Author Topic: Replacement for the Odyssey (Read 6532 times)

dkaz · « **on:** May 22, 2017, 07:38:31 pm »

So for the last 6 months I've been driving the Odyssey around with anywhere from one to four working gears, and reverse now only works when the transmission is cold. I can still use it as a city vehicle with a few quirks, but unfortunately the transmission troubles have multiplied faster than I could take care of them. I'm now starting to consider going with a car co-op, fixing it, or replacing it.

Car co-op - $500 membership, $25/mo and $3 an hour up to $39 a day or $0/mo and $5 an hour up to $65 a day, plus 40 cents a km for the first 50 km and 25 cents a km afterwards. There are two cars right at my work which would let me use one to take the boys to hockey for example. Their fleet includes hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, and an eight passenger Kia Sedona.

Fix it - $1600 to $3000.

Replace it - there are a couple of top contenders that seem pretty decent.

2004 Toyota Sienna LE, 8 passenger, 350k, asking $3250
https://classifieds.castanet.net/details/2004_toyota_sienna_le/3066515/

Ford Expedition, 8 passenger, 300k, 4x4, asking $2300. I don't care about hail dents and I can get a seat cover for the front seats.
https://classifieds.castanet.net/details/2003_expedition_eddie_bauer/3078738/

Thoughts?

I'm not in a huge rush to do anything about it, not until August, but thought I'd start looking around.

pi314 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 22, 2017, 08:40:50 pm »

How often do you need a second car? Financially car sharing will likely be cheaper

dkaz · « **Reply #2 on:** May 22, 2017, 11:34:44 pm »

In theory, it costs less. In the September to March -- four times a week? I calculated that will cost me $460 a month. April to August, maybe once a week. That's $141 a month, $126 if I can jump from the $25/mo tier to $0/mo tier (maybe not worth the hassle). So that's $3,850 a year for ~4,970km of driving.

My Odyssey cost $3,475 (fuel, insurance, maintenance) in comparison for 10,200km of service. So to own my own vehicle, I get 2.5x more kms of service for practically the same annual operating cost. We get to go on road trips in comfort in it, my wife and I miss being able to travel in a bigger vehicle and my 7 year old also doesn't like being stuck for hours in the Mazda.

So I looked at the Sienna.

Exterior - dings and dents consistent of a vehicle this age. Lots of stone chips on the front, consistent with highway driving.
Interior - practically brand new
Mechanical - superb with full service records. Winter tires on separate set of rims. He's including a roof box with it.

With 350,000km and asking $3,250, there's probably wiggle room. My wife at first was like "another beige minivan?" but when she found how smooth and comfortable it was an how responsive the 260 HP engine was, she was sold.

dkaz · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2017, 11:49:55 pm »

$2,900 is his counteroffer to my $2,700... might take it...

One thing I neglected was upfront costs of the car share. It's a $500 co-op fee that gets fully refunded if I decide not to be a member anymore, vs. $2,900 upfront cost of obtaining the van. Hopefully I'll find a junk yard that'll give me $500 for the Odyssey.

Rupert · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2017, 07:47:12 am »

How about a Caravan CVP with lowish milage. 2012 or later. Might even be able to get a bit of warranty. They go just as well and have a good drive train in my experience. And there are lots around. Over 300k mileage is a lot for any vehicle.
Not in the $3000 range but that can escalate quickly with repairs.

dkaz · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2017, 07:58:39 am »

There's a guy selling an 09 SXT in town 214k $4000. Damn good deal. But having 8 seats is a must, plus our kids aren't strong enough to open the doors on their own so we wanted power sliding doors if we do go the van route.

Ex-airbalancer · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2017, 08:00:06 am »

Quote from: DKaz on May 23, 2017, 07:58:39 am

There's a guy selling an 09 SXT in town 214k $4000. Damn good deal. But having 8 seats is a must, plus our kids aren't strong enough to open the doors on their own so we wanted power sliding doors if we do go the van route.

Why not open the door for them ?

dkaz · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2017, 01:42:40 pm »

Quote from: Airbalancer on May 23, 2017, 08:00:06 am

Why not open the door for them ?

Yea I can open the door for them, with the push of a button.

Firm · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2017, 01:53:17 pm »

Why not just fix the Odyssey? If the trans is the only problem, it sounds like the van otherwise offers everything you need, and it's the cheapest solution. Plus, assuming the rest of the van is in good shape, you'll have a trustworthy transmission. That 350,000km Sienna, everything (trans included) is suspect at that point in it's life.

Arthur Dent · « **Reply #9 on:** May 23, 2017, 01:53:41 pm »

Having owned an Expedition of similar vintage ... I wouldn't take that one for free. Ugh.

dkaz · « **Reply #10 on:** May 23, 2017, 02:04:18 pm »

Here's my dashboard as of 7,000km ago, which light do you want to discuss? Lol. Other than fuel (full tank of gas in it) and Parking brake obviously. The check engine light burned out but there's a code for the EGR and other things I can't remember.

I've had several 300-400k Toyotas, the mileage doesn't bother me.

dkaz · « **Reply #11 on:** May 23, 2017, 02:05:39 pm »

Quote from: Arthur Dent on May 23, 2017, 01:53:41 pm

Having owned an Expedition of similar vintage ... I wouldn't take that one for free. Ugh.

Thanks for your input. I remember you had a thread on that Expedition.

Firm · « **Reply #12 on:** May 23, 2017, 02:18:16 pm »

Quote from: DKaz on May 23, 2017, 02:04:18 pm

Here's my dashboard as of 7,000km ago, which light do you want to discuss? Lol. Other than fuel (full tank of gas in it) and Parking brake obviously. The check engine light burned out but there's a code for the EGR and other things I can't remember.

I've had several 300-400k Toyotas, the mileage doesn't bother me.

LOL. Well then. "Main Req" is probably just an oil life monitor or something that needs to be reset. DRL is the typical Honda module, an easy/cheap DIY, I think Dorman has the part. TCS and ABS are likely related, assuming the brake system is working fine you're looking at a sensor - a good code reader should tell you which.

That leaves the Airbag (SRS) and the Evap Codes...

Fobroader · « **Reply #13 on:** May 23, 2017, 02:29:26 pm »

If the Odyssey is in decent shape and you like it, I would be way more apt to toss a rebuilt tranny into it. When it comes to high mileage vehicles, the devil you know is a good mantra.

dkaz · « **Reply #14 on:** May 23, 2017, 03:00:36 pm »

Quote from: Firm on May 23, 2017, 02:18:16 pm

LOL. Well then. "Main Req" is probably just an oil life monitor or something that needs to be reset. DRL is the typical Honda module, an easy/cheap DIY, I think Dorman has the part. TCS and ABS are likely related, assuming the brake system is working fine you're looking at a sensor - a good code reader should tell you which.

That leaves the Airbag (SRS) and the Evap Codes...

I think it just comes on every 8,000km, it hasn't turned off after I've changed the oil nor have I looked into turning it off. TCS is actually caused by the EGR code for some explainable reason, although I think ABS is also an integral part to its operating. I think I damaged one of the ABS wires when I was working on the rear suspension. SRS could be a seatbelt sensor.

Quote from: Fobroader on May 23, 2017, 02:29:26 pm

If the Odyssey is in decent shape and you like it, I would be way more apt to toss a rebuilt tranny into it. When it comes to high mileage vehicles, the devil you know is a good mantra.

I mostly like it but it's not in decent shape and I don't think it's worth sinking any more money in. The biggest reason for getting a different vehicle is 8 passenger capability. We wanted a Sequoia but they're all out of our price range. I always knew the Odyssey would be temporary, I'd rather get my family into something nicer and more reliable now.

Fobroader · « **Reply #15 on:** May 23, 2017, 03:06:51 pm »

Oh, if its not in decent shape then yeah, toss it.

bridgecity · « **Reply #16 on:** May 23, 2017, 03:21:59 pm »

Quote from: Firm on May 23, 2017, 02:18:16 pm

Quote from: DKaz on May 23, 2017, 02:04:18 pm
Here's my dashboard as of 7,000km ago, which light do you want to discuss? Lol. Other than fuel (full tank of gas in it) and Parking brake obviously. The check engine light burned out but there's a code for the EGR and other things I can't remember.

I've had several 300-400k Toyotas, the mileage doesn't bother me.

LOL. Well then. "Main Req" is probably just an oil life monitor or something that needs to be reset. DRL is the typical Honda module, an easy/cheap DIY, I think Dorman has the part. TCS and ABS are likely related, assuming the brake system is working fine you're looking at a sensor - a good code reader should tell you which.

That leaves the Airbag (SRS) and the Evap Codes...

Evap code is likely the EGR valve. Known issue in that vintage of 3.5L. Let the Odyssey live!

Arthur Dent · « **Reply #17 on:** May 23, 2017, 03:32:03 pm »

Quote from: DKaz on May 23, 2017, 02:05:39 pm

Quote from: Arthur Dent on May 23, 2017, 01:53:41 pm
Having owned an Expedition of similar vintage ... I wouldn't take that one for free. Ugh.

Thanks for your input. I remember you had a thread on that Expedition.

They rust like crazy (even in dry southern Alberta!) under the running boards. Our had issues with paint - might have just been because of the pearl white paint. The steering system seem weak for the vehicle size. The earlier ones had spark plugs that popped out. We got around 10mpg in ours. Ouch.

They are cheap for a reason.

pi314 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 23, 2017, 04:00:42 pm »

With all your information the Sienna seems to be a big step up. Not to mention a BC Sienna probably has at least 5-6 years more service easy.

dkaz · « **Reply #19 on:** May 23, 2017, 04:11:37 pm »

It'll live... through the next buyer. I have a couple of people interested in taking it off my hands.

I attempted to clean the EGR but I couldn't quite figure out how to get the head off. Something by the throttle body was keeping the head down.

The Sienna should be good backed by Toyota longevity and a very good maintenance history. My Odyssey unfortunately shows that something can work completely fine one day and crap the next day. I hold no grudge against it, paid $1,070 for it three years and 36,000km ago. Unfortunately, I just don't want to spend any more money on it.