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Comments
I traded a 2001 pickup for this van lastwraith. My brother has a Plymouth minivan and when we were hauling our sister's stuff to her new house she bought, I found my brother could get more in his van than I could get in my pickup. As he could pack it higher than I could.
I didn't really buy my van as a work van. I just knew that there would be times I would be loading it down with stuff and the stow-n-go seats sold me on it. I have a 2004 Honda Civic and I saw the Ody. I thought it was just beautiful inside.But I never gave it a second thought as far as wanting to buy it. I knew taking out those middle seats would be a pain in the neck, just as it was on my brother's Plymouth minivan.
Besides, I have three grand children and I knew after hauling them home from school in my club cab truck, how handy it would be to stow one of those middle seats and let one set in the other one and the two others could set in the third row, and throw their back packs on the floor where I had the one seat stowed. It gave me so much more room getting them in and out. Stow-n-go was just what I needed for what I use my van for. Not only for the kids, hauling things, but the storage space for all my junk, under the seats. A person just has to realize what he'll use his van for, before buying.
Minivans are cool, but I don't think they have much use in the business arena unless it is a light-duty application.
As far as I'm concerned though, having a minivan just means I can do increasingly more and more for both myself and others. It's quite nice.
And yes, I drive an Odyssey.
How long before the Kia Sedona is # 3 in sales volume after the leader # 1 Grand Caravan and # 2 Town & Country?"
Probably never. The Sonata has made great strides, even surpassed the Japanese cars in some quality surveys, but still doesn't come close to the sales of Camry and Accord. The new model with a real V6 and much nicer amenities should be an improvement in sales, but it still won't surpass the top 2. I don't see the Kia / Hyundai vans surpassing Honda and Toyota in sales, either
And yes, I drive an Odyssey.
I'm not saying you can't use an Ody to carry stuff. You surly can, just like any other van. It's just that I felt the Dodge was much easier to convert to any situation that I would come up against that a minivan could do. None of the other vans can do that. Plus, none of the other vans had the storage space the Dodge/Chrysler has. I can name a number of situations that could come up that I would be ready with the Dodge, where I wouldn't be with any other van. It's a matter of convenience for me and knowing how I use my van. If I were mostly just hauling people, any van would do and if that were the case, the Honda or Toyota would be my choice.t I find the Dodge more lite work friendly and family friendly than anything else on the market.
How long before the Kia Sedona is # 3 in sales volume after the leader # 1 Grand Caravan and # 2 Town & Country?'
"Probably never. The Sonata has made great strides, even surpassed the Japanese cars in some quality surveys, but still doesn't come close to the sales of Camry and Accord. The new model with a real V6 and much nicer amenities should be an improvement in sales, but it still won't surpass the top 2. I don't see the Kia / Hyundai vans surpassing Honda and Toyota in sales, either."
That view seems a little naieve, don't you think? There's no way to predict the future, but people never imagined the Japanese carmakers would have anywhere near the level of success in the U.S. market they have enjoyed for the past 10+ years.
It's just my opinion, based on what I see in the marketplace. There are still many people that prefer Japanese cars, but wouldn't even walk into a Hyundai / Kia dealership. And besides, you are comparing apples and oranges. The Japanese carmakers started to fourish in the 80's because they were producing something very different: a reliable, efficient and somewhat sporty car at a good price. Think K car vs Accord. Today, the Koreans are producing extremely similar cars as the Japanese, with a price and warranty advantage and as of yet, quality and amenities disadvantage. Will that be enough to close a humongous sales gap? I personally don't think so...
Like I said, the Koreans are gaining big strides, but they have a LONG way to go before they start to approach sales levels of the competitors (the topic of this thread). Is it impossible for it to happen? Of course not, but I'd be interested in hearing someone try to make the argument that says it is likely..
I like the Ody, but dealers in DC areas were very arrogant and smug about overcharging for unwanted add ons. The "take it or leave it, someone else will buy it" attitude was pretty much the same as the US dealers in the "old days". So, I said OK, and tried the Sedona, which my wife and I really like. Problems-yes a few, but no more than my other (3 US and German) made vehicles.
Kia dealers are still hungry enough to work hard (OK, many of them) to gain a customer base. BTW, I owned a first year Hyundai Sonata and sold it before the extended warrantee (my own purchase back then) ran out...I saw it in Korea and really liked it. Figured it had been on the market there (Korea's = to GM there ) it probably was reliable. I was wrong. It was the only car I haven't driven until it was ancient. They upped their quality and really emphasized the warantee AFTER they had all the problems with the Canadian made cars. Our Sonata had nit noid problems (5x ac repairs, all power window motors, all door locks, reverse gear out in transmission) that required 1 trip a month to the dealer. New Sonata owners report nothing of the sort, and now Hyundai is considered a "reliable" brand.
I think you are seeing Kia do the same business model, but a lot sooner. Enter with cheap cars (al la Honda and "Datsan" aka Nissan) then after saturating that market, move rapidly upscale. Any bets on a Hyundai/Kia pickup soon? Look at the Japanese business model and how they did it. Now that model has been proven, Korea is capitalizing on it.
Anyhow, you guys both raise good points. I hope we are moving back towards more civility in these boards. I for one am getting tired of the "personalities" dominating the chats and demeaning anybody who dares disagree with their opinion. (...and hope I haven't been guilty of the same).
Now we know why we bought our Ody, Sienna or Quest!
Have a great weekend!
Marine - I'd much rather be part of your family than Mac's!!!!
These are just stupid minivans, doomed to be junk in 10-20 years. Family will always be around, if you treat em right!
Marine - just think of all the great thinks we could do together with our two "Stow N Go" Minivans!!!! We could rule the neighborhood!!!!
More politically correct: "we could help move the neighborhood"
These are just stupid minivans, doomed to be junk in 10-20 years. Family will always be around, if you treat em right!
Marine - just think of all the great thinks we could do together with our two "Stow N Go" Minivans!!!! We could rule the neighborhood!!!!
It seems like family helping each other is going the way of the dinosaur dennisctc.
The reason I bought my Dodge minivan is because of all of the stuff I could get in it. There is only my wife and I now. The grand kids changed schools this year so I won't have to pick them up anymore. But the house always will need fixing. The yard will always need work. Things wear out and need replacing. Not only with our place, but with my family. I could have kept my truck, knowing I only had a few more months to go picking the kids up. But I liked the room I have with a minivan. It also gets a little better gas mileage than the truck.
If my wife and I want to take a trip and we get tired, I can pull into a road side park, drop the second and third row seats down, pull out the inflatable bed I just bought to put under the stow-n-go seats and we can sleep right there in the van. I didn't just buy a people mover when I decided to buy a minivan. I decided to buy a vehicle that I could take kids and friends in, haul stuff in for me or my family. To take trips in and have all the room I needed, even if that meant sleeping in it instead of driving another 100 miles to a motel if I get too tired to keep on going.
For me, the Dodge/Chrysler vans make perfect sense for a family person, or someone that does a lot of his own work around the house, helps out family or even taking trips. It's multi useful. More than any van on the market.
Grand daughter is here telling me what kind of face to put on my post.
Don't think I want to sign up just to read it Mac
I've enjoyed driving the wagon, but as far as convenience, comfort and utility, a van has it beat! Initially, I thought I'd like to replace it with a used MDX or Pilot, but money, and the rising price of gasoline said otherwise.
I never thought I'd see the day, but I'm excited and really looking forward to owning/driving the van!
BTW, my Ford F-150 is THE most comfortable vehicle to drive long distances but fuel economy is too low and the T&C is much quieter.
How do you like the MPV? We are negotiating a deal right now for a 2005 Toyota Sienna XLE but if the price doesn't work out we will consider the MPV. I was just wondering how it has worked out for you and what you like and don't like about it.
The Accord Coupe, although silky smooth at 97,000 miles, wasn't practical enough for the family, nor did it hold enough stuff for family road trips. The Odyssey fits my needs perfectly, as my commute is a 110 mile roundtrip commute on the freeway.
Basically we love our MPV. We like the styling interior and exterior, the handling and carlike ride, cools quickly(just came back from trip to Florida),comfort, gas mileage is just as good as the others,the brakes are great, fit and finish and overall quality is tops in it's class.Reliability has been excellent. Comes with a better warranty(4years/50k miles)
About the only thing I wish was better is low end torque. It's not as quick off the line as the other minivans. But,it has all the power we need....and I'm not a lead footed driver...so It's not really a big deal. Also, if you're into all the electronic gizmos(i.e navigation,backup sensors, etc) the MPV's higher end model, the ES, doesn't have some features that some of the other minivans come with.Good luck.
You switched from a 87 Town Car to a 01 DGC. The Town car then(I drove a few of then) was a big boat with a wallowing feeling as if you are in the high seas. The 01 DGC has a relatively firmer ride and stiffer suspension so it will give you a sporty feel and believe that you are in one as you said.
Switching from the DGC to an Ody would give you a similar comparo feeling in terms of sporty feeling. I know as I have done that 70 times in the past 2 years.
We replaced our trustworthy 02 Malibu LS...well, I was gonna keep in as my commute car but it was totalled right before we got our 05 Nissan Quest S. With 3 kids, any midsize (or full size) sedan is simply not an option. With two kids though, it was still be managable with our Malibu.
A couple friends of ours bought a Carolla after they had their 1st baby to replace an aging Taurus :confuse: Now they wish they had bought something bigger.
My choices after the MPV were the Sienna and the Quest. I really liked the center console and exterior styling of the Quest. The smooth ride of the Sienna.I was leaning towards the Sienna...the wife the Quest. Sienna dealer started playing games with us(Sienna very hot seller at the time) We test drove the MPV and both liked it just as well or better. Came with a $3,000 rebate...bingo.
The Sienna and Odyssey were the original top choices for me. The Quest, although very capable, seemed a little quirky for my tastes. The MPV and Sedona were always just under the radar, till the very end. I'll admit it though, if price were not an issue, I might have gone with the Odyssey. (If we had gotten an Ody, my wife and I agreed we would get personalized plates, either HOMER, or D OH )
Most/all minivan major comparos don't include the MPV or Sedona. The 2006 Sedona is larger and more competitive in size with the big boys and will likely be included in future comparos.
Actually, except for cargo space...the MPV beat up on the bigger boys quite well. Cargo space was not a priority in our purchasing decision. When we test drove and looked at the 2004 Ody we were not that impressed. Handling and ride characteristics were not as good as MPV. Exterior styling of Ody was almost nonexistent in my opinion(2005 much better as they stole front end design of the MPV) Ody interior also a bit bland. MPV has much nicer interior.Better warranty and a much better price. Despite being offered invoice, plus about $1,800 in semiworthless dealer add ons(pinstriping, upholstery protection, mud flaps, alloy wheels(a good one)etc) we turned the Ody down. It came in fourth amoung the 4
vans we looked at. It's a very good van and all...but a bit overrated in my opinion.
If you are speaking of this year...I have not seen many comparisons of the MPV against the other maxi minis. That may be due to the question of the MPV returning for 2006 and beyond. Last year a little known magazine called Consumer Reports did a major comparision of minivans...which the MPV was included and did quite well.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder as they say. For me, the MPV reminds me of those minivans in Japan(during my several trips there) that appear to be squished between a vise grip to fit into their narrow roads.
I think the honor should go to the previous generation Sienna
Go back further to the Previa. Looks like a strange space alien.
It is only when the American designers were hired did the evolution to western looks started...
I doubt that. How then would one explain the Pontiac Transport or the Chevy Venture(an almost evil twin of the pre 2005 Ody)?
Maybe there ex-Previa designer was hired by GM????
The Previa and the old Sienna are the same ilk. Now that's a minivan I don't wanna be caught drivin...
You're right, it is smaller. I've never understood why people dismiss the MPV (as well as the short wheel base Caravans) just because it's smaller. The minivan segment seems to have a one size fits all mentality. Granted, the Ody/Sienna/GC segment is the most popular, but does that mean that all minivan owners want/need that size van? Heck, even SUV's come in all sorts of sizes. I don't often hear folks cross shopping CRV's and Durangos. Maybe it's because the minivan segment is smaller than sedans and SUV's. Certainly it's less sexy. I'm dissapointed with the possible demise of the MPV, but sales aren't all that good. The new Sedona is dimensionally, right in the heart of the major minivan players. Maybe Mazda's Zoom Zoom marketing prevents them from making a full size MPV. It seems they could do it and still have the small minivan market with the 5. Shoot, if Porsche can make an SUV, anything is possible.
The shame of it is, is that there's less choice for the consumer. Talk to me in 5 or 6 years. Maybe I'll agree that the MPV is too small, maybe I'll love it's smaller size. Just be nice to have a choice.
The 1999-2004 Odyssey is very attractive and to many of us, it is ALMOST as attractive as DaimlerChrysler minivans.
My vote for the ugliest minivan would go to the boxy Mitsubishi van of the early 1990's. :lemon: