[dusterbuster]

Hi all,

I'm new to the mininvan world. We just had our second child last week, and alas, it's time to get a mininvan.

I'm seriously considering (like later today!) purchasing a 2007 Touring with 29,800 miles, with NAV and RES for about $25k not including TTL. The minivan seems to be in great condition.

Do you guys think this is a wise purchase? Having never purchased a minivan before, let a lone a used car before, I'm a bit nervous to pull the trigger. But I've heard the Odyssey is a great choice for a used minivan. I know the 2010 models are on clearance, but I would like to get a fully optioned minivan while saving some money (and avoiding the mental trauma of having a brand new minivan immediately desecrated by the two kids).

Thanks in advance!

 

[dadswagon]

If everything checks out sounds good to me, we have been shopping for a new (used) van in that year range and in our marjket I dont think I could touch that price with that mileage and options...Is it a dealer or private owner? Have you seen service history? Carfax and all the other reports clear?

 

[dusterbuster]

Thanks dadswagon for the reply! I was just about to head out to the dealer and was hoping for at least one person's input, and now I have it.

The car checks out clean on carfax, and is being sold by a local Lexus dealer. They apparently originally listed the car at about 29k, then dropped it to 27k, and I eventually got them to a tad over 25k. The car looks to be in great shape, although I haven't yet seen a service history, which is an unknown at this point. The dealer apparently just put on a new set of Michelin run flats, so that's a plus.

The car is outside of the mfg's warranty (aside from powertrain), and I think the only warranty the dealer provides is to pick up 50% of costs for first 30 days/1000 miles. Not that helpful. I might pick up a 3d party warranty, but am leaning towards going without a warranty based on the Odyssey's reliability reputation.

 

[shall36]

Do some more reading regarding the PAX tires. It's a very good thing that the dealer already spent the $1,000+ to put on new tires but you'll eventually have to deal with buying another set or (gasp) having to deal with a flat.

Other than that, sounds good...and yes, I would stay away from any warranties.

 

[dusterbuster]

Thanks for the tip on the PAX tires. It sounds like these will be a bit pricey to replace, but good to know about the issue up front.

 

[mattd]

New tourings msrp around 42k. Some are getting really good deals around 35k. So basically you are saving $10,000 on a three year old vehicle with low miles.

 

[Cntrtwnltd]

Not that it matters all that much, but what color is the interior/exterior. FYI there were issues with Midnight Blue, but I don't have that color, so I have not followed up on it to tell you more.

 

[happygilmore]

Read up on many of these 2007 TSB if you can point them out to the dealer up front.

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46072

 

[mattd]

A TSB is a technical service bulletin. Or a repair procedure. They exist on every type of vehicle. That would almost be like bringing in a repair manual.

 

[dusterbuster]

Thanks everyone for the input. I decided to take the plunge and bought the Odyssey. It's silver (dark grey interior). I did see a listing for a midnight blue Odyssey at another local dealer but am glad I passed up that one if it turns out there are problems with that color/paint.

I checked out the TSB's before heading down to the Lexus dealer and reading through a few of those got me a bit worried that I might run into problems. I decided to go ahead with the purchase anyways based on the general reliability reputation of the Odyssey.

So far, I'm pretty pleased with the car, but I am currently experiencing one potential issue that I'll post in a separate thread concerning the steering when the car is not moving.