chuckb

like the title says, my wife wants a Honda Odyssey. are there any issues to look out for. my price range will probably be for about yrs 2000-2003 30-60k mile range.

baddis es

iTrader: (3)

major problem is tranny's...they constantly slip--but HONDA knows about this failure in theres transmissions (for V6 mostly) and have awarded the V6 models with 7yr/100,000 miles warranty on the powertrain so its covered til then, its agreat riding van(parents own a 2001) but i;ve driven in the newer styled sienna and i like those more

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Many here will say make sure the tranny feels like it is working properly as that may be the weak link. I have a few friends with Odyssey's and MDXs that have never had any tranny problem so I'm not sure how much of a concern it really is. Other than that, the sliding side doors might be the next weakest link. Again, nobody I know of that has this car has a problem with them, but I heard around the net sometimes they do fail on some people.

mmarshall

Instead of designing their own, Honda used a GM sliding-door mechanism starting with the 1999 models....and it showed. It was quite troublesome......slow to operate and prone to malfunctions. With the latest generation models Honda has a much better system they designed themselves.

Spyder78

iTrader: (7)

tranny and this is coming from a previous Honda owner. test it well don't just get on it. See if it sticks or delays shifts. BTW I had my tranny replaced in my accord at 42000 and it took 10 days. It a hella long time and they dont cover the loaner car for more than 3 days, if you even qualify. But good luck with the buy the engine is pretty torquey engine code is J35Axx (x= revision). Some people on v6performance.net have swapped that long block with acura cl type s head and it makes the accord have close to 240 to the wheels. Post this thread on v6performance.net and that should help you out some more.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

As others have said, beware the tranny. Not all fail but I hear of enough (and personal experience ) to not take it for granted.

foofighter

odyclub.com has a lot of info and stories and they can def lead you in the right direction as to what to look out for

chuckb

thanks guys. how about a 2000-2002 50-70k mile Sequoia?

UDel

Our friends have a Honda Odyssey they got around 2000 or 2001 and I have ridden in it quite a few times when we would all go out to eat or go golfing and it is pretty nice. They love it and have never had any problems with it. They drive it all the time and put alot of miles on it taking long trips from state to state as well as alot of local driving. They prefer driving the Odyssey over driving their other cars a Ford Taurus and a Toyota Solara. The van handlesd turns well and had a pretty sporty feeling, which surprised me for a minivan. The Odyssey is consistantly ranked number one by most auto mags in tests. The newer model is nicer but some say it has lost a little bit of its sportiness and is a little expensive. Even though I am not that into minivans it does have a nice almost futuristic look to it. They did not have any problems with the power sliding doors but they did seem a little slow but then again I have never really experienced any other power sliding doors to compare it to. It seems as good as you can get for a minivan.

wiz2

Tranny,tranny tranny. My good friend is team leader for the mega Honda delership in town. He swappeed out 3 trannys on his own Odyssey before just buying a new 05. Hella discount given on inventory. Aftter trading in my wifes 98 V6 Accord due ot tranny failure I would not suggest any Honda product from 1998-2004 w/ a V6. And yes the 04 Accord was recalled within 30 days of purchase even though it had the new 5 speed tranny in it !!

bazop

We have a 2003 Pilot which I believe uses the same engine and tranny as the 02 and up odysses. knock on wood, we haven't had any problems with the tranny or shifting feel. The only unusual thing is the owners manual says to change tranny fluid every 30k, but when I check ours its completely dark by 20k. Just make sure you look at service records on whatever you buy and make sure everything has been done. there was a tranny recall some time ago, make sure that was done as well- I don't remember exactly what was done though. Good luck.

JellyBean

I have a 2000 Ody bought new in 1999 and so far have nothing but praise for it. We've put 105K miles on it. It's built strong, the ride is Honda firm, and it drives, well, like a Honda--very sporty, with a nicely weighed steering. (I actually preferred commuting in the Ody over the GS430 until I installed the Daizen sway bars in the GS.)

The 3.5L V6 VTEC engine came from Acura, and it's very smooth and poweful. I've surprised a couple of ricers in the neighborhood. It has very good pulling and merging power, and it'll cruise at 90MPH all day long w/o sweat. I've had it up to 115MPH on I-8 east of San Diego.

The ride's noisy, however. It has very precious little insulation. We use earplugs when trying to sleep during our long trips. It ain't no Lexus on that respect.

And for the transmission? It's nerve-wracking waiting for it to fail. So far it hasn't, but my brother's 1999 failed at around 80K miles and it was replaced under the extended warranty. As Foofighter said, cruise on over to odyclub.com for all the transmission horror stories. It appears to be some sort of design flaw, but Honda hasn't released any details. There's nothing that you can do (other than regular maintenance) to prevent a failure.

Other weaknesses are the catalytic converter and the stock tires. I just got a CEL with the defective catalytic coverter code (P0240, I believe), but cleared it about 2K miles ago and hasn't returned. The stock tires suck too. Mine came with Firestones, and after rebalancing them three times, I switched to Michelin X-Ones about 60K miles ago. The Michellins ride better, are much quieter, and have maintained their balance all these miles. I think I can get about 10K miles more from them.

If it wasn't for all the transmission problems, I would wholeheartedly recommend an Ody. But like I said, the wait is never-wracking.

Hope this helps.

JB

PS: Honda changed transmissions at the 2002 model year. The newer trannies are 5-speeds, but apparently, they're also failing. Again, I refer you to clubody.com.