Honda Odyssey

[princesspwrhr]

Do any of the newer models have interior storage for the middle seat? I have the 2005 and it has the lazy susan/ storage for the seat. IIRC it's the last year to have the lazy susan addition, but I *think* the 06 still had the storage for the seat. The pics from the 2011 don't look like it has storage for the seat.

 

[claytonsmama]

we have a 2003 and we loved it...until this week when we found out that it needs a new transmission dh is very handy, but even so, it is almost $3000.00 for honda to do it they want $5800.00. we have driven to disney, williamsburg, myrtle beach numerous times and love the comfort of the van. we also had the issue of the passenger side door quit working. dh finally fixed it.

 

[walkdmc]

They're great. I had a 2004 which I just traded in for a 2011 Buick Enclave. I was (or so I thought) over the minivan stage and our Odyssey had 145,000 miles and Buick had 0%APR.

Things I miss about my van:

automatic sliding back doors, great for kids
smooth ride, even at 145k miles
great gas mileage 22city/26highway, even at 145k miles and took 87 octane!
leather upholstery was very high quality and didn't have one tear or thinning area
the space, the space, the space - I could fit more into that back area, with the 3rd row recessed, than my DH could fit into the back of his short-bed pick-up
DVD player, never had one problem and was played constantly
reliabiltiy - it never broke down, not once
cheap oil changes, my Buick's oil changes are 2x more
cheap tires

What I don't miss:
It was terrible in the snow. I think this is a class issue as most minivans are bad in snow. I've been told the Toyota minivan has AWD, but I never looked into this so I don't know for sure.

In comparison, my Buick's interior leather and carpet is cheap, cheap, cheap. The leather is already showing wear and deep creases and we've only had the car since December. The carpet and plastic that make up the rest of the interior is also cheap. There are some deep scratches from my kids shoes, on the back of the driver's seat. The leather on the seats doesn't extend to the entire seat, it just covers the top. The rest of the seat is covered by fabric/plastic...not like my van which had all leather, except for the back which was a much better material than my Enclave.

And although the Buick has a better 3rd row than most SUV-crossovers, it's still not nearly as comfortable as the van's 3rd row.

Minivans are not cool. They will never be cool and my current mid-life "situation" requires I feel cool. So, I won't have another minivan, but if I had very young kids, I'd have one in a heartbeat and I wouldn't hesitate to get an Odyssey.

 

[disneymarie]

The only drawback is that it is one big blind spot. I have turned into a horrible driver since we got the van. You look both ways, start to go, then someone's there. Merging lanes is frightening. You turn back to look and all you see are the sides of the van. It's almost impossible to see when you're backing up. I just hope for the best.

I wasn't suprised when I saw the commercial for the new Odyssey that said it had some sort of warning sound for the blind spot.

I agree about the blind spot, caught a rear passenger fender 4 weeks ago backing out of a driveway and scrapped a pole.
Could not see it at all.

In 2005 bought the 2002 at a huge savings over new. The warranty was transferable too.

BUT the gas mileage has it sitting unless we are on a day outing and need to fit the family.

 

[santadog]

I have a 96 Odyssey, and apart from routine maintenance, I have only had one issue, that cost under a grand to fix.
We're pushing about 140K miles on it, and it's still going strong (knock on wood)
Love it, and my mechanic tells me it will probably rust out before the engine goes.

 

[Melrosgirl]

I've had a sienna and odyssey. Loved them both. Was in market for a new minivan this year and drove them both (2011) - the limited and touring elite versions. I went with the Sienna bc it was nicer looking than the Odyssey. I dislike the exterior of the Odyssey very much. The Sienna also was quieter on the road.

 

[twinglesmome]

I have a 2002 Honda Odyssey with over 145K miles. Just two months ago the transmission was replaced--about $3,000. The minivan was otherwise in excellent condition and that's why we opted for the repair.

Love, love, love the Odyssey.

 

[kerryk74]

The new Odyssey does not have storage for middle seat...for the person who asked...

I was not happy about this, but the hubby seems to think that the seats made for "stow and go" are not as big, comfortable, etc... I think it would be great to have, but it was not a deal breaker. Our son vomited everywhere about two weeks after we bought our first Odyssey...and I can say that I was more than thankful that the seats were removable!!!

The 2011 Touring has a back-up camera, as well as, the blind spot alert. I have become SO spoiled with these, and I feel much safer. As someone who is 5 feet tall, these things make driving a mini-van much easier!

We've had our new one since October, and I LOVE it!!!!!!

 

[choppee]

another honda odyssey lover here! 2006 ex-l. best car EVER.

didn't really want to go the minivan route before we bought, but with all the amenities....got the leather, got the navi, got the dvd, got the headphones, got everything. and have used everything! love, love, love this car for trips as well. rides well and is very comfortable. give it a test drive!

 

[shortbun]

We had a 2001, now we have a 2009 Touring. Aside from the 'run flats', I love my Odyssey. We had to replace a tire, it cost $350. Really stupid design choice by Honda. I've written and complained. If we have another soon, we'll replace them all with regular tires.

 

[puakinikini]

We love our 2007 Odyssey - we had a 2001 before buying this one. I recently test-drove the 2011 and was very impressed with all the gadgets. I prefer the EX-L b/c I have to have the automatic doors.

 

[jrw118]

I just bought a 2007 EXL on Friday. Only had 20,711 miles. So far I love it. We have been contemplating this one for a while. Although I loved the 2011 I will never buy brand new due to depreciation costs.