Honda Odyssey?

saz468

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this post is more for a co-worker he’s looking at the odyssey used I’m asking on this site if anyone had one and what to look for he has 4 kids he’s also looking for one that’s about 10 years old. Don’t have much money his civic is dying he’s also looking at a element are these good used any tips or advice would be appreciated thanks
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Look for something with low miles. I have a 2010 Odyssey and it only has 90k miles. Bought it new. If this is the generation he's looking to get, try to stick with the 2008-2010 models. The 2005-2007 had transmission issues. Try all the things on the car, such as opening the sliding doors both with the button on the driver's side, as well as using the door handles (applies to all but the LX model which had manual doors).

There's many other things to consider, but these are my 2 cents.
 
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saz468

saz468

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Look for something with low miles. I have a 2010 Odyssey and it only has 90k miles. Bought it new. If this is the generation he's looking to get, try to stick with the 2008-2010 models. The 2005-2007 had transmission issues. Try all the things on the car, such as opening the sliding doors both with the button on the driver's side, as well as using the door handles (applies to all but the LX model which had manual doors).

There's many other things to consider, but these are my 2 cents.
I thought so he did look at a 05 at of all places a small road side used car lot I went with him and test driving it the transmission felt a little funny the shady salesman said it was a little old church lady car yes he did say it ( come on are we back in the fifties)
But it was very clean obviously he didn’t buy it thank for the information
 

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@Dedrick nailed it.

I’ll apologize for the long post now.

My wife's 2012 was an EX with the rear DVD player, so it didn’t have leather, Navi and some of the other luxury appointments.
It was an amazingly competent long distance cruiser and was extremely comfortable and able to swallow huge amounts of stuff.
An extremely competent family truckster.
If you have 2 or 3 young’uns and need to tote a lot of stuff, they’re amazing.
Our Odyssey story changed in the last year as family dynamics evolved.
Kids getting older and gaining independence happened.
My oldest got his G2 license and was able to travel for work without needing to be chauffeured.
He took over my old Forester and starting an apprenticeship six months back.
He mostly drives himself around and we were beginning to see that the van was a bit much to justify hanging on to just for the utility it afforded on vacation once or twice a year.
That and the fact that, by it’s nature, the Odyssey is pretty thirsty to use primarily as a one-person commuter vehicle so we recently traded it on a 2019 CR-V Touring, which coincidentally can carry four people and a bunch o’ stuff too.
And do so using half the fuel we fed the van.
 
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saz468

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@Dedrick nailed it.

I’ll apologize for the long post now.

My wife's 2012 was an EX with the rear DVD player, so it didn’t have leather, Navi and some of the other luxury appointments.
It was an amazingly competent long distance cruiser and was extremely comfortable and able to swallow huge amounts of stuff.
An extremely competent family truckster.
If you have 2 or 3 young’uns and need to tote a lot of stuff, they’re amazing.
Our Odyssey story changed in the last year as family dynamics evolved.
Kids getting older and gaining independence happened.
My oldest got his G2 license and was able to travel for work without needing to be chauffeured.
He took over my old Forester and starting an apprenticeship six months back.
He mostly drives himself around and we were beginning to see that the van was a bit much to justify hanging on to just for the utility it afforded on vacation once or twice a year.
That and the fact that, by it’s nature, the Odyssey is pretty thirsty to use primarily as a one-person commuter vehicle so we recently traded it on a 2019 CR-V Touring, which coincidentally can carry four people and a bunch o’ stuff too.
And do so using half the fuel we fed the van.
It only comes with a V6 right? Coworker wondering if they came with a four cylinder as I posted before just want to know is it a vehicle to get used it being a Honda it should? I’m trying to steer him away from a dodge product especially a used one
 


BoxsterSteve

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Very early first Gen Odysseys had 4 cylinders.
They’ve been V6 powered since.
They hold their value well and are nearly bulletproof as long as they’re maintained, although there was one generation that could suffer transmission failure. Can’t remember which.
They do need timing belt replacement roughly every 100k miles as do most Honda vehicles.

You buddy wants to stay away from a Dodge product even though they have a pretty cheap buy in.
They typically eat brakes and destroy transmissions.
Family friends owned a 2 year old Grand Caravan for 4 years and got to replace the transmission on their dime and get an all around brake job almost annually.
They’re seriously underbraked.
And they’re a Chrysler product.
Should be all that needs to be said.
 
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exit2302

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Very early first Gen Odysseys had 4 cylinders.
They hold their value well and are nearly bulletproof as long as they’re maintained, although there was one generation that could suffer transmission failure. Can’t remember which.
2nd gen had the biggest issues with transmission. I really wanted a 2nd gen, but didn't want to deal with the issues.

Ended up with a 2010 Odyssey (RL4), as the older 2005-2007 model (RL3) still had some transmission issues. The 2010 had a better transmission than the 2005-2007, but was still prone to failure if abused and not maintained. Like BoxterSteve said, as long as you maintain it, they are near bulletproof, even the 2nd gens.
 
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saz468

saz468

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This past weekend my coworker had bought a 2012 odyssey. He had to finance which he didn’t want to but for something decent you have too pay more plus it has a warranty he was looking at 05s and older for a couple of grand but as many posted on this thread try to stay away from that year I would like to thank all who posted with the information plus it educated me on the subject. The odyssey has thirty eight thousand miles on it and very well maintained. Thanks again
 

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Neighbors had one.. Could have been an 05 or 06.. early version of that particular generation. Ran it up to 250K miles. Did have a transmission issue. Most of our other neighbors replace their cars when the lease is done ;)

We had a Sienna (Toyota). 2005. Ran it for 12 years and 170K miles before the wife wanted something different. Overall very good. A few Warranty items (door hinge, power door issue). Ours was AWD LE and came with runflats. Cloth seats. I assumed "LE" meant "Low End" ;)

Van's are perfect for families.. especially larger ones. Is the OP friend looking for a 10year old van for a reason? Cost? or just stingy? ;) Depending whose using the van, some creature comforts and safety features of slightly newer vans might be worth considering. I believe both Toyota and Honda refreshed their vans around 2011/2012? and Honda just did there's again 2-3 years ago?
 

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I have one... a 4th gen 2014 EX-L.

They've been powered by a variant of a J35 for a long time. The newest ones are still J35 powered, but it's a DI variant.

(Bad) things to consider in buying a used one:
It's an interference engine, requiring a timing belt change every ~105k. They should see to it that it was done if they're getting one at or over 105k. Otherwise, it's an added expense to factor in on the purchase cost. A lot of us have gotten spoiled on engines with timing chains.
Rear suspension is very soft and it is using the Accord powertrain on a vehicle 1000 lbs heavier. While they're rated to tow 3500 lbs... they're a pretty poor towing vehicle from the factory. Even with a good transmission cooler and helper springs/bags to hold the bag end up... it's still marginal at best. On an upcheck… the rear shocks are very, very east to replace and very inexpensive. They just bolt to the frame vice having the shaft penetrate a rear tower and there's no mount piece to replace. If you live on broken pavement and (or) lug around a lot of weight... plan on replacing them at least every few years unless you want a jarring, unsupported ride in the rear.
VCM makes the J35 operate as a 6, 4 and 3 cylinder engine. Observed economy is virtually unchanged, but there is a notable shudder when it shifts and will sometimes feel like it's practically lugging at highway speeds. It can be defeated by affecting one of the temp sensors that shows the transmissions fully warmed up for minimal time/cost (look up VCM muzzler)... and is highly recommended. There are TSBs out to cover repair work on newer vehicles as VCM has costed ring failures on the disabled cylinders. On an older vehicle, you'd be out-of-pocket and the repair is rather expensive.
The 4 and 5 speed transmissions were pretty so-so and had issues. The 6 speed I have is ok, though it does still have TSBs assigned to it for problems. The newest ones got Acura's panned 9 speed and the newer 10 speed. I don't know that there's enough history on them yet on that application to know if it's a winner or a dud. I've had a 3x drain/fill done on my tranny due to juddering at Honda's expense. It's ATF change periodicity is ever 30k and should be on schedule. If you tow, you should inspect the ATF at the end of each session if you're pulling more than a little lawn trailer. Remember... it's a 4500+ lb vehicle that lifted it's drivetrain out of a Accord that you're then putting up to 7 passengers in and then maybe asking to pull a small trailer. It's a lot to ask.

Otherwise, all the normal used vehicle stuff applies.

I have a '14 with 82k miles. I plan on keeping it a good 6-8 years longer, with a timing belt replacement in 2-3 years. I doubt I'll do a second at ~210k. You'll find a lot of ~200k mile Odysseys that are 10+ years old for under $10k that seem like decent deals. A thorough inspection to ensure you don't buy a vehicle with wrecked suspension, poor brakes, smoking/oil consumption due to failing rings, rough shifting due to a overtaxed and wore out transmission, bald tires and a timing belt that's due/overdue will help ensure that good deal won't turn into a nightmare.

Odyforums is a great spot for info and you should direct questions over there. I'm a member and while I've rarely contributed... I've lurked over there a lot.
 


 


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