Honda Odyssey vs Chrysler Town & Country

[hockeyprincess]

I know this has been haggled here in and out many times in the past. Coming back to ask for your opinions/advice as to what to do....here's my situation:

Bought a brand new car back in July 2006. Loved it, but from day 1 had nothing but problems. Filed lemon law suit against GM and settled right before they filed bankruptcy a few years back. I got approx $2K from the settlement, not even close to what I wanted but on the advice from my attorney, took what they were offering at the time as we knew bankruptcy was looming for GM & I would have gotten nothing. Glad I did it, as if I had waited I would have got nothing. Fast forward to today... not *many* problems since the settlement, thank goodness. Brakes have been replaced once, rotors turned 3x already and needing done again... need new tires at this point. The rotor thing has got me, why do they need turned so much? I'm not hard on them or anything, I think it's just junk material on the car. Anyway....

Wanting something a little bigger with more room for the kids (we have 2 kids) so a van is not a necessity but would be nice. I drove an Odyssey last week but still looking at T & C also. Have not driven one yet. I know Honda's last for ever and ever... but we currently have a Dodge (car) and it has over 200K miles on it, and have a friend also with a Dodge with 300K+ miles on it. So this tells me that Chrysler products last as long as Honda, at least this is my opinion, wanting to know what your opinion was on these two choices?

Also I still owe $7500 approx on my car, and they are only wanting to give $6500 for trade. Given the work that needs put into it right now as it sits ($500 for tires, $200 approx for brakes) would I really be in that bad of shape to trade at this point?

Ah....decisions. I just want something that's gonna last, as this car should, but it's not! And if we make any road trips or anything, something where the kids are not sitting on top of each other and picking on each other, as they are now. I was also considering an Acadia, but again, a GM product, and not really wanting to go down that road again. ALSO not wanting a $500 per month car payment!

 

[mrsbballref]

Just a vote for the Town and Country. I absolutely love mine! I am on my third Chrysler product in a row. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then a Dodge Grand Caravan and now the Chrysler Town and Country. I had over 115k miles on each of my two previous vehicles before I traded them. I had zero problems out of them, I just wanted something new.

I drove the Odyssey and loved it too, but for the features on my Town and Country that was listed at 36k, the Odyssey was 44k. Then with rebates and such, the Town and Country was much less! Yes, resale is going to be less, but the initial cost is a lot less too. So, what's important to you?

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with the Town and Country. Good luck!

 

[hockeyprincess]

That's good to know! The T & C's are significantly cheaper with similar options, so I'm very much considering going that way. True about the resale value, but hoping to get something I can drive for several years (and then a couple more!) and still have little to no problems, so hoping at that point resale value will be a mute point. This car purchase was my first brand new car and I am very disappointed with all the issues I've had with it. I might mention, we have 3 of these cars in my family, 2 identical except for color, and mine is the only one with these problems. Boo!

 

[mombare]

We currently have a 2005 T & C, and it has been a pretty good vehicle. We are hard on our vehicles...push maintenance out as long as we can and put a LOT of miles on each year. It currently has over 130,000 miles on it (we did buy it used). I feel like we are constantly doing something with the brakes, and the rotors need to be turned quite often. It may just be my imagination, or simply we drive a lot!

There are a few little "glitches" that we found in ours...the sliding passenger doors have broken (the wires held in the casing at the bottom were exposed) and the automatic locks stopped working for a while. These two things are outside the normal wear and tear, and were annoying until my husband rigged something up to fix them. Upon researching each of the issues, we found others who have had the same experience and found solutions to them. Just an annoyance.

I will admit the vehicle is not my favorite, but for no reason in particular. I did not want a minivan, but caved to my husband even though it is my vehicle. I would much rather prefer and SUV. It does get the job done, though!

 

[TiggerTails57]

Love my ten year old Oddy we had since brand new......

 

[SarahKate]

Have you thought about something in between a van and car, like an SUV?

As far as reliability, you'll find people who've had their Odyssey for years and years and have not had any problems. We personally had a leased Odyssey for about 4 years and it was GREAT. No problems and it was so comfortable.

We then downgraded to a Honda Accord about two years ago - we did that because gas was hovering around $4/gallon and at the time SUV's got bad gas mileage.

We have one kid so didn't need anything huge. But we had gotten so used to having a van that we never really got used to having a car.

Fast forward to March - we actually traded in our Accord for a 2011 Kia Sorento. We were able to get it at invoice cost, PLUS $2000 in rebates. So our V6 Sorento we got about $4k off sticker price (plus we ended up $2k ahead on our trade because they gave us KBB). We ended up paying about $24 for the Sorento all together.

For the cost range, you can't BEAT the features. It has everything - backup sensors, bluetooth, Sirius built in, 3rd row, and it has a LOT of space inside for an SUV of that size.......it has plenty of room in that 2nd row for two kids (could get a 3rd person there if needed, but not for a long trip).

Just something to consider!

 

[d1gitman]

we have owned 3 odyssey's, 1 chevy venture and 1 dodge caravan for our family vehicle. i will never own a chrysler product again!. Honda and Toyota rule! (yes, even Toyota with their latest woes).

we had lots of major probs with the caravan...tranny, A/C, brake system, electrical. the chevy venture had tranny issues and $1100 engine problem. our honda's and toyota's have been flawless.

when my wife had a fender bender on the odyssey, we had a current T&C for a rental. the dashboard had a mind of it's own and the lights and warnings would come on and off at random. the tranny shifted rough and the whole thing just didn't measure up to our odyssey.

i highly recommend a honda or toyota product.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We currently have a 2005 T & C, and it has been a pretty good vehicle. We are hard on our vehicles...push maintenance out as long as we can and put a LOT of miles on each year. It currently has over 130,000 miles on it (we did buy it used). I feel like we are constantly doing something with the brakes, and the rotors need to be turned quite often. It may just be my imagination, or simply we drive a lot!

There are a few little "glitches" that we found in ours...the sliding passenger doors have broken (the wires held in the casing at the bottom were exposed) and the automatic locks stopped working for a while. These two things are outside the normal wear and tear, and were annoying until my husband rigged something up to fix them. Upon researching each of the issues, we found others who have had the same experience and found solutions to them. Just an annoyance.

I will admit the vehicle is not my favorite, but for no reason in particular. I did not want a minivan, but caved to my husband even though it is my vehicle. I would much rather prefer and SUV. It does get the job done, though!

We have a 2005 T&C too and love it...except for the fact about the auto locks stopped working about 1 year ago! We change the fuse..they work for awhile and then they stop again! Can you steer me towards a website that can give me directions on how to fix that problem??

 

[heatherleigh]

Get the Odyssey, and stay CLEAR of the Chrysler!! We are on our second Chrysler minivan, and are having the same problems we did with the first.

I only have 17K miles on it, and had to have the brakes completely replaced (almost metal to metal) a couple mos back. The same thing happened w/ our first one when it was less than a yr old. And no, it has nothing to do w/ the driving because my hubby drove the first one and I'm the sole driver of this one. We have never had brake problems in ANY of our other vehicles.

My transmission is popping too, and feels as if it's going to go out at any moment. I cannot wait to get out of this hunk of junk this fall.

 

[mombare]

loveysbydesign: You actually have to reset something - can't remember what, though. Apparently it is a common problem, and happens more when you use your keyless remote to LOCK the vehicle (unlocking is ok). I am very conscious about only locking the van from inside the van (before closing the door, obviously). Just a quick google search noted unplugging the fuse, but I think we unplugged the battery. We have had to do it 2 times (owned the vehicle for 4 years). I will see what my hubby says tonight and try to get back to you!

 

[nexttrip4us]

We have two Odysseys...an 03 with over 90K and an 05 with over 70K and we love them! They'll be with our family for a long time to come!!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I have oned every minivan made including multiple Odysseys & Chrysler product. Chrysler wins hands down. The van rides better, the price is better, & service is soo much btter at Chrysler. Google Honda + Transmission problems. People will ALWAYS defend Honda even when they make sub par vehicles. Just like people are defending Toyota.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Get the Odyssey, and stay CLEAR of the Chrysler!! We are on our second Chrysler minivan, and are having the same problems we did with the first.

I only have 17K miles on it, and had to have the brakes completely replaced (almost metal to metal) a couple mos back. The same thing happened w/ our first one when it was less than a yr old. And no, it has nothing to do w/ the driving because my hubby drove the first one and I'm the sole driver of this one. We have never had brake problems in ANY of our other vehicles.

My transmission is popping too, and feels as if it's going to go out at any moment. I cannot wait to get out of this hunk of junk this fall.

What year is your van? There is a flash they can do to fix the transmission issue.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

We have a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. Never again!

At 13,000 miles we had to fully replace the brakes...pads, rotars you name it..$700!! And of course I was 2 weeks out of the warranty for yhm. Then at 16k we had to replace the pads again! And now at almost 20k they're squeaking again! I have 4 kids and can't keep taking in this stupid van every few months to get the brakes fixed!

My transmission is also slipping. Have taken it into the dealer several times. They run a test on it...computer shows no problem. Okay then. Also have power windows that have gotten stuck but computer doesn't show that either. And of course their computers are never wrong...I must just prefer drivng with my windows down when it's snowng!

In the long run I'm not going to save a dime by buying this van. By the time I'm done paying it off I will surely need to buy a new one. Where as had gone with a Honda I would get a lot more years out of it!!

 

[kacaju]

does the Honda's or Toyota's have the fold down flat 2nd and 3rd row seating?? We are starting to look at a new minivan (we have a 2001 windstar with 133,000 miles) I really, really want the stow and go seating due to our going to dog shows. I keep one seat out of the van all the time for the crate, but with 3 kids there are times I need all 5 seats in the back. I love the idea of the stow and go because I can keep the dog crates in the van, yet if I am picking up my dd from somewhere and I get asked to bring a few friends home I would be able to fold up the crates and have seats!!!!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I can tell you that my BIL works at the local Honda plant here in Alabama----he by choice DOES NOT drive a Honda.

 

[the chick & the duck]

Had a T&C-a lot of problems. Now own an Odyssey and LOVE it. I did like the stow and go seating though.

 

[Poohbug]

I would not buy the Chrysler just because of my own experiences with that manufacturer. They look great and have great interiors but any Chrysler product I have owned has had problems-a lot of them.

A lot of people will not buy Fords and I have loved all of my Fords. We used to have a GM plant and plenty of their employees would not drive a GM.

I think you just have to drive both and make your own decision based on what is important to you.

 

[wdwdclfan]

I LOVE my (3rd) Odyssey

 

[Scurvy]

I recommend checking out the Consumer Reports issue about cars (March or April, I'm not sure which) and also the reviews on edmunds.com. Those are both well respected when it comes to giving impartial car reviews and ratings. Based on those two resources (and my previous experiences with Dodge and Chrysler minivans), I personally would not consider the T&C. It got bad reviews this year (CR called it a disappointment) but the Odyssey was much more highly rated and got great reviews. I don't have either - I have a Sienna, but when it's time to replace it I will almost certainly get either another Sienna or an Odyssey depending on which one is more highly rated that year.