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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.- Your Host is kcram
What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Van
#1914 of 7485 Grand Caravans by c1rybick
Sep 05, 2002 (6:31 am)
To those who can't really agree on which van looks better, the current GC or Ody, I say that the 96-97 Grand Caravans are the best looking minivans ever made. We own a 1997 Grand Caravan ES in candy apple red, all the options but leather, AWD, and the factory roofrack. The quad command seating, rear a/c, Infinity stereo (not great but not bad), and trailer towing pkg (back then, THE best value of any of the options) make it a keeper...for a while more, at least. Both me and my sister are in college now and we don't need a van anymore, I wish Mom'd sell it and buy a Passat, but oh well...
It has slightly over 100,000 miles on it and has done well, although once some plastic belt in the engine broke right as the engine was turned off and Mom had to have it towed. If DamilerChrysler could only get the build quality up to the level of Honda /Toyota, they'd kill Ford and GM.
The GC is very well thought out, everything inside works well, and it handles and drives very well (never driven an Ody, but from the reports I've read the GC [ours at least] handles better).
It's subjective, too, but our van has a very tight turning radius for something as big as it is. It probably doesn't have a smaller turning circle than my 95 Camry, but it sure seems be less, proportionally based upon wheelbase, at least.
It also goes just fine with 2 canoes (1 a 17' Old Town Tripper the other some barge looking thing, not ours) on top. Mom had the shop install 4 small raingutters on the roof (not right on the edge, though, so as not to go through the rear a/c tunnels) and she built a roofrack herself for the canoes (Yakimas etc cost too much).
And finally, yes that back seat is heavy, but my 135-140 lb or so 53 year old mother can get it in and out of the back by herself when she has to. Not that I'm saying anything or nuthin,' but my mother's an emancipated woman and she does it just fine, herself (although of course she normally gets someone to help if anyone's around).
But I will say this, my sister has a 97 Honda Civic EX sedan with VTEC and a 5-speed, and dang that thing is sweet at 7000 rpm. But I'll take American low end torque for a minivan over VTEC (although that's really conjecture b/c our van only has like 166/168 something like that HP (3.8) and it moves just fine, no need for 240 ponies). The van averages ~22 MPG with a 17 mile commute each way and partly in city traffic (I like the trip computer with MPG, temp, compass heading, etc)
By the way, for all of you people out there glad to be paying MSRP for an Odyssey, Mom paid $500 over the invoice (yes they let her see the factory invoice) and I think dealer holdback was 2% back then, don't really remember. It was ordered from the factory, not gotten from the lot becasue Mom wanted specific options (Candy Apple Red paint, trailer towing pkg, no factory roofrack, etc). Total cost: $28,765.13 including tax, title, etc.
I'm not trying to slam Hondas or anything, besides I really like my sister's Civic (too small and too low to the ground for me, though). Back then Chrysler's minivans were the way to go (Windstar didn't hold enough and to quote my mother, "it looks like a waddling woman with big hips." Mom ordered the van in August of 1996 and it arrived right before Halloween of that year.
#1915 of 7485 Hi C1rybick by steve_ HOST
Sep 05, 2002 (7:10 am)
I made some roof rack brackets for my old Tercel and non-Yakima racks. Worked great for years and years. Yak (and probably Thule) do make pre-bent brackets that you can buy and bolt on as well - the intended use is for pickup camper shells, but they'd work fine on a MV. You just have to be willing to put a few holes in the sheet metal. I came close to doing this with my '99 Quest but I had a friend who sold Yak stuff so I got a deal.
Everyone else, there's an interesting letter and reply in August's Letters to the Editors.
Steve
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#1916 of 7485 Love my Odyssey by cnybro
Sep 05, 2002 (8:21 am)
Have a 2000 LX with 36K miles. I love the powertrain - exceptional engineering. Is my Odyssey perfect? No. A few rattles from a seat and sliding door I'm trying to locate, which is not very Honda like. However, I'll take that any day over inferior engineered under hood components. Is my LX luxurious? No. But I have two boys and this thing takes a beating plus I only paid $23,315 + TTL brand new back in Nov 99. Sure, you pay sticker for the Honda - so what, it's still the same price you would pay for a deeply discounted DC/Ford van. The MSRP thing has been beat to death. In the long haul, it's my feeling that you will be sinking more money into repairs on the DC or Ford van.After just sinking $1,300 into a new a/c system on my pristine 96 Ford Taurus, I'm sticking with imports from now on. American car makers have all the features down perfectly, but the quality is still sub-par to the Asian competition.
#1917 of 7485 by c1rybick
Sep 05, 2002 (8:30 am)
That's sort of what the racks are. On each rack (there are two, 1 front/1 back, no need for longitudal runners because canoes don't need it), there are 2 metal struts that clamp onto the artificial rain gutters on the roof. Two each pair of those Mom bolted a strip of wood and covered it with hard foam. Then she drilled um...eyebolts? I'm not sure what they're called, but they have big rings to tie down the canoes with, side to side.Usually it's just our canoe, but even two ride beautifully on top of the van. I'm sure the stiffer, load-leveling suspension helps this.
#1918 of 7485 aerodynamics by bdaddy
Sep 05, 2002 (11:26 am)
"Usually it's just our canoe, but even two ride beautifully on top of the van. I'm sure the stiffer, load-leveling suspension helps this." - c1rybickIt probably has more to do with aerodynamics. The jelly belly shape of the van combined with the pointed bow, flat hull design of the canoe, creates a downdraft which helps to "push" the cargo onto the professionally engineered roof racks, thus creating better tire adhesion to the asphalt or concrete driving surface.
All kidding aside, sounds like your mom is a real do-it-yourselfer. I admire her for that! You should be proud.
#1919 of 7485 Suspension by 4aodge
Sep 05, 2002 (5:56 pm)
Load leveling suspension comes in very handy sometimes, especially on long road trips with 6 or more people in the car. I wish our Town & Country had come with this option. While driving down the freeway I often see Odysseys with their butts sagging low to the ground and it doesn't even look like there are more than 5 or 6 passengers in the car. On the other hand, most Town & Countrys and Grand Caravan Sport/ES models with the load leveling suspension maintain their aggressive stance even when packed with people. While I can't say that about our van with normal suspension, I wish I could!#1920 of 7485 by maltb
Sep 05, 2002 (6:22 pm)
...most Town & Countrys and Grand Caravan Sport/ES models with the load leveling suspension maintain their aggressive stance...Yeah, that's the first thing I think when looking at a minivan: aggressive.
#1921 of 7485 hey by c1rybick
Sep 05, 2002 (7:41 pm)
I'm 18 years old and I don't mind being seen in our van. It's almost "arrest me red" in color, and yeah it does look almost aggressive (more so than our station wagon, Civic, Camry, or older F-150, lol)OMG never mind, mom actually just sold the Cressida (1985, 209,000 miles on it) for $950....my baby is GONE!
#1922 of 7485 introductions by steve_ HOST
Sep 05, 2002 (8:10 pm)
4aodge, I'd like you to meet C1rybick; C1rybick, shake with 4aodge. I think you two have a lot in common!Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
#1923 of 7485 maltb by 4aodge
Sep 05, 2002 (8:43 pm)
I didn't say minivans had to be aggressive but I would much rather have a van with a nice flat level ride than one, like most packed Honda Odysseys, that have their nose pointed to the into the air and their tail almost touching the ground. Not only does a level ride improve the driver's view of the road but it also ensures that your lights will be directed onto the road where they should be instead of the sky.C1rybick, nice to meet you. If I really wanted or needed a van I too would choose an Inferno Red Grand Caravan ES. Candy Apple Red was a beautiful color but now Inferno Red is even brighter and stands out more. It truly is an "arrest me" red. As for aggressive, the 2001-2003 Grand Caravan ES models with the chrome wheels truly does have an "athletic" stance, to quote Edmunds. I hope you and your mom continue to enjoy your van!
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