The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: YTProphet on June 10, 2015, 07:58:18 AM
-
I'm in the market for a new or lightly used minivan in the next few months. Trying to decide between Odyssey, Sienna, or a different model. Any informed opinions out there? I have a Consumer Reports subscription but can't find the issue with the minivans to view their recommendations.
-
I shopped the Honda's, Toyotas, and Chryslers - and wound up with a Kia Sedona! I got a 2012 with 33,000 miles (27K more miles with warranty!) for the same price as a 8 year old, 80-90K mile, out of warranty Honda/Toyota. Kia/Hyundai was so much better than they used to be, they are slotted just below the Japanese makes.
Slam-dunk purchase. Check them out.
-
We have a 2004 Sienna with 180K miles that has had zero problems. My friend has a 2004 Kia Sedona with similar miles (or maybe less?) and has had multiple issues, plus the van is wayyyyyy less nice in terms of interior space and features.
It sounds like you are looking at considerably newer ones than mine, but definitely be careful about reliability.
The Dodge/Chrysler ones are considerably cheaper, but will likely poop out on you sooner. I don't know which one you will come out ahead on.
-
I shopped the Honda's, Toyotas, and Chryslers - and wound up with a Kia Sedona! I got a 2012 with 33,000 miles (27K more miles with warranty!) for the same price as a 8 year old, 80-90K mile, out of warranty Honda/Toyota. Kia/Hyundai was so much better than they used to be, they are slotted just below the Japanese makes.
Slam-dunk purchase. Check them out.
Will do. Thanks for the advice. I knew Kia had made strides, but I assumed their prices jumped correspondigly.
-
How many kids are you transporting? The latches for five car seatsin the 2011+ Odyssey were a big deal for my wife.
-
I shopped the Honda's, Toyotas, and Chryslers - and wound up with a Kia Sedona! I got a 2012 with 33,000 miles (27K more miles with warranty!) for the same price as a 8 year old, 80-90K mile, out of warranty Honda/Toyota. Kia/Hyundai was so much better than they used to be, they are slotted just below the Japanese makes.
Slam-dunk purchase. Check them out.
Will do. Thanks for the advice. I knew Kia had made strides, but I assumed their prices jumped correspondigly.
I only looked very briefly, but from what I found the price difference between the Kia and honda/toyota is not much. Both MSRP and used prices were pretty close. And looking at reliability the slightly higher price for the honda is worth it IMO. And of course it will also resell for slightly more if you sell it again
-
I have a Honda Odyssey 2004. And it rocks. Highly recommend it.
-
We had an 01 Oddity. Great vehicle, though we traded it in a long time ago because we needed something that can tow more. Because of that van though, my moms sister got a 2006ish Oddity. And their niece, a 2007ish Oddity. The one is still around with 200k miles of abuse. The other was replaced with a brand new Oddity after about 180k miles of abuse.
Oddity's are really, really fucking nice. The only issue is the transmission. That may have been fixed at some point, I'm really not sure.
Sienna's... Eh, they're really good, but not as good as the Honduh. Or at least that is what my brother told me back when he was selling Toyota's.
I'd also be shopping the Hyundai and Kia variants.
Now, for the last one. a Caravan/Grand Caravan/Town and Country/Routan. Seriously, these may not have quite the build quality, but the features are probably better than the others--swivel seats, stow-and-go, etc. And the price new is unbeatable.
-
I've heard really good things about the Odyssey. Two of my friends have recently shopped and did the whole comparison and decided on going with the Odyssey as opposed to the Sienna.
Something else you may want to consider is the Mazda5, if you're looking for something that might be smaller form factor. My brother and sister in law drive one around with their two boys (around 7 and 11 now) and it works well for them. They've gone on some road trips to SoCal from NorCal and no problems. I've been in in a few times and it's a pretty comfy ride. Definitely doesn't scream absolute minivan but it gets the job done. Sliding doors are key from what I hear