Honda Odyssey

[NavyMommy]

I know there have to be some other minivan driving moms out there! I would love to hear your experiences with the Honda Odyssey. DH and I have  been looking at cars since Saturday and last night he actually bought one and I'm still  in shock. I'm trying to  figure out  the pros and cons of keeping  it or taking it back (we have 7 days to return it and get our old one back). 

 

Info: It's a 2011 Touring Edition meaning it's fully loaded. It even has the huge screen in the back so the kids can  watch 2 different shows, leather, navigation, hard disk drive, LOADED. It has roughly 37,000 miles on it.

 

We traded  in my 2004 Toyota Sienna with almost no options (well it did have a CD player), and of course got squat for it. It has 175000 miles  on it.

 

When he told me last night  it was a done  deal I literally almost had a panic attack. I was shaking, hyperventilating, the whole 9 yards. I was completely panicked,  I have never  in my life felt like that. It was not DH's fault, he thought he was doing exactly what I wanted him to do, maybe it just moved to fast? Last time hubby deployed I bought a house without him,  so I'm not averse to big decisions or changes! In my defense though we have a LOT of changes coming in the next month so maybe this just pushed me over the edge?

 

This  morning I am still not feeling peace about the whole  thing. I just feel like it's to much  car. We don't need all that. We will also have to replace hubby's car  in about 8-9 months. Financially we can swing it but it will be tight and require some sacrifices. Although we haven't had a car payment in years so probably anything will feel like it's requiring a sacrifice. I just feel  like it takes the breathing room out of the budget. We were just getting to the point where we had someone come in every other week to clean for $45 (just the deep cleaning) and we were planning on getting someone to help me with lawn upkeep this  summer but that  will probably have to go as well.

 

Plus we don't need these options. We  defaulted to this because there was not much available that wasn't top of the line in the used minivan market (most  of these are returned leases  from what I understand and those people want their cars  loaded). The DVD player would be a nice feature because we travel a lot but we also do fine with just our audiobooks and their Kindles so it's not necessary.

 

TL;DR: Do you like your Odyssey? Trying to decide to keep mine!

[Guest submarines]

It all depends on how many kids you have, their ages, and how much you drive. We have to drive a lot to our activities--over an hour each way, several days a week, and we have kids with sensory issues who strongly prefer "their own seat." So for us it would've been awesome. We just traded it our ancient Odyssey for a tiny, fuel efficient car, and we are managing and loving it, but stuff like camping will be a challenge, and having 3 kids at a tiny back seat is a challenge.

 

DH loved our Odyssey, it needed very little repairs until the last year. And then, in its 13th year, it started requiring repairs--nothing major, and I know many drive without doing them, but DH wanted to be on top of things, and it was getting close to $4K a year.

 

Now, after experiencing a small car, if we didn't have any regular activities that required so much driving, I'd be getting a more fuel efficient car, especially with older kids. Let me tell you, it was NICE to have the space in the car, but we are dealing fine without it, so far. But if you are thinking between Odyssey and another van, I'd go with Odyssey. But I'm biased.

 

 

 

[Pawz4me]

We've had two Odysseys, although both were years ago.  The first one I think was a 1998 and the second one was a 2004 IIRC.  Both were outstanding vehicles, as all of our Hondas have been (we haven't driven anything but Hondas since 1992).

 

But . . I kind of understand where you're coming from.  Neither DH nor I have ever cared about having lots of extras in a vehicle.  Just not our thing.  We view a vehicle as something to get us reliably from Point A to Point B, not as something that needs to be a rolling entertainment center or comfy lounge.  Not that we think there's anything wrong with wanting all the extras on a vehicle, it's just that there are other things we'd rather spend our money on.

[NavyMommy]

Thanks for your reply! We have 2 kids who are still young (4 and 5) but we're planning on more within 18 months which is why we want a van, we need the 3 rows easily accessible. We don't do a ton of daily driving, they have therapy (speech, PT, and OT) 3 days a week but that's less than 10 minutes away and their one dance class is about 30 min each way but that's only once a week. 

 

I do however travel a fair amount with the kids. We have family all within probably 7 hours of  us so when hubby travels we use that chance to go see grandparents, great grandparents, and aunts  and uncles. That's why the cargo space is such a necessity. I'm glad  to hear your last one lasted so long. I worry though with how they are making cars now with all the computer systems they're not going to be as durable in the future.

[NavyMommy]

We've had two Odysseys, although both were years ago.  The first one I think was a 1998 and the second one was a 2004 IIRC.  Both were outstanding vehicles, as all of our Hondas have been (we haven't driven anything but Hondas since 1992).

 

But . . I kind of understand where you're coming from.  Neither DH nor I have ever cared about having lots of extras in a vehicle.  Just not our thing.  We view a vehicle as something to get us reliably from Point A to Point B, not as something that needs to be a rolling entertainment center or comfy lounge.  Not that we think there's anything wrong with wanting all the extras on a vehicle, it's just that there are other things we'd rather spend our money on.

 

See I think that's my problem. And with used cars it's so easy to just go with it because they're not that much  higher price wise and they're SO much easier to find. Plus I do spend a lot of time in the car traveling to visit family so I think they would make my life easier but at what cost. 

 

I wish we  had a crystal ball sometimes!!

[Murmer]

Love Love Love Love Love my Odyssey and plan to run it into the ground.  Best car purchase EVER in my opinion....even with just 2 kids (maybe someday we will have more).

[zoobie]

That's the model we have. It's a minivan. I mean it's nice for a minivan, but it drives like a minivan. I had a Pilot before and preferred the handling of it, but the minivan is way more useful with kids. You can actually put adults in the 3rd row without their knees being tucked in their ears. The power doors are very helpful. I won't own another car without a backup camera, and this one is good. We use the navigation system constantly (it shows traffic problems!) even though we usually know where we're going. It has a helpful blind spot sensor thingie in the rear view mirrors that has saved me more than once. I'm a cautious but not anxious driver, and this vehicle has a huge blind spot. I can't believe they offer it without the sensor, honestly. All cars should have them! The seats are flexible. They flip down, shift over, and you can fit a metric ton of stuff in there along with children. Plenty of cup holders. There's a real electrical plug in the back--we've used that to recharge Kindles and iPads and camera batteries and all sorts of stuff. I can't think of anything I dislike about it, but I do wish it handled like the 335i we traded in for it... ;)

 

The dealership keeps calling and wanting to buy it back. DH wants the newer model with the vacuum. I told him we should wait until it vacuums itself because it's not as if we vacuum the car regularly or anything.

 

I don't think you will regret it for the vehicle itself, but being stressed about payments is an entirely different issue.

[Jennay]

I LOVE our Odyssey.  It's not a Touring, though.  

We had a 2010 Odyssey and we were in an accident in 2012 in which it was totalled.  We were hit almost head-on (other driver's fault) and we all walked away with only cuts & bruises.  We immediately replaced it with another Odyssey.  

We have four kids (at the moment) and I love that it's big enough for us to take a few of the kids' friends along to an activity plus tons of storage in the back Grandparents' have also been able to join us on a trip.

We always buy our cars new and drive them into the ground if we can.  It's more expensive at first, but less expensive per year in the long run.  (You should see my DH's spreadsheets with all the data!)

[NavyMommy]

Whew, well I just went out and sat in it for about an hour (thank you Frozen for keeping the kids entertained!). I think I am a lot more comfortable in it now. I really hadn't had much of  a chance to be in it or mess with it (car shopping with 2 small kids is NOT for the faint of heart!). I've been going over and over the budget and I still see where we will have some to save every month with an overly cautious estimate so it's not like we won't be making ends meet. It's just  a whole different mindset to go back to having  a car payment.

 

That's the model we have. It's a minivan. I mean it's nice for a minivan, but it drives like a minivan. I had a Pilot before and preferred the handling of it, but the minivan is way more useful with kids. You can actually put adults in the 3rd row without their knees being tucked in their ears. The power doors are very helpful. I won't own another car without a backup camera, and this one is good. We use the navigation system constantly (it shows traffic problems!) even though we usually know where we're going. It has a helpful blind spot sensor thingie in the rear view mirrors that has saved me more than once. I'm a cautious but not anxious driver, and this vehicle has a huge blind spot. I can't believe they offer it without the sensor, honestly. All cars should have them! The seats are flexible. They flip down, shift over, and you can fit a metric ton of stuff in there along with children. Plenty of cup holders. There's a real electrical plug in the back--we've used that to recharge Kindles and iPads and camera batteries and all sorts of stuff. I can't think of anything I dislike about it, but I do wish it handled like the 335i we traded in for it... ;)

The dealership keeps calling and wanting to buy it back. DH wants the newer model with the vacuum. I told him we should wait until it vacuums itself because it's not as if we vacuum the car regularly or anything.

I don't think you will regret it for the vehicle itself, but being stressed about payments is an entirely different issue.

 

Thank you SO much for all of this! I was really worried we would have  this awesome car with all of these features and not use any of them! This really makes me feel better about things. And I love  the idea of the Hard Disk Drive because I really dislike fumbling with CDs when the kids want a different story. This way  I can load them all on there and go.

[NavyMommy]

I LOVE our Odyssey.  It's not a Touring, though.  

We had a 2010 Odyssey and we were in an accident in 2012 in which it was totalled.  We were hit almost head-on (other driver's fault) and we all walked away with only cuts & bruises.  We immediately replaced it with another Odyssey.  

We have four kids (at the moment) and I love that it's big enough for us to take a few of the kids' friends along to an activity plus tons of storage in the back Grandparents' have also been able to join us on a trip.

We always buy our cars new and drive them into the ground if we can.  It's more expensive at first, but less expensive per year in the long run.  (You should see my DH's spreadsheets with all the data!)

 

Thanks for this! We usually drive ours into the ground as well which is why we're wanting to go with a lower miles one that was a lease so we know it's been well maintained. Normally we wouldn't be replacing the one I have now but apparently everyone is  worried  to death about me and my traveling. I think it will make DH relax more to when I'm on the road. I'm glad your family walked away okay, what a scary incident! 

[zoobie]

Yes, the HDD is great! You can plug an iPod in the glove compartment too (or an MP3 player, but we have Apple stuff). If your phone has Bluetooth, you can play music through your phone. I do that with iTunes and amazon songs. (It's been a while since we updated iTunes and nothing is all on one device...) When you have the DVD playing in the back for the kids, you can have something else up front. We only do this once a year on vacation, so I have to haul out the manual and push all the buttons and make the kids yell that the movie went off to figure out how it works, but maybe you're smarter than I am. ;)

[KungFuPanda]

We had to get a minivan recently. I only have two kids, and was able to drive sedans until they were in their teens, but my son needed a power wheelchair and we had to get a vehicle that would hold it. My van is different (because an adapted Odyssey would be 50k+) and I enjoy driving it, BUT is uses gas SO much faster than my 4 cylinder Plymouth did and our insurance payments MORE than doubled. Of course, there was tax on the vehicle. I certainly wouldn't go with the extra expense if it wasn't absolutely necessary. I'm at the gas station twice as often and it makes me cringe every time :-/

[Incognito]

From an educational standpoint, the Odyssey is good at reinforcing your learning about the Odyssey. :)

 

 

[gardenmom5]

I've only heard good things from people who have an odyssey. 

 

so that said, is it unreasonable anxiety over what you perceive as "too much" car? 

 

or is your mom gut warning you that something is not right with this *particular* car? and not because of it's make, model, or features.  (how good is your mom gut?)  can you distinguish between the two? 

 

unreasonable anxiety can be told to hush up.  mom gut is something else.

[Ali in OR]

We're a two Odyssey family! We got our first in 2000. We also have a child in wheelchair and we finally got to the point where we needed a conversion van. I was very depressed shopping for a conversion van because I thought I would have to have a Caravan or Sienna. Plus in the conversion process you lose some nice things, like they swap out the big captain's chairs in back for skinny after-market seats usually. Then we learned that there was a Honda Odyssey rear-entry conversion (conversions add $20k to the cost of the van, but we had help with that from a state program dd is in). We open the tailgate and roll dd's wheelchair right in. The third row of seats is gone--just space for dd's wheelchair back there. But at least with the Honda conversion, the full-size captain's seats are still there. We ended up with a nicer model than I would typically get because I felt that the power tailgate was a need instead of a want--that's the door to get dd in, and it's much easier if I can open it with the key fob. That pushed us up to one of the nicer models. We aren't big fans of leather seats, but we do love the heated front seats, the sound system & stored CDs (music keeps our wheelchair kid happy), and the moon roof. May sound silly, but we've actually done quite a bit of schooling in the car and that extra light coming through the roof is helpful.

 

When we got this 2012 Odyssey, we decided to keep our 2000 Odyssey too. We don't want to wear out the expensive conversion van, so we only drive that when we have wheelchair kid in the car. When she's in school, other dds and I drive our old car which still runs great. You will love your Odyssey if you feel comfortable that the money side of it will be okay.

[TianXiaXueXiao]

I don't have the fully loaded model, but after having both previous cars totaled in separate accidents (dh in our highlander and me in our maxima exactly one month apart) we decided to become a single car family and went for the Odyssey. Absolutely love the leather interior and heated seats and all the room. Plus we all feel safe!

[Ethel Mertz]

We didn't like our Odyssey.We LOVED it! We only have one kid, but it was so helpful for traveling back and forth to our parents' homes (in other states). I would get another one in a heart beat.

[SemiSweet]

I love mine, except for my sporty little Mazda, it's my favorite car I've had. It feels safe, comfortable, and roomy. We had a highlander but we couldn't fit the stroller in the back if the third row was up. The odyssey has a ton of trunk space. I would get another in a heartbeat. I love that I can fit so many people, especially when family comes to visit.

[Ottakee]

Can I be the dissenter here?  I do like my Odyssey but I don't LOVE it like many do.  I have the 2008 version with leather seats and no DVD player, etc.

 

My biggest complaint is the driver side sliding door keeps giving us problems.  We have had it repaired (under our extended warranty) twice now and it STILL sticks and won't open easily about 50% of the time so we will go back yet again this week.  My sister had the same problem with hers.

 

I hope it will be very reliable.  Gas mileage is OK but I did better in my caravan that was older.

 

Dh decided he wanted me to have one for reliability and safety.  We don't wish to try out the safety aspect though.

 

Would I get one again, likely but not 100% sure.

 

Then again I am a bare bones, plain jane, person who just wants reliability and function and don't care about lots of bells and whistles, or the name on the vehicle.

 

[MomatHWTK]

We went with the Odyssey over the Sienna (we'd narrowed it down to the two) because the Odyssey had more leg room in the back seating area.  I rode in the very back for the test drives and it was worth the little extra we spent for the bigger space given I have one really big boy and two that look to be very tall in the future.  Due to the investment, I plan to have this vehicle until they invent flying cars.  ;) 

 

Silly reasons to like it better- each of the bigger kids has a table and I like all the built in electrial outlets to recharge things.   Plus, the extra headphones are good for us as our kids like to "block each other out" on long trips.   

[MeAndTheBoys]

I like our 2004 Odyssey a lot!  but there are good years for odysseys and bad years--I suggest you buy reports from Consumer Reports or at least research it a lot.

 

If our car died today, my first thought would be to get a new Odyssey--but really, we'd have to compare the Siennas and Odysseys for sale and figure out which was the most reliable.

 

I like the look of the Odyssey better, but we're somewhat Honda snobs :)  I have no clear cut reasons for liking it better--

 

but I do love our van.  It's showing some wear, being 10 years old, but I honestly hope we keep it another 5-10 years--it's great.

 

Betsy

[ScoutTN]

Love my Odyssey! But mine is old, a 2003 with just the basic features. We replaced the transmission in Dec. bummer, but still way cheaper than replacing a car. The 2001-2003s had transmission issues. That is the only repair we have h ad though. We got ours 3 years used, right off a lease, from a small dealer for about 14K in 2007. We do not buy new cars and we drive ours until they drop.

 

I only have two kids, so we do not have to have the extra space, but it sure is nice to take my kids' friends places, to pack for vacations, for a big dog, etc. I have back problems and the seat is very comfortable for me. More like a straight chair in its height from the floor than a seat in a sedan.

 

I would buy another one in a heartbeat, but would not pay for fancy extras.

We drive a good bit around town and three or four road trips a year.

[mamajag]

I have a 2013 Odyssey but just the EX-L with RES. I love mine. DH will pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I fell so in love with it I bought the 100k bumper to bumper on her after having her just a few weeks. Funny true story: There is NO warning light or beep for you if you're low on gas. We ran out of gas on the test drive and had to wait for an hour and a half for them to come get us. We STILL bought it.  It gets the same gas mileage as my old Grand Marquis.  Oh yeah, and it fits my 3 kids and large dog quite happily as a family.

 

I haven't been this happy with a vehicle since my 2002 Stratus when I had no kids.

 

Oh wait, I do have one complaint: The low-beam headlights STINK. I usually drive with my high beams on and lower them when traffic appears.

[NavyMommy]

Thank you so much for all of  your opinions!! I've been reading them over and thinking it over and over :) We've decided we do want an Odyssey, I love the 8 seat design with an 8th seat that can actually be used unlike the 8th seat in the Sienna. Hubby is going up there tonight to talk it over with them. Ideally we would  like to  just wait  8 months until we're at a little better place and don't have as many changes going on. They were  giving him a really hard time on the phone yesterday though so if we do wind up keeping it I'm okay with  that option too. It's not that  we can't  afford it it's  just that  it feels like so much all at once. To go from always buying cars with 100K miles and pretty stripped down to this one  that's completely loaded  is a shocker. We knew we wanted one with lower miles so we can keep all the maintenance up 100% this is just a leap. I'm really okay with whatever we wind up with now, thanks to you guys!!

 

**Although I will cry if I can't get the Giants Jim Weiss CD from the old car (DH forgot to take it out of the player). That's the kids favorite!!

[NavyMommy]

 

My biggest complaint is the driver side sliding door keeps giving us problems.  We have had it repaired (under our extended warranty) twice now and it STILL sticks and won't open easily about 50% of the time so we will go back yet again this week.  My sister had the same problem with hers.

 

I hope it will be very reliable.  Gas mileage is OK but I did better in my caravan that was older.

 

Dh decided he wanted me to have one for reliability and safety.  We don't wish to try out the safety aspect though.

 

Would I get one again, likely but not 100% sure.

 

Then again I am a bare bones, plain jane, person who just wants reliability and function and don't care about lots of bells and whistles, or the name on the vehicle.

 

I've read this a lot with all the different cars that have power doors. It's one of my concerns too with all of the electric systems on the car so if  we keep it  we will be getting the  extended  warranty. I heard it happened a lot in the Sienna that we have as well which is why I was glad we had 1 non power door that we could  use  if necessary. 

[zoobie]

I have a 2013 Odyssey but just the EX-L with RES. I love mine. DH will pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I fell so in love with it I bought the 100k bumper to bumper on her after having her just a few weeks. Funny true story: There is NO warning light or beep for you if you're low on gas. We ran out of gas on the test drive and had to wait for an hour and a half for them to come get us. We STILL bought it. It gets the same gas mileage as my old Grand Marquis. Oh yeah, and it fits my 3 kids and large dog quite happily as a family.

 

I haven't been this happy with a vehicle since my 2002 Stratus when I had no kids.

 

Oh wait, I do have one complaint: The low-beam headlights STINK. I usually drive with my high beams on and lower them when traffic appears.

Why on earth did they get rid of the gas warning light? The 2011 has it!

[FeFe]

Love, Love, Love my Odyssey. I have a 2007 (I think). Not sure what edition it is but we have the navigation and entertainment package.

 

Runs better than any vehicle I've ever had. Plenty of room. I just love it and expect my next vehicle to be an Odyssey as well. Then after that I'll got a nice, sporty car since I won't have children with me as often :)

 

[applethyme]

We bought an Odyssey last fall.  I wanted just the bare bones model.  Took Dh shopping with me and we ended up with the loaded version.  At first I wasn't sure I would like all the bells and whistles but now I can't imagine driving anything else.  It was a shock to have a car payment after 5 years without one but I feel so much safer and the kids are happier in the van.  We drive a lot every week so the dvd player really helps time pass and I love the outlet in the back to recharge tablets and games.