RE: Honda Odyssey/Toyota Sienna

[OC Campers]

 OC Campers
Size is imporant to us.  I am 6 1 and dh is 5" 10 and we have 3 growing kids and a dog.  So a lot of leg room is important.  I gave in to leg room with the Astro.  The front passenger side has none.  So when we travel, I sit in the back.
 
 When I start trying to find the right dealer, I will only buy from the one that doesn t add the $$ s to the sticker.  I would also like to get the LX model because it is about $3,000 cheaper and has a lot of the same amenities except the power doors.  The power doors appeal to me but I am afraid that that is just another thing that might go wrong.  Opening and closing a door by hand is not that difficult.  I  talked to 1 dealer and they said that the LX models are hard to get because they sell as soon as they are unloaded off the truck.  I guess I just have to be persistant.
 
 Jacqui

[kminton]

 OC Campers
Just another thought on the doors (automatic) on the Odyssey:  At Christmas time we were at Toys R us, there was a guy that was a little " off"  mentally standing outside the store.  He was talking to just about everyone that came out asking directions.  We were trying to get in the van when we looked up and there he was standing right beside our van.  DH stood between him and our daughter.  We couldn t get the door closed quick enough with the automatic doors where as if we had not had the automatic doors we could have shut it quickly.  Nothing happened luckily but that is the only time we wished we did not have the auto doors.  Plus, when you are trying to run into Wal-mart and the other is circling the parking lot, you have to put it in Park to open the doors (sometimes that is a pain - although there is a cut-off switch, we usually forget until it has beeped at us).
 
 Kerri

[farmer]

 OC Campers
Jacqui
 We have a   01 Odyssey and love it.[][]  We will be getting another one(with DVD for long trips) this November when our current one comes off lease.  We have the EX with the power doors and have no problems other than being frozen shut once by sleet, which I think would have frozen manual doors because when I used the manual override switch I still couldn t budge them until the van had warmed up.
 Don t know anything about Toyota because our local Toyota dealer is a jerk and has lowballed several friends trade-ins so we didn t even consider going to there.
 We paid list price for ours.
 Farmer

[jjmom]

 OC Campers
I have a  96 Honda Odyssey with well over 100,000 miles on it.  I will drive this car until I can t drive it any more - thats how much I love it!   This car has been like the energizer bunny, it keeps going and going. I ve had no major problems with it, only maintenance items like brakes and a battery.  It may not be the biggest minivan out there, or the fanciest, but it sure does run well, hands down it is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. I ve heard that the Toyotas are built just as well, but I ve never owned one so I don t feel qualified to give an opinion.   Seems like you ve narrowed it down to two fine choices and you ll do well whicever you choose - I just had to get my vote in on the Odyssey!