sister wants used mini van... suggestions?
- Thread starter peiserg
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odyssey drives pretty well for a box.
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- 7 February 2010
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+1 ^^^^^^^^^^
Hear the Nissan is pretty great too, power wise anyways.
Hear the Nissan is pretty great too, power wise anyways.
If she needs a big mini-van go for the Honda.
If she doesn't need a really big one go for a Mazda5(4 cyl. so good gas mileage and it handles like a car) or MPV(not as big and heavy as most).
If she doesn't need a really big one go for a Mazda5(4 cyl. so good gas mileage and it handles like a car) or MPV(not as big and heavy as most).
Homer's Odyssey. Either the Greek writer or Simpson. Either one is great.
- Joined
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- 618
Yep, till those POS chrysler automatic trannys grenade themselves
I would steer clear of the 2004+ Siennas. We bought an '05 new and it's been a total POS (engine dying, transmission whining, door hinge problems, interior/exterior trim falling off, steering intermediate shaft, emissions vapor canister, etc). All common problems we found out later from the Toyota forums.
You can't go wrong with the previous-generation Odyssey if the transmissions been fixed.
Or, go with the smaller Mazda minivan (the actual "van" with the sliding doors).
My $0.02.
Dave
You can't go wrong with the previous-generation Odyssey if the transmissions been fixed.
Or, go with the smaller Mazda minivan (the actual "van" with the sliding doors).
My $0.02.
Dave
i'm buying a swagger wagon :biggrin:
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As the drive of said Odyssey (EX-L R&N), I would recommend it. I have an '06 with 94K miles on it that I have put all but 18 miles on it. So, I've had some experience behind the wheel of it. It has been a great minivan and in 4 years and 94K miles I have put nothing but routine maintenance into it. All things considered (the main, it being a minivan), it has been a very good vehicle. I'd say that 35% of my driving has been "spirited" too. By spirited, I mean letting the engine wind out to it 6000RPM max before shifting.
I have a buddy who has a '05 Town and Country (with 80k miles on it) and absolutely hates it. He says it is the worst vehicle they have ever purchased and will not buy another. He bought it new and his main problems with it are overall build quality, fit and finish and extended drive comfort. He wishes he would have spent the extra money to get the Odyssey.
So there is my $0.02. I don't have experience with any other mini-vans other than the long-term experience I've had with the Honda and the long-term experience of my friend and his Town and Country.
I was interested in that smaller Mazda "van" that I think Mac Attack was referring to, the Mazda5? However, for me it wasn't the Honda (of course, it also doesn't cost nearly what the Honda does either).
My Odyssey
Mazda5
I have a buddy who has a '05 Town and Country (with 80k miles on it) and absolutely hates it. He says it is the worst vehicle they have ever purchased and will not buy another. He bought it new and his main problems with it are overall build quality, fit and finish and extended drive comfort. He wishes he would have spent the extra money to get the Odyssey.
So there is my $0.02. I don't have experience with any other mini-vans other than the long-term experience I've had with the Honda and the long-term experience of my friend and his Town and Country.
I was interested in that smaller Mazda "van" that I think Mac Attack was referring to, the Mazda5? However, for me it wasn't the Honda (of course, it also doesn't cost nearly what the Honda does either).
My Odyssey
Mazda5
How big a van does she need?
The Mazda 5 is a great little van if you rarely if ever use the third seats and don't mind adequate acceleration. It's actually fun to drive and used ones are damn near dirt cheap.
The Honda is the king of the vans, IMO. Not as smooth or quiet as the Toyota but a lot more fun to drive. All the practicality you could ever ask for and a lot, lot, lot better put together than the domestic of VW products.
Just my 2 pesos.
The Mazda 5 is a great little van if you rarely if ever use the third seats and don't mind adequate acceleration. It's actually fun to drive and used ones are damn near dirt cheap.
The Honda is the king of the vans, IMO. Not as smooth or quiet as the Toyota but a lot more fun to drive. All the practicality you could ever ask for and a lot, lot, lot better put together than the domestic of VW products.
Just my 2 pesos.
And it is the only mini-van in the US that I know of that you can get with a 5-spd manual transmission. Not too bad in the corners either. Handles almost as well as a Mazda3. We love ours.
If you drove a rental then it was an automatic and yeah with an auto they are underpowered. The manual trans is a different story. 0-60 is 8.5 sec for the manual(10+ seconds for the auto). It is more top heavy(it "is" a mini-van remember) than a mazda3 but it is the same chassis(with softer spring/shocks). At the limit you will get a little bit of off-throttle oversteer which is welcomed in a FWD vehicle. You go into a corner a little hot and instead of getting a bunch of under steer when you lift the throttle the back end steps out just a tad and points the front of the car in the right direction. Definitely the best handling mini-van out there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU4paH8qcQ8
The car is less than $20K(we only paid $17.5K for ours brand new) so yeah to expect the same fit and finish as the $30K+ Honda is wishful thinking. If price is no object I'd pick the Honda too but if price is an issue(as was stated by the OP) then you have to make some sacrifices. You can pick one up used for around $10K-$12K. As far as reliability goes, we haven't had any issues with ours.
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My Mom and her husband both have the Honda Odyssey - trouble free and excellent all around. Second pick would be the Toyota (yea yea, even with all the recent bad publicity... 
Jay
Jay
Go with the honda all day lomg. She will def. love it and the options it has in it. I have a 02 and worked at honda for a short time. They are well cheaper to own then any other vehicle out there. They are more new but buying a used one from dealer with extended warranty is the way to go. The funny thing is you get a better warranty on a used honda then a new one. When it comes to reliability. Honda says it all. Just make sure the tranny recall/warranty was done on certain years. They had a issue were the 3rd gear slipped. if the van is used with less then 100k. you can still take it to honda and have it done for free.
We rented a Kia Sedona on vacation and it was surprisingly good. It handled better than the Windstar, Freestyle, and Caravans I've driven. It had an autostick with +/- mode which made driving the minivan almost fun. Overall it felt Honda-like in driving feel and ergonomics. Your sis could get a good deal on an off-lease and remember Kias have 10/100 powertrain warranty.
I adopted a Chevy Venture (Warner Bros edition) from my mother. It has been a very nice van on road trips (DVD player/leather) and around town. No mechanical issues whatsoever after 80k miles. I may put it up for sale though since I don't have any kids. :tongue:
Jeff
Jeff
couldn't be happier with ours.
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