[ody]

Picked it up from Dependable Auto Shippers on Thursday and it seems to be in "perfect" condition. None the worse for wear from it's trip from Ohio. Again I would like to recommend Jay Honda and Dennis Jenkins. Wonderful, pain free experience-registering the Ody here in So. Cal was very easy, no problems at all. Anyone with questions on buying out of state feel free to email me!
I LOVE IT!

This van drives soooo smooth and is so much more refined than my '96 Windstar. The Ody makes our old van feel like a farm implement or something! No rattles, wind noise is imperceptible, does NOT pull to the right (or left), didn't notice the gas sloshing sound but I had forgotten to really listen for it.
The only thing that I've noticed the Windstar was superior at was in not transmitting so much of the small road "irregularities" into the van. In other words, the Ody seems more sensitive to cracks, expansion joints etc. than the Windstar was. Maybe difference in tires?
The overall ride and especially the handling is SO far ahead in the Ody though, I can live with it.
Love the leather (bun warmers are nice!) and the NAV system is simply awesome! I am very impressed with the accuracy on this system. I have programmed several addresses in other cities and the voice directions were perfect! Uncanny

Stereo system sounds OK, not as bad as I thought it might be. Don't really listen to loud music in the van anyway, so I may just leave it alone.
My 17" wheels come in on Tuesday, so I'll post some pics after the install and other accessories too.
Thanks again to the Odyclub board and all the friends who advised and encouraged and helped me make this choice!

------------------
'02 RRP EX NAV
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

 

[OdyAngel]

CONGRATULATIONS !! You made a good choice. Enjoy your new van ...

Louise & Sylvain
02, GG Ody LX

[This message has been edited by OdyAngel (edited 10-20-2001).]

 

[poncho1965]

Congrats! I will look for the pics, have not seen any Ody's yet with mods. More and more on the road now though, even in my small town.

Poncho1965

 

[viskha]

I agree with all you said, ody. I picked up my '02 EXL-NAV yesterday and it is all I expected it to be (after reading all the good stuff on this website). I also agree this is a great site with great members - very informative site with well informed members.
Yes, the Navigation system is awesome! Enjoy your vehicle, like I am doing mine - the main add I am looking at doing in the next couple of weeks is getting a 7" roof mounted DVD entertainment system (aftermarket since I could not get a factory one with Nav).

 

[ody]

Word of caution to all NAV newbies out there! Don't get so caught up "playing" with it while driving that you take your attention off the traffic

Coming home in stop and go traffic while putting an address in the NAV, I had to stop rather suddenly when the traffic in front of me braked and I wasn't paying attention.
I have probably answered questions on this van for about 10-12 people in the last 2 days! Of course, I always give them the Odyclub site address too

------------------
'02 RRP EX NAV
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

 

[Jerry O1]

Amen, Ody- The NAV has to be a great thing for salesmen, delivery folks and the "geographically impaired", but, it is the worst nightmare for a person who needs to stop in the lane for some reason, i.e. a left turn, pedestrian or any one of hundreds of other reasons. I hope lots of folks can learn from your experience.

Glad your guardian angel was on duty!

Jerry O.

------------------
2001 Odyssey GG LX

 

[ody]

Yeah, it would have been a little embarrasing to smash the front of my brand new Ody (and someone else's rear too) because I was fooling around with my new "toy"!
On a side note, I went through my first tank of gas and got just over 20 MPG with a mix of city and freeway (much of it stop and go) and also the smog test which involved a lot of engine idling (zero MPG!) so I thought that wasn't too bad...

------------------
'02 RRP EX NAV
Mudguards,cargo tray,door edge protectors, gold emblems,
17" TSW Spirit wheels with 235/55 Dunlop Sport A2 tires Lots more to come!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

 

[karman4968]

What I cannot understand is the point in buying something as valuable and as expensive as an Odyssey 1/2 way acroos the country when you can get one in San Juan Capistrano @ Weseloh Honda @M.S.R.P. without any hassle .The only thing you do is call me/order one and in 1 week to 2 1/2 mos your unit is here !(rrp exl in stock for sale)
call me Bob Mulcahy 949 493 9300

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[johnkalajian]

karman 4968-when you say you can get an Ody in one week at msrp, it might not make any sense to buy one from out of state. When you say you might have to wait two and one half months, then purchasing out of state makes a lot of sense if you don't want to wait that long, or if you don't like the uncertainty of your 1-10 week waiting period. I tried to purchase locally, and waited four months for one at msrp from a local dealer (who never delivered). Other dealers told me that they had the vans coming in, but tried to play competing buyers off each other to get them to outbid each other for the vehicles. The dealer in my city would not sell w/o including $3,500 in "mandatory options". For me, it made a lot of sense to purchase out of state, with no b.s., no "bait and switch" and having the exact color/model/trim van I wanted actually arriving when promised. All ody's are the same, regardless of where purchased. Some dealers are definitely taking advantage of the high demand, and not dealing in good faith. After spending a lot of time trying to find an honorable dealer, I went the "out of state route". If I had done this from the beginning, I would have saved myself at least one days worth of time and aggravation. The time savings alone was worth it to me to get mine out of state without the hassles involved with the local dealers. Besides, "Ody" and I didn't pay msrp for the ones we purchased out of state. I got mine for $500 under msrp. Ody got a similar deal on his. I would have rather spent the money in my local community, but the tactics of local dealers in our area required us to take our business elsewhere.



[This message has been edited by johnkalajian (edited 10-22-2001).]

 

[honda4]

Bob,
Most of us feel it is perfectly ok to buy these things half way across the country /or the world because the most (if not all) dealers "gouge".
How else could you explain a dealer calling the customer and telling her "your van is here", keeping her on hold and then telling her she sold it to somebody who walked in the door.
Why should a dealer charge $200 for installing a cassette player in a ody-ex. Most dealers want $325 for this when it is available for $132 from HandA. Most DIY can do it in 1 hour. I would expect any professional to finish this job in under 30 mins. Is the labor cost like $400/hour?

We welcome dealers & other vendors to this forum to post their thoughts/prices and policies. I am sure we have a couple of good/honest dealers in every state/metro area and we would like to know who they are?
Please feel free to post you prices for accessories, installation costs/times in the appropriate forums, if you think you represent one of those good/honest dealers.

I am sure you will get many customers walking into the dealership for service/accessories as never before. Good for you, good for us.

If you have any commercial interests, I am sure you can get the Admin(s) to accomodate you appropriately.


[This message has been edited by honda4 (edited 10-22-2001).]

 

[jarcher]

karman4968...What led us to buy out of state.
We went looking to purchase a 2001 Odyssey in late June or early July of this year. Long Beach Honda is where I started our search. I knew more or less that this vehicle was in demand. I was surprised to learn how much over MSRP many dealers were charging.
I began to ask what the changes would be for the 2002's and when cars would start arriving at the dealers'. All of the sales people I spoke with either didn't know or claimed the 02's were the same as the 01's. We decided to wait for the 02's. I was already frustrated with the lack of knowledge and inconsistent knowledge that existed among the different dealers.
I went to the Honda web site in early August and discovered what the changes to the 02 Odyssey's were. After I made that discovery, several local dealers were still babbling off the same bad information. This only frustrated me more. I knew more than some sales people at the dealers!! About that same time I discovered this site (odyclub.com). A wealth of information here thank you very much.
In mid August, I was serious about purchasing a 02 Odyssey. I talked to probably 2 dozen dealers. Some dealers were telling me the RP wasn't going into production until spring 03. More bad info! MSRP + $1000, or $2000 or stuff I don't want at inflated costs! I finally left three deposits at three dealers around mid September, Weseloh Honda, Spreen Honda and Long Beach Honda.
Long Beach Honda was actually $790 over MSRP but the salesman I was dealing with was so customer oriented (seems all of LB Honda is that way) that I would have paid it! The salesman called me weekly to let me know about any vehicles coming in.
I couldn't get a good read on when to expect a vehicle at any dealer, I figured the best approach was to leave a deposit at several dealers and the guy that got the vehicle first got our money. Simple as that! It was a refundable deposit after all and there was never any mention of a 'order' for anything nor did I sign anything. I was on a list and eventually I would percolate up to the top, but how long would that be?
I called each of these dealers once a week for two to three weeks (except LB Honda) and each time I was welcomed with a lack of information. "Sorry, we don't know" or something to that effect. I felt like I was bothering these people with my phone calls. This is sort of typical for products in demand. Personal service is the first thing to go.
I knew by this time that two members had purchased their vehicles out of state. I was initially uncomfortable with this idea after all it is a big ticket item. After some discussion with the two members I got more comfortable with buying the car from out of state. I made one phone call in early October and I had a van reserved as I wanted it and knew when to expect it at the dealer. Again, I got a similar deal to John and Ody. With shipping to my door, it cost me a little more than MSRP. The salesman was friendly and helpful and continues to be.
When thinking about how many items we buy via the internet, catalogs, etc. site unseen, this is just another item. Think of it as the new national economy for Odysseys.
In my book, service is still king. I didn't find it among most of the So. Cal. dealers.
Interestingly enough the RP EX-L's are now flowing into CA. In the last three days I have had calls from Weseloh, Palmdale, and Norm Reeves. (BTW, Norm Reeves in HB is one to avoid.) Oh well! Yeah, it would have been nice to save $300 and some other time chasing around to AAA. What it boils down to however is one guy had the goods and a will to be helpful.

PS - Bob, shoulda called with the VIN number when you knew it was available.
=========================================
02 RP EX-L shipping out today.


[This message has been edited by jarcher (edited 10-22-2001).]

 

[ody]

Well said guys! Yes, these are exactly the same reasons I bought from Jay Honda in Ohio!
The local dealers I dealt with-while very nice for the most part- simply could not give me any idea when the van I wanted would be available. I would get calls saying "Uh, we have a TW LX coming in next week" or "we have a RRP EX, but no NAV" and when I would check in with them after several weeks, I felt like I was bugging them!
One call to Jay Honda, the NEXT DAY I receive a call back saying he will have the exact van I want sitting on his floor the next day-and he DID! No run-around, BS, or anything! Dennis Jenkins @ Jay Honda was the best car sales rep I have EVER dealt with!
The Honda dealer in the city I live is a joke-although the service dept. is OK. Mandadtory "options" at obscene prices is even worse than dealer markup IMO! What am I-stupid? (Don't answer that!

)
Although I was a little apprehensive about buying out of state at first, I am glad I did it and would do it again if need be.
So, Bob, I assume you now understand the "point" even if you don't agree?

------------------
'02 RRP EX NAV
Mudguards,cargo tray,door edge protectors, gold emblems,
17" TSW Spirit wheels with 235/55 Dunlop Sport A2 tires Lots more to come!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

 

[pearsonrj]

Hey jarcher, a question for you. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I'm considering buying an '02 down in SoCal, as the dealers here are charging $1000+ over invoice. I don't really want to go out of state, as I just don't have the confidence for it. Of the SoCal dealers you dealt with, which would you recommend?

Richard

 

[jarcher]

pearsonrj...
I suggest you try Weseloh Honda in San Juan Capistrano. 949.493.9300 (Bob Mulcahy) or possibly Spreen Honda in Loma Linda 909.799.7070 (Kathy Thompson). Both are at MSRP.

You might check with Long Beach Honda too. 562.426.4444 (Cairo Ibraham). They may have changed their pricing policy, I don't know.

Those were the top three on my list.

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by jarcher (edited 10-22-2001).]

 

[LHOdy]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by pearsonrj:
Hey jarcher, a question for you. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I'm considering buying an '02 down in SoCal, as the dealers here are charging $1000+ over invoice. I don't really want to go out of state, as I just don't have the confidence for it. Of the SoCal dealers you dealt with, which would you recommend?

Richard</font>

I bought my 2002 at MSRP from Bob Mulcahy at Weseloh Honda in San Juan Capistrano, and had a good experience. There was no pressure to add-on, and there was no dealer prep charges. It did take quite a long time for the vehicle to arrive, however that was a Honda of America problem. The dealer gave me the information when they had it.

 

[odycadmus]

I found that the waiting time is shorter at Valley Hi Honda in Vitorville. All Odys are sold at MSRP. Excellent. Call Down or Dick in the fleet department.