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Vans & Minivans Honda Odyssey Article Comments - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan vs. 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring
184 messages, Last post on Jan 16, 2009 at 4:58 PM
You are in the Honda Odyssey Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Replying to: vinnyny (Oct 31, 2007 2:42 am)
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Replying to: vinnyny (Oct 31, 2007 2:42 am) Thanks for your support of the domestic auto industry! We need more "big advocates" like you buying their 4th Honda product, then "feeling" bad about it.
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Replying to: dennisctc (Nov 01, 2007 2:18 am) I've bought sixteen cars in the last last ten years, so when I buy a Honda it's a drop in the bucket relative to the average American who probably buys a car every 3-5 years. That aside, the Odyssey is the only exception to the rule that I buy foreign only when there is no acceptable American substitute. For instance: I've owned an 01 Audi TT Roadster and 04 350Z Roadster--what's the American substitute? Corvette? Yes, but it costs $20k more than the other two. When I could finally afford a Corvette Convertible, I bought an 05. I also owned a an 04 BMW 330 Convertible. What's the American alternative to that--a Chrysler Sebring convertible? I guess I could have bought a Mustang convertible, but I needed a car that would allow humans to fit in the back seat. Besides, my high school days are long behind me. For our family car, we've owned two Chevy Tahoes, three Odysseys and an Acura MDX. When I'm ready to trade in our family car, I always look at American alternatives first. In making this latest purchase decision, I narrowed the choices down to the 07 Odyssey Touring, 08 Chrysler T&C, 07 Chevy Tahoe and 08 GMC Acadia. Why did I pick the Odyssey? GMC Acadia: my first choice. It's comfortable, had lots of cargo/passenger capacity, and reasonable gas mileage. Net trade difference including all incentives: $14k Chevy Tahoe: my wife's first choice. My teenagers would never tolerate the third row for a thousand-mile trip (something we do often) and the gas bill would kill me. I loved this truck anyway. Net trade difference including incentives: $12k Chrysler T&C: the dash was so cheesy looking that my wife refused to sit in it. I baited her in by showing her the stow-n-go seats and dual DVD system. She was sold on the Tahoe and I couldn't argue that it was such a good deal that we had to have it. I'm guessing that the best trade deal I could have worked would have given me a Net trade difference of about: $11-12k. Honda Odyssey Touring: has everything we expect but it makes my wife "feel old". Net trade difference: $6500. I won't get into reliability issues because I've never had a significant problem with either of the Chevys or the Hondas and there's no way of knowing what will happen with the Chrysler. I won't even talk about resale values because the candidates are too new. But does it make any sense to pay $5k more for the next cheapest alternative (and deal with your wife's wrath)? Does it make sense to pay $7-8k more for the Tahoe or Acadia and live with all the compromises--significantly less space and lower gas mileage? So, I guess you've correctly identified me as another "pocketbook patriot". But with four kids and two mortgages, I've got to do what's right for my family. Paying significantly more for an American product that doesn't meet all of our needs just doesn't make sense. In two years when the teenagers are at college and the twins are out of car seats, we'll buy another family car. As always, we'll look to buy American first. When that happens we won't have to care about third row seat room or whether or not our stroller fits behind it. We won't have to care about the ability to carry six passengers and their luggage in reasonable comfort and security. But as a "pocketbook patriot" with two kids in college, I'm still going to have to care about buying a car that costs more and delivers less... Sorry for the diatribe.
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Replying to: dvsutton (Oct 31, 2007 5:23 pm) Please. As if the Chrysler/Dodge minivans don't have a significantly WORSE track record in this exact area? I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your Honda. I don't blame you for being irritated at them. No doubt, you will never buy another Honda, and I can't say I'd feel differently if I had the same situation. HOWEVER...there is both statistical and empiracal evidence that what happened to you is not particularly common. COULD it happen to one of us if we by an Ody? Sure. Is it likely to happen? No. The same is true for many other models. To me, it sounds like a major factor with your problems is that you have/had a terrible dealer. Having been through my share of terrible dealers, I can sympathize with that, too. Personally, if I bought a Honda I'd have my choice of a number of different dealers that are all within a reasonable drive of my house, so I'm not as concerned with that. The Patriotism argument is a whole different deal, we have those debates going on all over this messageboard. That's a personal choice for everyone to make--but its not a black/white thing. In my situation, I had the choice of only foreign manufactures to get what I wanted the last time I shopped (a "normally sized" hybrid sedan), and having driven a Toyota for the past 16 months, I realize now what I was missing. |
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Replying to: vinnyny (Oct 31, 2007 2:42 am) "That's just silly. "Sorry to hear your (sic) buying more transmission problems." Please. As if the Chrysler/Dodge minivans don't have a significantly WORSE track record in this exact area? " Actually, Chrysler's transmissions have a better record in the last 5 years than Honda.
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Replying to: KarenS (Sep 04, 2007 5:07 am) So, my friend who happens to work for Chrysler lends me his new 08 Grand Caravan SXT with the 4.0 for a little jaunt to lower upper Michigan. I'm buying one. Period. This vehicle is quiet. Near silent. That is, until you put your foot into it. No problems hearing the kids in the back. Little to no wind noise, and it was a very windy day to boot. The engine and tranny are super smooth. The extra horsepower is super nice for passing and merging. The GC easily passed slower cars and didn't waste anytime hunting for the right gear. The stereo is killer. Ours had the 9-speaker, 506 watt, 7.1 channel surround sound Infinity system. The sound was clear, loud and had great depth. And who can argue with letting one kid watch Shrek, while the other watches Sponge Bob Square Pants on SIRIUS TV all while I get to listen to whatever I want on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, regular radio OR my iPod through a USB port???? Talk about keeping the peace. The front seat is wide and supportive and there is a nice ledge on the door for your arm to rest. Thank you Chrysler. We also enjoyed the swivel and go seating. My wife sat facing the rear while the kids sat facing forward. (The DVD screens only face one way due to safety concerns ((so I was told)) so, the kids likely won't want to swivel.)The seats are incredibly easy to swivel and, from my limited time in them, were very comfortable. I really liked the storage bins in front of the 2nd row seats. Great touch. It's nice to have things available but not right in front of you while traveling with kids. It keeps the area clear for all of the important stuff, like 4 pillows and 22 stuffed animals. The gauges were easy to read, the controls were all in the right places. (And who complains about that anyway????) Seriously, if you can't learn where stuff is in your car, how do you find your way home every evening??? The interior lighting is a HUGE benefit. LED lighting throughout. Turn em on and the van lights up like a firecracker. Drop a crayon or lose a shoe? No problem. Stop your crying and we'll find it. Good thinking Chrysler. Oh and there's this really neat green/blue ambient lighting around the overhead console. It's a really cool touch that brought me back to my days as a kid riding in a conversion van. Things I didn't like? There were a few trim pieces that needed a better fit. Specifically the rear lower piece on one of the 2nd row seats and the painted silver plastic on the inside of the drivers door. They need to create a rubberized bin to hold your MP3 player. There is an opening but, it's not large enough to hold a video iPod. The torque steer is a little overwhelming but, hey, the van is filled with my most prized possessions so, I can lay off a bit. The TV is kind of gimmicky at this point. There are only 3 stations, Nick, Toon and Disney. Hopefully they get some ESPN so I can take this beast to a tailgate. It's close enough to a perfect fit. (It's not like the Honda kills it, they're just better at different things.) The Dodge/Chrysler is better at keeping an entire family happy. I love Honda. I'll be buying a Chrysler.
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Replying to: icvci (Nov 02, 2007 9:19 am)
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Replying to: dennisctc (Nov 02, 2007 12:11 pm) Or, maybe it was just a bad one. It wouldn't be unheard of for there to be problems with the first ones off the line. Actually, I was quite happy with the nice smooth action of the shifter. I've got to admit, I went through this van with a fine tooth comb looking for things to hate and came away with very few. Maybe 2-3. I didn't like where the button was to change the display under the speedo. If you use your left hand to change it, you can't see what you're changing it to. I didn't like the door sills, they sounded cheap when I stepped on them. And I didn't like the feel of the interior plastics. A nice soft touch rubber would be nice for the door panels. Nothing I can't live with but things I'd like to see in the future. The powertrain warranty and the fact that I plan on driving it into the ground (so resale means little) make the decision pretty easy.
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Replying to: icvci (Nov 02, 2007 12:26 pm) Definitely not a positioning issue, it was the mechanical operation of it, it had to be bad. |
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Replying to: aaron_t (Nov 02, 2007 8:29 am)
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