Minivan Questions For You Car Guys

[JDaniel]

The Mrs. is ready for a new mini-van. So I took the afternoon off, and we spent the day driving a Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Nissan Quest (all are 2005 models). Our requirements are:

1. Side impact air bags throughout (we have 4 kids - so this is important).
2. Rear air
3. Long wheel base (i.e. lots of storage space behind the 3rd seat)
4. Captain's Chairs in the middle.

So, bottom line, we liked all three. All are within about $1K - $1.5K of each other.

I actually came home with the Nissan Quest to try out overnight. I didn't think dealers did this anymore. He literally handed me the keys and said take her home.

The Honda & Toyota are almost identical in every way. The Nissan is a drastically different design. If you haven't seen it, the instrument contols and gauges are all on a console in the middle, between the two seats. Nothing is behind the steering wheel except the dash. One feature on the Honda & Toyota that I've never seen on a minivan before - the side door windows are power and roll down. Not sure if it is practical, but it was different for sure.

The Nissan has a few more bells/whistles (DVD system, Separate Rear Audio System with wireless headphones, power door/hatch open/close, etc).

So, does anyone here own any of the three and can give a report? Likes/dislikes? Opinions/suggestions since the prices are about equal?

Thanks.

JD

[JDaniel]

Here's a pic from the Nissan site of the dash/console that is in front between the two seats. I said it is radically different.

JD

[tentoze]

The Nissan is definitely a stylistic departure from the norm, which isn't a bad thing IMO. I'm not the least bit familiar with it, though. At least three of my good friends have Honda Odysseys, and my time spent in them has been all positive, and their experience with them has been the same. Not that any of this helps you at all. Okay, I'll shut up.

[foetusized]

We have an older Mercury Villager, which was the same as the Nissan Quest (Ford body, Nissan engine). We like it, but the Ford/Nissan arrangement in no longer in place and the current model Quest is a completely different vehicle.

Don't know about this model year (its been a few years since we were shopping), but in the past the Toyota Sienna had the engine in a different location (under the floorboard, pretty much) than their front-engine competitors.

And that's pretty much the sum total of my minivan knowledge -- Foe

[Aage]

If you want the best van, the choice is between the Honda and the Toyota, they're tied for first place.

A well-known INDEPENDENT testing lab said:

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REPORT CARD:

Highs: Spacious and flexible interior, ride, handling, quietness, access, offset crash test.

Lows: Turning circle, controls and displays, reliability.

The Quest is a competitive minivan that's sensibly priced. Based on the Altima, it's powered by a 240-hp V6, but acceleration is only adequate. Both the second- and third-row seats fold flat when not in use. The ride is supple and steady, with responsive and secure handling. The interior is roomy, with easy access to all rows. The instrument cluster is located in the center of the dash, which is a nuisance and makes some gauges difficult to read. Nissan claims the instrument panel will be redesigned soon. Reliability has been poor. Crash-test results are impressive.

The Quest is a competitive, capable minivan that's sensibly priced. Its driving dynamics and accommodations are almost as good as those of the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey. We like its roomy, quiet interior; refined powertrain; comfortable ride; and agile handling. Second- and third-row seats both fold flat into the floor--a minivan first. Interior styling, however, compromises on ergonomics, particularly the placement of controls and displays. Also, the Quest's wide turning circle hampers parking.
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You might laugh, but we're now on our 4th Dodge Grand Caravan. It's my wife that drives it, and she doesn't give a fig for bells and whistles. Oh, she likes the Sienna (her sister bought one last year) but balked at the C$8,000 extra she'd have to pay to get it.

All of them have been exemplary in terms of service, and her dealer is great.

She also much preferred the styling of the Dodge. There, I had to agree.

Now, let me say that the Dodge isn't as good a vehicle as the Honda or Toyota vans: it lacks the refinement and level of goodies of even the base Japanese vans, but SWMBO only buys cars as transportation, and doesn't get in the least bit emotionally involved in the process.

All that to say, it comes down to which ever one floats your boat the most. Except, stay away from the Nissan unless you like to spend lots of time at the dealership. :)

[JDaniel]

You might laugh, but we're now on our 4th Dodge Grand Caravan. It's my wife that drives it, and she doesn't give a fig for bells and whistles. Oh, she likes the Sienna (her sister bought one last year) but balked at the C$8,000 extra she'd have to pay to get it.


Well, we too are on our 3rd Chrysler (2 Grand Caravans, and one Town and Country LXI). All have been ok, but all are plagued by bad trannys. I've put transmissions in all 3, and in one twice. Otherwise, pretty good service and tons of miles. After 3 we were wanting a break from them. And even with the employee discount pricing and rebates, the prices are very similar with Toyota, Honda & Nissan by the time I add the requirements I listed above.

Thanks for the info.

JD

[JDaniel]

Oh, forgot to mention:

All come with basic 3 year/36,000 mile warranties. But at no extra charge, the local Honda dealership offers lifetime powertrain warranty (lifetime defined as 250,000 miles) if all servicing is done at the dealership at the specified intervals. Ditto with the Nissan dealership, but the warranty is for up to 150,000 miles. Both definitely sway me towards them and away from Toyota. The Toyota "freebie" was lifetime car washes (novel idea, but I'd rather have the lifetime powertrain warranty).

I can wash my own car, but I can't change out the engine or transmission. :scratch2:

JD

[Just JP]

I love my 2005 Honda Odyssey. It's great all around and has 255hp! :banana: I picked it up and the next day went on a 2000 mile road trip. No complaints.

Jim

[dgwojo]

Regarding the Honda Odyssey, my dad, and oldest brother both have older ones, my sister a year old one, they all love them but there's only 1 issue, they never get their rated milage (MPG), I have the same complaint with my Ford Windstar, no matter how we drive, city/highway, it always gets 20 mpg, my sister with the new Honda says hers does the same thing, 20, 20, 20, just can't squeeze more out of it.
:wtf:

[Celt]

My middle brother and his wife have owned a Honda Odyssey for several years now. I think the only thing that has been a persistant problem with it is the transmission has gone out every 30,000 miles ever since they've had it! Honda has always stepped up to the plate and replaced it free of charge, even though it has over 100k on it! The only thing I can figure is there must be an alignment problem from manufacturing.

[grumpy]

My sister had a odyssey for a couple of years. She like it a lot. my experience with Chrysler mini vans soured me for life.

I will say my astro van averaged about 28 mpg on a recent trip to Chicago. I dig that ! :)

[vega ls-12]

dont think you can go wrong with any.
my landlord has the previous generation quest, and loves it.
he's actually said the only way he'd get rid of it is for the new style..
i can tell the 3.5l motor is rock solid and tranny as well.
my family has owned nissan's for years and loved them all.
my friends father is a honda mechanic, so i know honda as well.
i would narrow it down to those two (honda-nissan) :thmbsp:

[blue_lateral]

A lot of minivans are a real pain to service. Once they get out of warranty, well, those extra hours spent taking things apart - they dont come cheap.

A Chrysler minivan on the other hand, is just like a front wheel drive car. Look under the hood of one of your Chryslers. Notice that you can see the whole engine, the whole transmission, and you can reach around the back.

I'm not familiar with the current Japanese crop of minivans, but Nissan, Honda and Toyota are all really good brands. Build quality on any of them will probably be excellent. That was true in the 90's too, but the service issues kind of ruined it. One minivan had the engine under the floor in the middle and a driveshaft running foreward running the belts. One had a weird almost dry sump oil system. One had a little hole under the drivers seat that you could have a little peak at the engine. Little things that should take 10 minutes took hours.

Aerostars and Astros were conventional, but also a nightmare to work on. At least the build quality was really good. God help you if you had to do some minor maintenance like changing the spark plugs.

I would open up the hoods, and pick the one thats mechanically laid out like the Chrysler. Probably at least one of them is. If none of them are, I'd buy another Chrysler.

Just my $.02

John

[Wornears]

Check out each dealers' service dept before buying any new van and get the extended warranty. I'd go for the Honda because we've owned three ('98 Prelude - sold, still have '98 Civic and 2000 Accord V6 Coupe), and I have a great relationship with one of the service guys. He's gone to bat a couple of times for me with America Honda and got parts/service stuff out of warranty replaced/fixed for lower cost. I prefer RWD. though.

We also are the original owners of a RWD '95 Aerostar 4.0L V6 with 185,000 miles on it; never towed with it, and don't recommend doing so with a minivan. Unless it's a very light load. First new vehicle we ever bought -- we've owned about 40 used cars (I used to have time to work on them for fun -- Alfa, BMW, etc.)

The Aerostar has not been a trailer queen my wife drives the living wee out of the Aerostar -- still going strong with regular maintenance -- and our three kids grew up with it. Taken 8 cross-country trips in it, and it has survived LA freeway traffic and West Texas badlands. Regular service is not too hard, but major maintenance makes you take it too the dealer -- which is what you'd do with your extended warranty. We had to get the freeze (sand core) plugs replaced this year because they rotted out! For more bucks, you might consider a Ford E-150 Club Wagon (?) or extended cab. Basically an up-to-date Econoline. We rented one for a banzai trip from NC to NM -- had a DVD player that kept our three (now) teenagers digitally sedated, and PLENTY of room for them: they're all at 6-ft, even our 14-year old son. Could even catnap in the back. The ONLY vehicle my wife will consider when I finally have to set fire to the Aerostar so it can't be brought back to life.

[D-man]

Regarding the Honda Odyssey, my dad, and oldest brother both have older ones, my sister a year old one, they all love them but there's only 1 issue, they never get their rated milage (MPG), I have the same complaint with my Ford Windstar, no matter how we drive, city/highway, it always gets 20 mpg, my sister with the new Honda says hers does the same thing, 20, 20, 20, just can't squeeze more out of it.
:wtf:

Hey, ever consider the ways the EPA tests the gas milage? They do not use real world conditions, they estimate. Gas milage is realted to many things, including but not limited to teh road condition, wind(mimnivans don't have the best shape), weight, driver and other. The rated milage is rarely ever reached for any car. Hope this helps answer your question.
IMO, I think the Nissan Quest is awesome. I know several people that have the older one and have had no problmes at all. The new Quest even has the VQ35de engine, which is awesome and wont cause many problems in a lifetime. Just my opinion, if it helps.

[bgadow]

Nissan, in many ways, has gone to pot. Remember that they are a division now of Renault which is well known for making junk! I have read in more than one periodical that the Quest is a rattletrap & not all that reliable. Our local dealer is a real rip-off artist & I hear that runs in the Nissan family. Maybe they're getting better, I don't know.

I really don't think you could go wrong with either the Honda or Toyota. My sister has a Town & Country & the thing is always breaking down. We used to have to fix a lot of bugs in the Windstars but the Freestars seem to hold up better (so far).

[dgwojo]

Hey, ever consider the ways the EPA tests the gas milage? They do not use real world conditions, they estimate. Gas milage is realted to many things, including but not limited to teh road condition, wind(mimnivans don't have the best shape), weight, driver and other. The rated milage is rarely ever reached for any car. Hope this helps answer your question.

I do realize EPA ratings can be misleading, but, I own 3 Ford Taurus sedans, 1999, 2001, and a 2003, all have 3.0 litre engines, the 1999 has the DOHC engine. City/Highway I get 25, highway is routinely 30 - 34 mpg's, I run between Ann Arbor, MI, Cleveland, OH, Indianapolis, IN, and Chicago, IL, not mountains by any means but not flat either, I usually get about 5 more MPG than the EPA's max rating, that's great!! Luckily the sedans are much more aerodynamic as you mention, the minivans are shaped more like a parachute with all that drag.
:scratch2:

[Micropassatman]

We(the wife and I) just bought an '05 Grand Caravan on Wednesday. I don't know about you guys, but for the money? Chrysler beat them all - hands down. $15.9k. With the trade-in, it cost us 10. 8 and 80k on the drivetrain. 3 year bumper to bumper. My wife just drove it to Cali. Went off without a hitch. Doesn't have the captains chairs though.

[dgwojo]

3 year bumper to bumper. My wife just drove it to Cali. Went off without a hitch. Doesn't have the captains chairs though.
3 Year warranty is a good thing, Chrysler has the styling right on their vehicles, now they just have to solve all the electrical problems they're plagued with. Electrical problems go way back, my 1967 Chrysler Newport turn signals would go on when you hit a puddle, my neighbors 1996 minivan wipers would turn on at random, a bad "body computer" did it in, cost a fortune to fix, weird Chit for sure!!

[opt80]

I'd get the one with the best warranty,as far as looks I don't know about having gauges in the middle of the cabin.Does this mean you have to look away to see how fast you are going?

Good Luck,Jeff

Alan

[JDaniel]

I'd get the one with the best warranty,as far as looks I don't know about having gauges in the middle of the cabin.Does this mean you have to look away to see how fast you are going?

Good Luck,Jeff

Alan


I'm always looking away while driving Alan. Who looks forward anymore? I'm always looking around, talking on the cell phone, trying to find then load the latest cd that arrived from PEI.......

Yeah, I am leaning towards the Honda because of the lifetime powertrain warranty at this dealer. That's a big incentive for us.

JD

[Rickster]

You can not go wrong with the Toyota - it will keep your family safe and will hold its value better than any. Do not, however, go for the All Wheel Drive model - it eats up tires (expensive runflats) so fast it will drive you crazy. I know - I sell them.

Rickster

[F1nut]

My problem with the Honda's is the front seats are terrible, the steering wheel is at a funny angle, I hit my knuckles on the dash when shifting to drive or park and the back lift gate is too low to walk under without ducking. Can't live with that. The Caravan on the other hand doesn't have any of those problems and mine hasn't had any trans problems with 135k on it. My understanding is they fixed the trans problems back in 1998. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.