[petunia16]

We're looking at 2008 Odysseys.

We found one we like, maybe... if we can get a deal. It has 28K miles, the exterior, engine and body are clean and it's a certified Honda vehicle.

Problem is... the interior is filthy. Stained leather, ball point pen on on the passenger seat leather, filthy armrests, stained carpet (smells like grape juice to me!), lots of dings, scratches and a few cracks on the plastic panel parts. I would say approximately 30-45% of the interior is REALLY dirty. We currently have an '04 Odyssey, it looks vastly cleaner than this 2 year old van.

The salesman claimed that they had already detailed it, too :/

I'm having a problem finding a specific "grading" scale when it comes to car interiors vs. price.

The dealer is charging "outstanding" Edmunds.com price.

Really, we think it should be downgraded to "Clean", if not "Average".

So, my question is... for anyone out there who knows this... how much weight should we put into stained leather, stained carpet, scratches on the interior consoles etc?

Also... another question... if this is how they treated the interior of the car, should I be worrying how they took care of the engine, or would Honda not certify it otherwise?

I could deal with the stains IF the price was right

Thanks so much for your input!

 

[MTPockets08]

You should be able to work that to your advantage. Play the old; "We will buy this van right now (emphasize the now thing), but you've got to drop the price some because of the nasty interior". See how much they'll come down. A really good interior detailing should be able to take care of pretty much everything that isn't broken. I'd expect a little bit of interior mayhem on a used vehicle, but within reason. MV's tend to get worked over a bit more than average because of their versatility.

My only issue is, generally if a vehicle's inside is nasty, it wasn't cared in general either. Then again, it's a certified Honda, so you've got warranty.

I guess bottom line for me is; I'll take a dirty interior for the right price.

Joel

 

[davedrivesody]

***snip*** My only issue is, generally if a vehicle's inside is nasty, it wasn't cared in general either. Then again, it's a certified Honda, so you've got warranty.

I guess bottom line for me is; I'll take a dirty interior for the right price.

Joel

+1 a dirty interior indicates that the previous owner didn't care for the van. However its being a certified Honda means nothing other than you pay more for a warranty. I would pass on this one and keep looking.

 

[Snobike Mike]

That van is a big pass.

There are many many other used vans.

It's all about condition and what you describe is horrible condition.

Happy hunting.

 

[txn]

+1 I would pass.
Previous owners dumped the van or it was a repo.
Regular maintenance probably was neglected too.
There are other Odys for sale. Just wait a bit.

 

[petunia16]

Thanks everyone so much for your opinions/input.

I put in a low offer and I was completely rejected. Not only rejected, they wouldn't come down from their "pristine" price. I am a little shocked that they wouldn't play ball (I guess I shouldn't be TOO shocked).

I just can't believe they thought this was "perfect" condition. Wow. Odysseys must be in demand here, stains the size of a basketball and everything!

So, yes... this was not the van for us and we will keep looking I hear that Virginia is giving them away

 

[Snobike Mike]

Thanks everyone so much for your opinions/input.

I put in a low offer and I was completely rejected. Not only rejected, they wouldn't come down from their "pristine" price. I am a little shocked that they wouldn't play ball (I guess I shouldn't be TOO shocked).

I just can't believe they thought this was "perfect" condition. Wow. Odysseys must be in demand here, stains the size of a basketball and everything!

So, yes... this was not the van for us and we will keep looking I hear that Virginia is giving them away

If that was their attitude then I'm sure you've learned to never set foot in that stealership again.

 

[Cntrtwnltd]

I would pass, was it the Ivory? I still don't know how people keep that color clean. I will admit, it looks amazing, but I can only imagine that one foot print must do it in. I spent months looking for my exterior color without the ivory for that very reason. Even still, that van sounds unacceptable, especially for an 2008. If it was Black, Olive, or Gray, its just a disgrace. I was also talking to my salesman recently and as I'm sure your aware, the 2011's looks are very subjective, and therefore has been making the lightly used Ody market rather lucrative.

 

[petunia16]

That is so interesting about the 2011 Odysseys. I didn't like how they looked, either... hmmm. That makes perfect sense since there are about 16 2008-2010 Odysseys in our area, period. I wonder if we could get a good deal on a 2011 then? ?

Where we currently live, there are 3 Honda Dealerships in a 50 mile radius. The next grouping of dealerships are 2-3 hours away. And then after that... 4 hours away. Might need to fan out and look in other states to find the van we want. But how do we know for SURE that the interior doesn't look like crap before we trek out? This current van is "Honda Certified"... it shouldn't have been released into the wild, in our opinion.

When we bought our 2004 Odyssey, we had several dealerships to look at (We were in Los Angeles at the time) and I was able to get a good deal AND $500 paid for a 4 year 120K mile extended warranty. Perhaps we should fly back to CA to get our car.

The 2008 van we looked at was Silver on the outside, grey on the inside. I can't even imagine what it looked like when it came in! I bet that the dealer will get their money on it though... enough Moms will come in and be able to look past the juice smells and the footprints on the back of the passenger seat, etc. I guess the bar got lowered since it's so common around here (Or maybe it was just THIS dealer... although, I'm having bad luck with all 3 dealerships in this area... especially with customer service, not having the vans they have online in stock etc. I never had this problem in CA... maybe it's just the whole "demand" thing?)

Thanks so much for your input! I feel a bit defeated, but we're not in a hurry so I'll just wait it out... maybe more vans will surface

 

[MTPockets08]

Yep, the arrogance I've experiences in Honda (and Toyota) dealerships would totally prevent me from even attempting a used (same brand) purchase from them. Buy or lease a new one, or buy used from a non-Honda dealership.

Joel

 

[Cntrtwnltd]

Stay tuned to Odyclub too. I can think of several members who have mentioned possible plans for trading their 3rd gen Odys. In the right area, for the right price, I'm sure one of them would be willing to consider selling to you.

 

[cebu 888]

The southeast dealerships are resting on their laurels. Most of them feel that people will still buy their stinky used cars as people don't have other choices but them. This old concept they are in is totally wrong with the advent of internet. I would suggest to keep on searching. This van is dumped by the owner or repoed. Meaning it fell on the hands of a neglectful person...a thing to avoid.