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Comments
Don't be so quick to blame an accident on the lack of AWD when, in fact, stability control is likely more useful in terms of accident avoidance. My personal preference is to have a vehicle with competent handling dynamics assisted by ABS, stability control and traction control. To me, AWD is expensive, complex and likely just another source of aggravation.
As for the 05' Odyssey - it looks like they pulled a Freestar, albeit with a far superior starting point. In fact, despite the advancements made by DC and Toyota, I thought the 04' Odyssey was the best van around. The improvements for 05' should further widen the gap.
My two cents.
Steve, Host
Steve, Host
I really didn't get what all the praise was about and where it was coming from regarding interior materials of the Odyssey. I don't think the interior of the Odyssery has great materials at ALL! First of all, the front doors and door arm rests are hard...VERY HARD and uncomfortable to put your elbows and arms on. Second, the DASHBOARD, which is a MAJOR part of the interior of a car, LOOKS like it is soft to the touch, but it is actually HARD too! And it makes a hollow knocking noise when you knock on it lightly with your knuckles. The rest of the van is also full of hard plastics - especially the cargo area. So what is all this praise for the interior of the Odyssey, YET for the Quest, Edmunds states that they don't like the hard plastics in the interior when I found the interior of the Quest to be NICER and it had either the same amount or LESS hard plastic than the Odyseey. And the dashboard material of the Quest and door and door arm rest material are better and nicer than the Odyssey. I just don't get it.
Then, I made the mistake of DRIVING my brother in law's Odyssey. Yeah, it drove ok and it was easy to drive. But it didn't feel special in anyway. It hardly even felt NEW!! I normally drive a 2003 Accord EX and that car feels AWESOME and I love the ride, engine, feel and steering wheel - and interior and interior materials - of that car. But the Odyssey didn't impress me at ALL! It felt like an old Honda. It felt like my mother's first 1995 Honda Accord EX. In fact, it felt like my brother in law's busted 1991 White, squeaky, Accord LX that he still has. It felt the SAME! And the steering wheel is so thin that it doesn't feel good in your hands. The Quest felt a LOT better to drive and actually felt like a new car!
So I just don't get all this praise in favor of the Odyssey. Nice minivan..yes..but it doesn't have nice interior materials and the drive isn't that great. I can't wait to test out the new one coming out though. I hope it's a lot better! From what I am reading it's proving to be the best thing since sliced bread, but the same held true for the previous one. We'll see.
As for the Quest. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder because I think the Nissan's interior is hideous.
I do have to ask...why would anyone want to knock on a dash with their knuckles?
That's a new one and I thought I had seen it all!
Jimxo has started the new Honda Odyssey 2005+ discussion so please take the new model info over there.
Steve, Host
I'm not trying to knock the '04 Ody at all. I like it, I just don't understand how "they" can say it has such great interior materials when the doors are SO hard you can't rest your elbows comfortably on them nor the top of the doors, and don't understand that the 2003 Accord has a soft touch dashboard, yet the Ody has a dashboard that sounds like hollow, hard plastic when you touch it - enough so to entice to knock on it lighly with your knuckles to see if in fact it is hard and hollow. Plus, the sqeak had me and my brother in law disappointed. So, how come all this praise for a 2004 Ody when it comes to interior materials, yet all this criticism for a Quest which has either equal or better interior materials? That's my question.
Plus, I mentioned the drive of the van. My brother in law came out of a very abused 1992, white, Honda Accord LX and HE even admitted that his new '04 Ody felt JUST like his old car and mentioned that MY '03 Accord felt a LOT better to drive. I HAD to agree with him. The '04 Ody's drive didn't feel new or special at all - it felt like an old Honda, not a new one and, for me, the steering wheel is way too thin. The Quest felt MUCH better when I drove it and it's steering wheel feels downright sporty and thick especially compared to the Honda. These things disappointed me since, in addition to being a "NissanFan" I am also a Honda Fan - perhaps I should change my sign-in name? These are just my observations. I would like to have your opinions on it and answers to the rear squeaking problem - if any others have experienced the same thing. Thanks.
We have had a 2003 Accord coupe and two 2004 Accord sedans. They do ride a bit "newer" as the Ody feels more like a 98-02 Accord. That said, the Ody will do 100 MPH like a champ, still handles well for such a tall, large vehicle, and it smooth as glass on the highways.
Thanks in advance.
But, real short trips is the worst thing you can do to MPG, and the ody is a fairly heavy vehicle, so 14-16 around town isn't out of line.
It does seem to do much better on the highway.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
No big deal, it's at 6,000 miles no so we will have it done with the first oil change in a couple of weeks.
Steve, Host
Thanks,
Amy
Try the Honda Odyssey Owners: Problems & Solutions discussion (and say Hi to Karen when you get there <g>).
Steve, Host
I now do tire rotation at Walmart. It only costs $6. Make sure to show them the rotation diagram from the owner's mannual. It should be cross rotated (i.e., front tires go back straight but rear tires go to the front cross.) You can also do the oil change at Walmart for $13 or $14. I would bring a Honda filter and ask Walmart to give you a credit on the cost of the after-market filter they would use.
I am close to buying a single private owned 2000 EX Odyssey. Tires - Yokohama < 10,000 miles old.
Mileage is 83000.
What shoudl I be worried about ? Brakes ? What are the important things to consider after 80,000 miles on a 2000 Odyssey ?
Any advice is greatly appreciated
Just wanted to report in and say our 04 Odyssey which we have had 7 months and put 7,000 miles on is doing great! No problems to report (knock on wood). We had a recall done for some type of fuel sensor and had the oil changed at 6,000 miles. It's getting about 25 MPG on average which is pretty good for something of it's size and power.
ksn: Just have a mechanic or Honda dealer look at the van to tell you if there are any outstanding issues. They can't catch everything but it will give you a better idea of how it was taken care of.
Some folks/groups may like the floaty/boaty feel of a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis - so these folks should look elsewhere from a Ody for that.
rockycow
tried it last night....thanks for the tip. will post in a while to update.
what to look out for - under warranty:
we have a new rebuilt transmission recently installed (warranty was extended to 100k, so no bills for this one),
door tends to stick and broke the door handle (4 kids) - they put in a teflon strip on the underside of the upper part of the sliding door -
egr valve replaced
some warranty issues with some wires in the engine compartment
other things to look out for
at least on the 99 - the loud speakers suck - i replaced with Infinity drivers
Honda front brakes tend wear out about every 24k miles
(don't use Napa brake pads - they wear well but are noisy as H***)
only use Honda tranny fluid - theirs has an additive that regular fluid doesn't have (really easy to do yourself by the way - no filters or pan gaskets involved)
otherwise - a great van
Where exactly did they put the teflon strip? Did they tell you if there was a service bulletin out or is this sonething the dealer came up with on his own?
Thanks.
Actually, the 05 Odyssey seems more like the 1999-2004 Odyssey than any other vehicle. When looking at parts diagrams at San Leandro Honda, it is clear that the 2004 Accord has a much different chassis and suspension from the 05 Odyssey.
However, the '04 and '05 Odyssey have many chassis and suspension parts that look quite similar although they may not share the same part numbers. Compare the floor panels. They look similar and share few identical parts. Same thing with the front and rear suspension.
To get my sliding door to work, I pulled fuses #13 and #1 (figured it could not hurt) from the passenger side fuse box for about one minute, put them back in, and voila, door doing its thing again...and, being Christmas Eve, I believe I gained some extra brownie points with Mrs. Claus on this one :-)
Most likely that hollow bolt got loose over time and it self-unwinds itself with the enrgy provided by the vibration and motion while driving.
The challenge is to get behind the dash - and yes, skinny arms and a small hand are an advantage!
The Dunlop A2 is a fine tire, but it is not at its best on a very heavy vehicle (I have Dunlop SP 5000 on my Lexus LS400 and love them, but it is a different type of tire).