[larrylawyer]

Hello. I have a 2002 Mazda MPV which has been good for me but I am about ready for another van and Mazda does not make one any longer. I considered the Odyssey in 2002 but chose the Mazda because I liked the smaller size at the time. I am thinking I will get a 2012 Odyssey EX next spring when my MPV will be 10 years old. A couple days ago I looked at the Chrysler Town and Country just to compare although I never seriously thought about one before. I was impressed with some of the features offered and still at a lower price than the Odyssey. The fold down second row seats are very convenient but I wonder if they are as comfortable as the Odyssey second row seats. Surely Honda thought about fold down seats and decided against them for some reason. The base model also includes power rear door, roof rack and rear view camera, which are not included in the Odyssey. I question the quality of the Town and Country and the resale value compared to the Odyssey. I still think I prefer the Odyssey but would be interested in any comments about the Town and Country. Thanks.

 

[fern00ex]

If you are concerned about quality, the Odyssey is most likely hands down the winner against Chrysler T&C. For reliability, go with Toyota Sienna they are bulletproof and will last 500k miles with no problems. The Odyssey will definitely wow you over Sienna on a test drive. It's your call on whats most important to you.

If you go with Odyssey, its probably not a bad idea to get an extended warranty. I don't buy warranties but I think you might get your money back on repairs. See below for the common historical issues.

Make sure you are ok with the VCM system. On a 5 minute test drive you might not notice the engine vibration when the system changes from 4 to 6 cylinders. After some miles (our '06 failed very early less than 10k miles), the engine mounts have been known to wear prematurely and the vibration will get stronger.

Also, Honda is having problems again with the transmissions in Odyssey. Specifically the torque converter is juddering and there is no known long term fix. The folks who had their TC fixed are finding out the same bad part was used in the replacement.

Some google key words to check into: "vcm engine mounts", "Odyssey torque converter judder"