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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USAisgreat
... new Dodge Grand Caravan verses a 2 year old Odyssey with fairly low mileage. ....
Tho a Dodge minivan owner myself to over 200k... go with the Honda if you know the history and it is FS 'By-Owner'
or... find a good used T&C for under $5k and expect to spend additional $1200 (tranny) to get it to 200k
I think the Dodge will be lower cost / mile, but you did GREAT with your first Honda, so you may have the magic touch with them. Stick with a good thing.
So, from the Dodge owners...Everything but the drivetrain falls apart and peels. If you want the transmission in the older ones to stay alive, make sure you feed it new tranny fluid every oil change. They have some really neat features that make them slightly more useful. They are basically throw-aways at ages/mileage that other cars would still have retained value.
Moral of the story...it's a great option for a cheap minivan you plan on driving until it dies which is a longer time period than most people give them credit for. The appeal is the low cost, not anything inherent in the vehicle itself.
So, from the Dodge owners...Everything but the drivetrain falls apart and peels. If you want the transmission in the older ones to stay alive, make sure you feed it new tranny fluid every oil change. They have some really neat features that make them slightly more useful. They are basically throw-aways at ages/mileage that other cars would still have retained value.
Moral of the story...it's a great option for a cheap minivan you plan on driving until it dies which is a longer time period than most people give them credit for. The appeal is the low cost, not anything inherent in the vehicle itself.
Low cost is inherent in the vehicle itself; it's not low cost by magic.
I've been asking about the Honda transmission issue, and it seems to me that I'd have to get a late model Honda to be sure of avoiding it...which means that buying an older Honda might not be a good deal regardless how well the interior has held up.
Not sure what is your $ budget. trying not to sound condescending, the Ody isn't really too expensive imo.
I had leased the 2007 & 2012 Ody. So basically, I've driven the generation after yours and the most recent one. At the end of my lease the buyout for the 2007 LX was 14k...and that van had 28k on the odo. You can get a low mile 2012 EX for about 21-23k.
I have to say the most current gen Ody is very impressive. I had the EX and it has quite a lot of standard equipment. The 2014 even has rear camera standard throughout the whole lineup! I was most impressive part of my time with the van was the MPG. A few times, I've driven well over 500+ miles on one tank of gas...I pushed 550 once. Its somewhat larger than the 2007. The only negative thing is more blindspots!
as for the transmission, I notice the 2007 wasn't as smooth as the 2012. I had 2-3 incidents when it didn't shift right & hung a bit than it should. The 2012 tranny totally feels fine.
I can give a more detailed review between the two ody generations if you wish. Not sure which you want to focus on.
Low cost is inherent in the vehicle itself; it's not low cost by magic.
I've been asking about the Honda transmission issue, and it seems to me that I'd have to get a late model Honda to be sure of avoiding it...which means that buying an older Honda might not be a good deal regardless how well the interior has held up.
The Honda transmission issue is definitely real. I would avoid any of the 1999-2003 vans and would need to know the pedigree on a 2004 before I would consider it. Anything older than 1999 or newer than 2004 is a good choice. In this discussion though, it's not as if the Chrysler vans are any strangers to transmission problems. Anything with the 41TE/A604 is pretty much guaranteed to have transmission problems over the life of the vehicle (most acutely when mated to the 3.0 and 3.3 engines). The newer 62TE is decent, but any of the 4xxx Chrysler transmissions aren't exactly known for their reliability with the 41TE being the worst.
This also isn't even mentioning anything about the Sienna which has never had any of those problems.
There is nothing wrong with the low cost/cheapness of the Chrysler vans if that is what you need to meet your budget and/or needs.
So, from the Dodge owners...Everything but the drivetrain falls apart and peels. If you want the transmission in the older ones to stay alive, make sure you feed it new tranny fluid every oil change. They have some really neat features that make them slightly more useful. They are basically throw-aways at ages/mileage that other cars would still have retained value.
Moral of the story...it's a great option for a cheap minivan you plan on driving until it dies which is a longer time period than most people give them credit for. The appeal is the low cost, not anything inherent in the vehicle itself.
Nope. Follow the owner's manual recommendations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT
The Honda transmission issue is definitely real. I would avoid any of the 1999-2003 vans and would need to know the pedigree on a 2004 before I would consider it. Anything older than 1999 or newer than 2004 is a good choice. In this discussion though, it's not as if the Chrysler vans are any strangers to transmission problems. Anything with the 41TE/A604 is pretty much guaranteed to have transmission problems over the life of the vehicle (most acutely when mated to the 3.0 and 3.3 engines). The newer 62TE is decent, but any of the 4xxx Chrysler transmissions aren't exactly known for their reliability with the 41TE being the worst.
This also isn't even mentioning anything about the Sienna which has never had any of those problems.
There is nothing wrong with the low cost/cheapness of the Chrysler vans if that is what you need to meet your budget and/or needs.
Again. If you follow the manual, then there is no guarantee of failure. I am on my fourth van. Only one needed transmission overhaul at 150,000 miles, and it wasn't the 41TE either. It was the 3 speed tranny mated to a 3.0 smoking Mitsu engine, which was in a 1988 Grand Voyager. Never had a problem with the 41TE in any of the other vans.
My brother has a 2008 Odyssey that has been pretty bulletproof aside from regular maintenance. My brother in law has a 2013 Chrysler T&C that has been in the shop on several occasions for mysterious electric gremlins like the gauges not lighting up at all and having a cylinder head replaced on the motor (major recall). If I had to pick a van I'd go Odyssey personally.
Moral of the story...it's a great option for a cheap minivan you plan on driving until it dies which is a longer time period than most people give them credit for. The appeal is the low cost, not anything inherent in the vehicle itself.
It's a minivan, not a special performance vehicle. It does the same thing an Odyssey does. The question is if the extra 10-15K for the Odyssey is worth it.
Some of the good used Chrysler/Dodge minivans are auctioned off GSA vehicles. I probably wouldn't buy a used minivan that was pre-owned by an individual. I was driving in the inner mountain west once in my Dodge Caravan and saw a guy blow by me in his while towing another minivan. Sure enough on the other side of the mountain he was stopped and a puddle of water under his van.
That's an extreme case but most families buy these vehicle and put them to use loaded with people an stuff on long trips or lots of stop and go soccer mom driving unlike the a GSA vehicles that are low mileage. The last one I bought was driven less than 300 miles per month for over eight years.
I hate the look of the new Odyssey. I saw a black one at Target and to me it looked just like a Funeral Coach. Nice vehicle to drive your kids around in
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