Hi Scotty,
I am fairly new to this channel and it is now my favorite YouTube channel! Love your informative videos and info. Thank you so much for being you.
My question...
For some reason, maybe insanity because we are "young seniors", empty nesters...I wanted to buy a used minivan as a second vehicle for daytrips, etc. We have a Mazda CX5, which we love but it doesn't have a lot of room with the dog, etc. From listening to your advise (but going against not to buy now because of the high prices) we narrowed it down between a Honda or Toyota and watched until we found a good used 2014 Honda EXL RES with 110 Km which believe it or not we managed to pay within the Kelly Blue Book price range (which tends to be lower than the auto trader suggested prices for used minivans). Most dealers and private sales are selling $3000 above the KBB price range. The mechanic who inspected it said it was in really good condition as the owners had it undercoated every year (Harsh Canadian winters) There was one owner and the seller gave us all the maintenance records on the vehicle. The transmission fluid was even replaced within the last six months (noticed you recommended this!)
Your videos on Honda are conflicting. In one video you say don't buy a Honda, another one is on how good Honda's are. Should we have waited it out and bought a Toyota? We both love the van and hope to take care of it and keep it for a few more years. I think minivans need to change their image and not be so geared towards families but include younger people for trips, camping, etc. Everyone seems to have jumped on the SUV bandwagon but as I know longer think of looking cool, I think a minivan has so much to offer.
Thanks again for any thoughts on this.
Honorah
They are good vehicles. Had and have multiple odysseys.
Sienna has its caveats too. For example, if the timing chain stretches or needs replacement, you need to remove the entire powertrain from the van to access the chain. No one really mentions that...
Would still recommend someone to go with a sienna (not the new hybrid model) but in your case, absolutely no need to sell your odyssey if it's in good condition.
Just change the ATF every 25k-30k miles and do the timing belt service every 7 years/105k miles. Google search VCMuzzler and look into disabling VCM.
I would sell that can and get a Toyota Sienna. That model year has lots of issues with its automatic transmission.
how do you know? Our 2016 odyssey is basically like the 2014 odyssey and tranny shifts like a dream.
Odyssey is definitely improved over older models and 2014 is a good model year as they resolved tranny issues from before. Just make sure you take care of the engine yb changing the oil every 5000 miles and changing the tranny fluid every 30k miles. Sienna is a good van too and a lot of people do prefer the Sienna for its reliability and AWD but both vans are not bulletproof. Both vans are complex and as they get higher mileage like 200-300k miles expect electrical problems and I would not buy the new Sienna hybrid since that is insanely complex with all that technology and hybrid system.
