[m&m&m]

So I totalled our Jetta last week and we need to get a new vehicle. We were already looking at getting a van (but wasn't going to until baby #2 gets here in February, but here we are lol)

Leather is a must for us (just for cleaning sake with the kids). I am going to a dealer tonight with hubby and they have the following cars. Thoughts?


2007 Honda Odyssey EX-L (leather yay) $16,995 with 84k miles (Kelly Blue Book says $20,029)

2008 Toyota Sienna 8 Passenger and leather $17,995 with 77k miles (Kelly Blue Book says $18,642 retail)

2004 Honda Odyssey EX-L (with leather and navigation), $16,995 with only 16,908 miles on it!!(Kelly Blue Book says $16,893 retail)

There is also a 2007 Honda Odyssey LX with navigation listed with "cloth seats" but the pictures show leather so I am not sure what the misprint is there but we will see tonight. It is listed for $17,995 with 31,426 miles on it (Kelly Blue Book says (with leather option) $18,522)

thoughts? Which would you do?

 

[GeoOdyZantac]

m&m&m -a few things to consider: First, 2007 is first year of a new transmission on the Odyssey-enter "2007" and do a search on transmission problems for that year, also look at Consumer Reports reliability ratings for the respective models and years. Don't know much about Sienna's but look for a similar forum like this for Sienna owners and see what they say about their 2008's. There is a thread comparing Minivans on elsewhere in this forum. Second, look at what owners of 2004 Odys say in this forum about their vans. Third, the 07 LX will definitely have cloth seats-they may have seat covers on in the pictures. (or stock pictures!) No matter which one you look at, ask for Auto Check or CarFax reports from the dealers on the vans. Fourth, look at more sources than KBB on the pricing-do Edmunds, NADA Used Car Guide and a new one I found-Clear Book. I found KBB to be little higher on their values than the others. PM me if you have any other questions- I was going down this road a few months ago myself, ended up buying a 2008 EX (Private Party sale)

 

[m&m&m]

Thanx, yes I was wondering if maybe they were stock photos on the 2007 LX since the main listing pic was missing and there was a note saying this was an "incoming vehicle" so perhaps they replace the stock with the real once they get the vehicle on the lot...I dunno.

I read about the tranny issues and it appears it was worse in the ?-2004 model. We wanted to avoid the 2005 alltogether just because it was the first year of the new model series. I will definitely look at the other pricing sites, thanks for the tip there too!

Overall, it appears that the Odyssey is the better choice between it and the Sienna. I haven't test driven either yet but I know that will be a big factor for me since I will be the main driver and from the reviews I have read, the Odyssey is more fun to drive (and I DO like to drive )

We were hoping to have more time to research to prepare for the spring (like we did when we researched for the Jetta TDI we had) but with the accident and the need for a car (and not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars to rent when we could be putting it towards a purchase) we need to get one soon.

Off to check the sites you mentioned.

Anyone else?

 

[MTPockets08]

Check out the Kia Sedona/Hyundai Entourage and Dodge as well. Maybe even a Nissan Quest. They're all good vans. To me, $17-18K for something 4-5yrs old with 80Kmi on it is too much, but I know prices vary by region.

You're definitely going to pay up big for something with leather. Leather in a minivan typically comes only on the highest-end model, which are ridiculously priced IMO.

For instance, my 2008 Honda Odyssey LX could have been bought new for ~$23K. Leather and a couple models up would have been another $10K easy.

Joel

 

[kulas138]

Marketing

You wanna buy our extremely taken cared of 2010 Odyssey EX-L? It's our weekend vehicle hence only 18,600 miles so far. Wife's gonna shave my head if she learns that I'm trying to sell the van. She doesn't like the new generation model, while I do.

 

[m&m&m]

UPDATE 11/10

We ended up with the 08 Sienna. It was between that one and the 07 Ody with the 31k miles in the end (it was the LX but they had put in leather interior). The Sienna we got is the LXE Limited with leather --more bells and whistles but at the same price as the 07 Ody (because the Sienna had more miles on it) We got a 5yr extended full warranty though.

It was close between it and the Ody. We both liked the seats of the Ody better (better lumbar support) but we liked all the extras for the same price on the Sienna plus I liked the color on the Sienna whereas the Ody was a light silver with black trim and I just wasn't crazy how it made the car look "dated." Both handled very well in my opinion (nothing like the Ford van I learned how to drive on as a Teen, these both handled like cars and had great turning radius and handling --again in comparison to the Ford Econoline Conversion and the Chevy ?? conversion van my parents have owned that I have driven)

We paid a bit more than what I would have liked (we wanted to keep our payment below $250 with the GAP and extended warranty etc. and our payment is going to be $299) but I am glad to have my car, in a color I REALLY like and not have to drive a crappy old tiny eclipse with my preggo belly and son crammed in the back seat.



The 08 Sienna was listed as the 8 passenger but it was really the 7 passenger but XLE Limited edition. We paid $17,995 and here were the values I looked up online for the specifics that this car actually has (as well as our zip code etc.):

Kelly Blue Book: $25,726
Edmunds: $23,739
Clearbook: $26,426
NADA: $25,450

We got the carfax and it wa a 1 owner car with no major accidents etc. So I feel that we did get a good deal.

I had a great experience at the dealers too. They are not commissioned and so their prices are fixed at their set profit margine. It was nice not having to haggle with a straight forward price, though hubby was hoping to get the price down a little

 

[OdyProspect]

Looks like a really good deal!

 

[bw03]

Excellent deal if it is a limited. Can't really tell from the pic you have but the rims on the van tells me it may not be a limited but rather just the xle. Go over to siennachat.com and get an account there. Of course, you may have to wait to get in. The admins there don't really get on the ball with approving new accounts.

 

[MTPockets08]

You can't go wrong with a Sienna. My only experience with them is the rental Sienna we had in Florida in 2008. I loved it. They ride and handle softer than the Ody, but it felt more powerful to me than our 2008 Ody LX.

Joel