Tell me about your mini-vans?

[SheilaZ]

DH is considering buying me a new van. We're going to look at the big 3 tonight: Town and Country, Odessey, and Sienna.

 

I have a T&C that is 8 years old and other than some odd little issues (very odd, my van is possessed.) it hasn't given me much trouble except for its tendency to devour brake pads.

 

So tell me what you love about your van and what you covet about the van you didn't buy.

[Carrie12345]

Love my T&C. It's a 2003, so no stow-and-go seats. I hear the s&g seats are more narrow than the regular seats. Not sure how I'd feel about that, what with car seats and all.

[jail warden]

I have a '97 or '98 T&C. Granted it had just reached 100,000 miles, but we had to completely replace the engine and tranny, NOT CHEAP!!! And we have so many weird little things that don't work right. The radio can't get FM anymore and doesn't always scan. The windshield wipers will be on delay, but then all of a sudden go full speed. I wouldn't buy another one unless I was convinced the bugs were all worked out. The other two are supposed to be good vehicles. That's my $0.02!

[BMW]

We also have a t&c. We love it... well, I do... dh thinks it should get better gas mileage than it does. I think it gets 16-18 around town, stop and go... and at least 22 on the hwy. Lots of times it gets better. Dh always thinks in numbers a few less than mine.

[jkwynn]

We have an 05 Odyssey and LOVE.IT.

 

Everything about it. The only negative I can think of is that it's a little road-noisy.

 

We're Honda lovers, though, so probably biased.

[TraceyS/FL]

2005 Odyssey Touring here.

 

77,000 miles or so - other than routine maintenance (when the "wrench" comes on on the dash), we have just done 1 set of brake pads and tires.

 

Pros: It's roomy, drives nice, rides nice, reliable, seats 7

 

Cons: I don't get great milage - about 14 around town, and if i'm lucky 22-23 on the highway (my parents get higher with their 08), and finally, it's not a slinky red convertible no matter how many times i blink and wish it to be ;)

 

DH used to sell tools - after his trips the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealers there are a few cars i'll never own. One thing about it - their mechanics paid the best because they were always working. The one guy had a $22,000 toolbox set up!

[nukeswife]

I have an 05 T&C with the stow n go seats. Although I like my van I don't love it but that's because I'm not a mini van lover. I have it because we got a good deal on it and other than large trucks (such as an expedition etc) this is what fits our family of 5 with 2 pets when the navy sends us from place to place.

 

I know someone mentioned the sng seats are narrower, don't know about it but fitting a carseat has not been a problem. My older 2 are still in Compass boosters and my youngest is in a Britax convertable carseat. The only problem would be if we truly needed to fit 7 people in. Because of the carseats you can't put someone in the middle of the far back seat.

 

The cargo area is pretty good sized for when we're out shopping, it rides decently. I also have a 5 disc DVD entertainment center which has been very handy when moving as much as we do. I just wish my kids could all use the headphones so I could listen to the radio while they watch their movies. This is an age issue not a van issue though. I get about 14-16 mpg in town and when I'm on long road trips like the one I just took to WI in Sept. I get 24-26mpg. Much better milage than our old ford windstar.

 

HTH

[lynn]

We have a 2000 Sienna with 120,000 Absolutely no issues in almost 9 years. It's boring because it's such a mom van. I like having 2 back doors and bucket seats vs bench seats. We purchased the one we owned because at the time the Honda Odyssey had waiting lists. We are very happy with our purchase. It's just the van is soooo boring now. But it's paid for, we drove it off the lot brand new, broke it in according to mfg recommendations. Because it's paid for I told dh I'll continue to drive but the first day it strands me I am going to the dealership and getting something fun.:D

[LaxMom]

Ok, please note that I am NOT a minivan person. Our long-standing joke was that they were all automatics so you could drive over youself if anyone made you drive one. We looked at the Quest, Sienna and Odyssey in '05 before we bought.

 

Quest: It was a novelty and got decent reviews. The seats are huge! Seriously large seats. Otherwise, I found the available models 1) ugly (think orange, tiger-striped leather) and 2) cheap. Add to that the rude sales manager, the salesman who didn't want to really show us the van (in his defense, did I mention the orange, tiger-striped leather seats?) and the fact that the demo wouldn't start, and we were outta there.

 

Sienna: My husband's aesthetic preference. He liked the burled "wood" accents, and preferred the dash configuration. I wasn't terribly keen on the 8th, removable seat - it seemed difficult to get out. I was less happy that side-impact airbags were tied to a package with IIRC the entertainment package or something. This has since changed. It drove very nicely and the seats were comfortable for both of us, with a foot height discrepancy. I also like how Toyota cleverly hid the side door tracks in the window trim.

 

Odyssey: My aesthetic preference. I liked the brushed metal accents and preferred the dash configuration. The 8th seat was easy to remove and the 2nd row captains seats were easy to reconfigure to give 3rd row access either from the passenger's side or the center. All airbags were standard, and the Odyssey has a feature whereby three of the six cylinders turn off when you reach a "cruising" speed, which can be any speed, as long as you are not accelerating. Also drove nicely.

 

The prices for the two contenders were similar, once we packaged up seat warmers and all those airbags. The only thing I find annoying about it is that Honda isn't Bluetooth compatible, or at least, they still weren't up to 2007. In reality, I couldn't use the technology anyway, with three kids in the car. That, and the fact that all of them seem to have inextricably linked seat warmers to leather upholstery (which I dislike, but I dislike a cold bum more) were the only buggery things.

 

We ended up buying the Honda, because I really wanted the "good" engine. Also, I think the Honda service might be slightly less expensive, but that's from informal conversations with friends, so I do not know that to be fact or whether it is a dealer difference or what.

 

Clear as mud, right?

[TN Mama]

I have a 2005 T&C Touring and I wouldn't purchase another. We bought ours used and shortly (less than 1 month) after purchase one of the auto doors stopped working. Apparently the motor went bad and THAT wasn't covered under warranty. We didn't put the $500 into that. The wireless headphones never worked, which is a bummer. At least the dvd player works! I've had freaky battery issues where my auto locks will just stop working and we've replaced brakes/pads no less than 4 times. I am not hard on the brakes either. I get probably 18 mpg highway.

 

In my dreams I drive an Odyssey or Sienna with bun warmers. :)

 

We do drive a lot and the van has over 100k.

Edited November 24, 2008 by TN Mama

[Once]

I think it gets 16-18 around town, stop and go... and at least 22 on the hwy. Lots of times it gets better. Dh always thinks in numbers a few less than mine.

 

WOW!

 

Ours gets 14-16 around town. You are lucky!

 

In spite of the mileage, I like our T&C. Ours does have the possessed feeling about it with the electrical. The doors have a tendancy to "bounce" open when closing automatically. It is odd but not a problem.

 

Good luck on the buying. Now should be a good time for a steal.

[Ria]

We have an 8-passenger Sienna. We preferred this to the Honda because the extra seat in the Sienna was a full seat, but in the Honda it was more of a half seat. I'm not sure if that's still the case with the Honda, but it was enough to send us to Toyota. Either a Toyota or a Honda will hold its value for a long time and give you a great engine. Can't say the same about the American vans.

 

Ria

[newbie]

When kids were little loved my Sienna. Its the best.

[hornblower]

I've got a 99 Sienna XL & I like it a lot. The models after mine have the hidden rear seats which is the only thing I'd change. I have my seats out all the time for the dog crates & it's a pain to shove them back in on the odd occasion that I'll be giving someone a ride.

 

I know a couple months ago dh & I were just chatting absently about cars & what we'd get & dh was kind of disgusted when I announced eventually I'd trade it in for a new Hybrid Sienna (when they finally get here). He's thinking little zippy coupes, I'm thinking large dog crates, rally O & agility competitions..... I love mini vans & even when the kids move on, I'm keeping a van.

 

I would go for the Odyssey also but here they're more expensive & harder to find & I don't think they're actually that much better. To me they're essentially the same as the Sienna.

 

I like 2nd row captain's chairs. I wish we had power doors on both sides. I wish the side doors had windows that rolled down. I think that's standard now on the newer models, it's just my dinosaur one that doesn't have this.

 

BUT, it runs great. I haven't had any probs with it. I've just done regular maintenance which is running on avg. about 300/yr. 130K on it & it turns on & goes, which is my prime concern. I hate unreliable cars that crap out all of a sudden; drove me crazy when I had an old Dodge at university....

 

I can't have the North American vans. I test drove them & have ridden in friends' and they're too goooshy in their handling. My perception is that they roll & sway a bit more & they make me car sick..... I like the firmer feel of the Japanese ones.

[LaxMom]

We have an 8-passenger Sienna. We preferred this to the Honda because the extra seat in the Sienna was a full seat, but in the Honda it was more of a half seat. I'm not sure if that's still the case with the Honda, but it was enough to send us to Toyota. Either a Toyota or a Honda will hold its value for a long time and give you a great engine. Can't say the same about the American vans.

 

Ria

 

No, I think the Sienna still has a larger extra seat. Friends of ours just bought a new one and I think that was their decision factor. I can sit in mine (with a carseat on either side) comfortably, though it wouldn't be for someone larger than me. Definitely, if you have multiple adults riding, you would want the larger seat. In our case, I only use it when a friend and I carpool places, in which case it fits a booster, or a bigger kid without a booster, comfortably between the boys' carseats.

 

(Also, regarding "good" engines, I didn't mean to imply anything against Toyota engines. I meant that it came down to the economy feature the Honda had. Either of them will run pretty much forever. :D)

[Hillary in KS]

I just bought a new Sienna this weekend, and am really enjoying it.

 

Now, true, we have only owned it two days. But I did a TON of research, and we decided this would be the best fit for our family.

 

I researched the cars on http://www.edmunds.com I read reviews there and came up with our top 2 choices. (Odyssey and Sienna) Both had some of the highest safety reviews for minivans. From there we test drove them and dh favored the Sienna.

 

I researched the car-buying process at http://www.carbuyingtips.com and http://www.fightingchance.com We put our strategies to use (contacting area dealers by phone and e-mail; no running around to dealerships for me!), and ended up getting the Sienna for $400 under invoice. On the whole it was a simple, painless process! :)

 

If you end up deciding on the Odyssey, pm me and I have some information on pricing for you. Also, joannqn on this board has tremendous insight on getting a good price.

[Cornerstone Classical]

I have a 2003 Odyssey EXL. It was a surprise Mother's Day present! I love that van. About a year ago the transmission went bad. I took it in for a service and they told me that since this was practically unheard of since Honda is "quality" and I had all my services done on time and at that dealership, they were replacing the $4000.00 transmission for FREE. Up until then I had always been very impressed with the service/customer service. After that, I can only brag about HONDA! Im looking to trade in the next year or so, it's going to be hard not getting another HONDA. I'm considering a BMW station wagon, but I just don't think I can get away from Honda;)

[LizzyBee]

We have a Nissan Quest and love it. It is comfortable for me at 5'0" and my dh who is 6'4". It has a nice quiet ride, the handling is tight, and we've had no mechanical problems. I also like that they're less common than other minivans.

 

Two of my sisters have Honda Odysseys and they both had body problems within a few weeks of purchase. My younger sister got hers fixed and was satisfied with the repair, but my oldest sister's van wasn't right even after it was repaired and the dealer never could/did make it right.

[yvonne]

I have a 2002 Odyssey. The one thing I don't like about it is the rear door. I HATE opening and closing it & I have to do that a lot. I think some minivans have power rear doors, but mine isn't. Every. single. time. I open and close that thing, I think, "I HATE this car." It is so slow to open and so heavy to close. Seems like a small thing, but it's something that bothers me pretty much daily.

 

The other problem I've had with it is the 6CD changer. The disks get stuck.

 

One thing I really like is the leather seats. I went back and forth between leather & fabric before settling on leather. It is soooo easy to clean, esp. with kids. I think it was definitely worth it.

 

I do like the fact that I can fit four car seats and another adult in it. Any minivan could probably do that, though.

 

If I had to do it over again, I think I'd look at the Sienna. I've heard that it seats 8? I'd also look at the T&C just because I'd like to buy American.

 

One other suggestion about car buying.... When we bought our car, I had twin toddlers & was pregnant with my dd. I went to different model dealerships, tried out the models I was interested in to narrow it down, and then did the rest of my shopping on-line. Sent out an email with exactly the model, year, and features I wanted to all the dealerships within a couple hours drive asking for their best price on what I wanted. I took the top three, emailed the second best two with the best price and asked if they could beat it. Bought from the dealer with the best price (and best communication.) I got the feeling that most dealerships have an actual person dedicated to online inquiries. I found those people much easier to deal with than the salespeople on the lot. (Oh, and I emailed the dealerships separately. I did not try to communicate with more than one at a time because I didn't want them to feel like I was playing one off against the other. I was just looking for the best price.)

 

yvonne

[dirty ethel rackham]

Our story is similar. In 1999, we were deciding between the Honda Odyssey and the Sienna (2000). Hubby picked these for reliability and repair costs. We couldn't even get in to see the Odyssey. It was a 4 month wait to get one. The Sienna was a 6 week wait and we got it in 4. Also, at the time Sienna had better mileage. We love it. Although I am envious of the newer models with stow and go seats and the 8 passenger option.

 

ETA: it has been the most reliable car I have ever had!!! EVER. The only time it didn't start is when the battery died. As much as I would love one of the new ones, this car will run for a long time!

[LizzyBee]

I have a 2002 Odyssey. The one thing I don't like about it is the rear door. I HATE opening and closing it & I have to do that a lot. I think some minivans have power rear doors, but mine isn't. Every. single. time. I open and close that thing, I think, "I HATE this car." It is so slow to open and so heavy to close. Seems like a small thing, but it's something that bothers me pretty much daily.

 

The power rear door (tailgate) is one of my favorite features of my Quest. It makes me feel so spoiled! :D

Edited November 24, 2008 by LizzyBee

[SonshineLearner]

We have a Sienna, and I like it. BUT, I would buy the Odyssey, if I had to do it again. I purchased the Toyota because I could get the 8 passenger, but I really liked the Odyssey better. I also think the selling power is better with the Odyssey.

[muffinmom]

We were looking a few years ago. One of the issues that was impt. to me was how it felt when I drove it. The Sienna (at the time) did a little too much bouncing for me--I felt like I was in a boat, going over waves. Made me feel a little seasick. The two we liked the most were the Odyssey and the Mazda MPV. We chose the MPV (mainly for price) and have really enjoyed it. It's a bit sleeker than the others and handles more like a car. Plus we love the fact that the second row windows can roll down (more of the vans may have that feature these days).

[momofkhm]

I liked the Odyssey, but dh didn't like some of the mechanical things going on with it at the end. I don't remember how many miles it had on it when we traded it.

 

I love my Sienna! Of course dh decided we were going all out so I think there are 2 ir 3 things available that I don't have. I drive a toy on wheels, really. But I do love it.

 

There is nothing in the vans we didn't buy that I covet. I love my van!

[LBC]

I bought a new 2008 Sienna this past summer.

 

 

Pros:

 

• It feels more like driving a sports car than a mini van (I drove a Chevy Astro before the Sienna - night and day difference).
  
• It has a ton of different seat configurations (compared to my old Astro), which gives me lots of cargo options.
  

Cons:

 

• It's longer than my Astro was. It barely fits into my garage, and I find it a bit harder to get in and out of parking spaces.
  
• The rear tailgate door is stiff, and a bit of an effort to close. I'm short (5'2"), and although there's a strap to help lower the door, it feels awkward.
  

I'm very happy with my van. I decided to to get the basic Sienna rather than the loaded Dodge/Chrysler. I plan to keep it for at least 10 years (after which I will no longer need to drive a van). The only regret I have is not getting a few of the upgrades, like satellite XM radio and a power tailgate. The salesman at Toyota was very low pressure, but I wish he'd recommended I look at some of the options.

 

Lori

[G5052]

We had planned to get a Sienna because they were building a new dealership five minutes away and we liked it just as well as the Odyssey, but the dealer wouldn't take my old Odyssey on trade-in and gave us a quote that seemed high and wouldn't budge. He downplayed the internet quotes that we had in hand. We walked out, and went to the Honda dealer.

 

They offered us MORE than we expected on the old Odyssey, started out with a decent price, and then went down a bit. They also gave us a better deal on the financing. They actually beat all the internet quotes we had in hand as well.

 

No regrets!

[clementine]

Don't go w/ the T & C. Every one I know - okay maybe 4 families - have had to replace their transmissions at around 100,000 mi. Weird! You'd think the company would look into this issue.

[KrissiK]

I have a 2004 Sienna. Love it! love it! Love it! We tried the Odessey, too, and found that (in our opinion) the Sienna had more comfortable seats, better lumbar support for those of us with back issues. It has awesome "get up and go"! I love passing people! Woohoo!:) It's got a great turning radius. It's an awesome car. I'd buy it again!

[Alice]

We have a 2006 Kia Sedona. I like it. I don't really care that much about cars as long as it's reliable so I don't know that I'd say I love it, but it's a very nice car and we've been happy with it.

 

My dh did all the research on mini-vans and chose the Sedona after much thought. :)

 

Pros: Cheaper than the Sienna or Odyssey. We were able to get a much newer car with less mileage than we could have offered with either of those. It has the rear seats that completely fold down and stow away flat which is very nice. The middle row seats also fold down . That makes for very flexible options for hauling people and stuff. It seats 7 pretty comfortably. Gas mileage is in the 16-18 mpg city which I think is pretty good for a minivan. We've had it for about 1 1/2 yrs without any problems.

 

Cons: The only con is that it has poor resale value. The Kia name just isn't very good for resale and people want Toyotas and Hondas. For us that isn't an issue since ideally we like to get a car and drive it until it's dead. :) So we aren't really looking for resale.

[Bambam]

We have a 2001 Honda Odyssey. I have 225,000 miles on it and am on the 4th transmission. Yes, fourth! The first was replaced by Honda at no cost to me. The second was replaced with some cost to me, some cost to Honda. The third was replaced at my cost ... but when the non-Honda dealer replaced it ... it was discovered that the filter in the line for the transmission fluid was solidly packed with little bits of metal. Since this was only 60K miles since the transmission had been replaced by Honda, that seemed a little odd. Apparently 2001 still had (has?) transmission problems. If you live in a hot, humid climate, spend the $$ to get a transmission cooler installed. The Honda Dealer will tell you that there is no need unless you plan to tow something, but we did. I really don't want to get another transmission replaced!

 

Other than that, we have had 10+ Hondas and rarely had any problems with them (only A/C). I would buy another Odyssey in a moment except we expect to get more miles out of this one first!

[SheilaZ]

Ok, here's what we did tonight.

 

We went by to look at the T&C. Whoa....are they pricey now. I and th stow and go seats just will not do for us. They feel way too flimsy. Plus, my old van has has such bizzareness that I think that I need to go with somethign else.

 

So we headed over to look at the Odysseys. I found a lovely charcoal grey EX-L with leather seats (heated), a DVD system, review camera, and a MOON roof. Oh, how I want a moon roof!

I don't want the nav system because I'm perfectly capable at using map quest. It's not worth $2 for me.

I also liked the seat configurations, the power doors and rear hatch, and the the sunscreens and roll down center windows.

and the moon roof. I really loved that moon roof.

Plus it has Xm radio, which DH is hapy about.

It drives very similarly to my T&C. The control panel makes sense for the most part. (the rear wiper button threw me.) Though I may never figure out the radio.

The rear camera would have been nice to have before I ran over my son's bike. :glare:

I wasn't happy about the price. We'll have to do some dealing to get that one.

 

Tomorrow, we're checking out the Siennas.

[gardening momma]

Odyssey: My aesthetic preference. I liked the brushed metal accents and preferred the dash configuration. The 8th seat was easy to remove and the 2nd row captains seats were easy to reconfigure to give 3rd row access either from the passenger's side or the center. All airbags were standard, and the Odyssey has a feature whereby three of the six cylinders turn off when you reach a "cruising" speed, which can be any speed, as long as you are not accelerating. Also drove nicely.

We have a 2007 Odyssey. I like the 2nd row captains seats--one of them can slide over, like MyCrazyHouse says, to give access to the 3rd row either from the side or middle. I also find it pretty easy to remove the 2nd row seats when needed. They don't "stow & go", but I can carry them to the garage easily enough.

 

What I LOVE about the Odyssey (and I have no idea what other mini vans have this feature) is how the back seat (3rd row) folds down to create a floor w/o seats. When they're up, there's a deep well behind them that's great for putting groceries in (or a stroller, or a bike). There are also little hooks for hanging plastic grocery bags when you don't want one tipping over or getting crushed (think bread, eggs, etc...).

 

I also really like the sunglass compartment above the rear view mirror. :001_smile:

 

We decided on the Odyssey after doing a lot of research. One of the websites we used was edmunds.com. You can calculate the True Cost to Own (includes repair estimates based on past performance, etc...). http://www.edmunds.com/apps/cto/CTOintroController Honda also has a high resale value. It's hard to find a used one cheap.

[gardening momma]

ETA: it has been the most reliable car I have ever had!!! EVER. The only time it didn't start is when the battery died. As much as I would love one of the new ones, this car will run for a long time!

I know you're referring to your Sienna, but I had to chuckle...the battery in our Odyssey has died 3 times this past summer, but it was because the kids left their lights on (during the day, when you don't notice). We finally bought our own battery charger so we don't have to keep borrowing one.

[gardening momma]

Cons: The only con is that it has poor resale value. The Kia name just isn't very good for resale and people want Toyotas and Hondas. For us that isn't an issue since ideally we like to get a car and drive it until it's dead. :) So we aren't really looking for resale.

I don't know anything about Kia, but a large part of the high resale value of Toyotas and Hondas is the reliability. The True Cost to Own at edmunds.com reflects how much you'll spend in repairs, which affects the vehicle's resale value.

[Mommyof4ks]

We LOVE our 2003 Oddessy! It drives much like a car, and we found that most of the others drove more like trucks (bouncy, rough). We get about 22 miles per gallon, but we live out of town, so half of our driving is highway.

 

We have had the brakes replaced once in 82,000 and we made the mistake of buying cheap tires once, but other than that nothing has gone wrong with it.

 

I love the fact that I can fold down the back seat flat and fold up the middle seats to reveal a BIG storage area. When I picked up my DH's gun safe it if back there perfectly! Bikes fit back there nicely also!

[TraceyS/FL]

I don't want the nav system because I'm perfectly capable at using map quest. It's not worth $2 for me.

 

DH used to say that until he had it! LOL!!

 

It's more than just the Nav too - when you leave the house, you have directions. But what if you want to go to XYZ? OR eat ABC food? you can find that all on there! And, if you need to convert metric tonc to XYZ units - that calculator can do that (i played with it driving to the airport one day! LOL!!).

 

From the safety standpoint - having that nice lady tell you to turn right in 500 ft is much better than trying to read your piece of paper.

 

AND, i like the look of the dash better with the nav screen in that hole - but that is a personal thing.....

 

LOL, i think the Nav is one of my favorite things.... oh, and no more asking - how much further, are we there yet, because, they can read the time and miles to go in the back :D

[Sharon in SC]

DH is considering buying me a new van. We're going to look at the big 3 tonight: Town and Country, Odessey, and Sienna.

 

I have a T&C that is 8 years old and other than some odd little issues (very odd, my van is possessed.) it hasn't given me much trouble except for its tendency to devour brake pads.

 

So tell me what you love about your van and what you covet about the van you didn't buy.

 

Sienna lover here - reliability & better ride in our opinion than the Odyssey

[Kathy in MD]

We're still driving our '97 TC. It currently has 170,000 miles and still runs great. Not only that, but when we bought it ('96), it handled better than any other minivan we test drove. When I asked our mechanic for replacement recommendations, one of his mechanics loved his because of the handling and comfort. I'm willing to spend money to maintain my vehicle, but I demand reliability when I'm driving it and I want excellent handling for saftey.

 

At over 150,000 we did replace the tranny with a one rebuilt by a third party, but on at least one occassion the transmission fluid went BAD, and the tranny still held up for 75,000-100,000 miles after that.

 

If we replace it with another mini-van, we'll definitely be looking at another T&C. If we don't go with another minivan, we'll probably go with a full sized van (5000 lb) for greater towing capacity and camping.

[lighthouseacademy]

I have been doing this research myself. I called 7 repair facilities around the county and asked what minivan saw the fewest repairs in terms of reliability. Every single one said the Odyssey. They further said that the 2002 had some tranny issues but that has since been fixed. They also said that Sienna was very close. The few that mentioned other vehicles said to stay away from Ford, especially the Windstar, and that the Carivan also had some issues. The Kia requires a lot of extra mileage maintanence to maintain the warrenty and that adds up- do you want to pay your costs up front or in repairs. Also, he said that the Timing belt on the Kia needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles and if it breaks it will destroy the engine (they had 3 with just over 60K miles with broken timing belts in 1 week).

After all that, when we get our next car, it will be an Odyssey. It is also cheaper and right now there are larger cash rebates available for the Odyssey than the Sienna.

[OhM]

Our story is similar. In 1999, we were deciding between the Honda Odyssey and the Sienna (2000). Hubby picked these for reliability and repair costs. We couldn't even get in to see the Odyssey. It was a 4 month wait to get one. The Sienna was a 6 week wait and we got it in 4. Also, at the time Sienna had better mileage. We love it. Although I am envious of the newer models with stow and go seats and the 8 passenger option.

 

ETA: it has been the most reliable car I have ever had!!! EVER. The only time it didn't start is when the battery died. As much as I would love one of the new ones, this car will run for a long time!

 

Same story here - except for the battery. I've never had it not start. :D We're coming up on 200k miles now and have *never* done work on it, except for PM. Love, love, love it.

[OhM]

Don't go w/ the T & C. Every one I know - okay maybe 4 families - have had to replace their transmissions at around 100,000 mi. Weird! You'd think the company would look into this issue.

 

With my Chrysler product, (it was a Plymouth minivan around the last year of that line) it was at 32,000 miles! It took a good deal of screaming for them to cover even half of the expense (since I was a good 2k over the warranty) :angry:

 

Four co-workers have owned Chryslers in the past 10 years, and every one has had similar (or worse!) issues. I love their designs, but just have to say, "Nope!"

[Desert Rat]

Another Sienna vote here. We have a 2005 and got the basic model which still has plenty for us. We love the extra room which comes in very handy with Costco runs and soccer gear. The only thing I would change is that I would have gotten the next model up (XE, I think) because I love the one touch sliding door closing. But I'm healthy and strong and can handle closing a door. LOL

[Rhonda in TX]

I love my DGC (we had a T&C for years and years before that). DH has the Odyssey.

 

I prefer the DGC, but DH is a big guy (6'2" with a large frame) and finds it very uncomfortable to sit in. The Odyssey drives me crazy with all the thinking it does for me. (for example, you can't use the automatic sliding doors without unlocking them first). It doesn't have an automatic rear hatch. There's a couple of other things I don't like about the Odyssey, but none of them are huge. I just like my DGC better.

 

Rhonda

[sagira]

With my Chrysler product, (it was a Plymouth minivan around the last year of that line) it was at 32,000 miles! It took a good deal of screaming for them to cover even half of the expense (since I was a good 2k over the warranty) :angry:

 

Four co-workers have owned Chryslers in the past 10 years, and every one has had similar (or worse!) issues. I love their designs, but just have to say, "Nope!"

 

This is the reason I'm hesitating to check out the VW Routan -- it's built on the Chrysler Town & Country platform :glare:

[joannqn]

I have a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan (identical to Town and Country) and don't have a lot of complaints with it. I love the stow and go seating and use it regularly. Sometimes we have all the seats up, sometimes I have the entire back seat down, sometimes I have half of the back seat down, and once we even put down one of the captains chairs so we could eat our lunch on a rainy day field trip. The stow and go is what made our final determination.

 

When we bought the car a year and a half ago, we had it narrowed down to two of them. One had automatic side doors but no DVD. The other had DVD but not automatic doors. The kids love that we chose the one with DVD.

 

We've had a couple of issues with it but we bought the car as a certified used with a 7 year 70,000 mile warranty so it's all been covered. They've even covered a rental vehicle for us when it was being fixed.

 

I get 18 mpg. Most of my driving is around town kind of driving. I get 17mpg around town with the air conditioning on all the time. I haven't computed my highway mileage since I only do that kind of driving once or twice a year at most.

 

I paid $1500 under blue book for it which included the warranty.