Can you send me one of those, too? I was thinking about unloading the Ody, especially after listening to what Xaf has had to say about it. But I figure if I had the updated gauges it may be worth holding onto for a few more years and maybe even up the resale value a bit.
Sure thing Gessaroni. Let me know what color you need. I'll only charge you for the paper and the postage.
P.S. I'm also working on a DIY fix for the tranny so folks don't have to worry about Honda not picking up the whole tab. It will probably cost more than 1.00 USD though. I have a friend who has a lot of die making equipment and figure I could do the whole assembly using sch. 40 PVC.
Remember the guages in the Chrysler vehicles change color according to whether the lights are on or not. During the daytime, the guages are white with black numbers and at night, the background is dark and the numbers are light.
Bdaddy, I guess that means you'll have to make an additional set of guage faces for when the lights are on. It shouldn't slow you down too much to change the face before you drive off at night.
No problemo crkeehn - I've changed out the dash lights and gone to a black light assembly for the guage pack. It really looks cool at night. I think I'm going to modify my steering wheel soon too. Someone suggested (Joe K?) I cut the top part of the arc - say from 10 - 2 o'clock, and install a speed steer ball at the bottom. That way, I'll be able to see my speed in the 40-60 mph range.
Does the Kia Sedona have the approved black / white gauges. ? As inexpensive as the Sedona's are, one could take the gauges out, put them in the Odyssey and scrap the rest.
I hadn't thought of that Pat. I have not been allowed onto Kia lots in a long time. When I pull up in my Odyssey, I am immediately taken out of my ride and escorted off the premises. Then, a bunch of Koreans in lab coats lock down the area and pour over my van with clipboards, feverishly taking notes. Some time later, they release my van and I am free to go. This is happening so often I think they might have implanted a tracking chip somewhere in my body.
My Odyssey has rear left and right side windows. I even have a little switch on the unpadded left armrest that makes each one open and close when I press or lift the switch. Get this - they swing open when I press the switch and swing closed when I lift it. Pretty cool eh?
i guess im just a rebel, but i, personally, DO NOT LIKE black-on-white gauges. i know i will be invoking the minivan police by saying this, but i JUST CAN'T LIVE A LIE ANYMORE!!!!! i hate them! the importance af them has been drilled into our unsuspecting sub-counscious!
i like colored lighting of any kind! orange, green, blue, red,...heck..i even like purple gauges!!!
...whew!...i feel better now.
listen, everyone...i know there are lots more out there like me...have the courage to come out! we are a team! new chant:
For the past year or so, I have been looking quite seriously at the Ody. Currently have a 96 Caravan, which despite several ongoing problems, we have really enjoyed. With the recent arrival of our 3rd child (all in booster or car seats), we have stepped up our new minivan search.
Despite the tranny and door problems, we still like the Ody, with the exception of the fact that the third row does not split like in some other minivans and in the Pilot. With 3 strapped in seats for the kids, it does make the "Magic Seat" much less attractive.
So...I'd like to hear opinions of people who have looked at both the Ody and Pilot (or any other choice that makes sense). In fact, I'm not opposed to looking at the recent DC choices, despite my wife's objections.
Although I'm not really an "SUV" fan, the Pilot appears to have a lot of the advantages of a minivan, including the split fold flat floor, DVD system, comfortable seating for 7/8, and reasonable cargo capacity. I really don't care about AWD (the Caravan has always performed acceptably in the small amount of snow we get), but I'm not opposed to paying for it if the whole package makes more sense.
I looked at most of the 3-row SUVs (including the Pilot) before I bought the Odyssey. The Pilot is very nice. They reason I went with the van was the 3rd row option was more useable. I have 2 kids in car/booster seats. With the seats in place, you can not access the small third row. If I was carrying 6-7 passengers, I would have to remove a car seat and fold the seatback forward for access. This would happen for loading and unloading making the 3rd row virtually useless.
You have a different situation with the 3rd kid. You may be able to fit three seats in the Pilot's middle row. However, the kids will be beating the crap out of each other on long trips. In the Odyssey you will need to put one kid in the third row. The third row should be safe and comfortable but it may be a pain getting the kid in/out of the seat. Another benefit to the Odyssey is the storage space behind the third row. When the 3rd row is "up" in the Pilot, there is very little room for storage (with 3 kids storage is a necessity.
You may want to consider removing one middle seat, put one child in second row and two in the rear. This would give plenty of access for everyone. Or, you may want to wait for the new Sienna which will have a split rear folding third row.
Lorraine (pjreporter) is an old friend of Edmunds. I've seen her use several different addresses; I guess a throw-away one is handy if your mailbox fills up with spam after your story is put to bed. Help her out - maybe you can get your name (and Town Hall) up in lights :-)
Thanks for the response. I was worried about the storage behind the thrid row, since I have not yet seen a Pilot up close. I guess I was hoping the third row being split would better accomodate a child back there, with the option of putting down half (or 40% or 60%, whatever) of the 3rd row).
I was also concerned with the accessbility of the third rowm since the 2nd row seats 3. Again, sight unseen, I was hoping one of my older kids (currently 7 and 4) could easily climb in the back and buckle themselves in.
As I stated before, I am more a fan of minivans than SUV's, and if the Ody's 3rd row wer split, I probably wouldn't have 2nd thoughts.
Does the Pilot have the deep well where the 3rd row folds into like the Ody, or does it fold flat like other SUV's to make it even with the area behind the 3rd row?
Lastly, (and thanks for your patience), does the Pilot feel a roomy as the Ody? The pics I've see make the 2nd row appear pretty tight, but it may be due to the fact that it's wider.
I only spent about 5 minutes with the Pilot but from what I remember, there is no well. The seat set-up is different then the Odyssey. Just the seat back folds. The Odyssey definatly feels roomier. There is space to "walk around" where the Pilot didn't feel much bigger than my Jeep Grand Cherokee. The best thing to do is head on down to a dealer and see which one best fits your needs. They are both very nice.
One other bit of info. The Odyssey gets better gas mileage and is about $2-3K cheaper (comparable models).
Consider this: A young child may have difficulty climbing into an SUV like the Pilot, unassisted. This is basically due to the higher ground clearance of the vehicle. Both of my kids, ages 5 1/2 and 3, can get in the van by themselves. All I need do, is buckle the 3 year old in his booster.
There is also considerable room behind the 3rd row in the Odyssey. The 04 version may have a split third row.
We own both a 99 Ody EX and an 03 Pilot. I drive the Ody and wife drives the Pilot. We used to have a 95 Grand Caravan AWD They are very different vehicles, and year models.
The Pilot is almost luxurious - very quiet, powerful, well damped ride, good cargo space, but no Odyssey (or any other mini-van at 90cf) & AWD. Poor gas mileage (especially if you enjoy the motor;-) in city/suburban - about 17 mpg, and range - usually about 300 miles. Handles well but not sporty even with Michellin X-Terrain upgrade.
The Odyssey is capacious, capacious, capacious, handles incredibly well- almost sporty, very quiet (64db) to moderately (68db) quiet depending on road surface with Michellin X radials, good acceleration, but 4spd gearing is too tall. I always fill 93 octane cause regular feels like I lost a gear. Mileage at 55K miles is almost 20 mpg in driving similar to Pilot and mid 20s for freeway driving. My first few tanks when driving it cross country from mid-west dealer to Muddland were 25 mpg. And this while traveling mid-70s over mountain passes.
The new Odysseys are reported to have lots more sound insulation, suspension tuned more for comfort now along with Pilot motor and 5spd trans. I think the big difference between the two for me was that the Pilot pampers you with a more personnal/intimate driving environment (did I mention the electro-luminescent gauges) and the Odyssey has a less luxurious dash/steering and more wide open cockpit. Our 5 & 10 yr olds enjoy the "Pirate" over the Ody - they argue over the way back. Granny prefers getting in and out of the Ody due to the lower floor.
If we could only keep one vehicle, it would probably be the Pilot. Unfortunately, wife is so fond of it that I would end up walking.
other options with 3 carseats are to put 2 seats in the '60' portion of the middle row, and 1 seat in the '40' portion of the 3rd row. fold down the remainder of the 3rd row, and you have storage. the empty portion of the middle row then becomes your entry/exit to the 3rd row.
I've a question for those with the heated leather seats: Is the seatback heated along with the bottom or is it only the bottom? I'm particularly interested in the lumbar area. Also, in general, how comfortable have people found the drivers seat to be, especially on long trips? Thanks for the advice.
Lately, we had a multitude of issues with our '01 Ody (18.5 kmiles). After replacing the sliding door open/close sensors (we would have beeps start suddenly while driving), we had to replace the front brake pads (at 18k), and to machine the warped disks as well (rear drum brakes still have 90% left, so nobody could accuse my wife of drag racing and breaking aggressively :-)). After long discussions, Honda accepted to take care of the disk machining costs.
Now, we are having to deal with a highly pitched clicking mettalic noise when the car is cold (not a belt slipping type of noise), that disappears after 30-40s. After two visits at the local dealer, a diagnostic is still to be determined.
Altogether, I am not satisfied with the car's record so far. We had many other Honda cars ('94 Legend GS, '93 Accord EX, '98 Integra GSR) and all of them had significantly better reliability. I understand that Honda has to cut costs to make money on the Odys, however the quality has degraded pretty badly. Add the cheap interior materials, and you get a very disappointing picture.
We would have dumped the car already, but we need the space to shuttle a twin jogging stroller plus lots of baby related equipment, so we're into another couple of years of ownership. Hopefully the pace things are breaking will slow a little.
Accurate data now exists on the reliability of the various minivans. Also the total cost of ownership is covered in a number of places. I remember for the 2003 Odyssey, because I just recently read it in a magazine, it has the lowest cost of ownership of all the minivans.
For persons who bought the 2000 and up Odysseys, they could have gotten access to sufficient data to make a decision on what minivan to buy. Also for what I consider a low cost of about $900, they could have gotten a 7yr/100k mile/0 ded, Honda Care Warranty.
The 2000 through 2003 Odysseys have a very good reliability record and if you add an extended warranty you are well covered. I don't see where you would have done better or significantly better anyway, with another minivan, and you could easily have done worse.
There are always going to be those unlucky persons who buy a vehicle, which is much less reliable then the average for that same make and year of vehicle. There is no certainty in life. The only extended warranties I buy, on a regular basis, is for a new car. It is worth the piece of mind to me.
Also knowing that some persons are harder on a vehicle then others, they wear them out quicker by where and how they drive them, some persons are going to have more reliability problems with their vehicle then others.
About your 01 Ody difficulties. You might try a different dealer/service department.
Our 99 Ody EX went through the door teething problems but were resolved by our current dealer. Also have not had the other problems you describe. I replaced the brakes at 50K miles at current dealer recommendation (he showed me the worn calipers & he advised that I did not need to shave the rotors if there was no vibration currently).
I too have the desire to switch to a "different vehicle" but the general high level of satisfaction I get from my Ody makes it tough and the issues I have had don't justify getting rid of the Ody or dissing it.
Would be nice to do 0-60 in 7sec like in the Accord EX V6 I test drove, but I couldn't shop the Discount Warehouses with impunity, nor have the Ody 36 foot turning radius (40 feet on Accord), nor the elevated driving position.
Would be nice to AWD, accelerate, and "style" like in wife's Pilot, but I'd feel the higher gas consumption, and be self conscious about parking and mileage.
Would be nice to toss the x-mas tree or the mtn bikes in the back then hose out the interior like in the Element, and spurt around but I'd lose 70 cf of cargo space (77 vs 150 cf cargo vol), only seat 4 and wouldn't have that glorious 6cyl motor (though the 4cyl Accord 5spd auto was impressive). Nor would I be able to transport my 48" deck Sears lawn tractor like in my Ody...but I am going check on that.
I'll make the trade-off eventually, but it will be for the advantages apparent in my next vehicle and not any downside of the Ody.
Well thought I would share my Car buying experience and why I ended up with an odyssey. This might get long so consider yourself warned.
For the past 3-4 months I have been steadily looking for a new vehicle. I had a few must haves for my next vehicle. Must seat at least 7. Must have rear A/C and Heat. Must have full power and Cd. Must not break the bank. I considered everything from the new XC90 to the Kia Sedona. The finalists for me were as follows Ford Expedition (03) and Explorer, MDX, MPV, Honda Pilot and Odyssey. I came really close to pulling the trigger on a Pilot and Expedition but walked away at the last minute. First why I didn't choose the others.
Ford Expedition: I actually liked this the best. It had a lot of room and features not available on others. Safety Canopy, Rear back up sensors in dash 6 disc player and more on the Eddie Bauer. The bad part was price, gas mileage and resale value. I think the reliabilty would be ok it is the most reliable full size SUV and the Expedition board has not posted of many problems. The resale really killed it and the fact that this would be my second car I couldn't justify paying 35k+ for it.
Ford Explorer: I liked this too. Rented one and was very impressed. The third row wasn't usable enough for me and the resale on these are horrendous. I don't keep cars more than 3 yrs so resale is a big thing. I have office mates that have had bad experiences with explorers also so I stayed away.
Acura MDX: Before Driving the Expedition this was my favorite. It was safe seated 7 and a luxury vehicle and nameplate. What killed it for me was pricing I refused to pay MSRP and this vehicle would have been 10k more than the vehicle I bought with almost the same powertrain. Sorry I don't have cash to throw away like that.
Honda Pilot: Nice truck but the styling is very bland and the third row seat is pretty tight. Even though I could get a decent price it would have been 3-5k more than the oddy and just not worth it.
MPV: I think resale value and size kind of killed it for me it is a nice van. I may have paid 2500 more for the oddy but I think I will see that on the back end.
Odyssey: My wife and I are pretty young and felt that we weren't ready for minivan life. But having two kids and a house told us we were. The odyssey had the best blend of what we liked of the other vehicles. Almost all the same features of the pilot minus awd plus more room and cargo space. The Oddy almost offers as much room as the expedition and will probably get better gas mileage than my current car. Add in the fact that I got a good price and 3.49% financing I would have been dumb not to take it. Below is a break down of what I paid. I probably paid 3-400 more than I should have but I got the exact color and features I wanted right now with no wait. I purchased at gillman honda in Houston.
MSRP of Midnight Blue Pearl EX - 27360 Sealant side sticker of 695 (refused to pay this)
Purchase Price - 25671 Tax (6.25%)- 1604.45 Title, license, doc and misc - 176 Vin etching and security system - 299 Gap Insurance - 302 Total out the door price is right at 28000
I was offered a 6yr/80k mile warranty for 1195. I agreed at first but will cancel and buy a honda care warranty off the net if needed but like I said I usually don't keep vehicles more than 3 yrs so this will be a waste. I also received 3.49% for 60 months. All in all I think it was a good deal.
Gap is a good precaution my current insurance company does not offer it. I wish my sedan had it. I was thinking it might not be such a necessity on the ody as it holds it value so well and unless I wreck it tomorrow God forbid I shouldn't be upside down on it. I have 10 days to cancel that and the warranty if I do it takes my out the door price under 28k.
I have State Farm Auto insurance and have never heard of Gap insurance. I was wondering what it was. I could make a guess.
I do know that the auto insurance a person has does not cover buying another vehicle of like condition. It falls short. They give you what they say is what your vehicle was worth. When you go to buy a replacement vehicle you find that you can not buy one for that amount of money. I would call that a gap.
I was told on new vehicles once though that if it was only 6 months old or less they would pay for a new one, if it was totaled.
Gap Insurance will pay off your loan no matter what the car is worth. It is almost always included on leases and now are showing up on retail contracts. Take my 300M for example it is not covered by gap. If it was totalled I would get about 18k from the insurance company however my loan balance is more than 22k so I am on the hook for 4k+ because it has depreciated so much. The ody depriciates a lot slower so gap isn't as much of a big deal.
With the expected arrival of our twins this Feb., my wife and I have decided to trade our CRV in for a minivan. My father-in-law is a retired Chrysler engineer, but we just can't bring ourselves to buy a Chrysler van despite the employee discount! Six rock-solid Hondas will do this to you (Civic, CRX, Integra, Civic, Civic, CRV). We have the opportunity to get a '99 Ody EX (dark emerald) with 39K miles (and in great shape) at a great price. A new Ody is out of the question due to cost (unless we lease, and I'm not completely sold on leasing). I've been reading a lot about the transmission issues in the '99-'01's, and I know that the power door sensors have been a thorn in Honda's side for a while. But if we buy the '99, we would also buy an extended warranty through warrantybynet, so any future issues should be covered until the car is paid off. Despite the tranny issues, is everyone still happy with their purchase? Should we go for Honda #7?
We are on our 2nd Ody (2000/2003)and they are great! We bought the first when our twins were born. We leased because we were not sure we were ready to become owners of a mini-van. Like the car so much when lease ended we bought an '03 and celebrated with the birth of our 3rd child.
Nothing beats the flexibility of the magic seat and the room in the van.
I would definetly go with the extended warranty to cover you for the doors, etc. I would stick with HondaCare. See posts under finanance and warranty. Unless you live in FL you should be able to pick up for $900.
Also, I think the 99/00 come with the 100K on the transmission.
Best of luck on the twins, get your sleep now, you'll need it!!!
We have a 99 Ody that I drive (wife drives Pilot) and I have been remarking lately with all the new car talk; Element, Accord...that I still really enjoy the 99 Ody. In fact I find it more enjoyable to drive than the Pilot. Doesn't feel nearly as large though they weigh the same weight, and Ody is almost two feet longer.
Came across an epinions review where reviewer (Mkaresh) remarked that 03 Odys are more plush/quiet and don't handle as sharp as the 99/00/01.
We had the door teething problems that dealer solved and is now etched in their computer for subsequent work. No hint of tranny difficulty, but we'll see. No other difficulties, and mileage has jumped up after 50K miles to about 20 mpg for my routine, up from 17-18...??? But I'm not complaining.
Best of all, Odys 99 and newer all have the quadruple five star crash test ratings. Enjoy.
Yes. I haven't checked lately, but as I remember there are one or two minivans which have a better reliability then the Odyssey. The Odyssey appears however, to become more reliable the later the model it is.
I choose the Odyssey over the other minivans because of number one safety, and number two the folding third seat. The other factors added into the decision.
Of the five new cars I have owned, the Odyssey is the only one I have been almost completely happy with. Actually the only thing I would add is a device that warns me of something in the back blind spot, below the back window. I know they sell those things.
There have been some unfortunate accidents, because of that blind spot, where a child was back there and was hurt.
Comments
P.S. I'm also working on a DIY fix for the tranny so folks don't have to worry about Honda not picking up the whole tab. It will probably cost more than 1.00 USD though. I have a friend who has a lot of die making equipment and figure I could do the whole assembly using sch. 40 PVC.
Thanks,
Bdaddy, I guess that means you'll have to make an additional set of guage faces for when the lights are on. It shouldn't slow you down too much to change the face before you drive off at night.
But I'd be willing to bet it was the Honda dealer who "implanted a tracking chip somewhere" in your body!
Rimshot!
i like colored lighting of any kind! orange, green, blue, red,...heck..i even like purple gauges!!!
...whew!...i feel better now.
listen, everyone...i know there are lots more out there like me...have the courage to come out! we are a team! new chant:
"WE RAGE..ABOUT COLORED GAUGE! GET USED TO IT!!"
back me up, my brothers and sisters!!
Despite the tranny and door problems, we still like the Ody, with the exception of the fact that the third row does not split like in some other minivans and in the Pilot. With 3 strapped in seats for the kids, it does make the "Magic Seat" much less attractive.
So...I'd like to hear opinions of people who have looked at both the Ody and Pilot (or any other choice that makes sense). In fact, I'm not opposed to looking at the recent DC choices, despite my wife's objections.
Although I'm not really an "SUV" fan, the Pilot appears to have a lot of the advantages of a minivan, including the split fold flat floor, DVD system, comfortable seating for 7/8, and reasonable cargo capacity. I really don't care about AWD (the Caravan has always performed acceptably in the small amount of snow we get), but I'm not opposed to paying for it if the whole package makes more sense.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Mike
You have a different situation with the 3rd kid. You may be able to fit three seats in the Pilot's middle row. However, the kids will be beating the crap out of each other on long trips. In the Odyssey you will need to put one kid in the third row. The third row should be safe and comfortable but it may be a pain getting the kid in/out of the seat. Another benefit to the Odyssey is the storage space behind the third row. When the 3rd row is "up" in the Pilot, there is very little room for storage (with 3 kids storage is a necessity.
Good Luck
Steve, Host
I was also concerned with the accessbility of the third rowm since the 2nd row seats 3. Again, sight unseen, I was hoping one of my older kids (currently 7 and 4) could easily climb in the back and buckle themselves in.
As I stated before, I am more a fan of minivans than SUV's, and if the Ody's 3rd row wer split, I probably wouldn't have 2nd thoughts.
Does the Pilot have the deep well where the 3rd row folds into like the Ody, or does it fold flat like other SUV's to make it even with the area behind the 3rd row?
Lastly, (and thanks for your patience), does the Pilot feel a roomy as the Ody? The pics I've see make the 2nd row appear pretty tight, but it may be due to the fact that it's wider.
Thanks,
Mike
One other bit of info. The Odyssey gets better gas mileage and is about $2-3K cheaper (comparable models).
There is also considerable room behind the 3rd row in the Odyssey. The 04 version may have a split third row.
I drive the Ody and wife drives the Pilot. We used to have a 95 Grand Caravan AWD
They are very different vehicles, and year models.
The Pilot is almost luxurious - very quiet, powerful, well damped ride, good cargo space, but no Odyssey (or any other mini-van at 90cf) & AWD. Poor gas mileage (especially if you enjoy the motor;-) in city/suburban - about 17 mpg, and range - usually about 300 miles. Handles well but not sporty even with Michellin X-Terrain upgrade.
The Odyssey is capacious, capacious, capacious, handles incredibly well- almost sporty, very quiet (64db) to moderately (68db) quiet depending on road surface with Michellin X radials, good acceleration, but 4spd gearing is too tall. I always fill 93 octane cause regular feels like I lost a gear. Mileage at 55K miles is almost 20 mpg in driving similar to Pilot and mid 20s for freeway driving. My first few tanks when driving it cross country from mid-west dealer to Muddland were 25 mpg. And this while traveling mid-70s over mountain passes.
The new Odysseys are reported to have lots more sound insulation, suspension tuned more for comfort now along with Pilot motor and 5spd trans. I think the big difference between the two for me was that the Pilot pampers you with a more personnal/intimate driving environment (did I mention the electro-luminescent gauges) and the Odyssey has a less luxurious dash/steering and more wide open cockpit. Our 5 & 10 yr olds enjoy the "Pirate" over the Ody - they argue over the way back. Granny prefers getting in and out of the Ody due to the lower floor.
If we could only keep one vehicle, it would probably be the Pilot. Unfortunately, wife is so fond of it that I would end up walking.
Now, we are having to deal with a highly pitched clicking mettalic noise when the car is cold (not a belt slipping type of noise), that disappears after 30-40s. After two visits at the local dealer, a diagnostic is still to be determined.
Altogether, I am not satisfied with the car's record so far. We had many other Honda cars ('94 Legend GS, '93 Accord EX, '98 Integra GSR) and all of them had significantly better reliability. I understand that Honda has to cut costs to make money on the Odys, however the quality has degraded pretty badly. Add the cheap interior materials, and you get a very disappointing picture.
We would have dumped the car already, but we need the space to shuttle a twin jogging stroller plus lots of baby related equipment, so we're into another couple of years of ownership. Hopefully the pace things are breaking will slow a little.
Steve, Host
For persons who bought the 2000 and up Odysseys, they could have gotten access to sufficient data to make a decision on what minivan to buy. Also for what I consider a low cost of about $900, they could have gotten a 7yr/100k mile/0 ded, Honda Care Warranty.
The 2000 through 2003 Odysseys have a very good reliability record and if you add an extended warranty you are well covered. I don't see where you would have done better or significantly better anyway, with another minivan, and you could easily have done worse.
There are always going to be those unlucky persons who buy a vehicle, which is much less reliable then the average for that same make and year of vehicle. There is no certainty in life. The only extended warranties I buy, on a regular basis, is for a new car. It is worth the piece of mind to me.
Also knowing that some persons are harder on a vehicle then others, they wear them out quicker by where and how they drive them, some persons are going to have more reliability problems with their vehicle then others.
Our 99 Ody EX went through the door teething problems but were resolved by our current dealer. Also have not had the other problems you describe. I replaced the brakes at 50K miles at current dealer recommendation (he showed me the worn calipers & he advised that I did not need to shave the rotors if there was no vibration currently).
I too have the desire to switch to a "different vehicle" but the general high level of satisfaction I get from my Ody makes it tough and the issues I have had don't justify getting rid of the Ody or dissing it.
Would be nice to do 0-60 in 7sec like in the Accord EX V6 I test drove, but I couldn't shop the Discount Warehouses with impunity, nor have the Ody 36 foot turning radius (40 feet on Accord), nor the elevated driving position.
Would be nice to AWD, accelerate, and "style" like in wife's Pilot, but I'd feel the higher gas consumption, and be self conscious about parking and mileage.
Would be nice to toss the x-mas tree or the mtn bikes in the back then hose out the interior like in the Element, and spurt around but I'd lose 70 cf of cargo space (77 vs 150 cf cargo vol), only seat 4 and wouldn't have that glorious 6cyl motor (though the 4cyl Accord 5spd auto was impressive). Nor would I be able to transport my 48" deck Sears lawn tractor like in my Ody...but I am going check on that.
I'll make the trade-off eventually, but it will be for the advantages apparent in my next vehicle
and not any downside of the Ody.
For the past 3-4 months I have been steadily looking for a new vehicle. I had a few must haves for my next vehicle. Must seat at least 7. Must have rear A/C and Heat. Must have full power and Cd. Must not break the bank. I considered everything from the new XC90 to the Kia Sedona. The finalists for me were as follows Ford Expedition (03) and Explorer, MDX, MPV, Honda Pilot and Odyssey. I came really close to pulling the trigger on a Pilot and Expedition but walked away at the last minute. First why I didn't choose the others.
Ford Expedition:
I actually liked this the best. It had a lot of room and features not available on others. Safety Canopy, Rear back up sensors in dash 6 disc player and more on the Eddie Bauer. The bad part was price, gas mileage and resale value. I think the reliabilty would be ok it is the most reliable full size SUV and the Expedition board has not posted of many problems. The resale really killed it and the fact that this would be my second car I couldn't justify paying 35k+ for it.
Ford Explorer:
I liked this too. Rented one and was very impressed. The third row wasn't usable enough for me and the resale on these are horrendous. I don't keep cars more than 3 yrs so resale is a big thing. I have office mates that have had bad experiences with explorers also so I stayed away.
Acura MDX:
Before Driving the Expedition this was my favorite. It was safe seated 7 and a luxury vehicle and nameplate. What killed it for me was pricing I refused to pay MSRP and this vehicle would have been 10k more than the vehicle I bought with almost the same powertrain. Sorry I don't have cash to throw away like that.
Honda Pilot:
Nice truck but the styling is very bland and the third row seat is pretty tight. Even though I could get a decent price it would have been 3-5k more than the oddy and just not worth it.
MPV:
I think resale value and size kind of killed it for me it is a nice van. I may have paid 2500 more for the oddy but I think I will see that on the back end.
Odyssey:
My wife and I are pretty young and felt that we weren't ready for minivan life. But having two kids and a house told us we were. The odyssey had the best blend of what we liked of the other vehicles. Almost all the same features of the pilot minus awd plus more room and cargo space. The Oddy almost offers as much room as the expedition and will probably get better gas mileage than my current car. Add in the fact that I got a good price and 3.49% financing I would have been dumb not to take it. Below is a break down of what I paid. I probably paid 3-400 more than I should have but I got the exact color and features I wanted right now with no wait. I purchased at gillman honda in Houston.
MSRP of Midnight Blue Pearl EX - 27360
Sealant side sticker of 695 (refused to pay this)
Purchase Price - 25671
Tax (6.25%)- 1604.45
Title, license, doc and misc - 176
Vin etching and security system - 299
Gap Insurance - 302
Total out the door price is right at 28000
I was offered a 6yr/80k mile warranty for 1195. I agreed at first but will cancel and buy a honda care warranty off the net if needed but like I said I usually don't keep vehicles more than 3 yrs so this will be a waste. I also received 3.49% for 60 months. All in all I think it was a good deal.
Thanks
Congrats for your new Odyssey.
GAP insurance $302= Dealer mark up.
Regards,
bjk2001
I do know that the auto insurance a person has does not cover buying another vehicle of like condition. It falls short. They give you what they say is what your vehicle was worth. When you go to buy a replacement vehicle you find that you can not buy one for that amount of money. I would call that a gap.
I was told on new vehicles once though that if it was only 6 months old or less they would pay for a new one, if it was totaled.
Your car gets totaled and, if your loan is paid off, you can actually afford to get a new car in most cases.
We are on our 2nd Ody (2000/2003)and they are great! We bought the first when our twins were born. We leased because we were not sure we were ready to become owners of a mini-van. Like the car so much when lease ended we bought an '03 and celebrated with the birth of our 3rd child.
Nothing beats the flexibility of the magic seat and the room in the van.
I would definetly go with the extended warranty to cover you for the doors, etc. I would stick with HondaCare. See posts under finanance and warranty. Unless you live in FL you should be able to pick up for $900.
Also, I think the 99/00 come with the 100K on the transmission.
Best of luck on the twins, get your sleep now, you'll need it!!!
Came across an epinions review where reviewer (Mkaresh) remarked that 03 Odys are more plush/quiet and don't handle as sharp as the 99/00/01.
We had the door teething problems that dealer solved and is now etched in their computer for subsequent work. No hint of tranny difficulty, but we'll see. No other difficulties, and mileage has jumped up after 50K miles to about 20 mpg for my routine, up from 17-18...??? But I'm not complaining.
Best of all, Odys 99 and newer all have the quadruple five star crash test ratings. Enjoy.
I choose the Odyssey over the other minivans because of number one safety, and number two the folding third seat. The other factors added into the decision.
Of the five new cars I have owned, the Odyssey is the only one I have been almost completely happy with. Actually the only thing I would add is a device that warns me of something in the back blind spot, below the back window. I know they sell those things.
There have been some unfortunate accidents, because of that blind spot, where a child was back there and was hurt.