...its finally happening, it was only a matter of time and miles before we knew our 96 Odyssey would start showing signs of its age. The AC compressor packed it in a few months ago, if we want to have AC its going to cost about 2500 bucks to get the system replaced - they literally have to remove the dash to rip out and replace all of the lines. Last month we replaced all of the rear brake system. Now the power steering pump is going, and the alternator is making a lot of weird noise as well. The car has just over 140,000 miles on it now, and things are starting to show up like the seat cushions seem like they're wearing out...
...my wife uses this vehicle on a daily basis for her business, she's an eldercare assistant and she often has elderly patients as passengers, so the safety issues are important as well...
...and then there's the issue of what would you replace it with. A new Odyssey is a lot bigger than what she requires compared to the original Odyssey and is very expensive now. She needs something that is easy to get in and out of for her patients, that gets reasonably good fuel economy, and is reliable as well...
...so Drive Accord gang, what's your take on such a decision? Fix it and keep on driving, or is it time to cash her in? How old is too old?

thanks and cheers,

cheers,

Lorne Miller
05 EX-L deep green pearl with ivory
96 Odyssey taffeta white with sage

get the new odyssey:D

It's inevitable... cars, no matter how great the manufacturer, begin to have component failures as the miles climb. It's sometimes comical to see people on here belittle other carmakers as not anything close to as well made as a Honda, only to read their archived posts listing all their broken/non-workable parts and problems with their late 1990's (or sometimes even later) Accords. Classic.:rolleyes:

Don't get me wrong, our Accord is just as perfectly reliable as our Nissans are/were at the same mileage, but at some point it will begin to degrade and develop component failures... I'm just hopin' the car is long gone from our garage by then (I'm talkin' about 100K+ miles here... were only at 43K at present).

:dunno: I'd offer one replacement idea I'm sure you're aware of: one of those late model Mazda minivans. Probably pretty reliable. It's a Mazda and a minivan combined so diving resale value has probably made 'em very affordable. Other than that I can't think of anything that comes close to those 'ol Honda vans and is not 10+ years old.

Strike now while the auto market is in freefall...

Good Luck!:thmsup:

How many passengers do you need to carry? What about a CRV?

Here are things I'd ask myself if I were in your shoes:

Can I do without AC? How am I doing financially (i.e. can I afford to replace it with a new or slightly used Odyssey or equivalent?)

If I can do without AC and the repairs aren't going to cost more than, say, 30% or 40% of the value of the Odyssey (which is probably worth about $5K with 140K miles), then I'd "consider" getting it fixed.

Other things I'd ask myself:

Is there any other maintenance work coming up that needs to be done? Do I need new tires soon? Brakes? I'd add all that up and see how much it is.


Personally, I'd go crazy without AC.... which means I'd get rid of it and start shopping around.

Once a car enters the money pit status it's time for it to go.

How many passengers do you need to carry? What about a CRV?


I think a CRV is going to be too big of a step up for elderly people.

I usually tell my customers is the repair going to outweigh the actual value of the car. Based on KBB's "good" condition on an EX, it's worth 4000 as a private party sale, half that if anything as a trade.

Some questions to think about:

If you wrecked it immediately after fixing it, would you get that money out of the insurance?
What other things are issues on the car at this point, has it been gone over completely?

As for what you'd replace it with, hmm. A CRV is actually probably a little bigger and a little higher, but it's not like climbing a mountain to get in.

The current Scion XB is about the size of your Ody. It's also priced fairly well.

Trainchaser:

Based upon your info, I'd trade for a newer Odyssey...or possibly a Toyota Sienna. :)

How many passengers do you need to carry? What about a CRV?

I second that!

Assuming that she wouldn't be carrying around 5 or 6 people at a time, I think that a CR-V would work well. If my memory is correct, they don't really ride any higher than the new Odysseys.

Not to mention they are a lot cheaper and they get better gas mileage! :thumbsup:

:dunno: I'd offer one replacement idea I'm sure you're aware of: one of those late model Mazda minivans. Probably pretty reliable. It's a Mazda and a minivan combined so diving resale value has probably made 'em very affordable. Other than that I can't think of anything that comes close to those 'ol Honda vans and is not 10+ years old.


I'd vote Mazda5. It seems to be the most comparable to the old Odyssey.

The current Scion XB is about the size of your Ody. It's also priced fairly well.

Thats a great idea! Same size engine as your old ody, Saturn pricing..no negotiating, price I believe is around 18k, full of safety equipment and comes with all the options you would norm want, great driver seating position also.

I havn't driven one so give it a good test drive.

Take the Odyssey to a mechanic you trust and have them check it from stem to stern.

Evaluate what it needs and add up the cost.

If you repair it, it should give you a few more years.

If you replace it, you will have that nagging car payment.

You can get seats from a junkyard from a 95-97, or get seat covers.


Our 95 has 183,000 miles on it, and the only major repair has been replacing the half shaft axles, last summer.

The 1st gen Odyssey is a GREAT car. We still see plenty of them around.

I'd vote Mazda5. It seems to be the most comparable to the old Odyssey.

Add Nissan Cube as well...starts under 14k and should provide very easy ingress/egress for your wife's clients.

Thats a great idea! Same size engine as your old ody, Saturn pricing..no negotiating, price I believe is around 18k, full of safety equipment and comes with all the options you would norm want, great driver seating position also.

I havn't driven one so give it a good test drive.

They have a rough ride, compared to Ody...........

I'm sorry to hear this, my godmother's Odyssey (1998), served her very well until she rolled it over. Even now, it's still being driven with almost 160k miles, the trans is the only thing that has failed on it along with the ignition switch and radiator. A great car.

I don't think you should put anymore money into the odyssey, it's time for something else. :wave:

...well, it looks like Honda is out of the running, they'd probably be my first consideration if they still imported the "real" Odyssey to North America, but seeing as all they have to offer here is the American Odyssey we're looking elsewhere. Looks like Mazda has what we're looking for with their Mazda 5. It has the same basic configuration as our Odyssey, runs with a 2.4 litre engine, gets great fuel economy, and my wife thinks its a blast to drive! And if you look at the various auto sites, the Mazda 5 is at the top of the list for those looking for a minivan or something similar...
...its really interesting that Honda isn't looking at bringing things like the Stream and the smaller JDM Odyssey into North America when the crossover concept is taking off so strongly, instead they're introducing a re-hashed 8th gen Accord with a hatch-back and very little utility, have to say I'm really wondering why it seems Honda has strayed so far from their original path...

cheers,

the Imagineer

...well, it looks like Honda is out of the running, they'd probably be my first consideration if they still imported the "real" Odyssey to North America, but seeing as all they have to offer here is the American Odyssey we're looking elsewhere. Looks like Mazda has what we're looking for with their Mazda 5. It has the same basic configuration as our Odyssey, runs with a 2.4 litre engine, gets great fuel economy, and my wife thinks its a blast to drive! And if you look at the various auto sites, the Mazda 5 is at the top of the list for those looking for a minivan or something similar...
...its really interesting that Honda isn't looking at bringing things like the Stream and the smaller JDM Odyssey into North America when the crossover concept is taking off so strongly, instead they're introducing a re-hashed 8th gen Accord with a hatch-back and very little utility, have to say I'm really wondering why it seems Honda has strayed so far from their original path...

cheers,

the Imagineer

The Mazda 5 is a great choice. My nieghbor had one for 5 years and it never needed anything.........:)

The Mazda 5 is a great choice. My nieghbor had one for 5 years and it never needed anything.........:)

Have they been making the Mazda5 since 2004??? (or 5 years) It's a pretty new model if I'm not mistaken...:dunno:

...UPDATE...
...first of all, the deal on an '09 Mazda 5 isn't going to pan out due to the fact my wife can't fit the required wheel chairs into the back as the clearance is just too tight. So we found a very nice '04 Mazda MPV in immaculate condition with relatively low miles, its got new rubber, very nice alloys, all the bells & whistles, even has AC for the GIB (guys in back) The dealer service gal has one herself, says they're great and will have a hard time parting with hers when that time has to come. So it looks like this should work out just fine for my wife's job...

"Have they been making the Mazda5 since 2004??? (or 5 years) It's a pretty new model if I'm not mistaken"

...as for the confusion on how long the new 5 has been around, they started showing up on the Mazda lots in the middle of 2005 as '06 models, the last year for the 2nd gen MPV was 2005, so technically speaking, now that 2010 models are arriving, it is possible to have a Mazda 5 that is now five years old...

cheers,

Lorne Miller
05 EX-L deep green pearl with ivory
04 Mazda MPV sunshine silver pearl with light gray
96 Odyssey taffeta white with sage (gone but not forgotten)

...well, it looks like Honda is out of the running, they'd probably be my first consideration if they still imported the "real" Odyssey to North America, but seeing as all they have to offer here is the American Odyssey we're looking elsewhere. Looks like Mazda has what we're looking for with their Mazda 5. It has the same basic configuration as our Odyssey, runs with a 2.4 litre engine, gets great fuel economy, and my wife thinks its a blast to drive! And if you look at the various auto sites, the Mazda 5 is at the top of the list for those looking for a minivan or something similar...
...its really interesting that Honda isn't looking at bringing things like the Stream and the smaller JDM Odyssey into North America when the crossover concept is taking off so strongly, instead they're introducing a re-hashed 8th gen Accord with a hatch-back and very little utility, have to say I'm really wondering why it seems Honda has strayed so far from their original path...

cheers,

the Imagineer

Exactly, I think this would have been a much better vehicle to bring to market than what the Crosstour turned out to be.
http://carview-img01.bmcdn.jp/cvmaterials/magazine/photo_impression/2008/honda_odyssey/21_l.jpg

...UPDATE...
...first of all, the deal on an '09 Mazda 5 isn't going to pan out due to the fact my wife can't fit the required wheel chairs into the back as the clearance is just too tight. So we found a very nice '04 Mazda MPV in immaculate condition with relatively low miles, its got new rubber, very nice alloys, all the bells & whistles, even has AC for the GIB (guys in back) The dealer service gal has one herself, says they're great and will have a hard time parting with hers when that time has to come. So it looks like this should work out just fine for my wife's job...

"Have they been making the Mazda5 since 2004??? (or 5 years) It's a pretty new model if I'm not mistaken"

...as for the confusion on how long the new 5 has been around, they started showing up on the Mazda lots in the middle of 2005 as '06 models, the last year for the 2nd gen MPV was 2005, so technically speaking, now that 2010 models are arriving, it is possible to have a Mazda 5 that is now five years old...

cheers,

Lorne Miller
05 EX-L deep green pearl with ivory
04 Mazda MPV sunshine silver pearl with light gray
96 Odyssey taffeta white with sage (gone but not forgotten)

Congratulations, the MPV is a nice van if your looking for something smaller.

As a general rule of thumb, if it is costing you as much or more to repair your vehicle as it would to make the payment on a new/new used vehicle, then it is time to upgrade.

Exceptions to be if you simply love the car and don't care about the cost to keep it running.