Sienna or Oddesy?

[clj1410]

We brought a new Odyssey EX yesterday, and we love it. We did a lot of price searching from home. I emailed lots of the local Honda dealers and asked for their internet price, then i took the cheapest price and asked my local dealer to match it, which they did.

I have to admit we never drove the Sienna, so can not comment on it.

My Odyssey is an 8 seater, althought the 8th seat is quite small, but it is nice to have.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

You can't go wrong with either choice. They are both great vans - it just comes down to personal preference and who will give you a deal.

I have a 2008 Sienna, and I also had a 2004 and a 1999. They have been/were wonderful vans. I have never had any problems in ten years of driving Siennas. I also drove the Odyssey each time I went van shopping, but I preferred the ride of the Sienna. I think the Odyssey's ride is a bit stiffer and sportier - the Sienna is like driving a Camry.

My DSIL actually preferred the ride of the Odyssey, but she got a better deal on the Sienna and bought it instead. She loves it!

You're looking at two great choices - just pick the one you like the best and know you have purchased a reliable van that will last a long time.

 

[LIFERBABE]

We have both. A 2001 Sienna LE and a 2005 Ody XLE.

I loved the Sienna and am still impressed with the smooth ride even after all these years. Many trips to WDW in that one.

In 2005 we were looking to purchase a new van and I thought we would get the Sienna but their packages are crazy and to there was no way to get what I wanted no matter how much we paid. We wanted the 8 passenger and you cant get that in the higher end models which is also what we wanted.

So I shopped Honda and I could get the most features with the 8 passenger seating. They only thing I had to give up was the power rear hatch.

Ended up keeping the Sienna too, for Dh work vehicle.

The Ody is much bigger, has more cargo room and the rear seats stow flat. The middle seat folds down when not in use.

Both have been excellent vehicles, never needing more than routine maintenance.

The Ody sits higher, has a sturdier ride, and although bigger, I still get 21 mpg daily commuting. Honda also has out-engineered Toyota on many levels. They think of everything! There are still features on my Ody that are so forward thinking it's scary.

Both very good vehicles and I dont regret either purchase, but the Ody is my hands down favorite to drive.

 

[PrincessPirateMom]

We have an 8 passenger Sienna and love it! When we were shopping around we noticed that the 8 passenger model was selling for much cheaper than the 7 passenger. The dealer was motivated to sell it because it wasn't a popular model. As a mom to 3, I love the 8 passenger because there is no fighting to who sits in the back...no constant flipping sests to access the back etc... and we still have the entire back free for storage!

 

[adisneymama]

We checked out both as well, but went with the Honda. The Sienna was ok, but I felt a major difference in comfort as soon as I sat down in the Honda. Also, the Sienna lost out when my dh found out the battery is not in the engine compartment. It is in the rear of the vehicle. This was the 2006 model so I don't know if that has changed. I love my Honda! G/L!

 

[mjkacmom]

I did love my Odyssey, until the transmission went - under 50,000 miles! At first they were going to make us pay for the whole thing, but we battled, and ended up splitting it, after printing out pages and pages of discussion board forums regarding transmission issues with the older Odyssey's.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We checked out both as well, but went with the Honda. The Sienna was ok, but I felt a major difference in comfort as soon as I sat down in the Honda. Also, the Sienna lost out when my dh found out the battery is not in the engine compartment. It is in the rear of the vehicle. This was the 2006 model so I don't know if that has changed. I love my Honda! G/L!

That's very odd. I had a 1999 and a 2004 Sienna, and they both had batteries where they are supposed to be (I replaced the battery in both cars, so I'm sure ). My 2008, which is in my garage, has the battery in the engine compartment as well.

I've never heard of a Sienna with a battery in the rear of the van, and 2006 was not a year of big model changes. I think my DSIL's is a 2006 - I'll have to ask her. Did your DH actually see the battery in the rear of the van?

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I did love my Odyssey, until the transmission went - under 50,000 miles! At first they were going to make us pay for the whole thing, but we battled, and ended up splitting it, after printing out pages and pages of discussion board forums regarding transmission issues with the older Odyssey's.

I've never been a big fan of Honda transmissions, not that there is anything wrong with them. DH used to drive a Legend, which was a great car, but it shifted funny from 1st to 2nd. I almost bought a Civic as my first car, but I didn't like the way it shifted from 1st to 2nd. In those cases (as opposed to your case), I think it was operating as designed, but I didn't like the feel.

 

[Kies99]

We have a 2002 Odyssey and love it. Drive frequently from Pittsburgh to Durham, NC and Pittsburgh to Destin, FL. Never had a problem.

 

[cvjw]

I too, have had both an Oddesy and a Sienna. I loved both. I had the Oddesy first, and would have gotten another one, but the Honda dealer closest to my house is over 10 miles away. That makes it hard to leave for service. I recently bought a Sienna, because the Toyota dealer is only 5 miles away, and service is a breeze. You can't go wrong with either!! I put almost 100,000 miles on the Honda with nothing having to be repaired except scheduled maintenance, and expect the same from the Toyota.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

MIL has a 2004 honda odyssey. My good friend has a same year Sienna.

The odyssey has held up MUCH, MUCH better.

I'm a mazda girl myself, but they're not making regular minivans right now, just the xover cx9 and the micromini mazda5.

But if I had to choose (and we own a toyota and like them) I'd say the odyssey is built to last.

 

[unionville]

We have a 2000 Odyssey that we purchased new when our son was born. Nine years later and we still love it! We've never had any problems with the van except for routine maintenance.

 

[bahtandkids]

I just traded in my 2002 Odyssey that had 112,000 miles on it, with no major repairs needed, just maintenance. I replaced it with a 2009 Odyssey because I loved the first one so much!

 

[gatripletmom00]

We have the 2005 sienna which we bought brand new. For us, the price got us. Also the van drives great, I love it! It is my first toyota and whenever it dies, I hope to get another one.

 

[StephMK]

We bought at the end of 06 & test drove both. For the deal we got on a new Sienna, Honda couldn't match it & the cost for a used Ody wasn't worth it. I do like how the Sienna drove better than the Honda but both seem like great vans.

My fav feature of the Sienna is the 8 seats! We are also a family of 5 like another poster. MIL, DD15 & myself have all sat in the middle row -and we're all 5'10". Not a ton of leg room but we didn't squish each other either. Each kid can bring a friend, all 3 kids can sit in the middle w/both dogs in the rear, etc. Lots of options that I love! Good amount of storage, love the flat folding seats & power plug behind the rear row for the DVD players.

My youngest is almost 7 so I expect this to be my last van & I plan to run it into the ground. We take several long road trips each year & *knock on wood* nothing other than routine maintenance needed since purchase.

 

[ZachnElli]

I have a 2006 Sienna, I also had a 2003 Sienna. The battery is definitely in the engine. The rear seats fold flat and the middle seats fold all the way up if you need to move something large. I do love my Sienna, but the run flat tires are crap. I had to replace them in both models at around 17,000 miles. The 2003 was a lease, that's why I got a new one. We did get them to replace our tires for free, but it takes alot of talking to several people. I'm at 37,000+ miles now and I'm worried about those tires again. I will not replace them with the run-flat again, I'm going to get a decent tire with a long warranty!

 

[adisneymama]

That's very odd. I had a 1999 and a 2004 Sienna, and they both had batteries where they are supposed to be (I replaced the battery in both cars, so I'm sure ). My 2008, which is in my garage, has the battery in the engine compartment as well.

I've never heard of a Sienna with a battery in the rear of the van, and 2006 was not a year of big model changes. I think my DSIL's is a 2006 - I'll have to ask her. Did your DH actually see the battery in the rear of the van?

No he didn't look for it. The salesman told us about it because dh was asking so many questions. He told dh that Toyota had not left enough room for the battery in the engine compartment. After he told us that we told him no thanks. He had been with the dealership for many years, so who knows??

 

[disneygirl1213]

I have a 2000 Toyota Sienna LE that we bought in Sept. of 1999. I absolutely love it for my family of 5. We have only had regular wear and tear items replaced like brakes and struts etc. It has 180K on it and we tow a pop-up camper in the Summer -- even from Rochester, NY to Fort Wilderness 4 times. Great van --definitely use www.edmunds.com or something to find a good price and use the internet to get bids from different dealers. We will likely replace ours next year. I always heard that if you buy something new, you should find a car that will make it at least 10 years and drive it into the ground in order to get your money's worth. That is why I really investigated 10 years ago on the most reliable and safest van on the market. My husband talked about the Kia this year -- but I'd rather stick with my Toyota that I know is reliable than try something new even if it is cheaper.

 

[TiggerTails57]

We have a 2000 Odyssey that we purchased new when our son was born. Nine years later and we still love it! We've never had any problems with the van except for routine maintenance.

We also have a 2000 Odyssey runs great! I don't drive it very much as it only has 87,000 miles.

 

[The Iron Giant]

I did love my Odyssey, until the transmission went - under 50,000 miles! At first they were going to make us pay for the whole thing, but we battled, and ended up splitting it, after printing out pages and pages of discussion board forums regarding transmission issues with the older Odyssey's.

Just curious... if it happened under 50k miles wouldn't the warranty still be in effect?

If so, why did they make you pay for half the repair?

BTW... we just bought a certified 2006 Odyssey EX lease turn-in with 29k miles. We pick it up today!