[vanpicker]

I have seen a private ad in Houston area for a 99' GG EX with leather, cassette, alarm and tinted windows on both front doors for $23500, still under warranty. The owner said set of 4 new Michelin tires were installed few months ago. Is this a good price? I am new to the minivan market and have seen dealer selling the 02' with similar option for $29000 plus TTL.
With this used van with original warranty and no waiting, I am tempted. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jim F]

I couldn't find a used one for sale when we were looking. I'm assuming it's been a TX van all of it's life. That's a plus.

No rust!

Not sure about the price. I have no idea what they go for used.

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Jim
'01 GG EX w/stuff
'93 Nissan Sentra SE-R with more stuff

 

[cwneed]

For what it's worth...

I got mine (99EX) in MD in January and paid a little under that. It had ODY fog lights, cargo mat and caro tray and was under warranty. But on the flip-side, it did not have the add-ons you referred to.

We love the van. I knew we wanted an Ody, and would eventually get one. Little did I know that one of our vehicles would die on us while we were driving to look at an Odyssey. Obviously the vehicle was a little upset that we were going to replace it.

The point of the story is that we were forced to either buy an Ody quick or look at a different van, which I was opposed to. Used Ody's were very hard to come by up here and I did not have the luxury of time to be put on a waiting list. It was the first Ody that presented itself when we started looking and luckily it was the color we wanted. I was not thrilled about purchasing a first model year with all of it's "quirks" but, knock-on-wood, it's been great.

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Chris
99 EX Deep Velvet Blue; Fog Lights; Air Deflector; Splash Guards; Cargo Tray; Cargo Mat

 

[vanpicker]

I am not so sure about the price either, but we have been looking for a couple weeks and could not find an EX with less than $23000. There were a few 00' for $24000 but either plain EX with cloth and nothing else or a couple 99' for $21k or $22k, but with either more than the 36k warranty miles or even higher, not to mention with leather. So, this one with such low miles and warranty, leather is a surprise plus, we are really fell for it.
And it is bought and driven in Houston only, no rust, just a couple inevitable door dings and scratches.
Oh my, the more I describe about it, the more I want it, a real no-no, I know.
Just needs more advise. I heard the first years had had some recalls, were they minor? and any more recall recently in 00' and 01'? Should last 100+ miles after all the recall fixed, correct?

 

[tomhan]

Most of the auto web sites like Edmunds and carpoint have facilities to look a vehicles history to see if has been classified as a lemon. All you need is the VIN#. You might also ask the seller for a history of the vans maintenance and repair. I wonder too if you could take the VIN# to a dealership and ask them to look up the repair history. They keep all that info in a master database.

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See my Pics

Tom
2002 RP EXL-RES

 

[Llarry]

I'm surprised that no one has cautioned you against getting a '99. Consumer Reports has the '99 Ody on their list of used cars to avoid, etc.

That said, our '99 EX has not given us any trouble. Yes, we've had it in several times for recalls (none of which was urgent; we just had them done at oil change time), but it has never given us any mechanical trouble.

If this is not a qualified yes/maybe/no, I don't know what is! I don't think the '99s have any fundamental reliability issues, but the recalls probably shook the confidence of some owners. As with any used vehicle purchase, look for evidence of a caring owner -- maintenance records and the like.

 

[vanpicker]

I talked to the owner and was given the vin# to check if it is a lemon and accident involved. None came out wrong.
Guess now it is really up to me to buy this preowned van with no waiting and at thousands less than new, but still with about 6k and March 2002 for the warranty to expire.
I think it is too late to purchase extended warranty, am I correct?
Well, with Honda, I'd be happy to take a chance without extended warranty.

 

[Maugham]

I'll second Llary's sttattmentt

about Consumer Reports having the '99 on their list of vehicles to avoid. Usually it takes many consistent problems for a model and year to be on that list. They're basing their advice on reported customer statistics, not on theory.

Maybe take it to a trusted mechanic who is confident he can sniff out a good vehicle when he sees one?

Best of luck!

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Maugham

"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EXL
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green Grass stains and '01 White Laces w/ Frayed Tips <font color=white>

[This message has been edited by Maugham (edited 11-02-2001).]

 

[lucman2]

In May of 2001, I purchased a '99 Emerald Green EX with 30,000 miles on it. It had the extra's but no leather...I paid $21,000 for it. I've had no problems at all.
Your's sounds like a fair price...I'd consider it.

 

[RAUSTER181]

2001 Honda ODYSSEY EX MiniVan miles 16,228 $ 25,995

1999 Honda ODYSSEY LX MiniVan miles 58,500 $ 18,995

1999 Honda ODYSSEY LX MiniVan miles 33,524 $ 20,995

2001 Honda ODYSSEY EX MiniVan miles 66,840 $ 25,995

2000 Honda ODYSSEY EX MiniVan miles 24,691 $ 23,995

2001 Honda ODYSSEY LX MiniVan miles 11,828 $ 23,495

These are from my local Honda store.Are any of these a good deal?

[This message has been edited by RAUSTER181 (edited 11-02-2001).]

 

[Jerry O1]

I think CU's main gripe with the '99s was the electric door problems and, on some vans, the brake troubles. They show a little downgrade for body integrity (must be the rattles we've heard about) and a black mark for hardware, which is also related to the door troubles. Everything else seems to be o.k. Since it is on the "cars to avoid" list, there are probably better choices, especially at the premium prices they go for. I would hate to pay that close to new car price for a used car, unless I was real sure what it had been through. Just thinkin'. Good luck,

Jerry O.



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2001 Odyssey GG LX

 

[MerpsMom]

How in the world do you put almost 67,000 miles on a 2001 automobile!!??

 

[Llarry]

Yeah. Maybe typo and really has 6,684 miles?