Want a new minivan - reliability issues???

[MSLRAC]

I'm curious, what is it that you're in that's got more space than a van?

We are are looking at Suburbans, Yukon XLs and Escalade ESVs. They all have larger cargo areas and more leg room in the third row.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We are are looking at Suburbans, Yukon XLs and Escalade ESVs. They all have larger cargo areas and more leg room in the third row.

Ah, that is true. Although, the do seem more awkward to get into that 3rd row than Minivans & crossovers (at least my boss's 2005 does). Have you considered a full-size conversion van? Or, is 4wd a priority?

 

[soccerchick]

I want to buy a minivan. We have 2 kids (both 7 years old). Our family car is a 2005 Honda Pilot EX-L with 95,000 miles on it. Extended warrantee now expired, but we have had no serious issues (bought it new). It fits our needs 85% of the time. Can only really fit 4 people, as the 3rd row seat eliminates ANY trunk space. Plus the third row is impossible to get to, especially my elderly parents. We can't take any of our kids friends anywhere. When we go on vacation, the suitcases fit, but not much room to spare. We are driving to Hilton Head this summer for vacation and a minivan would sure be nice!
Hard part is the car is paid for and it is nice not to have a car payment and in winter the SUV is better in the snow (we live in NJ so fortunately not too much snow here).

What minivan do you recommend? Honda Oddessy is top ranked by Consumer Reports, but no minivan is recommended due to reliability issues. Anyone have issues with their minivans?? Will look at Toyota Sienna, but it seems pricier.
I have a "deal" for a 2012 Oddessy EX-L for $31,000 (MSRP $35K), but have not done any serious negotiating yet.

Any advice? Buy or not buy and if buy, which one??
Thanks!

My vote is to hang on to the 2005, but we usually keep our cars for 10 years (or longer). I don't want a car payment unless I have to have one.

If you decide to buy I would recommend checking out the Sienna as we did not like the new style of Odyssey at all. Lots of blind spots. (We just got rid of our 2002 Odyssey). I liked the interior of the Sienna much better than the Odyssey, but hate the "snub" nose look of the Toyota.

 

[UCFALUM]

We went from an Eddie Bauer Expedition to a 2005 Odyssey and gained valuable interior space. We have moved cross county 2X, countless trips, have 4 kids and have never used a topper. There is a much deeper well in the Odyssey that allows greater use to pack for camping, road trips and said moves. Plus saved about $30+ a fill up in gas from the large SUV. Did I think I was a minivan person? Nope. We have 115,000 miles on it now and looking at the type of vehicle we need for 6 people, I am keeping it until it dies since I will have to buy 2 to replace it. (truck for all of our home improvement, camping and fancy but smaller SUV for me) We have renovated 6 homes with it as well. With the seats out, it can fit a fridge, drywall, hardibacker, etc.

 

[MSLRAC]

Ah, that is true. Although, the do seem more awkward to get into that 3rd row than Minivans & crossovers (at least my boss's 2005 does). Have you considered a full-size conversion van? Or, is 4wd a priority?

4WD or AWD is a priority because we are also getting ready to trade our Jeep for a Honda Accord. But we have let DD7 have a large voice in this decision because she is the one that rides in the 3rd row most often. She doesn't have near the trouble getting into the back of a full sized SUV as she does the van. But her biggest thing is that she has room for her legs in the SUVs. Right now, she has to ride with her legs in between the second row captains chairs because otherwise her knees literally rest against the seat in front of her and her legs cramp if she has to ride like that for any length of time.

 

[disneybirds]

We had a '03 Odyssey and then traded for a '08 Odyssey. I have never had any problems with either one. My DH asked me what kind of car I wanted when we trade in a few years and I said "I can't get another Odyssey?".

 

[riley2008]

I want to buy a minivan. We have 2 kids (both 7 years old). Our family car is a 2005 Honda Pilot EX-L with 95,000 miles on it. Extended warrantee now expired, but we have had no serious issues (bought it new). It fits our needs 85% of the time. Can only really fit 4 people, as the 3rd row seat eliminates ANY trunk space. Plus the third row is impossible to get to, especially my elderly parents. We can't take any of our kids friends anywhere. When we go on vacation, the suitcases fit, but not much room to spare. We are driving to Hilton Head this summer for vacation and a minivan would sure be nice!
Hard part is the car is paid for and it is nice not to have a car payment and in winter the SUV is better in the snow (we live in NJ so fortunately not too much snow here)

What minivan do you recommend? ....

I have a wonderful paid-for 2007 Honda Pilot with 98,000 miles and two 8 year old boys. I hear ya! Our solution 3 years ago was to add a trailer hitch my Pilot (about $200). We then bought one of those "baskets" that slide into the hitch (about $150). Works GREAT for trips! We were able to take one car to the airport for our last WDW trip with my parents. The boys love getting to sit "in the way-back".

Ideally, I wash they'd make a Pilot like the Toyota Sequoia - one package has a middle removable console in the second row, which makes access to the third row more like a minivan. If Honda ever did that, I'd be first in line for a trade in.

 

[pwdebbie]

My vote is to hang on to the 2005, but we usually keep our cars for 10 years (or longer). I don't want a car payment unless I have to have one.

If you decide to buy I would recommend checking out the Sienna as we did not like the new style of Odyssey at all. Lots of blind spots. (We just got rid of our 2002 Odyssey). I liked the interior of the Sienna much better than the Odyssey, but hate the "snub" nose look of the Toyota.

I found out about a blind spot yesterday on the new-to-us Odyssey and am still thanking the Lord there wasn't a crash. We have a sharp turn in our road and the framing (or whatever it is called) between the front window and the driver's door totally blocked my view of a car that was approaching the turn at the same time I was. I did not see him until he was next to me, very very next to me. I screamed, dh hollered. I said, "I didn't see him at all until he was right next to me." Dh said he couldn't understand how I couldn't see him because he saw him perfectly fine. Scary. Now I know one thing to be cautious about. Really unnerved me.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Sienna does come in AWD version still. (Someone posted it doesn't.) It does.

I've had an Odyssey (2008 touring) and Siennas (limited versions). Both great vehicles, but I prefer the Sienna bc it feels like a luxury vehicle. Drives nicer. Odyssey drove sportier but wasn't passenger friendly (door controls are on the left side of the steering wheel so I was always asking dh to shut the back door, etc. Sienna put those controls in the middle where both front passengers can access these controls. Just makes more sense. I don't miss the Odyssey at all.

My Sienna was totaled after just a few months, airbags came out, horrible mess. We bought an identical Sienna a few weeks later. Very impressed with how Toyota held up.

 

[lucigo]

Another vote for keeping what you have. I have a 2005 T&C with 130K miles on it, which I love, and has been very reliable. I would much rather drive it to death than have a payment. My husband has a mustang with 250K miles on it, and he absolutely loves it.

Stow and go is has been great for those rare occasions, like moving my DD to Orlando, or bringing home a treadmill, but for the most part it doesn't get used and things that end up in there are forgotten.

On the rare occasion we have more than 4 people in the car kids always end up in the back. Most of the time the back seats are down.

I despise the idea of a car payment and see it as spending a year pass to Disney or a cruise ticket every month!

 

[lucigo]

I found out about a blind spot yesterday on the new-to-us Odyssey and am still thanking the Lord there wasn't a crash. We have a sharp turn in our road and the framing (or whatever it is called) between the front window and the driver's door totally blocked my view of a car that was approaching the turn at the same time I was. I did not see him until he was next to me, very very next to me. I screamed, dh hollered. I said, "I didn't see him at all until he was right next to me." Dh said he couldn't understand how I couldn't see him because he saw him perfectly fine. Scary. Now I know one thing to be cautious about. Really unnerved me.

I bought little stick-on wide view mirrors to add to my rear view mirrors on my T&C and they have been a life saver - literally!
http://autorepair.about.com/od/tools/fr/zxfblindspot_mirror_img.htm?liv=1

 

[buy24me]

I have a 2003 Honda Odyssey. Bought it used in 2005 with less than 6K miles on it!! I did tons and tons of research and not only tested a ton of SUVS and minivans but also read about all of them. A few I saw online, I planned on going to check out the next morning. And I just kept missing them. They would be sold right before I got there or somebody was test driving it and decided to buy it. It just wasn't my day. And we have a friend who is a GM to a Nissan dealer and usually we buy all our cars from him. No middelman or sales person to deal with. The salesman needs to go through him each time so we are lucky there but they didn't have what I wanted...I thought about the Nissan Quest brand new cuz he did give me a really really good price but was still hung up on the Odyssey. I lucked out and just got to the dealership as someone was trading it in to buy a new one!! Even the salespeople there said who would trade in a Odyssey with less than 6K miles to buy a new one?? It was their spare car and the wife really wanted the new touring model. That was the ONLY reason. So I got really lucky!! It had more than I needed included leather seats, heated seats, TV/DVD player, Navigation system, etc. I could not be happier with my purchase. I have owned many cars and SUVs in the past. DH currently drives a Honda Pilot which is a very nice ride but it does not have the room that the Odyssey has for sure! We have had nissans and toyotas and even a Mercedes at one point. My Odyssey still only has less than 65K miles. So happy with my purchase. Plan on driving this one to the ground!! I can still drive this for a long time!! Haven't had any issues with it ( knock on wood) except for the regular maintenance/oil changes. You can't go wrong with an Odyssey. The reviews itself says it all which was one of the reason why I bought it Good luck with your decision!

 

[tinkalicious]

I have an '11 AWD Sienna and it's nice. I really wanted one ever since the "swagger wagon" commercials and when we found out it had AWD there was no other option. I like the way it drives - doesn't feel huge, although the gas mileage sucks. And it does GREAT in the snow - though we had a mild winter for the first time in a while, and it's very low to the ground so you don't get that high SUV clearance underneath. But my kids are in heaven with all the room - I LOVE having the "isle" you get with a minivan, so on road trips if the kids need something one of the adults can easily get to the back seat. It's easier than manuvering around in an SUV.

As far as the Chrysler/Dodges go, my family was loyal to them for years and years (a family member had a car lot), and I had a LeBaron and my husband has a Dakota, and I can tell you that they start breaking down around 70,000. We had to put a transmission in BOTH of ours.

 

[emma'smom]

Where did you find that deal?

I want to buy a minivan. We have 2 kids (both 7 years old). Our family car is a 2005 Honda Pilot EX-L with 95,000 miles on it. Extended warrantee now expired, but we have had no serious issues (bought it new). It fits our needs 85% of the time. Can only really fit 4 people, as the 3rd row seat eliminates ANY trunk space. Plus the third row is impossible to get to, especially my elderly parents. We can't take any of our kids friends anywhere. When we go on vacation, the suitcases fit, but not much room to spare. We are driving to Hilton Head this summer for vacation and a minivan would sure be nice!
Hard part is the car is paid for and it is nice not to have a car payment and in winter the SUV is better in the snow (we live in NJ so fortunately not too much snow here).

What minivan do you recommend? Honda Oddessy is top ranked by Consumer Reports, but no minivan is recommended due to reliability issues. Anyone have issues with their minivans?? Will look at Toyota Sienna, but it seems pricier.
I have a "deal" for a 2012 Oddessy EX-L for $31,000 (MSRP $35K), but have not done any serious negotiating yet.

Any advice? Buy or not buy and if buy, which one??
Thanks!

 

[SaraJayne]

Where did you find that deal?

Many dealerships have web specials they run and a couple I've dealt with in the past have people that deal exclusively with customers by email.

You can send out emails to a few different dealerships saying what you're willing to spend, specifications (make/model/miles/color/options) and the first place that responds gets the sale.

 

[manning]

Bought my first car when I was 19. I in my late 60s now and have bought a total of 5 cars. Consider them only as transportation and run them until they stop.

All I'll say is, I've saved a ton of money.

 

[kelma]

We have a 2004 Sienna that we actually bought in Nov. 2003, so it's almost
8 1/2 years old and has about 150,000 miles. The only thing we've had to replace was the automatic door mechanism in one of our doors and that was just a few months ago.

We have comfortably transported our 4 children and their crazy amount of stuff (often including 2 strollers and a pack and play) on multiple week long trips. When our two smallest were very young and needed extra bags of diapers, clothes, etc., we would use the roof carrier, but our last couple of trips down to Disney we haven't needed it, even with a couple of strollers.

Kelma

 

[herdtoDisney]

I want to buy a minivan. We have 2 kids (both 7 years old). Our family car is a 2005 Honda Pilot EX-L with 95,000 miles on it. Extended warrantee now expired, but we have had no serious issues (bought it new). It fits our needs 85% of the time. Can only really fit 4 people, as the 3rd row seat eliminates ANY trunk space. Plus the third row is impossible to get to, especially my elderly parents. We can't take any of our kids friends anywhere. When we go on vacation, the suitcases fit, but not much room to spare. We are driving to Hilton Head this summer for vacation and a minivan would sure be nice!
Hard part is the car is paid for and it is nice not to have a car payment and in winter the SUV is better in the snow (we live in NJ so fortunately not too much snow here).

What minivan do you recommend? Honda Oddessy is top ranked by Consumer Reports, but no minivan is recommended due to reliability issues. Anyone have issues with their minivans?? Will look at Toyota Sienna, but it seems pricier.
I have a "deal" for a 2012 Oddessy EX-L for $31,000 (MSRP $35K), but have not done any serious negotiating yet.

Any advice? Buy or not buy and if buy, which one??
Thanks!

Since your car is paid off and relatively new, I'd keep it, to be honest with you. I'd just have the kiddos hop into that back seat. I second the idea a previous PP had, with a hitch and the rack for luggage. You could also get a top carrier (if you have a luggage rack). Thule makes nice aeordyanmic ones.

Maybe for the trip to HH you could just rent a minivan. I prefer minivans over SUV's myself, but I like no car payments more! For a couple hundred you could rent a minivan, it would probably be near new and it would cost less than one or two car payments

 

[pwdebbie]

I've gleaned a lot of good info from this thread. When I hear of someone looking for a van, I will now advise caution on the Town and Country and tell them people seem to be happy with their Odysseys and Siennas. Dd's Dodge Caravan (2001 maybe) has about 175,000 miles on it and, after a visit to the mechanic, it sounds as good as new. But the car they bought brand new three years ago (during the clunker deal), Dodge Journey, has been a major disappointment. They are on their third set of brakes. Looking online, this is a very common problem with these crossovers. So, if anyone is thinking about a Journey, run away as quickly as possible. They had hoped for the Journey to be their traveling vehicle and retire the van to local driving, but that isn't happening. The Caravan will be making another trip to the Outer Banks in June.

 

[dbmarie]

I will now advise caution on the Town and Country

As matter of fact I am right now speaking to Orlando at Chrysler Enhanced Customer Service. I was supposed to receive a call-back from Shawna (sup.) on Thursday of last week once again she is not available. Just last week we again sat at a dealership for over 5 hours and the problems (transmission, wind noise, and the vehicle shaking and shuddering) are still there. They can't see anything beyond the normal operating range of a T&C. Which is what we were told when our vehicle would just stall out and go completely black, it even locked us in the one night. After over a year they finally admitted that it was the key ignition switch.