Topic: Been Spoiled by our Odyssey...

[1TSX]

So we own a 2005 Honda Odyssey EX. Very superb vehicle, completes its tasks extremely well!

Today, my dad got to rent a 07' Grand Caravan, with approx. 10,000 kms for a business trip. He gave me a ride to school in it... and WOW. I was expecting ALOT better. Suspension noise, it didn't feel "stable", ride was not as isolated as the Odyssey's, engine noise not as pleasant, and who still has an antenna sticking out?... It definitely felt like a 10 year old vehicle. I have definitely been spoiled by our Odyssey. 

But I have to be fair here -  I have seen ads for BRAND NEW 06' and 07' Caravans for approx. $16,000 and up. You can't  beat that value... you can buy 2 for the price of an Odyssey!    So if you need a basic people mover, I'd say a Caravan is a good buy. Throw in the extended warranty, and your good.

[ovr50]

IMO, "value" is only a factor IF you like the vehicle that has the lesser price. The attractiveness of a cheap price will wear off really quickly if you come to dislike the thing you are driving.

In other words, I would likely prefer one Ody to two Caravans. 

[Trainman]

IMO, "value" is only a factor IF you like the vehicle that has the lesser price. The attractiveness of a cheap price will wear off really quickly if you come to dislike the thing you are driving.

In other words, I would likely prefer one Ody to two Caravans. 

 

We went through that discussion when we bought the Sienna.  Pay $30,000 plus tax for the Sienna or $20,000 for a Montana?  Have to balance all the priorities and make the call.  We also looked at the Ody, but for the same features, it was $4,000 more, so in that case the lesser price won out.

[G0dspd]

minivan vs. minivan .... wooo that's a tough one! 

[Cord]

But I have to be fair here -  I have seen ads for BRAND NEW 06' and 07' Caravans for approx. $16,000 and up. You can't  beat that value... you can buy 2 for the price of an Odyssey!   Shocked So if you need a basic people mover, I'd say a Caravan is a good buy. Throw in the extended warranty, and your good.

I'm glad you added that part. Obviously, these vehicles are merely the same type of vehicle. I doubt there will be many people that seriously cross shop a Caravan and then an Odyssey at double the price. (CTC big spenders excluded, of course  ).

[tpl]

I have only ever driven one minivan and that was this January and was a well matured 7 yr old Ody. It was driven (by me) up and down the 401 full of stuff several times in a week. I was really impressed by how solid and rattle free it was and how well everything worked.   For the price difference tho' to a D-C minivan it would be hard to justify buying one rather than just buying a new D-C one every 4 years or so.

[Snowman]

I have only ever driven one minivan and that was this January and was a well matured 7 yr old Ody. It was driven (by me) up and down the 401 full of stuff several times in a week. I was really impressed by how solid and rattle free it was and how well everything worked.   For the price difference tho' to a D-C minivan it would be hard to justify buying one rather than just buying a new D-C one every 4 years or so.

  For most families a minivan for +/-$20k is there only option and they are not concerned about the feel of the vehicle.

[mmret]

Just depends what you want. $20K taxes in to shuttle around 7 people?

Thats under $3k/seat. It screams "I'm practical" into a megaphone.

Very tough to beat in that sense.

[Arthur Dent]

I split the price difference between the two ends and got a used Nissan Quest. Much better than the Dodge especially in the drivetrain. Actually I like the Quest better than the Odyssey which I found wasn't as solid feeling. The Sienna was real impressive though - too much money for me though.

[Car_nut]

Just depends what you want. $20K taxes in to shuttle around 7 people?

Thats under $3k/seat. It screams "I'm practical" into a megaphone.

Very tough to beat in that sense.

I agree 100%, unless money is no object, I would definitely take the $20k Caravan over the $40k Ody. Honda may be a better van, but I cannot justify paying twice as much to get from A to B.

BTW, I have a 11 years old Voyager (basically the same car as the Caravan), so far it has been holding up quite well. Everything works fine. The A/C is marginal but then the car is old.

I don't mind buying another one, too bad the Canada Value model does not come with ABS.

[dr_spock]

I wouldn't spend $40K on a vehicle to carry the kids around.  $20K can pay for a lot of activities for the kids.

[Paul Allen]

If you are going to compare the Odyssey to a Chrysler minivan, you should compare it to the Chrysler Town and Country, which is in the same price range.  When I was working, my last 3 company cars were Town and Country Limited AWD models, a 1999, 2000 and 2001.  Those were quiet, comfortable and luxurious vehicles.  I put a lot of miles on them, sometimes with 7 adults aboard and I have never driven a better vehicle for highway travel with a large group of people and luggage aboard.  Had to love the AWD in the winter also. I think they would stand up well aginst an Odyssey of the same vintage.

[Mitlov]

To sum up...your car is better than a car that costs half as much?  I certainly hope it is.

[1TSX]

haha, well, the MSRP on a Dodge Grand Caravan is $29,305. Odyssey is $33,300. So MSRP wise, not much different.

But no one gets a domestic for MSRP 

[Trainman]

haha, well, the MSRP on a Dodge Grand Caravan is $29,305. Odyssey is $33,300. So MSRP wise, not much different.

But no one gets a domestic for MSRP 

MSRP on our Sienna was $29,900 (in 2004), forget what the exact dollars were on the Montana and Caravan's were then.  I do remember that it was only the swb versions that had big discounts happening tho.

[Paul Allen]

To sum up...your car is better than a car that costs half as much?  I certainly hope it is.

The 2007 Odyssey Touring MSRP is $48,100.  The 2007 Chrysler T&C Limited is $43,795.  The only Odyssey's that I have seen are fully loaded.  I have never seen a base vehicle on any dealers lot, most are fairly well loaded with options.  Btw, the Chrysler is better equipped than the Odyssey, and yes, it probably does have a discount.

[1TSX]

To sum up...your car is better than a car that costs half as much?  I certainly hope it is.

The 2007 Odyssey Touring MSRP is $48,100.  The 2007 Chrysler T&C Limited is $43,795.  The only Odyssey's that I have seen are fully loaded.  I have never seen a base vehicle on any dealers lot, most are fairly well loaded with options.  Btw, the Chrysler is better equipped than the Odyssey, and yes, it probably does have a discount.

Yes, its because most people who are interested in Odysseys tend to purchase higher trim levels. Just like Caravans, most people tend to buy the lower trim levels (I rarely see SXT's, etc.).

And how is the Chrysler better equipped than a Odyssey Touring?! 

[safristi]

HOMER spoiled me rotten too..........

[Paul Allen]

To sum up...your car is better than a car that costs half as much?  I certainly hope it is.

The 2007 Odyssey Touring MSRP is $48,100.  The 2007 Chrysler T&C Limited is $43,795.  The only Odyssey's that I have seen are fully loaded.  I have never seen a base vehicle on any dealers lot, most are fairly well loaded with options.  Btw, the Chrysler is better equipped than the Odyssey, and yes, it probably does have a discount.

Yes, its because most people who are interested in Odysseys tend to purchase higher trim levels. Just like Caravans, most people tend to buy the lower trim levels (I rarely see SXT's, etc.).

And how is the Chrysler better equipped than a Odyssey Touring?! 

I don't have time to go through all the options, wife is bugging me.  Just a couple of things that I noticed, the Chrysler has rear parking sensors std, and passenger power seat also.  Odyssey dosen't have those, but it has stability control, not available on the Chrysler.  They are set up a little differently.

[PJungnitsch]

Looking at the paper today the Caravan value package (3.3l V6, air, auto, 7 seater) is at $15688 before freight and taxes. If you have to have air/auto the Caravan is the second cheapest vehicle you can get, only $500 more than an Aveo and over $2000 cheaper than a 4 door Yaris. Amazing.