We have been saving for years and have about $30k to spend on a minivan. Right now we only have one car( 09 Honda Accord) and have 4 sons now so...time to expand.
We really liked the 2019 Honda Odyssey we drove, but I’ve been reading a lot of bad reviews for its electronics and road/body noise. I’m pretty overwhelmed figuring out what to get. I don’t want to spend all the car savings if we don’t have to, but I am willing if the vehicle is safe/reliable enough. We are planning on keeping this until it dies.
I am not a mechanic so I don’t know how to pick used cars from personal sellers. Is Honda/Toyota certified vans a safer way or is it wasting money?
Any opinion on a specific minivan when the $30k cash is the range?
love your videos!!
Donnie Boy
i have an 2009 Honda Odyssey EXL with 280,000 miles on it drives like brand new really smooth engine tranny cant even tell the engine is on most of the time. The road noise is there in any big vehicle. Good minivans are either sienna or odyssey it just comes down to your preference.
Try checking out used Toyota Siennas. Those are bulletproof
My parents have a Honda Odyssey 2014 they are very practical and nice to drive compared to the Toyota Sienna but the Toyota Sienna would be more reliable. 2019 Odyssey would have transmission problems. If looking a Honda Odyssey, I'd highly recommend this generation 2012-2017 but do your research on what years have transmission problems.
Pass on any Stellantis minivan (Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Town and Country, etc)
I'd check out a used Toyota Sienna
I think the newer ones are ugly so here is a 2016 (2016 and before would actually last longer because of the proven 6 speed automatic transmission)
gl with minivan shopping
The vehicles I mentioned are around the $20k range
Thank you so much Kerem!
I would look at a used Toyota Sienna. See stickey here for some of the issues with the Sienna over the years:
@Dahoff Another thing to keep in mind is the 2019 Odyssey you mention comes standard with the 3.5L V6 (J35Y6) which has direct injection (susceptible to carbon buildup so you have to install catch can and/or clean valves which are more maintenance items to keep track of ) and has cylinder activation (Honda calls it VCM) - which will wear out/damage the engine in the long run (you can disable via software but if you need warranty work if will void it, and also the hardware is still there). Also, depending on the year the Odyssey comes with 9 or 10 speed AT, and long term reliability is not fully known. Meanwhile, an older Sienna (Kerem lists the years to look at) has none of those issues and fewer gears in their AT so less complexity and presumably less issues. If you care about longevity, your best bet is the Sienna. There’s no guarantees because we can’t predict the future, but the Sienna should last longer.
So we found a 2015 Sienna EXL Premium with only 40k miles, One owner, no accidents, maintenance records...etc. It was in excellent condition and clearly well taken care of so I bought it on the spot(since we drove 2 hours to see it).
I paid $21k cash. Since it’s a good year for reliable engine/transmission, clean title/carfax...I figured the price was good. We didn’t need all the bells and whistles, but this should be good for resale if needed. I’m really excited and looking forward to putting another 200k miles on it with my family.
thank you to everyone for your guidance!!
toyota sienna or highlander
Yep, spend the money at get the Sienna and it doesn’t even need to be new, even a better way to have some money leftover. They run forever with a little help from you in terms of maintenance,
Thanks Guys!
Any specific year that is most reliable/desired?
is Toyota certified worth covering my ass with?
1. Have a mechanic check it out
2. I would not go for anything 2017+ as they had a new transmission and are too new for long term reliability, for ex. 2016 had 6 speed automatic but 2017 had the new 8 speed and had lots of transmission issues
You rock!
I have a 2018 Honda Odyssey, and it is a little glitchy sometimes. Recently, we had some weird dashboard errors and had to take it to the dealer. They put in a new battery and that fixed the problem. It seemed a bit weird that the battery would fail after 2 1/2 years.
It is a nice riding and comfortable vehicle, but if I were you I would look at the Toyota Sienna for comparison purposes.
Do you feel that you would go for a Sienna if you could change your decision?
If I had to do it over, I would go for a Sienna. However, the point I am trying to make is that it would be wise to look at (actually test drive) both the Odyssey and Sienna before buying.
Gotcha. I have. We like the looks and features of the Odyssey more...but I don’t want to spend $30k for something that won’t last, is never ending headaches or is creaky noisy while driving... decisions, decisions