Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives well, I
test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new, re-designed, EX
one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.

Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than our
department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then I
tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit less
than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like. Just did
not care for it.

Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

GLitwinski wrote:
> In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives well, I
> test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new, re-designed, EX
> one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.
>
> Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than our
> department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then I
> tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit less
> than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like. Just did
> not care for it.
>
> Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.
>
> Anyone else feel the same way?
>
------------------

The 'old' Odyssey van was sold from '95 - '98. It's even cooler, with
four swing-out doors and a much lower roofline. The second generation
looks like a Winnabago on the inside, by comparison.

The Gen 1 drives like an Accord, I guess. Probably less top-heavy than
the current ones too. The '98 version came with a V-Tec.

'Curly'

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

GLitwinski wrote:
> In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives well, I
> test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new, re-designed, EX
> one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.
>
> Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than our
> department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then I
> tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit less
> than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like. Just did
> not care for it.
>
> Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.
>
> Anyone else feel the same way?
>
------------------

The 'old' Odyssey van was sold from '95 - '98. It's even cooler, with
four swing-out doors and a much lower roofline. The second generation
looks like a Winnabago on the inside, by comparison.

The Gen 1 drives like an Accord, I guess. Probably less top-heavy than
the current ones too. The '98 version came with a V-Tec.

'Curly'

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

"motsco_ _" <"motsco_ _"@interbaun.com> wrote in message
news:42C8A498.5060904@interbaun.com...
: GLitwinski wrote:
: > In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives well,
I
: > test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new, re-designed,
EX
: > one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.
: >
: > Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than our
: > department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then I
: > tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit
less
: > than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like. Just
did
: > not care for it.
: >
: > Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.
: >
: > Anyone else feel the same way?
: >
: ------------------
:
: The 'old' Odyssey van was sold from '95 - '98. It's even cooler, with
: four swing-out doors and a much lower roofline. The second generation
: looks like a Winnabago on the inside, by comparison.
:
: The Gen 1 drives like an Accord, I guess. Probably less top-heavy than
: the current ones too. The '98 version came with a V-Tec.
:
: 'Curly'
:

I think the comparison is between the 2002 (2nd generation) and the 2005
(3rd generation), isn't it?

I can't comment on the new one, not having driven one, but I love the way my
2001 drives. The '02 (also 2nd generation) might be a little bit better,
with more power and a five-speed automatic instead of four, among other
improvements.

On paper, the new ones sound even better, and if I were in the market I
think the safety features would be a big factor in deciding which to buy.
But driving dynamics count for a lot with me, too.

Paul

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

"motsco_ _" <"motsco_ _"@interbaun.com> wrote in message
news:42C8A498.5060904@interbaun.com...
: GLitwinski wrote:
: > In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives well,
I
: > test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new, re-designed,
EX
: > one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.
: >
: > Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than our
: > department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then I
: > tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit
less
: > than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like. Just
did
: > not care for it.
: >
: > Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.
: >
: > Anyone else feel the same way?
: >
: ------------------
:
: The 'old' Odyssey van was sold from '95 - '98. It's even cooler, with
: four swing-out doors and a much lower roofline. The second generation
: looks like a Winnabago on the inside, by comparison.
:
: The Gen 1 drives like an Accord, I guess. Probably less top-heavy than
: the current ones too. The '98 version came with a V-Tec.
:
: 'Curly'
:

I think the comparison is between the 2002 (2nd generation) and the 2005
(3rd generation), isn't it?

I can't comment on the new one, not having driven one, but I love the way my
2001 drives. The '02 (also 2nd generation) might be a little bit better,
with more power and a five-speed automatic instead of four, among other
improvements.

On paper, the new ones sound even better, and if I were in the market I
think the safety features would be a big factor in deciding which to buy.
But driving dynamics count for a lot with me, too.

Paul

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

Exactly. It starts with the feel of the steering wheel. The old one felt
good in the hands. the new one feels skinny with a unpleasant texture.

I also don't get why the car books rave about the quality of the plastics in
the dash vs. that used by GM. Neither the current nor earlier generation
Odyssey has any better plastics in the dash than my 2000 GMC Yukon. We also
own a Lexus LS so I know what a very high quality dash "feels" like, and the
Odysseys and our Yukon are a notch below, with little difference among them.
Bit of a disappointment in that regard given the build up.


"Paul" <paulDONTSPAMMEmueller@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:yIbye.3596$aY6.1202@newsread1.news.atl.earthl ink.net...
>
> "motsco_ _" <"motsco_ _"@interbaun.com> wrote in message
> news:42C8A498.5060904@interbaun.com...
> : GLitwinski wrote:
> : > In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives
> well,
> I
> : > test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new,
> re-designed,
> EX
> : > one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.
> : >
> : > Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than
> our
> : > department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then
> I
> : > tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit
> less
> : > than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like.
> Just
> did
> : > not care for it.
> : >
> : > Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.
> : >
> : > Anyone else feel the same way?
> : >
> : ------------------
> :
> : The 'old' Odyssey van was sold from '95 - '98. It's even cooler, with
> : four swing-out doors and a much lower roofline. The second generation
> : looks like a Winnabago on the inside, by comparison.
> :
> : The Gen 1 drives like an Accord, I guess. Probably less top-heavy than
> : the current ones too. The '98 version came with a V-Tec.
> :
> : 'Curly'
> :
>
> I think the comparison is between the 2002 (2nd generation) and the 2005
> (3rd generation), isn't it?
>
> I can't comment on the new one, not having driven one, but I love the way
> my
> 2001 drives. The '02 (also 2nd generation) might be a little bit better,
> with more power and a five-speed automatic instead of four, among other
> improvements.
>
> On paper, the new ones sound even better, and if I were in the market I
> think the safety features would be a big factor in deciding which to buy.
> But driving dynamics count for a lot with me, too.
>
> Paul
>
>
>

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

Exactly. It starts with the feel of the steering wheel. The old one felt
good in the hands. the new one feels skinny with a unpleasant texture.

I also don't get why the car books rave about the quality of the plastics in
the dash vs. that used by GM. Neither the current nor earlier generation
Odyssey has any better plastics in the dash than my 2000 GMC Yukon. We also
own a Lexus LS so I know what a very high quality dash "feels" like, and the
Odysseys and our Yukon are a notch below, with little difference among them.
Bit of a disappointment in that regard given the build up.


"Paul" <paulDONTSPAMMEmueller@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:yIbye.3596$aY6.1202@newsread1.news.atl.earthl ink.net...
>
> "motsco_ _" <"motsco_ _"@interbaun.com> wrote in message
> news:42C8A498.5060904@interbaun.com...
> : GLitwinski wrote:
> : > In the market for a mini-van that handles, accelerates, and drives
> well,
> I
> : > test drove a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it and a brand new,
> re-designed,
> EX
> : > one at a Honda dealer. Old one first.
> : >
> : > Liked the old one a lot. Astonishing how much better it drives than
> our
> : > department Chrysler mini-van that one rides on more than drives. Then
> I
> : > tried the new Odyssey and to my great surprise I liked it quite a bit
> less
> : > than the 2002. Felt slower, less road feel, and more Chrysler-like.
> Just
> did
> : > not care for it.
> : >
> : > Never drove any Honda mini-van before this.
> : >
> : > Anyone else feel the same way?
> : >
> : ------------------
> :
> : The 'old' Odyssey van was sold from '95 - '98. It's even cooler, with
> : four swing-out doors and a much lower roofline. The second generation
> : looks like a Winnabago on the inside, by comparison.
> :
> : The Gen 1 drives like an Accord, I guess. Probably less top-heavy than
> : the current ones too. The '98 version came with a V-Tec.
> :
> : 'Curly'
> :
>
> I think the comparison is between the 2002 (2nd generation) and the 2005
> (3rd generation), isn't it?
>
> I can't comment on the new one, not having driven one, but I love the way
> my
> 2001 drives. The '02 (also 2nd generation) might be a little bit better,
> with more power and a five-speed automatic instead of four, among other
> improvements.
>
> On paper, the new ones sound even better, and if I were in the market I
> think the safety features would be a big factor in deciding which to buy.
> But driving dynamics count for a lot with me, too.
>
> Paul
>
>
>

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

Personally I wouldn't buy the old or the new with the rate of expensive
transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc. It
seems like Honda didn't engineer a transmission strong enough for the
weight and power of it's bigger vehicles.

John

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

Personally I wouldn't buy the old or the new with the rate of expensive
transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc. It
seems like Honda didn't engineer a transmission strong enough for the
weight and power of it's bigger vehicles.

John

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

Please elaborate. I had not heard of this problem.


"John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:qciye.1441$Gv3.205@trnddc02...
> Personally I wouldn't buy the old or the new with the rate of expensive
> transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc. It
> seems like Honda didn't engineer a transmission strong enough for the
> weight and power of it's bigger vehicles.
>
> John
>

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

Please elaborate. I had not heard of this problem.


"John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:qciye.1441$Gv3.205@trnddc02...
> Personally I wouldn't buy the old or the new with the rate of expensive
> transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc. It
> seems like Honda didn't engineer a transmission strong enough for the
> weight and power of it's bigger vehicles.
>
> John
>

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

In article <0alye.8918$iv3.748@fe02.lga>,
"GRL" <GLitwinski@CHARTERMI.NET> wrote:

> "John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:qciye.1441$Gv3.205@trnddc02...
> > Personally I wouldn't buy the old or the new with the rate of expensive
> > transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc. It
> > seems like Honda didn't engineer a transmission strong enough for the
> > weight and power of it's bigger vehicles.
> >
> > John
> >
>
>
> Please elaborate. I had not heard of this problem.

http://www.hondanews.com

Look for a press release in the last year or so that talks about Honda's
*latest* transmission recall--one of the largest recalls ever.

This is ON TOP OF the major transmission problems they had with the 4
speed units hooked to V6 engines. Those, they simply extended the
warranty on to 100K miles. But the 02-04 5 speed models, they spent
huge amounts of money (a) checking every transmission, and (b) replacing
quite a few of them.

Frankly, from 1998 well into the 2004 model year, Honda struggled very
badly with auto transmissions hooked to V6 engines. It's a HUGE weak
point in an otherwise stellar engineering record.

I have an 02 Odyssey. According to the recall, mine required only the
oil jet kit, not a replacement. Regardless, I have promised myself that
I will not pay for a single transmission repair on this vehicle.
Between my dealer (with whom I have a great relationship) and Honda,
they can argue about who will take care of it. All I know is, it won't
be me should anything come up.

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

In article <0alye.8918$iv3.748@fe02.lga>,
"GRL" <GLitwinski@CHARTERMI.NET> wrote:

> "John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:qciye.1441$Gv3.205@trnddc02...
> > Personally I wouldn't buy the old or the new with the rate of expensive
> > transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc. It
> > seems like Honda didn't engineer a transmission strong enough for the
> > weight and power of it's bigger vehicles.
> >
> > John
> >
>
>
> Please elaborate. I had not heard of this problem.

http://www.hondanews.com

Look for a press release in the last year or so that talks about Honda's
*latest* transmission recall--one of the largest recalls ever.

This is ON TOP OF the major transmission problems they had with the 4
speed units hooked to V6 engines. Those, they simply extended the
warranty on to 100K miles. But the 02-04 5 speed models, they spent
huge amounts of money (a) checking every transmission, and (b) replacing
quite a few of them.

Frankly, from 1998 well into the 2004 model year, Honda struggled very
badly with auto transmissions hooked to V6 engines. It's a HUGE weak
point in an otherwise stellar engineering record.

I have an 02 Odyssey. According to the recall, mine required only the
oil jet kit, not a replacement. Regardless, I have promised myself that
I will not pay for a single transmission repair on this vehicle.
Between my dealer (with whom I have a great relationship) and Honda,
they can argue about who will take care of it. All I know is, it won't
be me should anything come up.

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

>>>transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc.
> http://www.hondanews.com

I found these:

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID0000?m...36013&mime=asc

The recall involves approximately 600,000 light trucks
manufactured in the U.S. and Canada. Affected models
include certain model year 2002, 2003 and early 2004
Honda Odyssey minivans; 2003 and early 2004 Honda Pilots;
and 2001 and 2002 Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles.

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID0000?m...39497&mime=asc

The voluntary action involves approximately 499,000
Honda and Acura passenger vehicles with V6 engines and
5-speed automatic transmissions. Affected models include
certain 2003 and early 2004 model Accord V6 sedans and
coupes, 2000-2003 and early 2004 Acura TL sedans, and
2001-2003 Acura CL coupes.

More than a million vehicles.

Re: Old Odyssey vs. new - old drives better
 

>>>transmission failures being reported on the Odysseys, Pilots, etc.
> http://www.hondanews.com

I found these:

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID0000?m...36013&mime=asc

The recall involves approximately 600,000 light trucks
manufactured in the U.S. and Canada. Affected models
include certain model year 2002, 2003 and early 2004
Honda Odyssey minivans; 2003 and early 2004 Honda Pilots;
and 2001 and 2002 Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles.

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID0000?m...39497&mime=asc

The voluntary action involves approximately 499,000
Honda and Acura passenger vehicles with V6 engines and
5-speed automatic transmissions. Affected models include
certain 2003 and early 2004 model Accord V6 sedans and
coupes, 2000-2003 and early 2004 Acura TL sedans, and
2001-2003 Acura CL coupes.

More than a million vehicles.