As the title suggests, the old lady and I are in the market for a large crossover or mini-van. So far we've test driven an '04 Chrysler Pacifica, '03 Kia Sedona, and an '04 Honda Odyssey EX. Budget is 3k-6k.
The '04 Pacifica was a [censored] of a vehicle. Had 130k. The AWD platform, luxury, features, fit & finish belies its low price tag of $4,500. But space is the primary consideration over luxury, and this example had low oil pressure at idle (light would come on below 1k RPM).
The '03 Sedona was a nice ride-- 110k, $2,900. nothing fantastic, but some things were showing their cheapness-- the chrome trim was peeling in several places, ride, fit & finish, condition, etc. was okay but not stellar for a car this age. It seemed like we could get a couple reliable years out of it, but then it'd be questionable after that. Parts availability & expense would be a concern, as would reliability. Everything appeared to work, but we need something we'll be confident taking on cross-country road trips without the fear of breaking down somewhere remote and not being able to find parts.
The Honda we essentially fell in love with at first sight. Van has 138k miles, but is in immaculate condition. The dealer is asking $5,500, but I think we can whittle them down to 5k or slightly below. It's clear this was a little-old-lady van, and not a kid hauler, because the interior is absolutely impeccable-- showroom clean. It's the EX model, so it has all the bells and whistles except for DVD, Navi, Leather so far as I can tell. It drove and rode like a brand new van, and it had a sense of quality we just didn't see in the Kia. The seats, controls, surfaces, etc. all looked brand new, not worn like the Kia. Either it's built better, or was taken care of better, or a serious combination of the two (most likely). We think it's worth the extra $2,400.
We asked the guy to hold it over the weekend so we could do a little more research before Monday, when we'd like to pull the trigger. Some internet research seemed to raise a red flag on the Honda, namely transmission problems with these models, a 5sp auto. Apparently the 3rd gear clutch likes to go, which requires a rebuild at a cost of about $3,000. That's my main fear in buying a foreign vehicle is a major expense like this. I used to own an '01 Nissan Frontier, and it left me stranded in Kansas in the middle of nowhere, facing a $4,000 transmission rebuild with no warning.
I should note that this is not a vehicle we'll have to rely on (if it breaks, we have two others), but we do need it reliable for long trips with the kids. I do all my own work on my vehicles and a transmission swap does not scare me, so long as it doesn't require a vehicle lift or expensive sets of proprietary tools I can't get my hands on. I'd rather not purchase a vehicle that's nearly guaranteed to have a transmission failure, however.
The Honda has a clean one owner Carfax, and the Carfax has a lot of service records on it-- one entry at 120k suggests a transmission flush, transmission cooler flush, but none specifically mention a transmission change or rebuild.
Am I buying a ticking time bomb, or taking my chances? It seems the '04's have nowhere near the transmission failure rate as the '09-02 four-speeds... But I'm still leery. I don't want to pay 5k for something, then put another 3k into it. At least not without getting a couple years use out of it first..
You guys can see my dilemma.. Should I jump on this one-of-a-kind Honda (again, you don't find *ANY* minivans this old in this condition, at this price, let alone a Honda, which we like), or should we keep looking at other brands & models? Any suggestions? I've always heard Hondas are a safe buy, but these internet stories have me sittign on the fence. Please help!
The '04 Pacifica was a [censored] of a vehicle. Had 130k. The AWD platform, luxury, features, fit & finish belies its low price tag of $4,500. But space is the primary consideration over luxury, and this example had low oil pressure at idle (light would come on below 1k RPM).
The '03 Sedona was a nice ride-- 110k, $2,900. nothing fantastic, but some things were showing their cheapness-- the chrome trim was peeling in several places, ride, fit & finish, condition, etc. was okay but not stellar for a car this age. It seemed like we could get a couple reliable years out of it, but then it'd be questionable after that. Parts availability & expense would be a concern, as would reliability. Everything appeared to work, but we need something we'll be confident taking on cross-country road trips without the fear of breaking down somewhere remote and not being able to find parts.
The Honda we essentially fell in love with at first sight. Van has 138k miles, but is in immaculate condition. The dealer is asking $5,500, but I think we can whittle them down to 5k or slightly below. It's clear this was a little-old-lady van, and not a kid hauler, because the interior is absolutely impeccable-- showroom clean. It's the EX model, so it has all the bells and whistles except for DVD, Navi, Leather so far as I can tell. It drove and rode like a brand new van, and it had a sense of quality we just didn't see in the Kia. The seats, controls, surfaces, etc. all looked brand new, not worn like the Kia. Either it's built better, or was taken care of better, or a serious combination of the two (most likely). We think it's worth the extra $2,400.
We asked the guy to hold it over the weekend so we could do a little more research before Monday, when we'd like to pull the trigger. Some internet research seemed to raise a red flag on the Honda, namely transmission problems with these models, a 5sp auto. Apparently the 3rd gear clutch likes to go, which requires a rebuild at a cost of about $3,000. That's my main fear in buying a foreign vehicle is a major expense like this. I used to own an '01 Nissan Frontier, and it left me stranded in Kansas in the middle of nowhere, facing a $4,000 transmission rebuild with no warning.
I should note that this is not a vehicle we'll have to rely on (if it breaks, we have two others), but we do need it reliable for long trips with the kids. I do all my own work on my vehicles and a transmission swap does not scare me, so long as it doesn't require a vehicle lift or expensive sets of proprietary tools I can't get my hands on. I'd rather not purchase a vehicle that's nearly guaranteed to have a transmission failure, however.
The Honda has a clean one owner Carfax, and the Carfax has a lot of service records on it-- one entry at 120k suggests a transmission flush, transmission cooler flush, but none specifically mention a transmission change or rebuild.
Am I buying a ticking time bomb, or taking my chances? It seems the '04's have nowhere near the transmission failure rate as the '09-02 four-speeds... But I'm still leery. I don't want to pay 5k for something, then put another 3k into it. At least not without getting a couple years use out of it first..
You guys can see my dilemma.. Should I jump on this one-of-a-kind Honda (again, you don't find *ANY* minivans this old in this condition, at this price, let alone a Honda, which we like), or should we keep looking at other brands & models? Any suggestions? I've always heard Hondas are a safe buy, but these internet stories have me sittign on the fence. Please help!
