A practical vs. Thread. Eventually I'll need a minivan. It seems the Odyssey and Sienna do most of what we want. The question is, which one is ultimately more reliable? I seem to see a lot of Odysseys with blowed up transmissions. Van will be used for kid hauling.
Budget of $5,000ish. Seems to narrow it down to 2000-2005 models in both cases.
I would rather DRIVE the Oddity.
I would rather own a Sienna. Those Honda transmissions scare the piss out of me.
Sienna is not without its flaws, the v6 in them is prone to oil sludge and the power doors have issues. But if the engine checks out it would probably be more trouble free than the Oddy transmission.
Driven both, the Honda drives better, but I would prefer the Toyota long term. Since you are looking at vehicles that are already in the long term phase, I would go Sienna.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Those Honda transmissions scare the piss out of me.
This. Be prepared to replace it.
Bah... as an Ody owner ('07), and having driven the Sienna, I prefer the Ody. It has been a very good vehicle, very practical, and much better to drive (better handling & manueverability) than the Sienna. They do have a rep for transmission problems, but many have been repaired/replaced under warranty/recall/TSB. Our '07 suffered the "shudder" problem and was replaced under recall and warranty. My point being that if you decide on the Ody, just pay attention to the transmission and look for paperwork on past repair/replacement. I think a Sienna would also be a good van, but it's just not much of a driver's vehicle (and yes, it really does make a significant difference).
BTW, have you considered looking at on older (but low mileage) Toyota Previa? Same oil sludge issue as Siennas, but if the motor is clean and runs well, they're excellent minivans (and AWD!).
Odyssey, '03 with 88K. Zero problems with trans thus far.And I will be sure to bitch about it if it does happen.
Camry minivan vs Accord minivan? Gimme the Camry. I can't do Honda.
I wonder, is it possible to put in an accord 5 or 6 speed?
The correct answer is P71.
dculberson wrote: Sienna is not without its flaws, the v6 in them is prone to oil sludge...
From all my experience all of these prone to oil sludge engines are only prone due to gross neglect. My $1300 260,000+ mile Sienna is still running strong, though it makes a bit of what I assume is valve lash noise. That noise had a lot to do with the price, and I would like to fix it.
I haven't driven an American Odyssey, but we are talking minivans. I am okay with the Sienna's handling--at least with some new KYBs and decent tires. I really like the size--it is just right. Engine bay access seems very generous, though I'll be able to judge that better once I actually do something in there (other than replacing the struts, which was easy.)
My favorite large family vehicle for driving was the 6 passenger 2001 Dodge Intrepid SE that I killed. Sedans definitely get much better gas mileage too.
I'm a Toyota guy, but I would go Odyssey. Here's why....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnGCdcr6bgg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y31xDJG4r80&feature=related
My brother has been neglecting his 02 Oddy for 5 years now with no ill effects. More than 100k on the clock now and nothing but smooth running.
Lays rubber pretty well too...
I can't say for sure, but nearly every time these 2 are in a multi-minivan comparo (be it C&D or Edmunds) the Oddy comes out a notch better than the Sienna. If it's possible, avoid '00 to '03 Oddys...as they are the ones with the transmission "problems".
For what it's worth, in my "neck of the woods" Siennas seem to outnumber Oddys on used car lots. And every now and then, a 1st gen. Oddy comes up on CL.
mtn wrote: I wonder, is it possible to put in an accord 5 or 6 speed?
I don't know about the Accord manual, but the Ody One Lap team installed a 6 speed from one of the Acura models. You can find some info on the OdyClub forums: http://www.odyclub.com/forums/
What, no Dodge Caravans up in here?
BTW, not that it's quite GRM-ish, but I at least upgraded wheels/tires on ours, and hope to get the H&R drop springs in it this year:
Uh, I don't see what's un-GRMish about modding your kid-hauler to your liking. Quite the opposite in fact.
darkbuddha wrote:mtn wrote: I wonder, is it possible to put in an accord 5 or 6 speed?I don't know about the Accord manual, but the Ody One Lap team installed a 6 speed from one of the Acura models. You can find some info on the OdyClub forums: http://www.odyclub.com/forums/
Someone makes a supercharger kit for that engine too (Jackson Racing?). Supercharged six-speed vehicle that can inhale an incredible amount of cargo? Yes please.
Somehow, I am quite sure that I couldn't get the "pass" with changing it to a 6 speed, 18" wheels/lowering and a wee bit of weight reduction....
My wife has an 08 sienna. It's a really nice riding van withots of power.when we bought it, she test drove the Toyota and I drove the Honda, and we met in a parking lot and let the salesmen duke it out. It was quite funny. I actually thought they were pretty much identical, right down to the small details like cupholder placement and collapsible center console. But I was a little dissapointed sigh the build quality, and there are issues with the sliding door, mudflaps fall off, plastic numbers distort over time and don't line up anymore, rear wiper fell off and other little things.
In reply to PubBurgers:
I don't think you can get a very good example of either for 5k, but I'd pick the Oddy hands down.
bearmtnmartin wrote: I actually thought they were pretty much identical, right down to the small details like cupholder placement and collapsible center console.
We test drove both -- very similar on paper and in terms of amenities, but a HUGE difference in the way they drive. It really sums up the different corporate philosophies on what a car is meant for, IMHO.
(we bought the Odyssey).
Be prepared to replace EITHER tranny. the A340 and A540 found in Siennas is cheap. The 3-shaft in the Honda is expensive.
My builder could put together three A340s in a day, but only one Honda. Complex, poorly laid out (as far as service is concerned), no accessible filter (no pan). Odysseys paid my bills. Siennas just bought me an occasional beer.
curtis73 wrote: Be prepared to replace EITHER tranny. the A340 and A540 found in Siennas is cheap. The 3-shaft in the Honda is *expensive*. My builder could put together three A340s in a day, but only one Honda. Complex, poorly laid out (as far as service is concerned), no accessible filter (no pan). Odysseys paid my bills. Siennas just bought me an occasional beer.
I don't know anything about the toyotas, but that generation Ody was terrible. A buddy is on his third transmission at 120k.
If I only had $5k to spend on a minivan, it would be a Caravan. I don't think they are any less reliable, and anything on a Dodge is going to be cheaper to fix and easier to find.
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