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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.

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

Messages Page 69 of 749

#676 of 7485 Number of vans sold... by dave210

Dec 07, 2001 (9:17 pm)

Who really cares how many vans Honda or Chrysler sells. I have a Chrysler Town & Country Limited, and while it's nice that they sell well even though they have $2000-$3500 rebates, it's not going to be a deal breaker for me regarding how many more units they have sold compared to Honda, Ford, etc.
 
Carelton, you used to have a Chevy Astro. You seem to speak well of them, yet they don't sell anywhere near the amount of the Chryslers or the Honda. So what's your point. That Chrysler is the number one selling minivan and that equals better? People have known that they have sold the best for a while. It obvious you bought that 1991 Chevy van regardless that Chrysler was still number one in 1991.
 
But people have different tastes, and I'm sure to some people the best minivan for them is the Chevy Astro, while for me it's a Town & Country. Are the sales numbers going to change my opinion on how I look at the core product? No.
 
There is a reason why Chrysler sells more. One could say it's the rebates, but it's also due to the fact that Chrysler allows 400,000 + units be made each year. If Honda wanted, they could be selling more than they are now, but they have chosen to limit their production. Considering there are still waiting lists for the Odyssey, that leads me to believe the popularity of the Odyssey has not gone down one bit.
 
Also, a reason why the Chrysler Town & Country sales have been doing so well is probably because of the demise of the Plymouth Grand Voyager SE. The Town & Country LX has pretty much replaced that model, so people originally going to Plymouth are now shopping the Town & Country. The same can be said for the rental car companies. While they once had Plymouth and Dodge vans, they now have low-end T&C's and Caravans.

#677 of 7485 Why Chrysler Sells More Minivans by 4aodge

Dec 08, 2001 (12:20 am)

It may be the rebates, the high volume in which the DC minivans are produced, or the end of the Plymouth brand. However, people don't like to settle with an inferior product, even if it means saving money. The Odyssey owners don't like that a major reason why Chrysler sells more vans than anyone else is because they offer a product that appeals and attracts more people than does the Odyssey. People don't just buy cars because of mass produced volume and generous rebates, there has to be someting more to the product. Obviously, Chrysler has had that something for the last 17 years and still does today.

#678 of 7485 by eneth

Dec 08, 2001 (5:54 am)

If Honda sold fewer Odysseys in MY2001, it's partly because they introduced the Acura MDX SUV, which is built on the same assembly line as the Odyssey was through most of 2001 MY. The production is a zero-sum game - more Acuras, fewer Odysseys. That will change with the 120,000-unit per year (soon to jump to 150,000) plant in Alabama coming online.
 
Honda sells about 400,000 Accords a year, while DaimlerChrysler sells under 200,000 Sebring-Stratus models - and the resale on the Accord is percentage wise far higher. Honda sells about 120,000 Odysseys a year, D-C 400,000+ minivans - and the resale on the Honda is far higher. There's a connection there all right - but it has more to do with the reputation of the company than it does with any production numbers.
 
DaimlerChrysler is trying to build a reputation for something Chrysler hasn't had on its own for over 30 years - a reputation for quality.
 
Honda has spent the last 30 years building that reputation - and it shows in the resale value (i.e., the public demand for its products on the secondhand market) very well.

#679 of 7485 Low depreciation on Honda is a Hoax by carleton1

Dec 08, 2001 (8:32 am)

Gullible people believe Honda has a high resale value because they do not know how to accurately determine depreciation.
   Look at one example of distorted resale: A certain 99 Odd EX was purchased for $29,970 and was sold for $22,000. That is depreciation of $7970.....and not the mythical $369 as reported using clever accounting.
   True depreciation compares purchase price and price received when sold or traded. It has very little to do with MSRP. When people pay ABOVE MSRP for a Honda, of course it has to be sold for more than a vehicle which sells below MSRP to have the same actual depreciation. Most DC dealers are not as GREEDY as Honda dealers and will pass savings due to VOLUME of sales on to the customer.

#680 of 7485 dave210: My point by carleton1

Dec 08, 2001 (8:43 am)

My point in quoting sales was in regard to a previous post that implied Oddysey sales were up for 2001. The second point was that more people STILL prefer DC minivans to others.
     You are correct in stating that for some people cargo carrying capacity of the Oddysey is more important to them than the comfort items of DC minivans.
     My wife and I prefer padded armrests; separately controlled temperature for driver and front passenger, overhead console with outside temperature, compass, trip computer; quality sound system with Cassette AND CD; built in child safety seat; etc to the greater cargo volume and Magic Seat of the Oddysey.
     I have driven my sister's 2001 Odd EX and immediately driven our 1999 GC SE on the exact same route. Both are quiet, comfortable, smooth. Our GC is quicker off the line to 30 MPH but the Odd is quicker 60 to 80 MPH. The Odd odometer registered 34.9 miles for the test where our 99 GC registered 34.0 miles.
     My brother in law said their 2001 Odd EX got 20 to 25 MPG on the long trip they took. Our 99 GC got 26 to 27.5 MPG on 6 long round trips we have driven. Using the 2.647 % "fudge factor" of inaccurate Odd odometer, our GC got even better gas mileage: 26.7 to 28.2 MPG.

#681 of 7485 by eneth

Dec 08, 2001 (12:51 pm)

More people buy DaimlerChrysler minivans than others - but that's changing, and D-C is losing share to other automakers. Honda is selling every minivan it can build -without- resorting to 0% financing (something D-C chair Schrempp loathes to do) - but D-C has to resort to extended warranties and no-interest financing to move the metal. Whether more people -prefer- D-C minivans is open to question - there are plenty of cars that sell well for reasons other than buyer preference (usually becuase they're cheap or cheaper than the competition). I know of plenty of individuals whose past purchases of Dodge and Plymouth minivans will ensure that DaimlerChrysler never sells them another vehicle for the rest of their lives. That's part of why Chrysler Group is on the ropes now sales-wise - past quality and engineering gaffes have finally caught up with them.
 
As for selling, I'd bet that in most areas of the U.S., a used Odyssey would be snapped up at asking price in a few days - while you'd wind up discounting the D-C van to get someone to buy it. That's about the same as the situation when the vans are new, so little changes over the lifespan of the vehicle.

#682 of 7485 Peope need to read in Oddysey Problems Forums by carleton1

Dec 08, 2001 (12:58 pm)

Read the many problems reported by current owners of the Oddysey. Read in DC forums to see there are fewer problems reported by owners of current DC minivans even though DC outsells Odd 4 to 1.
    I know people who will NOT buy another Honda due to the many expensive problems they have had with Hondas. The local dealer had a 99 Oddysey for sale on his lot for MONTHS.
    Edmund's 99 Odd EX sold for $22,000 and they paid $29,970. Don't try to mislead people about Odyssey depreciating very little. The facts on Oddysey depreciation can be found if people are able to do simple arithmetic and not read only the biased impressions.

#683 of 7485 by eneth

Dec 08, 2001 (3:29 pm)

Forum evidence is anecdotal at best; however, it does appear that the newer DaimlerChrysler minivans are about on par with Honda's, reliability wise - at least according to Consumer Reports' readers.
 
If all-out space takes a back seat to overall reliability, I suppose the question of D-C or Honda is moot, since the Sienna far outranks either in the reliability department.

#684 of 7485 Sienna reliability? Go read in Sienna Problems Forums by carleton1

Dec 08, 2001 (4:02 pm)

     Why don't some people trust Sienna or Oddysee owners who report problems here in the Town Hall?
     I was thinking of trading our GC in on a Sienna until I read all the Sienna problems being reported by Sienna owners here in the Town Hall. The Sienna has the most comfortable seating for my wife and I but unfortunately the Sienna does not have separately controlled temperature for driver and front passenger. Nor does the Sienna have a separate heater at rear or the space of either the Oddysee or DC minivans.
     The Sienna is a very nice minivan but it is NOT as problem free as Camry, Corolla, etc. have been (If we can trust Sienna owners).

#685 of 7485 by eneth

Dec 08, 2001 (5:41 pm)

It's not a matter of trust or distrust - these are just anecdotal stories, which may or may not reflect the buying public at large - certainly the numbers are too small to make any sort of statistical prediction from them.
 
May be the Sienna isn't as trouble free as the Camry - but it's far and away the most reliable minivan on the road in North America today. Single experiences may vary - but everything I've ever seen about the Sienna says no one does reliable minivans better than Toyota.

Messages Page 69 of 749

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