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About 2 months ago, I asked dealers the cost to upgrade from a 2018 to a 2021 Elite. I had 24,500 miles at the time and the best offer was $14,400. It was higher than I wanted, so I thought I would wait until the spring to look again and check out the Sienna and future Sedona.
However, after watching videos, I think the Sienna's 4 cylinder is a deal breaker for me, and I didn't like that the higher trim models only had captain's chairs in the middle. I liked the way the upcoming Sedona looked, but my wife shot down the idea of getting a Kia, just like she did the Chrysler Pacifica in 2017. It's funny because she's not a car person, but she really likes to stick to Hondas and Toyotas.
I also noticed that the Elite prices were trending below $44,000 and that Honda added the $1,000 loyalty rebate to the 2021s and offered 1.9% financing. This week I contacted the dealers and was able to get an improved out of pocket quote of $12,435 with 27,082 miles on the van.
Allow me to rationalize for a moment on why I wanted to trade in a perfectly good vehicle:
-My tires were wearing down (5/32") and likely needed replacement in the next year
-I had a B12 service due and three recalls outstanding
-I was out of warranty
-Dealer offers free oil changes for the life of the vehicle
-My 2018 was one of the earliest models produced and didn't have major issues but it had the wind noise at highway speeds and the front doors sometimes needed to be closed firmly. Also there was a scratch on the rear quarter placed by another dealer when they were servicing the vehicle that I no longer have to look at and be reminded of that experience.
Some initial impressions of the 2021 based on a 20 minute drive home, no matter how trivial:
-Steering wheel is thicker
-Auto idle stop off indicator is white now instead of amber
-When using your index finger to press the reverse button, the 2018 button goes down and in (so it was like a hooking motion) whereas the 2021 button goes up and away - hard to describe but the reverse button is angled different
-Speed limit indicator moved to beside the digital speed readout
-They changed the rear view mirror wiring which is no longer exposed, so you can't mirror tap into them for a radar detector like before
-I don't like electronic nannies and with this new Safety Support Indicator I have to go into another menu to turn off road departure mitigation, which is different than lane keeping assist
-Rear camera appears to have better resolution, or maybe it's just clean?
-2nd row outboard seats are now perforated like the front two seats
-The cord cut out in the center console is a nice touch and should have been present from 2018
-Brake pedal feels harder to push in, especially when turning vehicle on
-Steering feels tighter but that might just be a new versus old vehicle feeling--will have to see with time
-2021 Elite rims are growing on me - I like the black grille and the trim on the tailgate
-Feels weird not to have pinstripes (my 2018 was bought in Florida). The dealer was quick to point out they were going to remove them before reselling
I'll post this in the 2021 Price guide too, but here were my numbers after loyalty rebate. I negotiated the out of pocket difference and didn't care about the other numbers.
MSRP $48,940
Price paid $43,683.00
Price OTD: $44,847.55
Trade (2018 Elite 27,000 miles): -$32,412.55
Out of pocket difference: $12,435.00 financed with Honda 1.9% over 36 months
The new car came with wheel locks, splash guards, all weather mats, and cargo tray. I also paid for labor for the dealer to move my black roof rails and cross bars from the 2018.
Referencing a post on this website from 2017, I paid $45,950 OTD for my 2018 in July 2017, so with a trade in value of $32,412.55, the Odyssey depreciated $13,537.45 over 40 months ($338.44/month). The dealer trade in was a good $2,500-3,000 over online quotes from Carmax and Carvana.
I haven't seen any other 2021 Odyssey's on the road although I see plenty of 2018-2020s. I imagine with time Honda will need to increase the incentives due to the Sienna and Sedona, but the timing was good for me to make the jump now.
Lastly, I thought about changing to modern steel but decided to stick with the same blue/grey color scheme:
![158874]()
![158875]()
However, after watching videos, I think the Sienna's 4 cylinder is a deal breaker for me, and I didn't like that the higher trim models only had captain's chairs in the middle. I liked the way the upcoming Sedona looked, but my wife shot down the idea of getting a Kia, just like she did the Chrysler Pacifica in 2017. It's funny because she's not a car person, but she really likes to stick to Hondas and Toyotas.
I also noticed that the Elite prices were trending below $44,000 and that Honda added the $1,000 loyalty rebate to the 2021s and offered 1.9% financing. This week I contacted the dealers and was able to get an improved out of pocket quote of $12,435 with 27,082 miles on the van.
Allow me to rationalize for a moment on why I wanted to trade in a perfectly good vehicle:
-My tires were wearing down (5/32") and likely needed replacement in the next year
-I had a B12 service due and three recalls outstanding
-I was out of warranty
-Dealer offers free oil changes for the life of the vehicle
-My 2018 was one of the earliest models produced and didn't have major issues but it had the wind noise at highway speeds and the front doors sometimes needed to be closed firmly. Also there was a scratch on the rear quarter placed by another dealer when they were servicing the vehicle that I no longer have to look at and be reminded of that experience.
Some initial impressions of the 2021 based on a 20 minute drive home, no matter how trivial:
-Steering wheel is thicker
-Auto idle stop off indicator is white now instead of amber
-When using your index finger to press the reverse button, the 2018 button goes down and in (so it was like a hooking motion) whereas the 2021 button goes up and away - hard to describe but the reverse button is angled different
-Speed limit indicator moved to beside the digital speed readout
-They changed the rear view mirror wiring which is no longer exposed, so you can't mirror tap into them for a radar detector like before
-I don't like electronic nannies and with this new Safety Support Indicator I have to go into another menu to turn off road departure mitigation, which is different than lane keeping assist
-Rear camera appears to have better resolution, or maybe it's just clean?
-2nd row outboard seats are now perforated like the front two seats
-The cord cut out in the center console is a nice touch and should have been present from 2018
-Brake pedal feels harder to push in, especially when turning vehicle on
-Steering feels tighter but that might just be a new versus old vehicle feeling--will have to see with time
-2021 Elite rims are growing on me - I like the black grille and the trim on the tailgate
-Feels weird not to have pinstripes (my 2018 was bought in Florida). The dealer was quick to point out they were going to remove them before reselling
I'll post this in the 2021 Price guide too, but here were my numbers after loyalty rebate. I negotiated the out of pocket difference and didn't care about the other numbers.
MSRP $48,940
Price paid $43,683.00
Price OTD: $44,847.55
Trade (2018 Elite 27,000 miles): -$32,412.55
Out of pocket difference: $12,435.00 financed with Honda 1.9% over 36 months
The new car came with wheel locks, splash guards, all weather mats, and cargo tray. I also paid for labor for the dealer to move my black roof rails and cross bars from the 2018.
Referencing a post on this website from 2017, I paid $45,950 OTD for my 2018 in July 2017, so with a trade in value of $32,412.55, the Odyssey depreciated $13,537.45 over 40 months ($338.44/month). The dealer trade in was a good $2,500-3,000 over online quotes from Carmax and Carvana.
I haven't seen any other 2021 Odyssey's on the road although I see plenty of 2018-2020s. I imagine with time Honda will need to increase the incentives due to the Sienna and Sedona, but the timing was good for me to make the jump now.
Lastly, I thought about changing to modern steel but decided to stick with the same blue/grey color scheme:
. 
