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leftygolfermn

leftygolfermn

Big things expected in 2024!
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With #3 set to arrive within a month and a half we are more than likely joining the minivan family. Debating between a Honda Odyssey and a Chrysler Pacifica. Any THPers have one of these and what made you make that choice? Good and bad opinions of either? Thanks!
 
I can't really speak to current offerings, but we have had several Hondas with out issue - outside of planned/expected maintenance. But we did the minivan thing with a Dodge Caravan - it spent over 6 months in repair (and that was in the 2 years 4 months we owned it. I can only assume they have improved overall - but that car was enough that we have not bought American since - I would for a truck though.

Does toyota still do the Sienna? I understand those are good, we have 1 toyota now and our 3rd Lexus none of which have ever had any issues.
 
JW Smoove said:
I can't really speak to current offerings, but we have had several Hondas with out issue - outside of planned/expected maintenance. But we did the minivan thing with a Dodge Caravan - it spent over 6 months in repair (and that was in the 2 years 4 months we owned it. I can only assume they have improved overall - but that car was enough that we have not bought American since - I would for a truck though.

Does toyota still do the Sienna? I understand those are good, we have 1 toyota now and our 3rd Lexus none of which have ever had any issues.
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They do but we’ve researched more in the Honda and Chrysler as are 1,2 for minivans. Agree on Honda and maintenance stuff. Thanks for the reply
 
We just jumped on the minivan wagon ourselves 6 months ago. Found a nice 2016 Honda Odyssey with only 26k miles! I would recommend the Honda. We drove a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica last year as a rental, hated it. Toyota is good, but only comes as a hybrid now!👎 The new Kia has some amazing options, but it’s still a Kia.
 
J.B. Cobb III said:
We just jumped on the minivan wagon ourselves 6 months ago. Found a nice 2016 Honda Odyssey with only 26k miles! I would recommend the Honda. We drove a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica last year as a rental, hated it. Toyota is good, but only comes as a hybrid now!👎 The new Kia has some amazing options, but it’s still a Kia.
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Appreciate that info! That’s a sweet find! Seems like most the used ones around here have higher miles and with the used car game I’m sure the diamonds are being scooped quick. Need to get wife and I behind the wheel and see what they feel like.
 
Honda Odyssey for one reason and one reason only. The name is Odyssey like the putter.... boom discussion over.

It is a good minivan though
 
I would recommend renting one for a few days.
 
hadi05 said:
Honda Odyssey for one reason and one reason only. The name is Odyssey like the putter.... boom discussion over.

It is a good minivan though
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So me buying an OG7 in November should make the deal even sweeter! Haha. That’s a valid point as I’m not swinging a Pacifica anytime soon 😂
 
leftygolfermn311 said:
So me buying an OG7 in November should make the deal even sweeter! Haha. That’s a valid point as I’m not swinging a Pacifica anytime soon 😂
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And good putter choice
 
We bought the Pacifica the first year it was released, has been great. Just crossed 105k miles in about 5 years. The individual TVs in the back of the seats was my main selling point.
 
I personally have owned seven Accords, and my kids have owned five other Honda products. IIRC, the Odyssey is the most trouble-prone vehicle in the Honda line, which may not be all that bad. Chrysler used to support minivan owners like there was no tomorrow, but that info is old. It may still be true.

The engineer in me endorses the minivan over an SUV - much more efficient use of space.
 
Lesley loves her minivan. Do it!
 
hadi05 said:
So what's your gut tell you @leftygolfermn311 ?
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It’s a tough one as both seem like great options. I like the look of Chrysler but reliability of Hondas is intriguing too. Until I sit inside each and the wife does same will be hard. Adulting is hard 😅
 
leftygolfermn311 said:
It’s a tough one as both seem like great options. I like the look of Chrysler but reliability of Hondas is intriguing too. Until I sit inside each and the wife does same will be hard. Adulting is hard 😅
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Adulting is hard. Thankfully there is alcohol and golf lol.
 
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We owned a Honda Odyssey for a few years that was awesome, however, once we were out of warranty we were admittedly terrified of what kind of electronics malfunction would be the first to go hahaha

Test drove the Pacifica's as well when we were trying out options, they were a great ride.
 
leftygolfermn311 said:
With #3 set to arrive within a month and a half we are more than likely joining the minivan family. Debating between a Honda Odyssey and a Chrysler Pacifica. Any THPers have one of these and what made you make that choice? Good and bad opinions of either? Thanks!
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Pacifica. In a landslide IMO.

I've got the S package and I love it. Best decision we ever made, and I absolutely LOVE driving it.

And yes, I HAVE put 20 sheets of plywood in the back.
 
Jman said:
Pacifica. In a landslide IMO.

I've got the S package and I love it. Best decision we ever made, and I absolutely LOVE driving it.

And yes, I HAVE put 20 sheets of plywood in the back.
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Appreciate the reply! It’s definitely got the nudge on looks! Can’t wait to go look more intense at them
 
Ok... my coworker has been through several minivans over the past few years. He's owned all of them at some point. Here are the issues he's had... NOTE, he's really really really picky as is his wife.

Toyota Sienna - he wasn't able to park it. For whatever reason neither he nor his wife could find the perfect spot to reference the van to park it in the center of a parking spot.
His major complaint was the passenger was not able to manipulate the navigation system while driving. To do so you had to park the vehicle.

Honda Odyssey - he and his wife loved it but had issues where the LKAS (lane keeping assistance system) and the ACC (adaptive cruise control) would "go nuts and stop the van just driving down the road"...:rolleyes: <--- that eyeroll is important and I'll address it below.

Chrysler Pacifica - currently he and his wife have one. They like the vacuum. They don't like one or 2 of the USB charging ports don't work. The dealership can't get them to work.

I tuned out the rest of his issues.


The eyeroll issue with the Honda Odyssey with the LKAS and ACC... in my experience, it's a non issue. My wife recently traded her Kia Optima in on a Honda CRv. I'm assuming it's got the same system as the Odyssey when it comes to the LKAS and ACC. And they're programmed very similar. Again, I'm assuming that. And, from our experience driving my wife's CRv, the ACC operates with an over abundance of caution. In other words, if the system thinks that there's a vehicle slowing down in front of itself, it will apply the brakes. This is whether there is in fact a vehicle stopping in front of you or not.

In our experience, there's a spot where my wife's CRv will consistently show this behavior and it's because there's a left turn lane on a 2 lane stretch of road. The way it's set up confuses the computer and it takes the safe route. We cancel the ACC until we pass that section of the road and continue on our way. No issues noted, the system is working as designed.

Like I said, my coworker is really really really really really picky. As is his wife. That behavior wasn't acceptable to them but my wife and I are just fine with it. As are the hundreds of other CRv's we see on the road daily, and the thousands of CRv owners nationwide.


I'd vote for the Odyssey. It's a Honda. They're known for reliability. Gas. Oil changes. Tires. Brake pads. Run it for 200,000+ miles then replace. Easy peasy.

The styling of the Pacifica is nice, but it's a Chrysler. And there are electrical reliability issues. (Coworker is a MOPAR fan and he's had several. Occasional glitches electrically but normally reset with putting the vehicle in park and shutting off the key for a minute.)
 
FWIW, Car and Driver like the Pacifica best and I’ve always trusted their rankings more than any other car magazine or website. I also think the Pacifica is better looking than the other minivans. Still looks like a minivan but it’s kinda good looking for what it is.

On the reliability front, from 2001-2011 I drove 4 Chrysler minivans for a total of 370,000 miles as company vehicles and never had a problem with any of them other than one broken seat belt latch. My last company car before I retired was a 2018 AWD Sienna which is the same chassis they are still using and I hated it mostly because of the way it handled/drove.

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I have a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan.
I like the styling of it better than the Odyssey but that is personal preference.
While Hondas hold their value better, I have enjoyed the last few years with the Dodge a ton. For the price, the features I got with the dodge would have been quite a bit more with the Honda. The dodge Fits the family great and when my parents are in town, we can have adults in the back seat without any complaints of leg room. Have not had any maintenance or electrical issue(knock on wood) and love taking it on road trips. The abundance of storage with the stow and go and different configurations you can easily apply are great for both the road trip and hauling stuff. We moved into this house shortly after buying it and they ability to put all the seats down and stuff it full of boxes and mattresses was awesome.
 
We had an Odyssey from 2009-2017 and loved it. Lots of storage space, and never had a serious mechanical issue with it. Transitioned to a Pilot once all three kids got older.

Would pick Honda again in a second if we had to do it over.
 
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