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And the other reason,of course, is that if US buyers started purchasing Odysseys in Canada, US dealers would lose a lot of the leverage they now have to inflate prices.
DC did the "safe" thing in not changing their "new" minivans enough to alienate their large and loyal customer base (seems they were paying attention when Ford updated the then best-selling Taurus so much that it left most of its customers cold). Unfortunately, that means the new DC vans still did not offer enough improvement over the Odyssey to eclipse its appeal. Then, when you consider that auto sales are slowing and that DC has enough production capacity to outstrip demand anyway, it is not surprising that they will so quickly resort to incentives to help manage their supply of already-produced minivans.
Honda, OTOH, still seems a long way from producing enough Odysseys to meet the demand and seems unlikely to do so anytime soon. That being said, I do believe that the pay-any-price days are pretty much over (especially since the glow is off the dot.com miracle millionare machine), but I think it will still be many moons before we see Odyssey selling prices being calculated from invoice rather than MSRP, much less seeing any incentives offered to buy one. Whether through luck or planning, Honda has created a golden goose and I don't yet see anything or anyone capable of killing it.
Does anyone know if it is possible to put the EX siderails on an LX? I know they should fit the mounting points, but does this require removing the headliner, or is the attachment similar to mounting the LX rails?
Also, if you are considering snowtires for your Ody...DO IT!!! I got the Hakkapellita Q's (not sure if the spelling is right) and the grip...especially the lateral grip when cornering, is very good. Got a spare set of Honda OEM rims to mount the Hakkas on...and the last little bit of right hand drift is GONE...don't know if it's the hakka's vs the firestones or if the new rims are better than the ones that came with the vehicle.
By the way, I did have the adjustment done tot he subframe when the vehichle was pulling more noticably to the right.
bill
billyymc@aol.com
Thanks
TCS is always on when you start the car. You have to turn it off with the dash button. The dash TCS light will illuminate when TCS is off. An exception is when TCS is active (do it's thing) the TCS light will flash.
Has anyone heard of this? Or can anyone think what could have drained the power? THe lights were off, the doors were shut... I did hear a slight clicking noise in the dash close to the door controls, but no one (dealer or repair shop) seems to have answer as to why this could happen.
It is in the shop now, getting a good checking out... But the battery doesn't drain of power for no reason
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
In regard to the dummy light for the personal lights...
You wrote: . I would suggest that any child old enough to turn it on should be held responsible for turning it off. IMHO teaching your child responsibility now, rather than wonder how your teenager became so irresponsible is worth considering.
What a self-rightous comment. Of course we teach our kids responsibility. Duh? But guess what, sometimes they forget. That is common, in fact, that is why there are dummy bells for the driver who exits the car with the lights on. But I guess you would not need this, being "responsible" and all.
MORE importantly, most of the time my son turns the light on, reads a little, then falls asleep. When I get back home, I open the door and all the lights are on. In this case I can not see which one was personally touched on. But wait, based on your recommendation my son is being irresponsible for falling asleep. Shame on him, I guess he will have to be punished!
The dummy light is a good idea, unless you and your kids are perfect (and never fall asleep). Pat84, I am glad you have reached this perfection.
Anyway, it is a great van, but even a great van can use some ideas.
A few comments on earlier posts:
1. Earlier poster commented he liked EX power sliders. Despite some hassles, I still think the EX package w/ power sliders and other options pulls rank on the LX (esp. my year - '00 - when no TCS on LX). If I had to get a new van, I think I would still get EX (would Definately still get Honda)
2. Casette installed on EX - I will again share my wife's wisdom (posted many moons ago) - what is cheaper, 10 new CD's or the casette player? Answer is, of course the CDs; so get some fresh music, save the tissue compartment in the dash and save your time and $ by not installing the casette player.
3. Complaints about MSRP and comment about "overpaying" for Odyssey. MSRP for Ody is not overpaying. It is paying the market price for an in-demand vehicle. Even with Toyota, Ford and DC offerring rebates, Odyssey is still cost-competitive. Look at those vehicles' MSRP's - by the time you option them with most of Odyssey's features, many approach or even exceed $30K. And the only things they have that Honda does not are leather and sunroof (latter might have been very nice...). The ones with entertainment centers; the TV and VCP can easily be had as aftermarket purchases and just plugged in.
THe definition of overpaying is 5k over MSRP for a PT Cruiser with a Neon engine.
BTW, Pat84, just giving you a hard time:)
rockycow
Has someone checked to see if that was really true. I would like to know for future reference.
I plan to keep my Odyssey a long time and sooner or later I will probably need to call the AAA and have them charge my battery. They will most probably not know what to do. Does that mean they will have to tow my car?
If someone thinks of it they could ask the service people next time they are in. I was just in so it will be a while before I get to the service department again.
is white and the only add on is an appearance package, which
contains fabric and paint protection and undercoating. The Price
of this vehicle is MSRP + the Appearance package.
$24,340.00 + $1100.00 = $25,440.00
I do not expect this vehicle to be here after today, so if you
are interested, Please call me as soon as possible"..etc..
This is obviously some kind of dealer add-on. 1)I am under the impression that I could by a can of Scotch-guard and do the fabric. 2) What is paint protection? 3) Rustproofing: is that for real? 4) What else is in this kind of 'package'?
I am ready to order a LX, with a roof rack (what is the wieght limit?, and upgraded cd??!, and keyless entry, (is that the only way to get the remote control doorlock feature?).
Please advise re:the above quote. I am ready now, but can wait months
This forum is incredible. Thank you.
The policy that is there to prevent spamming by dealers is actually deterring some from "matching" up with someone that might be of help.
Of course, if you're in the business of selling discounted Honda parts, than it's O.K.!
Sorry, couldn't resist....:)
;-)
Oh. So I guess I AM an idiot, huh?
(1). The steering make "zi--" noise in real cold weather. It only happens in the morning when I try to drive away from parking lots. Only the first time I make turn. Weather has to be cold enough. Later in the day, no more noise heard.
(2). Driver side window wobbles when sliding down in wet weather. If weather turns dry, the window will behave normal. It works normal in all weather before. Passenger side window works normal.
Anyway, I posted these links a long time ago. There are links to special relays that have a built-in timer. You just need to splice this in behind the light switch in the dash. They have a knob to control the delay and you just need to connect a constant +12V line and a switched +12V line to make this work. Those of us who are engineers and/or handy it's really no big deal. Certainly no more difficult than installing the keyless entry system or audio components. If you know what your're doing, there's no worry of frying the electrical system. That's why there are fuses. One of these days I'll get around to it and let you know how it works. For others, you could buy the parts and bring your van to a stereo/alarm shop and pay them $75 to install it.
http://www.nationalcontrols.com/Timer1-21.htm
http://www.amperite.com/dod.htm
"THe definition of overpaying is 5k over MSRP for a PT Cruiser with a Neon engine."
No, it is simply paying the market price for an in-demand vehicle....
;-)
Sam
1)All the lights inside the car go out automatically after 1/2 hour. To prevent accidental drainage of battery.
2)Monitor Mirror (very clever idea) to check on your back seat passenger.
3)Side lights that light up your way before you make your turn. They get activated by turn signal. Very good in very dark locations or if you have poor vision.
4)Free Built-in TV/VCR/Game station hookups.
5)Control for Radio and AC in the back seat.
6)Too many cupholders and storage areas all over second row and third row. That's beside the ones on front row.
7)Keyless remote entry (Free)
8)Extra plug in the second row in case you want to use your laptop or charge your cell phone.
Now the quality of stereo and seats speak for themselves.
I like these little things for 21K!!!
We've left the captains chairs outboard, with child seats in them. Makes loading kids from outside easier, and allows folding of the magic seat when needed. Access to the third row isn't the greatest for adults, but fortunately that doesn't happen too often.
Sam7068-
Good points. Hopefully Honda is listening. I'd also like to see them add side airbags (head and chest), dual-force "smart" front airbags, DRLs, stability control and improved head restraints.
If only the Quest (or any minivan) had these nice features along with top safety ratings and the magic seat. Until then we'll all make compromises based on what is most important to us...
Little vs. big. You pays your money and takes your choice.
Yeah, yeah...I'm being a smartass....
I agree hotspur, it's the big things that count, not the number of cupholders (although I've stopped counting them all on the Ody...)
http://1netweb.com/checklist.htm
It will have the info you are looking for.
I paid $895 from same dealer I bought the Odyssey from, just told them I could get it at that price and they sold it to me. My mother in law did the same thing to the dealer she bought her Odyssey from and got it for $895.
Good luck
Dick
Oh, and the seats in the van were all FREE! And all only for $26k! Quest van is probably too small for many Odyssey owners.
I paid MSRP in 12/99 but got free floor mats (were option way back then) and $200 rebate from dealer since I referred a friend who bought a Honda too. I refused to pay more than MSRP, visited more than 5 dealerships and nixed them right away due to chicanery and other nonsense (eg costly appearance packages - Ody looks just fine as it is, thank you). I wonder how helpful the quick-buck scamming dealers would have been at helping me out with the door problems now.
For those in the market for a new van, ask around. After an incredibly unpleasant experience at one dealer, I set out determined to get names of reputable salespersons, and asked about everyone I know if they could recommend a good Honda salesperson by name. A second hand reference through an acquaintance of one of my partners got me this salesman and this was indeed the way to go. I had been to the same dealership less than one year prior looking at an Accord, and the off-the-floor salesman who tried to "help" me was a fool, straight out of the training class saying everything Edmunds said they will try to say to scam you. Thus, I found that every aspect of your relationship with the dealer matters. No matter what the manufacturer's reputation, the potential exists for problems so be sure you have someone you can turn to that you can trust.
I assigned weightings to different characteristics. The top weighting was to safety. I gave a lot of consideration to an SUV. For me the Odyssey came out on top. It was not the perfect car but it ended up with the most points. For others in a different situation it could just as well have been some other car. For a person on a tight budget how about a Honda Civic or the Vollswagon bug. For a young guy with some money and is single, who is looking for a good time, how about a Corvette. For someone who likes to drive off road a lot, how about a Chev Tahoe or that new Toyota large SUV.
I decided that whatever van I buy will have a bench for the middle seats: it's the only rational
way to give decent access to the third row.
... and considerably noisier than most....
I'm not good with numbers. How do you find out your total interest on a $25,000 loan, say, 7%....8% for 4....5 years? I'm picking up my ODY today and wanted to prepare myself for the F&I person with some numbers. Thanks.
Calculating total interest (and the amount of the payments too) on a simple-interest loan (the usual kind where you pay interest only on the amount left and can pay off early without penalty or paying the remaining interest), was so difficult to calculate that it had to wait for computers to come along (for those of us old enough to remember when PCs where not common). The answer changes if you vary the length of the loan, the frequency of the payments or the interest rate. IOW, any one component (payment amount, interest rate, total interest paid) will change if you vary any of the other components.
Of course, this allows some less-than-straightforward Finance Folks (FFs) to bamboozle you with numbers while avoiding answering your question. However, the final finance agreement you sign must specify the total of payments and/or the separated out total interest paid if you do not pay off the loan early. So, you can ask to see those numbers and make any changes or decisions not to use their financing before signing.
When Popular Mechanics did its comparo in late 1999 the Ody trailed only the Sienna--and only by a little--in terms of interior noise. Subjective comments in a recent Motor Trend indicate the new 2001 DCs are quieter, but didn't include any decibel readings. The Ody, according to Popular Mechanics, was in fact quieter than the former generation DC minis.
"Noisier than most?" Not according to the numbers.