We recently got hit on the freeway…totaling our 2005 Odyssey. I was glad…no injuries and I HATED that van, ready for upgrade. We shopped SUV’s, etc. My husband and i hated how the Siena was so invasive “in our space” in the front seat. My daughter didn’t like the lack of cup holders. So we ended up leasing a 2017 Odyssey. We’ve always paid cash for cars…always! this was new for us but primarily from my objection! I never ever, EVER wanted to own a car over 7 years old again! I was disgusted. I would rather own my home and “rent” my car. So we leased. After one week of driving, our whole family was missing the crap Odyssey I hated (because EVERYTHING was breaking down on it) because of several things:
The old van had more SPACE!!! OMG! where did the space go?! We travel from SoCal TO Washington state twice a year with FOUR kids! We need SPACE! The front passenger has no room for book bags and computer (like 05 van), the driver has no LEG room. If we crash in the 2017…whoever is driving will have SEVERE knee damage! It’s CRAZY!
Cargo are…if felt like it is HALF the area of the 05! where did the space go!!!
Back seat passenger has very LITTLE leg room! noticeable by the teens who could EASILY fits their legs in the back seat when the captains chairs were filled w/friends in the 05.
NOBODY thinks the chairs are as comfortable! I drove 1.5hrs to a friend and realized the 05 was WAAAAAY more comfortable than 2017! the kids were complaining…I wasn’t happy.
WTH?? I almost want to return the van, claim our losses and go get the best condition 05 or later (that still resembles the 05) and move on.
The navigation system is confusing! The phone system is CRAZY weird and NOT intuitive!
I am SOOOOOO bummed and I didn’t think i would feel this way over a brand new car but I HATE it! Does anyone one have feedback on this situation? understand? am i nuts? what can you say?
I don’t have an answer, but I was wondering why did you decide to get this van? All the things that you listed were visible before you decided to lease this thing.
I am not sure what to say. Most things about minivans are generic, minus some stow and go and other gimmicks. If you didn’t like the Sienna then that leaves the Pacifica and the Kia minivan, not much else that I know of.
With 4 kids the SUV’s are out. I think your best option is to just get used to the minivan. Maybe get a roof rack or a trailer hitch with a suitcase loaded so it would free up more space inside.
My standard advice to someone looking for a replacement vehicle is to narrow it down to a couple of choices, then visit your local car rental agency and rent one for several days, using it as you would in your regular life. A 20 minute test drive with the salesman in the car with you is not an accurate way to determine if it’s right for you.
Is your lease administered by Honda or an independent company? You may be able to transfer vehicles once you find one you like.
We should have considered the back seats, etc. It “looked” fine…until living it…that Changed everything. In “comparison” to the Toyota… it seemed more roomy (we didn’t even think to comare to our old totaled van) and was a much better option. I was just curious if other odysseyy drivers felt the same or maybe there are plus sides I am overlooking ?
We went from a 2003 Odyssey (with a tape deck in the dash) to a used 2012 model. Honestly, we’ve never looked back. I think the 2012 is superior in every way. But that’s just my opinion. Good luck.
I think it’s very likely that the 2017 is safer than the 2005, regardless of your layman’s opinion about the driver’s knees, so that’s one reason not to look for a 2005. Another reason is that Honda had a run of unreliable transmissions in those years, so you’re taking a chance on an expensive repair.
Never heard someone claiming they were disgusted with a used van? sounds like you hated some aspect of the van you had? Was it the filth inside you generated? Or paying for repairs? You didn’t elaborate on what you hated. I would bet the new van has knee airbags. Do u wear seat belts? Nothing to worry about.
If you have leased through Honda Financial, the lease contains a contingency clasue. This means you would still be responible for all terms of the lease if the party who assumes the lease defaults. The don’t pay; Honda comes after you. Excess wear or damage; Honda bills you.
Those are my thoughts exactly. Even without a test drive, surely the amount of both legroom and cargo room should have been fairly obvious by looking at a vehicle on the showroom floor.
The seat comfort should have been revealed during an extended test drive. The only thing that I can imagine being somewhat of a surprise is the non-intuitive navigation system.
All I can suggest is that you learn from the mistake and check out the next choice much, much more thoroughly. Unfortunately, when you lease you’re screwed. You’re stuck with the mistake until the end of the lease, like it or not. That, by the way, should be considered another lesson.
Looking at Edmunds site and comparing specs, they are almost identical for 2005 vs 2017.
Cargo space w/seats and without, length, width, head room, hip room, leg room and shoulder room. Only the head room is less on the 2017 going from 39.2 to 38.3.
The transmission getting flaky was the only reason we got rid of our 2003, which was perfectly adequate for our needs and paid for. The handful of repair quotes I got for repairing/replacing the transmission were at least the value of the van. We’ve been happy with our choice.
I really liked my 1990 Ford Aerostar Eddie Bauer extended minivan. No van I have owned since–a 2000 Ford Windstar, a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander and a 2011 Toyota Sienna has had as much room. However, I have learned to adjust. I have packed two cellos, one violin, one French Horn, one trumpet, and one flute along with 6 adults to play a performance 50 miles away into the Sienna. I think the Honda Odyssey has a similar amount of room.
If you need more room, perhaps a full size van is in order. I tested a.Ford E-150 and the equivalent Chevrolet vans but found they were too bulky for everyday around town driving.
In the Sienna and the earlier minivans, careful adjustment of the seats allowed enough legroom for all.
The new Transit vans are uh… Questionable in the looks department, but they’re designed to give you lots of interior room. The larger ones are even being converted into motorhomes.
Screw bell or fixed bell? When I was in high school, I took a bunch of the kids that lived near me home from school, and it was a ton easier to fit things in my Saturn (94 sedan) when I got my screw bell horn instead of the fixed…I’m just glad the bass player lived on the other side of town!
@bravesfan314 The horns were both fixed bell. Both my horns are fixed bell. One horn is a Holton 178 and the other is a Holton 179-- one is German Silver and the other is brass. I bought the German Silver horn new back in 1995 to replace the Conn 6D that I had played for 48 years. I sometimes thought I should have purchased the brass instrument with the screw bell. A couple of years ago, a good friend with whom we measure the time we played together in decades suffered a stroke so I bought her horn, because I really liked the tone quality of the instrument. I use the German Silver horn for band gigs and the brass instrument for orchestra and woodwind quintet work.
To bring the this back to automotive matters, I agree that a horn with a screw bell would fit better in most vehicles. One of our group of four had a Buick LeSabre and a Prius C. She recently sold the Buick to another horn player in our group. The purchaser bought the Buick for her son. We could get four people, three horns and a tuba in the Buick and we all fit with our instruments in the tuba player’s Mercury Grand Marquis. However, we can’t all fit into the Prius C with our instruments. If we have to bring our music stands as well, we go in my Sienna. The chamber orchestra in which I play and also am president was given a set of four timpani by another organisation that folded. I had a Ford Windstar minivan. I took the second and third seats out and made the 50 mile trip over and back to pick up the timpani. I was able to get all four in the Windstar saving me 50 miles of travel. I also hauled a harpsichord for a friend in the Sienna. Nothing beats a minivan for versatility in my humble opinion.
@Triedaq I still occasionally get my horn out to play. I have a German Silver Conn 8DS that I got in 2012. Beautiful instrument…I played several Holton’s but I am tend to blow too hard through them (not that I’m surprised that I’m full of hot air!). Of course, to complicate matters I use a gold mouth piece! (Bach 7S if I recall correctly)
Back to cars, it’s impressive how many musicians and instruments I could fit in my old Saturn. The woodwind quintet was easy to carry (French Horn, Bassoon, Clarinet, Flute/Piccolo). My usual ride home consisted of myself, a violist, occasionally a cellist, a drummer (who never brought his drum thankfully!), and a guy who enjoyed playing Bass Clarinet, E-Flat Clarinet, Alto Sax…But we managed to squeeze everyone and instruments in I agree with the versatility of a minivan. We have a 2005 Chrysler T&C that I’ve used many times to help people move things.
