Honda Odyssey vs Dodge/Chrysler minivans - READ ONLY

7485 messages,  Last post on Mar 23, 2008 at 8:43 AM

You are in the Honda Odyssey Forum.

What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Van

#1033 of 7485 by 4aodge

Feb 17, 2002 (9:41 pm)

dmathews, I have never used the fact that DC sells more minivans than ANYONE else as a reason to say they are better than the competition. Saying that I have would be putting words in my mouth, which I don't appreciate. However, I have suggested that the reason why DC sells so many minivans is because MORE PEOPLE prefer DC minivans over others such as the Odyssey, for whatever reasons. Just this month alone, DC sold almost 30k more minivans than Honda (or anyone else). That is amazing and I think it shows that people still prefer Chrysler over the competition when it comes to minivans.
 
Basicly, people don't buy what they dont want or wont be satisfied with. And as I've said before, if it ment waiting three months to get a new 2002 Town & Country, I would gladly and patiently put my name on the list, despite the long deliverly time. If the Odyssey is such a spectacular vehicle, than why not wait for it?
 
BTW, I KNOW for a fact that those near 30k minivan buyers did not settle for a lowly DC minivan just beacuse they couldnt find a flawless Honda Odyssey in time for their purchase. Saying so would be rediculous, although I wouldn't put it past many DC bashers here at TROLL hall...

#1034 of 7485 by 4aodge by dmathews3

Feb 18, 2002 (6:28 am)

I didn't mean you personally, but you just did all but say that. Maybe you have a little Johnny Cockrun in you.(Lawyer) Some people here do say that the DC vans are better or so many people wouldn't buy them so I just used the same way of thinking to make a point. The reason DC sells so many is because they were the first, some people will not buy foregn for any reason, and Honda doesn't want to make more of them which if they did would take away from DC. Same as when DC had the only convertible for a number of years, now a large number of companies are making convertibles which was bound to hurt DC.

#1038 of 7485 eX vs EX... by usa1

Feb 18, 2002 (10:38 pm)

The DC eX vs the Honda EX might be a better comparison. Very close, but with no discount of special financing from DC (at least when we were looking) on the eX meant the prices were still slightly higher on the DC eX because we wanted power doors on both sides and side air bags. Since the dealers didn't have many eX to look at, we never found one with these options. Anyhow, these options makes the eX a bit more. Granted, the power rear hatch would have been neat and make the MSRP a wash, but I'll take the 5 speed auto, smoother engine, foldaway seat, and higher resale value.
 
Mark

#1039 of 7485 Apples to Apples by jmnygaard

Feb 19, 2002 (1:30 am)

Carleton1:
I listed these in an earlier post, but perhaps you missed them. These are items that are standard on the Odyssey EX that are not standard on the GC eX:
side air bags ($360)
steering wheel audio controls ($70)
dual power doors (~$350)
cargo net
rear 3 pt belt and 3 3rd row headrests
remote anti-theft
engine immobilizer
5 speed auto
more horsepower
more room
better crash tests
 
As for you, Adam:
First, learn to use your spell checker. Your spelling is atrocious. Second, please check your facts before repeating them on board after board. The Odyssey HAS obstacle detection for the doors and real leather. And the heaters for the leather seats are included in the price, not extra, as in most other minivans. The Odyssey also HAS grocery bag hooks. This is not as big of a deal in an Odyssey as in other minivans, however, because of the deep well necessary for the magic seat. This is to say, our groceries do not roll all over the van if they spill out of the bags, because they are contained in the well.
 
Where I live, there are no incentives on the GC eX, so the difference in price, with options on the GC, is less than $500. That is a price I will gladly pay for more horsepower, more room, and a safer ride.

#1040 of 7485 ITEMS GC eX @ $26,790 has that Ody EX @ $27,190 does NOT have: by carleton1

Feb 19, 2002 (9:49 am)

Here are the items the 2002 Grand Caravan eX has that are NOT on the 2002 Odyssey EX:
 
1. $400 LOWER MSRP.(Same if GC eX has optional driver side power sliding door).
2. Separately controlled Temperature for Driver and Front Passenger (found on most luxury sedans).
3. Compass/Outside Temperature.
4. Trip Computer.
5. Heating coils at base of windshield.
6. Power Liftgate.
7. MORE Torque.
8. Infinity 10 speaker sound system (Ody has 6)
9. CD AND Cassette player.(Ody CD only)
10.Powered, Removeable Center Console.
11.Automatic Locking Power Door Locks.
12. MORE maximum cargo space (167.9 cu ft GC vs 146.1 cu ft Ody)
13. Padded armrests on front doors.
14. Headlamp OFF delay.
 
     With a GC eX a person can also have a FULL size spare tire. The GC eX also has grocery bag hooks. The reason you will not find a discount on the GC eX is because the difference in Invoice and MSRP is $1682 on the GC eX whereas the Honda dealer has $1000 LARGER profit margin with $2682 difference between Invoice and MSRP.(IF Edmund's Pricing guide is accurate).
 
     I have driven Odyssey and DC minivans many times and feel they are a virtual tie for quality, ride, comfort, performance, etc. The choice between the two really gets down to which features are most important to the individual buyer.
 

#1041 of 7485 Carleton1, no need to get hostile... by caviller

Feb 19, 2002 (10:24 am)

"YES...I read all of cassitc's comments....contrary to you and your troll friend's policies"

The poster said they were pleased with their Windstar, then you responed that he was soured on American products and trolled even further by calling it a "Found on Road Dead Windstar". Troll you say? Pot. Kettle. Black.

"And I also compared the Injury Claim Data sent to me by USAA that showed Chrysler minivans had a LOWER injury rate claim than did the 5 Star rated Windstar.

    Real world data is more significant and reliable than how well a company can design vehicles to perform in a crash test. Chrysler minivans are designed to drive well and AVOID crashes whereas it appears the Windstar was designed to do well in the crash test...but does not do as well when driven in the real world."

Yeah, you bring this up from time to time. Yet, you never answer the questions people ask when you do. Let's try again:

1) How do you separate driver profile from the element of crashworthiness in this data?

2) If you look at the data, you will notice significant differences between identical twin vehicles like Villager/Quest or T&C/Grand Caravan. If this data is a good measure of the real world, why are twin vehicles different at all?

3) Insurance companies base rates on claims data. If someone gets a discount with company A, then switches to Company B which does not have a discount based on their claims history, does their car instantly become less safe?

Claims data is not a directly useful resource for crashworthiness comparisons. It varies based on driver profile, and from company to company. If a vehicle has a much higher than average injury or death rate, then that might raise a red flag. As it turns out, most minivans have rates lower than the average vehicle. Only Aerostar has a higher than average death rate, and no minivan had a worse than average injury rate. Ironically, the Caravan/Grand Caravan and Voyager/Grand Voyager were among the few minivans that were not substantially better than average for injury losses. Finally, the data does not reflect the most recent model years 2000, 2001 and 2002 especially where vehicles have been redesigned. See also:

 http://www.iihs.org/sr_ddr/sr3507_t2.htm#vl

 http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl_wagon.htm

Every minivan has advantages and disadvantages, and not everyone has safety as a top priority in a vehicle choice. You're free to dismiss safety evaluations that don't support your vehicle choice, but don't presume the rest of us will use your distorted logic as well. Crash tests and rollover ratings are directly comparable vehicle to vehicle, and have no element of driver profile or claims variances.
 
Personally, when I see anything below a 4-star NHTSA crash/rollover rating or worse than an "Acceptable" IIHS rating, I have serious questions as to whether the manufacturer made a safe design for angles and momentums that may differ from the crash tests. The paramaters of these crash tests are long established and well known to manufacturers. If they can't design to do well in standardized tests used widely by the media and consumers, why should I trust them to design for other scenarios?
 
Obviously, your mileage may vary. Sienna, Odyssey and Windstar do well in all these comparisons, even the death and injury data I linked above.

#1042 of 7485 Isn't it nice to know BOTH the Ody EX and GC eX are vastly superior to the competition? by carleton1

Feb 19, 2002 (10:25 am)

Ody EX has the MOST Horsepower while GC eX has the MOST Torque. Ody EX has 18/25 while GC is slightly less at 18/24 while the poorly engineered Kia Sedona with LESS HP and Torque, less passenger space, LESS cargo space, has an atrocious 15/20 fuel economy rating.
    The much larger, boxy VW Vanagon gets even better fuel economy than the small, lesser Sedona.

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