, too, unless you're planning to use tire chains.

ateixeira · March 2002

MPV does, and its front seat felt more comfortable to me, too.

Ody is a fine van, but I don't feel it's wise to completely dismiss other vans before trying them. People that wear blinders like that tilt the supply/demand curve in favor of the dealers and indirectly cause those markups we hear about.

-juice

dchopp · March 2002

For your information, the Rodeo is history,I have a 2000 Ex that I bought used and I will be giving it to my son when the redesigned 2004 comes out. Sorry for not updating the info but I really didn't think anyone cared.Hopefully by 2004 they will get all their problems fixed that has plauged them since 1999. You know the doors, transmissions etc. The Rodeo was booked at $14500 and I bought it for $10,0000 to shut my wife up who was looking at $30,000 jeeps at the time.

Plastic19 · March 2002

Has anybody experienced the following:

On start up the RPMS jump up to about 2,000RPMs. Over about a minutes time the idle creeps down to around 700RPMs. Then the idle goes up and down steadily between 700 and 900 RPMs. You can hear the engine speeding up a little then backing off over and over again. It's like when you turn the air conditioner on and the compressor kicks on and off. Except it keeps happening in 10 second cycles. This happens weather the vehicle is warm or cold.

One time, after a long road trip when I put the van in park, the idle was jumping between 900 and 1,400 RPMs.

My wife took the car to the dealer but they said that they could not replicate the problem. It does not seem to affect the performance much. The only problem is when you don't have your foot on the break hard enough. When it idles up, the breaks can loose their grip. I'm going to try to get the car to dealer again soon.

Anybody have any clue as to what the problem might be? I would like to have an idea of what I am talking about when I go to the dealer.

calg · March 2002

Does anyone know what kind of seatbelts the Ody has? There was a report on Primetime Live last night about the "Gen3" seatbelts in the Dodge Caravan (I'm not sure if they are in T&C's or not... probably are) that can unbuckle with very little pressure applied... like when something gets dropped on them accidently or during an accident when things are being tossed about inside the car. Chrysler, in it's infinite wisdom, of course denies any problem, but did replace the Gen3 seatbelts IN THE FRONT SEATS ONLY on 2001 models leaving the defective ones in the back seats.... HELLO?!? What are they thinking?!? I looked at the Ody seatbelts today and they do not look like the Gen3's, but was just wondering anyone knew for sure.

tj_610 · March 2002

Greetings from the car commercial board, ateixeira! I agree about driver seat. We checked out virtually every minivan (actually, MPV and Sedona were about the only ones left out, ody01 LOL). We obviously thought it was the best one, since we bought it. But I liked the T&C driver seat much better. Granted, I am way out on the bell curve at 6'10", but there is not much leg room in the front. My head rubs against the pillar between front and side doors.

I have never understood what the big deal is about waiting a couple of months for the car. Do people really wait until they have no transportation to rush out and get a new one, or is car purchasing that much of an impulse buy? In my experience, dealers never have what I want on the lot anyway. Every car with truly desirable features (e.g., leather, ABS, stereo upgrade, etc.) is always bundled with crap I don't want to pay for. I waited 7 weeks for our '02 EX-L, exactly what I would wait for any custon ordered model. So find another excuse, Ody Haters! And as for paying MSRP, it's still comparable to similarly equipped models when you negotiate up from invoice on others. I posted a comparison on Ody vs. T&C board a while back. Using Edmunds price calculator, it basically came out a wash between an EX-L at MSRP and a T&C Lx with similar options, if you were able to negotiate a decent price. So, we got our Ody, with better engine and transmission, the magic seat, and Honda brand, instead of the T&C, thus giving up full size spare, nicer stereo, roomier front seat, and a long history of manufacturer negligence re: recalls and transmission problems. But if I were going to lease instead of buy, it may have been a tough call.

onetoothree · March 2002

Weve ordered an 02 EX-L Redrock Pearl.

The 01 and 02 we looked at had the same thing that has me going a little nuts trying to figure it out. The dealer was not helpful.

I have a problem. I cant stand the little covers that go in place of where a button should be. That means there is an option I dont have, some gadget I must have!

In the Ody, there is such a cover. It is in the same position as the interior light selector switch but on the opposite (left) side of the radio.

What is this!? What goes there!? Please help me!

-123

hoyahenry · March 2002

Think fog....

In fact, if that very gadget had been in the vehicle, I would own a 2002 Odyssey RedRock Pearl EX, no L, but alas it wasn't and I don't. Nine months of waiting and I left it at the dealer - a good decision for me.

So, Ody01, waiting for a Honda is worth it, but not necessarily because it will be the van that goes home. It is worth it because waiting provides an opportunity to determine that there are other options to meet one's particular needs. I am very happy I waited. As for defensive, I prefer to think of it as keeping the discussion honest for those who haven't made a purchase decision yet.

onetoothree · March 2002

Fog... fog... Fog lights?

Hmmm... well I guess it was to much to expect it could be a button for ejection seats... rocket launchers... nitrous oxide... oil slick.

Thanks!
-123

dave84 · March 2002

Perhaps there's a reason the previous owner of your '00 EX decided to sell it? No manufacturer is perfect; there will always be lemons in any model. Sounds like you may have gotten one, but that certainly doesn't mean that the problems you are experiencing are widespread across the model. My guess is that you already know that, since you're looking at getting a new Ody when the '04 model comes out. If not, then kindly provide supporting evidence (beyond your own personal experience with the used Ody you bought) that the Odyssey since 1999 has been "plauged" with problems.

ody01 · March 2002

Some Odyssey dealer and salesmen seem arrogant. With best minivan and waiting list no need to beg buyer to purchase. Not all Honda dealer and salesman are rude. Salesman and dealer treat us very well.
Buyer who compare power, space, convenience of all minivan will wait for Odyssey. Bargain buyer get lesser minivan with no waiting. See many Sedona, MPV, Windstar, Sienna, GM, Dodge, Chrysler at dealers waiting for buyers. Odyssey sold months in advance.

onetoothree · March 2002

Learning much about the Ody and have located www.handaaccessories.com through messages here.

Now I can fill the blank plate to the left of the radio 10 times over.

I have some questions for others suffering from OAS (Ody Accessory Syndrome).

Can the Subwoofer and the CD Changer (not the in-dash, but the underseat with the magazine cartridge) be installed together in the EX-L RES?

Have you found that Honda dealers balk at installing accessories not purchased at thier dealership? Should I expect to be charged more to install them since I didn't buy them there?

Presuming they agree to install the accessories I order, what would be a typical hourly rate charge for North Carolina? Since these are all genuine parts, are the labor times fixed by guidelines followed by dealers?

Any and all insight welcome (anything to stop this facial twitch I've picked up!).

-123

hoyahenry · March 2002

If that were as true as claimed, no one would need to BUY the extended warranty. Based upon posts around here, this should be a standard option entry on the sticker right next to destination charge.

Be as self-deluded as you want to be, but new buyers deserve to know that other vans out there offer more than the Odyssey for less - something I do not expect you to admit, ody01. No problem, but odybluster01 would be a better screen name so folks know where you're coming from....

The Honda is a great van and a safe purchase, but it's not perfect. Some of us "bargain" shoppers have better standard sound systems, standard fog lights (something I consider a safety feature), 3500lbs towing capacity with the required STANDARD factory-installed engine accessories for towing, and a better standard warranty. This bargain shopper also got a leather interior and a moonroof - all for less than the cost of an ODY LX -as you would compare it. (And you can't get factory leather in an LX, can you? No moonroofs in Odyland either, are there?)

To anticipate your counter-arguments, I got less engine power, but a vehicle that is better for towing. I did not get a magic seat, but the seating arrangements in my van are quite versatile nonetheless- enough to get myself and 4 coworkers to the airport (try that with the magic seat down). I got less total cargo volume, but enough to easily meet my needs - bunkbeds and mattresses from BJs were no problem. And I got other interesting standard goodies like window controls in the rear passenger compartment.

And the family just returned from 9 days at Steamboat Springs and I can still buy a boat and trailer with the $8K I didn't spend. It all comes down to value - to each his/her own - but I see no reason to preach the gospel of Honda the way you do.

Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

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