Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 124

DH and I have been discussing minivan more now, he's getting more involved.

We're narrowing just a bit. We think the MPV is out.

We'll either be doing a....

06 Ody EX in Silver - invoice about $25,5

I liked the slate green and ocean mist too, but think the silver will show scratches and dirt less, and I won't get tired of it over the years of ownership. (Like how the silver looks w/the touring wheels -- that's sharp!)
or

06 Sienna LE in blue mirage w/pkg #4 - invoice about $24,4

I went browsing on colors at both dealerships and while something about the Sienna interior makes me go "ooooh, I like it," I think the Ody interior may be better quality overall. The cloth in the EX is growing on me, slowly.

We might go Ody LX to save a little more.... if we decide that we don't need the bells/whistles of the EX.

I'm targeting a purchase by end of May. The next test drives will mean a lot in our decision making.

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2001 Acura TL
2007 Ody EX - silver

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: N/A
Posts: 1982

Trust me when I tell you this: once you've had power sliding doors (on BOTH sides), you'll never do without.

And you'll wonder how you ever did without.

It sounds silly, but it's just one of those things. Go the EX route for the sliders alone--they're worth it.

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 124

a 2002 silver EXL with 41k miles for $19k.

It would be saving more than 5k off a new van. I wonder if the risk would be worth it.

DH wants the new for the safety features, but it's not like the older vans are unsafe.

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2001 Acura TL
2007 Ody EX - silver

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1512

I am thinking of all the road salt that the used van has been exposed to already. You don't know how often it was washed. That salt could have already started to do some damage to that van. If you were only going to keep the van a few years, you wouldn't need to worry about that. Although the 2nd gen vans were very safe, my own opinion is that your husband has the right idea. Start totally fresh and get the latest safety options. You will have this new van for a long time and you will know exactly how it was taken care of, in all respects. If you can handle the payments, I know you will really love the 2006 EX.

PS: The slate green is really great at hiding dirt too.

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Mommyvan
'05 EX Slate Green/Gray cloth

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Registered: Aug 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 302

quote:

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Originally posted by adam1991
Trust me when I tell you this: once you've had power sliding doors (on BOTH sides), you'll never do without.

And you'll wonder how you ever did without.

It sounds silly, but it's just one of those things. Go the EX route for the sliders alone--they're worth it.

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I disagree, I've had them for about 6 months now and I still think they are nothing more than a toy. (and I'm already thinking ahead to 8-10 years from now and how much $$ they are going to cost to fix when they stop working). Don't listen to me, though, I also think keyless entry is stupid.
I thought all the toys on the EX were worth the extra $3k, and would be fun considering I'd always had "base model cars" before, but I do realize they are nothing more than toys.

KBecks, I had the opposite reaction to the interiors - I thought the Sienna was boring and "soft", while the Odyssey was "sharp" and sporty looking.

Regarding the 02, I would never buy a 4 year old vehicle to save only $5k. Virtually no warranty versus 5-year/60k warranty on the 06's. What are side-curtain airbags and stability control worth?
I think the resale values on the 2nd generation are going to start dropping faster once more 3rd generations hit the used markets in a year or two.
I went through the same used vs new debate you are last summer, and I couldn't even come close to justifying a used one considering the crazy-high prices people want for used Odysseys. If I were in the market for a Dodge, on the other hand, used makes a lot of sense because you are actually saving a substantial amount vs. new.

I have a Sage brush color van, don't buy this if you want to hide dirt.

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 124

I love how it looks... but both our current cars are dark green (darker than the sagebrush), and we're ready for a change.

Because we don't spend a lot of time maintaining the appearance of the cars, it will be nice to have something that shows less dirt, and especially fewer scratches. I was incredibly upset when my TL suddenly got a bunch of white scratches because *somebody* and I don't know who -- put something on top of the trunk and appeared to have dragged it off, leaving a ton of scratches.

I should get my car washed with that underbody spray more often. The Integra has some unfortunate exterior paint rust (on the trunk, and by one wheel), and so I've been thinking a little more about caring for the TL so it will last us as long as possible -- it is a GREAT car.

I'm thinking we're (or I'm) going to learn how to detail this summer when we try to spruce up the Integra as much as possible for private sale. It's mechanically excellent, but has suffered a lot of regular wear and tear to the exterior and interior. Maybe I'll give the TL a little TLC too before DH takes over as its primary driver.

I'm a little worried about the private sale, and don't know if we'll get the pricing right on the Integra. I sold a car once, (a 5 y.o. Neon) and the first person who looked at it bought it, which means I either had it priced right, or I had it priced much too low, I guess. But I sold it in only a week or two. Since $500 is a month of groceries, every hundred kind of matters to me, but maybe I need to get over that. The Integra needs a new CV boot, and I'm wondering how much $$ to put into it to fix, or to just disclose that when selling. We'll get a couple estimates from Acura and our local mechanic. We just put $350 of new tires on it in Jan., and it willl get a new driver seat belt (free from Acura).

DH still loves the Integra and would keep driving it if it suited family life more. He kind of wants to not get the minivan, but carseats in minivans are so much easier on the back (and DS#1 is getting big and heavy.)

As for the light gray/ green (what's the color name again?) it's a nice color and does it have a different interior color ? (olive?) I liked the interior color when looking at it. One of the vans had an unfortunate kind of large, but mostly superficial scratch/scrape above one of the wheels that was very obvious. That made me think that on a silver, it might blend in a little more. (The van with the damage had a sold sign in the window, I wonder what exactly happened?.... or if the buyer is going to be surprised at the delivery inspection??)

That's the ramble. I think the goal will be to shop aggressively the last 2 weeks of May (schedule permitting), and then sell DH's car in June, and have a new baby in July!

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2001 Acura TL
2007 Ody EX - silver

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Colorado
Posts: 243

I love my 06 EX Silver Almost spent the extra $2k for the EX-L but I don't trust the VCM...At least not yet. If they sold the EX-L without the VCM, I would have bought that.

Power doors. I love em. Wifey loves them too. Spend the extra money at least to the EX. The one thing that kinda turned me off the LX is the black handles and trim. EX has color matching trim.

We were in the same situation as you, don't go for a used 04 as it dosen't have VSA and side curtain airbags. A must if you have a family....Though, if your looking at a Oddy, its almost a given that you do. The used 04 Oddys aren't much cheaper than new. I noticed the same when I was going to trade up my Accord for a used one...Might as well go new when you buy Honda.

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2006 Honda Odyssey EX
Silver Metallic Pearl/Grey Interior
Fog Lights, 3M Clearbra, Splash Guards, Wheel Locks, Cargo Tray, Weathertech Mats, Llumar tint
******
1994 Honda Accord EX
4 cyl Vtec
230,000 and going strong!

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 1510

quote:

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Originally posted by Mikelee989
Might as well go new when you buy Honda.

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2002 EX - Transmission replaced at 84,000km (52,000 miles). Sold at 104,000km.

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