what minivan is as good as an Odyssey?

we just got back from a MI - FL - MI roadtrip in our '03 Odyssey, which has now covered over 252k miles since we bought it new in Nov of '02. within the next few months we will be shopping for the Ody's replacement, another minivan, lightly used, for $18k or so. Sienna seems to be cheaper by a few grand compared to the same year and mileage Ody, so i'm wondering if the Sienna is as good as the Ody? are the ChryCo vans on par with the Ody yet, or at least good enough to be covered by the price difference?

The PO of my 2005 odyssey, replaced it w/ a '12 or '13 sienna. From my research, some of the complaints about the earlier sienna( brake feel, handling, options, etc ) have been largely fixed in the newer models. The caravans still had too many issues for me, and were slightly smaller than my ody. Maybe go w/ a newer ody, if this one has treated you well?? How has your tranny held up over the years?

The Kia/Hyundai twins. Chryco minivans are fine for the first owner (to 100k). they're not nearly as durable as the asian imports in our experience.

Another Ody

The one thing the Chrysler's have going for them is the "Stow and Go" seating system. It's brilliant engineering, and something the others lack. The ability to go from cargo van to 7 passenger machine in minutes is pretty awesome. The under-floor storage is handy too.

While they have their cheap touches, they aren't bad to drive either. From what I've heard they are at least as reliable as the Honda....well at least their transmissions don't fail as often. The Honda is a better drive, but the Chrysler is more practical, and less $$. I drove one last week (Chrysler) for 600 miles or so, and it was comfy and handled well enough not to be a penalty box.

I don't have an experience with the Sienna, but have been told to avoid early Nissan Mini's as their AL plant has had myriad quality control issues.

I've also heard to stay away from the nissan products. How much room do you need? Would the mazda work for you?

Joe Gearin wrote: The one thing the Chrysler's have going for them is the "Stow and Go" seating system. It's brilliant engineering, and something the others lack. The ability to go from cargo van to 7 passenger machine in minutes is pretty awesome. The under-floor storage is handy too.

This was the reason I bought my '08 Caravan. That and its dirt-cheapness. When I was shopping for at mine at CarSense (local chain similar to CarMax), they had a newer ('11 IIRC) T&C with a lot more options (loaded with all the toys vs mine which is essentially stripped and has the smaller engine) and less miles for about the OP's budget.

We have an 06 Sienna, and it has been nothing short of perfect for the 7 years we have owned it(bought used with 17k). I would buy another just like it any day. Routine maintenance is all it has required.

The only thing I like about the Chrysler is the Stow and Go, it's brilliant - like having another car with you on a trip. My wife rented a new Kia van last summer for a trip from NC to MN. She hated it, felt cheap, said our 10 year old MPV was better. My neighbor has a Sienna and loves it, but all they own are Toyotas. My choice would be another Odyssey, if you can find one.

I don't think the chrysler transmissions have issues anymore. I think it's been about 10 years since those were remedied. Our trans just turned 150K with only fluid and filter changes. Rust, now that's another issue....

I don't think there is a minivan as good as an Odyssey. A rotted out '87 Aerostar with the 3.0 "Mudmaker" engine might be close.

Get an Astro.

Not really, but they come up in all the other threads, I just wanted to be the first to mention them in an actual thread about minivans.

Whatever you Wife wants...

Our '03 Odyssey will be regulated to part time duty here in another year, as the Missus will be getting an Accord. I can't fault the Odyssey in any way...although I do have to make an appointment to get the SRS recall fix done soon.

Just sold our 04 odyssey for an accord. It, like yours, was a dutiful soldier. Mine cost me nothing more than scheduled maintenance and a couple engine mounts. If I were looking for a van again, it'd be an odyssey before any other.

But.. I'm just gonna drop this here anyway because I found it pretty compelling for a van.

http://blog.vossenwheels.com/?p=3350

As much as I dislike the styling of the current Oddy, I'm pretty sure it would be the frontrunner to replace my '05 MPV. Won't buy a Toyota. Nissan too weird. Can't take the risk of Chrysler's third world build quality. What's left? Odyssey.

We chose a Chrysler for stow n' go.

In reality, all of them are as good as an Ody. Remember it was the Ody that had the worst transmission issues of all of them from 01-05.

Plus, the Pentastar rocks.

Kia and Hyundai make wonderful vans, but I'm a bit partial to the Sienna. My in-laws are on their second Sienna and the build quality and materials are incredible.

When we were shopping for a minivan almost 6 year ago, we briefly looked into the Sienna (we ended up with an Odyssey). My wife's one requirement was the power sliding doors, which were standard on the Odyssey's mid-level EX package. On the Sienna, it was all but impossible to find this feature unless you went to the loaded XLE model, which was significantly more money. The Siennas that I priced out were roughly $4k more than a comparable Odyssey, so that made our decision pretty easy.

By having only standard features in each option package, it's very to find what you want. It's a big help that every LX, EX, EX-L, and Limited are equipped the same way, which also makes it very easy to compare vans from several different dealerships. Once you've picked your option package, it comes down to age, mileage, price and how much you like the dealership that's selling the car.

My biggest beef with the Odyssey is that I think the brakes are under-sized for the weight of the vehicle. I change out the transmission fluid every 30K or so (using the 3X drain and fill), and so far we haven't had any transmission issues.

Chrysler TC seems to be getting all of the awards.

I'd go with another Odyssey. We have an '07 that we bought new, it hasn't had a single mechanical failure yet. I've never owned another vehicle I could say that about.

Honda basically fixed the transmission problems in 2005, so any "lightly used" model is going to be well past the danger zone. I would expect the Sienna to be similarly reliable, but they drive differently. If you compare Civic vs Corolla, Accord vs Camry, the same philosophy of vehicle dynamics shows up in Odyssey vs Sienna. It's not a subtle difference, even my wife noticed, and she's not a car person.

Are you looking for the best overall van, or the best bang for your buck?

I've never owned one, but I'd have to say the best overall van is probably either the Oddity or the Sienna. They seem very well engineered, constructed and I've heard they have decent driving dynamics for a minivan. But they're pricey, $18k may buy you a lightly used stripper (wouldn't we all like that? )

For best value, I'm going to vote for the Sedona. 18K will buy you a nice loaded low mileage example. We have an '06 base model we bought new. Got it dirt cheap. Now at 98k miles and it's been fantastic. It's done everything we asked of it and keeps coming back for more. Yes, I think some of the interior plastics are a bit hard, but we have the base model. I think the EX has nicer stuff inside. They're amazingly quick off the line, handle competently and cruise the highway great.