[robinsonmr]

I put a deposit down on a 2002 EXL RES just before Christmas but its not scheduled to come in until next month. In the meantime I have been reading a lot of these posts about porous engines, tranny problems, etc. Needless to say, I am getting a bit nervous about the whole thing. I'm even thinking about looking at a different minivan or getting an extended warranty which I NEVER have done in the past and have never regreted.

I have never owned a Honda before but I have friends that swear by them. Am I getting nervous for nothing or should I start thinking about a Sienna? A little feedback from some current owners would help. Good news or bad...

(Originally mis-posted in the Periodic Maintenance forum, my bad...)

 

[Maugham]

In the current poll on this site, there is not a single reponse indicating that the buyer wished he or she had bought another vehicle.

Consumer Reports (and other independent reviewers) continue to rate the Ody as very reliable.

Take a look at other auto sites and you'll see problems discussed on every one of them. There are problems with all vehicles; the Ody is one of the best.

One of the problems with the internet is that sometimes people lose perspective when they hear for the first time about problems for the first time.

More popular products receive more comments, both good and bad. Unpopular products aren't discussed as often. If you focus on the negative, you lose balance.

We have extremely high expectations from the Ody. If I had bought a Kia or Daewoo instead, I probably wouldn't complain about a thing, because I'd have a much lower expectation.

<a href="http://home.attbi.com/cgi-bin/PBEntry?owner=rody2rk">Take the poll</a>
<a href="http://home.attbi.com/cgi-bin/PBView?owner=rody2rk">Current results</a>
<a href="http://home.attbi.com/~rody2rk/polling/Sat_Jan_12_v1.html">Results from the previous poll</a>

Regards,

Maugham

 

[errol]

Hi robinson,

Buyer's remorse kicking in?

Some experience this after a purchase. I however positively and absolutely do not regret buying the Ody. I've owned two Hondas before. An 85 prelude & a 91 Accord which were SUPER in reliability, fuel economy, and maintenance. Hence, that plus the size, engine, and the magic seat which was very important to our family, getting the ody was very easy for us.

Pls remember that one of the most common topics at any forum site tend to be discussions on either enhancements or issues/concerns about a product.

Most folks really don't post how happy they are about the product, in this case our vans. So, when an issue or problem is posted and it gets attention, it can be misconstrued as a prevalent problem. For every complaint on a product, there likely is a greater majority who aren't experiencing the same problem.

I'm not defending Honda or persuading you to buy or cancel your order. I'm just stating tendencies at forum sites like this one.

Thanks,
Errol

------------------
Keohi Web Design
Keohi HDTV

 

[lotus18]

I am one of many old Ody owners who owned a 99' or newer Ody and traded up to 02' Ody. If Odyssey is so bad, we would not have done that. In fact, it is the best minivan and we loved it so much that we bought the same van again.
However, every brand has lemon, and Honda is no exception, but the chance is not that big though.
I loved my first 99' ody and I loved my current 02' too. No problem so far.
Another reason I sold my 99' was because its resale value was unbelievable high, I took advantage of that and bought a 02'.
That's another reason to consider Odyssey. Other brands of minivan just can't hold that much resale value.

 

[Shaners]

The tranny is excellent and seemless on my van, and there are no signs of any leaks. The only problem I had was I needed to have a "sub-frame shift" done in order to correct a problem of pulling to the right. (The problem was cured 100%)

Like was stated before, these boards are very helpful, but they do tend to emphasize the problems that people have. People who are having a positive experiance just don't bother posting or even registering for some reason.

I have very high expectations for this van, and so far I am thrilled!!!

------------------
2002 EXL-RES Redrock Pearl

2001 Chevy 2500HD crewcab 4x4

 

[rhoatson]

I would consider another manufacturer personally. My 2000 Lx has/had enough problems that I think of it in the same class as a Windstar or Chrysler. You get better warranties, incentives and pricing with the other vans.

[This message has been edited by rhoatson (edited 01-14-2002).]

 

[K2Rider]

As an owner of a 2000 LX I would have to disagree. My experience has been less than stellar (shakes, rattles, rough engine, paint, won't start, saggy rear springs). No trany problems yet but then again I only have 25k miles on it. Ask yourself this: how many miles do the folks that say "it's the best minivan out there" have on their vans? If it's less than 60K then it's probably not a good reference. The tranys appear to be failing around 50K. Also ask, what other vans have they themselves owned? I owned a caravan previously and got 89K problem free miles out of it before minor problems started developing. My honest and best advice would be to objectively look at all manufactures offerings from financing to standard warranty(Honda's is weak at 36k miles only), features and price. Then choose what fits your lifestyle and the term you expect to keep this car. You should expect a significantly higher level of quality, reliability, service and warranty from the Honda because of the premium price you will pay for it. I haven't found all those to hold true for my ODY. I did find that on previous Honda's I owned. If you must own this vehicle, BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AT THE POINT OF PURCHASE(it's cheaper). It will relieve most of the anxiety that this website brings on, including my comments. Remember the 2002 Ody has a completely different trany. That can be good or bad. I would guess it couldn't be worse so it's better. I agree there may be a slant towards "complaining" on the web but it's also a good source to spot trends. Best of luck to you sir.

 

[overmyheadcam]

As the Porous Engine King, I'll chime in and say that I'm not ready to toss it all and get a Caravan instead. I took Maugham's poll. I like the Ody. I'm satisfied with the Ody. If they fix the leaking, I'll be very satisfied with the Ody and like it very much.

The extended warranty probably isn't a bad idea, but that really applies to all the vehicles out there.

 

[dgs]

Here's an idea for you. Tell your dealer how nervous you are getting because of the quality issues you've read about (don't say internet, drops your credibility). Say you're thinking about canceling your order as a result (which is true).

Then offer to make him a deal, you'll still buy the Odyssey and bring the van to him for ALL of the scheduled maintenance, including oil changes (maybe even offer to pre-pay it through 100K). In return for all of the maintenance money ask him to extend the warranty to 7yrs/100K. If you fail to have the maintenance done, and done at his shop, the deal is off. He may go for it, he gets the maintenance money and a well maintained trade in later (if you trade it with him) and you get more peace of mind. A local dealer here in Columbus Ohio (Roush) does just that with every new Honda. Of course, they might want to add a bunch of items to the scheduled maintenance list (Roush does), but it could be worth it.

For what it's worth, we love our 1999 EX. We've only had it for a month though, and the tranny was just replaced (under the certified warranty at 40K). For perspective, our previous van was a 1988 Caravan with 184K less than trouble free miles.

------------------
D Schaefer
99 Odyssey EX
93 Escort LX
60 Thunderbird Conv.

 

[smw]

I've had my Ody for about 2 months now. Up to now I have had only 1 defect, I had to replace a front headlight bulb (the first week I received it). No minivan is perfect but the Ody is by far the best one out there.

------------------
Scott.
'02 SS EX

 

[Steve Pert]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mike McBride:
If you must own this vehicle, BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AT THE POINT OF PURCHASE(it's cheaper). </font>

Not necessarily true. Many people have posted here saying their dealership wanted amounts upward of $1100, $1500, or more for an extended warranty. Others have purchased their Honda extended warranty for as low as $875. It is the exact same warranty.

One does not have to buy at the "point of purchase" to get the cheapest price. Any Honda dealer will do service under the Honda Care warranty, regardless of where it was purchased.

 

[Car2ns]

My wife and I had an '89 Aerostar. We sold it at 177k miles with virtually no problems (except the usual wear and tear stuff). So, we felt confident purchasing her Dad's '96 Windstar with 73k miles (in '99). We had a bunch of issues come up with that car about 10k miles later. At 103k the tranny gave up. We (fortunately) found an '02 Ody Ex on the dealer lot, bought it on the spot and dumped the Windstar at CarMax for cheap. I didn't look back.

 

[TomPauline]

Hi,

I'm in the same boat, only I have been waiting five months. Who would have believed that I would wait five months ? Not me, I still can't.

I too have had many, many second thoughts. Especially with the zero percent financing that Ford had. It doesn't help that I live next to a very good Ford dealer that I have bought from before and is very good. The toyota also had a great yearend sale.

However, I am still here waiting. I assume that I did a similar valuation to everyone else here; five star safety rating, 3rd row seat, ....

If only they had more of them. I still think that I am making the best decision that I can and yes, there is a risk involved. I believe that any new car is very complex and that there are bound to be some number that have issues. I can only hope that the one I get won't have to many.

Time will tell,
Tom

 

[Odywan-kanody]

We have a 2k2 EX-L with about 2k miles so far. You won't be disappointed. Having owned Chrysler T&C and Ford, and my neighbor has a Sienna, I can honestly say this is the best van out there. Especially, the 2002. Power, rear disks, leather, etc. Great package. Another reason if none other is RESALE. Unless you plan on keeping yours for 20 years, you'll find the Ody a great 'investment' compared to others. I plan on selling mine come '05, second year of the new style. (assuming we like it). Using the '99 Ody book value as a reference. I will have positive equity towards the new one. Not too many minivans can say that after three years.

 

[errol]

Hi ya folks,

Odyone-kanody is right. When I was doing some research end of Y2K, the very few odys for sale were selling at or more than new ones.

I remember edmunds listing the fair market value of a new one also as $400 more than the new car price. So, at the time you could buy one and sell it for profit right after signing the contract. =)

Thanks,
Errol

------------------
Keohi Web Design
Keohi HDTV

 

[K2Rider]

Does anyone know if the rumor is true that Consumer Reports has removed the 99-01 Ody as a recommended used car to buy? It is supposed to be due to the exceptionally high number of transmission problems and failures. I haven't verified it yet myself. Although, I did speak candidly and "off-the-record" with the parts person at my local Honda dealer here in the Seattle area and he told me that "trany's for the 99-01 models were on back order for quite a while. You couldn't get them for a little while. They pushed through about 3-4 a month." I didn't like hearing that. I own a 2000 LX. Sure hope all the posts about trany problems doesn't indicate a systemic problem. I posted a "Poll" question earlier on this site asking for ANYONE with 30k or 45K miles on thier ODY with no trany problems to respond with the "good" story. This was a while ago and only one person wrote back. I'm a bit worried. All I've read on this site are folks with very little to no experience (less than 30K miles) claiming this van is the best. Well, only time will really tell.

 

[Shaners]

Mike,

I just grabbed my 2002 Consumers Guide and Consumer Reports says the Honda Odyssey (except 1999) are "Good Bets".

In fact the only 2 Hondas listed as cars to avoid are the 1999 Odessey and the '96-98 Passport (which is an Isuzu actually)

------------------
2002 EXL-RES Redrock Pearl

2001 Chevy 2500HD crewcab 4x4

 

[latichever]

Just checked the Consumer Reports web page.

The CR rating for 1999 and 2000 (the latest for which data are available) gives higest marks to the Odyssey transmission, based on their survey data--fewer than 2 percent reported problems.

Although the Caravan transmission is rated as highly for 2001, between five and nine percent reported a problem for the 2000 Caravan.

The Sienna transmission for 2000 also received highest marks, but between 2 and 5 percent reported problems for the 2000 Sienna.

Unfortunately, CR doesn't break these results down by mileage.

 

[Khale]

I am in the same boat..although I haven't put a deposit. I am looking at the Sienna, but keep wanting the Ody..aarrrg! The oil leaks, Hard starts, and other issues are scaring me off. I had a bad experience with a 96 Nissan Quest (had a major engine flaw..aknowledged by Nissan later) and ended up selling it after a year.

------------------
-95 Toyota Corolla DX
-95 Honda Civic
-82 Mazda B2000

 

[wmarci2000]

Well I know this has really been said before, but I have to believe that the main reason that people come to this site is to get information on buying the vehicle (dealer preferences, performance etc...) and to report a problem. As helpful as this site is and as friendly as the people are that are on it, I can't imagine just signing on a year or two from now when I was happily driving my hopefully trouble-free Odyssey. Unfortunately, most of us are too busy in our lives to give compliments to things we take for granted. Having said that, I can say that I have not shopped around extensively. I have thoroughly compared the Odyssey and the Sienna, but didn't look to much at the other vans out there. They just did not compare to the quality and safety ratings described in these two vehicles. There cost was also not significantly different. I have a friend who lives in Detroit who did test drive every van she could (she reported guilt about not buying an "American Car") and she told me there was just no comparison in the features. In the end I went with the reports of friends that have had a honda or, more specifically, an Odyssey. It's important to mention that none of my friends were aware of this site.