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Vans & Minivans Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna
5188 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 11:05 AM
You are in the Honda Odyssey Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Replying to: rorr (Jun 14, 2005 8:22 am) Well I'm glad to see your wife is lucky enough to have all those things fall into her reach and not go under the seat or roll over by the door in a moving van. Either that, or she has very long arms not to have to get out of her seat for anything. My wife at only 5'1" is not that lucky at all. Neither am I. Guilty as charged. Of course, YOU are the one always talking about how great stow'n'go is if one must unexpectedly haul something large and must, on the spot, fold the seats. Otherwise, EVERY instance in which you have espoused stow'n'go could also be duplicated in a standard van with removable seats. Yep, you would have to remove the seat or seats Not always an easy chore for a lot of women. But of course I'm sure your wife would have no problem doing it. I'm afraid mine would. So, perhaps you could clarify: what does stow'n'go offer that an Ody/Sienna with removable seats CAN'T offer which does not include unexpected hauling? Not a thing. Take your seats out of the Ody and it can do all that the Dodge/Chrysler can do. We are talking of convenience though and making life easier.Stow-n-go makes life a lot easier, no matter what comes up. You know as well as I, your not going to keep one or two middle seats out of your van most of the time, or hardly at all. It would not be all unexpected to go shopping some place and see something you like and decide to buy it. Maybe it's to big to fit in the rear hatch or to high to lift it. It would be a cinch to drop one seat down and put it in the side door like I did with my air compressor. You don't get that convenience with any other van. Nor do you get the storage space with any other van. Don't they make a hatchback version of the Focus? They sure do. But like many other people, I didn't look at everything that I would use the Focus for. I didn't see the advantage of the hatchback over the four door sedan. The sedan had a large trunk and the rear seat backs folded down. I thought I could get just about anything I wanted in it, that would fit in a car. I was so wrong. A 17" monitor wouldn't fit in it. It just barely went in the side door. It's a shame too. That Focus was so much fun to drive. But the dash lights on the Civic won the wife over. |
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"Different demographics lead to different perceptions of what is useful and valuable feature." Agreed. I need to stop coming across so heavy-handed re: marine2 and the DCX seats. I know it is just perception on my part but I always get the impression that he 'invents' uses for the seats just to highlights how much 'better' they are than the competition. Unfair on my part. I know he is a fan of the DCX vans, is happy with his choice, and I don't begrudge him for that. To get back to the original question (3 across seating in the 2nd row of Ody and Sienna): The Sienna 8-seater is only available on the 'lower' trim lines (LE and CE). Which means if you want factory leather, you are out of luck. However, aftermarket leather is available, high quality, and affordable so this should not be a factor. The 2nd row seats in the Sienna do not have armrests whereas the Ody does. This may or may not be a factor. The middle seat in the Sienna can be positioned much closer to the front row. With a newborn, I personally think this is a huge advantage. My wife and I don't have a newborn so this was not important to us. For us, the 3rd seat would only see occasional use and we thought the outboard seats in the Sienna were not quite as comfy as the captains chairs in the Ody. The +1 seat in the Ody looks ridiculous, no argument there. However, I've sat in (on) it for short drives (sandwiched between booster seats in the outboard positions) and it was much, MUCH more comfortable than it appears (I'm 6'1" and only 170 so I'm on the skinny side). I would have no reservations with sitting in the seat for a 2-3 hour trip. Regarding 3 across car seats in the Ody: the kids will sit in either car seats/booster seats, NOT the +1 seat itself. So all that matters is how the car seat is anchored and whether or not there is physically enough OVERALL hiproom from door to door. There is no LATCH anchor for the +1 seat, however, a carseat can be secured with the lap/shoulder belt and a tether over the seat back (there is an anchor point accessible in the floor at the rear of the +1 seat.) As far as if there is adequate space, nothing beats a trial fit. I would suggest taking any/all seats you intend to place in the 2nd row and try them out.
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Replying to: rorr (Jun 14, 2005 10:19 am) Maybe marine2 is an impulse shopper or a garage sale junkie who routinely decides on a whim, to buy something large, like a used recliner or something! I can't think of too many times in my lifetime when I've suddenly been pressed for room to suddenly transport something I decided to buy all of a sudden.  We are, indeed, all different! |
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Can somebody suggest which of the following cars is better: Nissan QUEST S - on the road price $ 23, 000 (because of the Nissan's rebates and below invoice price bargaining) v/s Honda Odyssey EX - on road $ 28,000 Is the Odyssey worth that extra $5000.0 (i.e ~ 20 % price difference). I personally donot like to center console in the Odyssey. But in terms of driving and car exterior, it is not bad. As much as Honda looks good, it is difficult to justify the extra $5000.0
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Well, I know my dad, as he's gotten older, seems to have developed an affinity for estate sales. But, since he drives a Prius it's unlikely he'll be bringing home anything TOO large  "I can't think of too many times in my lifetime when I've suddenly been pressed for room..." Well, I remember when I was in college having a sudden need to transport a 6' wooden drafting table (kinda fell into a deal I couldn't refuse). Fortunately, I was able to get it (mostly) into the back of my '86 CRX Si...... |
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You guys better quit picking on him. Judging from his name, he may be able to kick your A$$! I know it is all in fun! rorr - big huge THANKS for your summary above. It is about the best one I've gotten on Ody vs Sienna for my specific issue. I really appreciate it. My wife thinks I am absolutely nuts doing all this research, but I'm totally printing out your post and taking it home to her. Thanks. "however, a carseat can be secured with the lap/shoulder belt and a tether over the seat back (there is an anchor point accessible in the floor at the rear of the +1 seat.) " How do you do that....send your tether strap from the car seat over the top of the #1? That is great info. Initially it wouldn't matter because as you know, the infant carrier is just a base and doesn't have a tether. However, for future reference it is good to know. Antother question - different subject - I've read on odyclub about brake problem that many folks are having. Have you guys heard of this and is there any cause for major concern? We're planning to drive both on Thursday AM. I'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, if you can think of any more tips or anything specific I should look for it would be much appreciated!!! Thanks again. PS for the guy asking about the quest - YES, and honda or Toyota are worth the 5K. You'll easily get it back in resale value, not to mention your own satisfaction IMO.
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Maybe marine2 is an impulse shopper or a garage sale junkie who routinely decides on a whim, to buy something large, like a used recliner or something! I can't think of too many times in my lifetime when I've suddenly been pressed for room to suddenly transport something I decided to buy all of a sudden Maybe most Honda and Toyota owners has so much money they usually have work done for them or are willing to pay $35.00 every time you buy something. I'm not. But I am sort of an impulse shopper. I went to Checker Auto parts to by a sun shade for my truck. While there, I saw this air compressor for sale for over $80.00 off. With two cars, I knew I could use an air compressor, not only for blowing up the tires, but to paint my fence, clean the air filters, the wife's and grand kids water flootties and etc. Yes, for that much off, I bought it even though I had no intention of getting one when I went in. I had my truck so there was no problem bringing it home. If I had your Honda, I would of needed help getting it in the back if it would have even gone in that way, even dropping down the third seat. In a Dodge with one seat stowed, it would have been a snap, even doing it myself. I guess you or your wife never go into a store and buy something you never even contemplated buying before hand. I think a lot of people do. I think you said once you have never had your seats removed in your van. If I had had mine a couple of years earlier, I sure would have. I remodeled my bathroom and put in a new toilet, vanity and tub surround. But again, I had my truck to put it in. I can't afford to hire everything done for me, so I do a lot of it myself. I thought of these things and about my grandkids, that's why I picked the Dodge instead of any other van. It will do it all for me. I can say if couples only have a couple of kids in car seats and want them in the second row, it will work for them too. But people have to buy what's right for them. I just think they should really consider carefully what your going to use it for, before buying and not make a mistake like I did with the Focus. I lost a lot of money getting rid of it after only one year. I'd rather spend my money taking trips than wasting it or buying something that won't do all I want it to, when I want to do it.
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Replying to: marine2 (Jun 14, 2005 1:09 pm) Marine - could you rationally explain what are you doing hanging out at "Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna " forum after you have already baught a Dodge? I would understand "Minivan shopping" where I also tried to enlighten people after beeing enlightened myself and purchasing a Honda minivan. But a Chrysler fan here? People choosing between Toyota and Honda (as I mostly did) are not very friendly towards some inheritently inferior "domestic" brands. 
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Replying to: 96corolla (Jun 14, 2005 12:30 pm) Like you, we had pretty much narrowed our choice down to either the Sienna or Odyssey. I think the differences tend to get magnified a bit by the various posters in these forums; we found them both to be strong performers. The Ody handled a bit better with somewhat better road feel; the Sienna was a bit smoother/quieter. The degree of difference (IMO) was not really all that much; drive both and you'll develop your own set of preferences. We were looking at the Sienna XLE w/ the side airbags, traction/VSC, sunroof and leather (I think it was package #6) and the Odyssey EX-L. If I remember correctly, the MSRP of the Sienna (with the package we wanted) was around $2k more than the Ody. Things we liked about the Sienna - a bit quieter, smoother. Flip out 3rd row vent windows. Ability to place console between either the front row seats, or 2nd row seats. Wood (fake) trim. Nicer (IMO) leather/plastics. Remote rear hatch. Trip computer and a few other misc. doodads that don't immediately come to mind. Things we liked about the Ody - felt a bit more 'athletic' (just remember it's a MINIVAN; not a BMW), lazy susan underfloor storage, easier (IMO) to store 3rd row seats, +1 seat, actual availability of desired vehicle/options in color we wanted. If we had made our choice without considering price, we would have chosen the Sienna XLE w/ package #6. However, in our area, pickings were few for this model, in a color we liked, without all the extraneous junk that Gulfstates Toyota adds. We were able to negotiate a van for around $32.5 without trying too hard. On the other hand, we were able to negotiate an Ody EX-L for $28.6, easily. Yes, we thought that for the options we wanted the Sienna was a 'nicer' van......but not $4k nicer. |
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Replying to: 96corolla (Jun 14, 2005 12:30 pm) As far as the Quest guy (this board is apparently a catch-all now). I'd disagree on the $5K being made up in resale value. I'm sure the numbers will change, especially if other people dislike that center console on the Quest as much as I, but the resale values between the Nissan and others is pretty small (7-9%) according to: Cars.com residual values |
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