Toyota v. Honda (and new v. used)?

[MBAustin]

We're partial to the Odyssey - had a 1999 and now a 2008. Test drove the Sienna but preferred the ride and handling of the Honda. YMMV.

 

[MasterBlaster]

My sister (who had bought used for many years) said that it is not even straight line...

Here example... if a car is good for 150,000 miles... and they have 75,000 on it... they are asking MORE than half of the original price...

Because of inflation. The price to compare it to is not the original price for the used car. You might want to compare it to the selling price of a new model to get the economics right.

Still, when you look at the all-in costs of a car including interest, insurance, registration and repairs, it just may work out that the 75k car is quite the bargain.

 

[martyb]

Either is great. I'd go new also, no one else's cooties to worry about.

Ha

I hate cooties...

 

[Keim]

We currently have a 2002 Honda CR-V, 100000 miles on it. No problems with it at all. Have had three Hondas before it. All ran well.

 

[Life_is_Good]

Back in 2001, we were making the same decision. We test drove both and found the ride and feel of the Sienna to be superior to the (stiff feeling) Honda.

The Sienna has been a good car; solid and reliable at about 80K miles. Note: We keep the car maintained pretty well. We've never been stranded anywhere. The only non wear and tear item to fail was an oxygen sensor - repair about $200.

Good luck.

 

[youbet]

We own a 2005 Toyota Sienna. And it has a sunroof (I don't know why Calgary Girl could not get the Sienna with sunroof).
We had 1 issue so far: the stereo display would act up (not readable). It seems to reset when the car is turned off. This happened a few years ago and seems to be self-correcting? No problems within the last 2 years. Maybe they fixed it at the dealership when I had it there for oil change. I don't remember.

I bought our son and his family a 2005 Sienna when grandchild #3 arrived. That was a while ago, but as I recall we prefered the Sienna because it performed as well as the Honda and was available in a low tier trim line called the "CE" which beat Honda's price by thousands. And, BTW, that low tier trim line is still nicely appointed and has all the same mechanics.

 

[wolf]

OP:

Funny, you decide upon a Honda or Toyota Van. Receive many comments on other brands and/or non-van vehicles.

Oh, my odyssey recquired a transmission replacement at 42,000. (4 speed). Currently have 98,000. Started making a slight whine.
Like when the van had 42,000 miles.

Be sure to read the website I posted. Check out the Forums section.

Then check out the honda van year you are interested in.

Lots of good advice at that website.

 

[GregLee]

My wife and I are now driving the most expensive car we ever had, a 2002 Dodge Neon bought used 5 years ago for $6000. It still works fine -- garage bills have been less than $1000. When we decided to get the Neon, I thought the price premium for used Japanese cars was ludicrous. But I'm not much of a car person (and am pretty much of a tightwad).

 

[73ss454]

We own a 2005 Toyota Sienna. And it has a sunroof (I don't know why Calgary Girl could not get the Sienna with sunroof).
We had 1 issue so far: the stereo display would act up (not readable). It seems to reset when the car is turned off. This happened a few years ago and seems to be self-correcting? No problems within the last 2 years. Maybe they fixed it at the dealership when I had it there for oil change. I don't remember.

They have sun in Canada?

 

[Lusitan]

Thanks for all the responses, guys. After reading your responses and thinking it over, I don't feel as guilty for going with a new car for the first time in my life ...

We're pretty set on a minivan; 2 kids already, with maybe more to come. Plus we often have family over from the old country for extended visits and end up needing room for an extra person or two.

We're going for some test drives this weekend, so we'll see which feels better. My old Toyota has been so good to me (and it's almost like an abusive relationship, since I haven't been very good to it!) that I'm leaning toward the Toyota for now based on a customer loyalty thing.

And this here little advertisement for the Sienna that had me laughing out loud:

 

[Moemg]

Whoever came up with the Toyota sienna adds is a genius . They always have me laughing out loud.

 

[Surfdaddy]

The reviews indicate the new Sienna has a cheaper interior than the previous model.

Also, Honda just came out with the redesigned Odyssey. You might be able to get a new 2010 and save quite a few $$ vs. the newest model.

 

[madcityacct]

Avoid the Sienna with run-flat tires. They wear out quickly and are expensive to replace.

You can replace with 'normal' tires - but there is no spot for a spare.

 

[Bimmerbill]

When I bought my Honda Pilot it was actually cheaper to buy a new one. I shopped for a left over 2006 when the 2007s were on the lot. There was a $3000 or $4000 rebate, and I found a place that sold at invoice (and admitted to the rebate up front, unlike some of the other dealers I visited).

 

[Koolau]

Between family business and personal vehicles I've had 6 Chrysler (as in Dodge and Plymouth or Chrysler) vans (caravans, grand caravans, voyager). While not extremely reliable (primarily transmission issues) these vehicles have generally given good, and relatively inexpensive service. We always new when a tranny was going out, so it wasn't a matter of getting stranded.

I would agree that Honda and Toyota are "better" vehicles, but by buying a 2 or 3 year old Ford or Chrysler van, you stand a decent chance of coming out ahead on a per mile cost basis (considering you MIGHT have worse reliability but for certain a much lower initial cost.) Most of our Chryslers went 150 K before replacement. A transmission job (average of one per vehicle) was $1600 to $2000. fuel mileage would likely be comparable (maybe a bit better with the Japanese vehicles). Insurance should be much less with older domestic vehicles.

One other thing - I never considered it a tragedy to get a ding or scratch on a 3 or 4 year old caravan (could probably pick one up for $10K to $14K or less). On a new $35,000 to $40,000 Odyssey, I'd cry if it got dinged!

As always, YMMV

 

[youbet]

On a new $35,000 to $40,000 Odyssey, I'd cry if it got dinged!

That's what we liked about the low trim line Sienna (called CE at the time). You can get them for mid-$20k's + tax new off the lot. Dealers don't like to stock them, so you have to look around or order one, but there're a good deal. Same engine, tranny and mechanics as the models with fancier carpet, DVD players, leather, etc., but lots cheaper.

Since the interior of a van full of grandkids is going to get trashed anyway, why pay big bux for high tier deco items and electronics?

 

[sailor]

Another possibility is Hertz Rent2Buy program.
We bought a one year old Sienna LE for $17k last year with 35k miles on it (as compared to $26k new we were able to negotiate with the dealers at this time)

 

[FinanceDude]

Between family business and personal vehicles I've had 6 Chrysler (as in Dodge and Plymouth or Chrysler) vans (caravans, grand caravans, voyager). While not extremely reliable (primarily transmission issues) these vehicles have generally given good, and relatively inexpensive service. We always new when a tranny was going out, so it wasn't a matter of getting stranded.

I played that game. My third Chrysler minivan was the final straw. At 17,000 miles, the rack and pinion went out. At 38,000 miles, I needed ANOTHER rack and pinion. At that point, even though I had an EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH CHRYSLER, they told me they would NOT authorize another rack and pinion if it went out, and I was "on my own"......

Bottom line, NO Chrysler products for me, and I hope they fail as a company, because they sell crappy cars. The only redeeming thing is Dodge truck. BTW, the van above was brand new with 33 miles on it, not a used one........

 

[FinanceDude]

Since the interior of a van full of grandkids is going to get trashed anyway, why pay big bux for high tier deco items and electronics?

Take those grandkids on a long road trip, and you'll appreciate DVD with wireless headphones, GPS, etc. Plus, leather cleans up a lot easier than cloth..........

 

[sailor]

Take those grandkids on a long road trip, and you'll appreciate DVD with wireless headphones, GPS, etc.

Where is LBYM fun in these?
Or rather I would say incremental utility value for us would be very small.
So for these 5 trips a year you would spend additional few $k?
We probably do 15 long distance trips (lets say more than 4 hours) a year and
kids are happy to watch DVDs on my laptop plugged into a small inverter.
Incremental cost for me: $20 for the inverter.
As far as GPS goes, built in units are overpriced for what they deliver. DW got a GPS as a Xmas gift from her sister and it was less than $100.
Also a lot of new phones come with GPSes built in (and have real traffic info through the Internet way better than what FM receivers deliver).

 

[haha]

Most of our Chryslers went 150 K before replacement. A transmission job (average of one per vehicle) was $1600 to $2000.

Did this get you a swap out of a rebuilt trans? What kind of warrantly? Do you use Aamco? ( I mention this because when I lived in a smaller city the Aamco franchisee was excellent, much better than the non affiliated trans shops around.

Ha

 

[MasterBlaster]

While AAMCO may be good their prices are double what other shops charge.

Someone has to pay for all that advertising.

 

[Koolau]

Did this get you a swap out of a rebuilt trans? What kind of warrantly? Do you use Aamco? ( I mention this because when I lived in a smaller city the Aamco franchisee was excellent, much better than the non affiliated trans shops around.

Ha

Never a swap-out as I recall. Our regular (independent) mechanic always seemed to know what to fix. The big thing was labor as the tranny had to be removed, disassembled, "fixed" and put back in. If I recall, chrysler was "experimenting" with replacing metal parts with plastic ones in the tranny. They apparently didn't last. So, if we caught the problem early - by the noise or shifting problems, there was no other damage to fix. Again, our mechanic was an excellent diagnostician and was able to do all the repair work in house.

As I recall, we had one tranny out twice. The remainder were once or not at all.

Regarding warrantee, the 'official' was 90 days, parts and labor. Our mechanic always made things right and we never worried about a warrantee with him. Bizarre, I know - but that's the way it was (is).

Again, my only point was that you can fix a transmission a time or two for the difference in price between a used Chrysler and a new Honda. But, as always YMMV.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

Take those grandkids on a long road trip, and you'll appreciate DVD with wireless headphones, GPS, etc. Plus, leather cleans up a lot easier than cloth..........

LOL...definitely. We skipped on the $4K built-in "entertainment system" and instead got a portable DVD player for the 4 year old for $40. Leather was non-negotiable however. I told DH that if I'm caving in and getting a mini-van, we'd need to get leather seats to keep me happy .

 

[DaveNineFive]

I'm curious how you guys are arriving at your "buying new is a better deal than buying used" numbers.

Just for example, I just pulled up used a search for a used Camry LE and looked at a new one.
Used: 2 years old, 14k miles, $13,000
New: $23,000

The Sienna LE:
Used: 2 years old, 25k miles, $19,000
New: $32,140

Those new prices are sticker, but so are the used prices (all dealer prices). Have you guys found that you can get new cars so far below sticker that they make sense? (I've never purchased a new car - always gone the 2-3 year old route.)