Anyone buy a new Odyssey lately?

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Ours are getting to that point, too...or at least to the point of not necessarily wanting to have their eyes glued to the DVD the whole trip. Our 2007 T&C had the factory DVD system, and the kids used it all the time. Our 2005 MDX has the factory DVD system, but it's usually off. We just took a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend, and they did watch two movies total on it.


Granted I have a toddler, I've not quite understood this. For the price of these systems, I could buy future proof tablets, which are portable and can be replaced if they failed.

For these reasons we wanted to avoid embedded systems. Maybe we will regret it in the future, but I figure out iPads will do just fine.


iPads have only been on the market for a few years. Before that, factory dvd was the best option. We had hand held and seat back mounted portable dvd players and both were a mess.

As for buying one currently with dvd.... Well, I have an 8, 10, and 12 year old. That's a lot of dvds. But if you don't have that legacy...just make sure you have plenty of USB plugs.

But honestly, if you are going to get a big family hauler, you're going to see just as many as not sitting on the dealer lots w/ dvd systems. Especially since now you can stream FROM your connected devices on most of them.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
And to be clear, I discouraged my wife for as long as possible from getting rid of the Odyssey. The Yukon XL barely feels like it has more room.


rest your weary mind, the Odyssey has more space then the Yukon / Suburban.

The plus-sized XL doubles the cargo space behind the third row to 38.9 cubic feet of space. Overall room for the 2015 Yukon XL with the second and third rows folded increases from the Yukon's 94.7 cubic feet to the XL's 121.1 cubic feet.Jan 29, 2015

The 2015 Honda Odyssey has one of the most spacious cargo areas in its class with 38.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 93.1 cubic feet behind the second row and 148.5 cubic feet behind the front seats.Apr 27, 2015


We thought about suburban/Yukon XL for a while. The cargo area being longer and flatter is kind of nice...

But at the end of the day, we could buy over two Odysseys (with tax and title) for the price of a $66k Yukon. That delta also buys a lot of gas and soundproofing.

Doesn't make the trucks a bad choice, just a different value proposition.


It was a question of wants and needs. When we bought the Odyssey, our youngest was still 2 years old. Every bit of convenience the minivan offered was needed. Even then, my wife begrudgingly bought the Odyssey only after seeing that a regular Yukon wouldn't fit our needs.

After 5 years, she was ready to cast off the minivan and ready to take on driving such a beast of a car as a Yukon XL. It's her money so who am I to argue, lol?!

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Ours are getting to that point, too...or at least to the point of not necessarily wanting to have their eyes glued to the DVD the whole trip. Our 2007 T&C had the factory DVD system, and the kids used it all the time. Our 2005 MDX has the factory DVD system, but it's usually off. We just took a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend, and they did watch two movies total on it.


Granted I have a toddler, I've not quite understood this. For the price of these systems, I could buy future proof tablets, which are portable and can be replaced if they failed.

For these reasons we wanted to avoid embedded systems. Maybe we will regret it in the future, but I figure out iPads will do just fine.


iPads have only been on the market for a few years. Before that, factory dvd was the best option. We had hand held and seat back mounted portable dvd players and both were a mess.

As for buying one currently with dvd.... Well, I have an 8, 10, and 12 year old. That's a lot of dvds. But if you don't have that legacy...just make sure you have plenty of USB plugs.

But honestly, if you are going to get a big family hauler, you're going to see just as many as not sitting on the dealer lots w/ dvd systems. Especially since now you can stream FROM your connected devices on most of them.


Well i meant my comment to be as much a query as anything, even if it didn't come across.
So, why were handheld DVD players such a mess??

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Ours are getting to that point, too...or at least to the point of not necessarily wanting to have their eyes glued to the DVD the whole trip. Our 2007 T&C had the factory DVD system, and the kids used it all the time. Our 2005 MDX has the factory DVD system, but it's usually off. We just took a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend, and they did watch two movies total on it.


Granted I have a toddler, I've not quite understood this. For the price of these systems, I could buy future proof tablets, which are portable and can be replaced if they failed.

For these reasons we wanted to avoid embedded systems. Maybe we will regret it in the future, but I figure out iPads will do just fine.

The only potential benefit to embedded systems is that you can control them from the front of the van. But perhaps there's an app to remote control one tablet from another?
Once you've clamped the tablet to the back of the second row, with little kids in car seats, no one can reach it until you stop.
I'd rather have them looking out the window observing the real world especially in new territory, or talking to us, so we don't encourage tablet use, but that's another topic.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Ours are getting to that point, too...or at least to the point of not necessarily wanting to have their eyes glued to the DVD the whole trip. Our 2007 T&C had the factory DVD system, and the kids used it all the time. Our 2005 MDX has the factory DVD system, but it's usually off. We just took a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend, and they did watch two movies total on it.


Granted I have a toddler, I've not quite understood this. For the price of these systems, I could buy future proof tablets, which are portable and can be replaced if they failed.

For these reasons we wanted to avoid embedded systems. Maybe we will regret it in the future, but I figure out iPads will do just fine.


iPads have only been on the market for a few years. Before that, factory dvd was the best option. We had hand held and seat back mounted portable dvd players and both were a mess.

As for buying one currently with dvd.... Well, I have an 8, 10, and 12 year old. That's a lot of dvds. But if you don't have that legacy...just make sure you have plenty of USB plugs.

But honestly, if you are going to get a big family hauler, you're going to see just as many as not sitting on the dealer lots w/ dvd systems. Especially since now you can stream FROM your connected devices on most of them.


Well i meant my comment to be as much a query as anything, even if it didn't come across.
So, why were handheld DVD players such a mess??


Well, 8-10 years ago, when we were using them, they were flaky, had bad battery life, and ours, at least didn't have a car charger. And with more than 1 kid, you couldn't really share a screen on one of those things. That's when we went to the head rest mounted units. But the array of wires and velcro meant our kids were frequently unplugging the things at least. Sometimes they just ripped the thing off the headrest and threw it on the floor.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Factory-installed systems still have benefits, though I concede that they're not as strong as before. You can still get a good wireless headphone setup, you have no power wires or adapters to trip over, and you have full parental control in the front. The wires is a big thing to me. I'm rather organized by nature, and I hate the look of something "tacked on". I don't like dash-mounted GPSes, and never have owned one. Our Acura MDX has the in-dash navigation system, and I use my phone if I'm in our Honda CR-V. I just don't like wires and cords and power adapters, etc. With the vehicle full of "stuff" on a road trip, it's pretty easy to tangle wires with your day bag and snacks bag in the back seat...

If I were buying something today, I would not prioritize an embedded DVD player as much, because tablets are so prolific and inexpensive. At the time we bought our '07 T&C, it was pretty much embedded DVD or add-on (I don't like add-ons, either). Fortunately, Chrysler packages the DVD player in on mid-level trims, so it's not a big deal. Honda and Toyota only build it in on the top-line trims, making it very expensive to buy. And now that we have iPads and such, I don't think the embedded systems add much value to me.

I still prefer built-in navigation to dash-top systems and phones. I know they're expensive (embedded nav), and I know that you don't objectively get what you pay for. But I still prefer them over alternatives.

The best deal going is some of the new Chevys and supposedly 2015 or 2016 Hondas, where you can pair your phone to the car and it'll display your Google Maps Navigation on the car's screen. Now THAT is a solution I can get behind -- sort of the best of both worlds. Cord-free and built-in appearance with the superiority and always-updated nature of Google Maps.

 

[supton]

I dislike the wires in my vehicles, but the dvd player did do its magic for long drives. With my kids of age to buy their own iPads I am hoping all I need now is charging cables and perhaps some way to stream wifi movies.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd

I still prefer built-in navigation to dash-top systems and phones. I know they're expensive (embedded nav), and I know that you don't objectively get what you pay for. But I still prefer them over alternatives.


After years of trying to be frugal, I traded in my Civic when I got a great deal on a base Mustang GT. "All I need is that engine," I told myself.

Nope, I miss my nav system and blue tooth and all the other tech bells and whistles. Especially after buying the Yukon XL. I finally thought about getting an aftermarket unit. But even the top of the line Kenwood and Pioneer units have complaints in their reviews about freeze-ups and crashes.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Ours are getting to that point, too...or at least to the point of not necessarily wanting to have their eyes glued to the DVD the whole trip. Our 2007 T&C had the factory DVD system, and the kids used it all the time. Our 2005 MDX has the factory DVD system, but it's usually off. We just took a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend, and they did watch two movies total on it.


Granted I have a toddler, I've not quite understood this. For the price of these systems, I could buy future proof tablets, which are portable and can be replaced if they failed.

For these reasons we wanted to avoid embedded systems. Maybe we will regret it in the future, but I figure out iPads will do just fine.

The only potential benefit to embedded systems is that you can control them from the front of the van. But perhaps there's an app to remote control one tablet from another?
Once you've clamped the tablet to the back of the second row, with little kids in car seats, no one can reach it until you stop.
I'd rather have them looking out the window observing the real world especially in new territory, or talking to us, so we don't encourage tablet use, but that's another topic.


Well I totally agree with that. Looking out the window is the best option, with books or magazines for some entertainment. Somehow I survived pre-embedded did and I'm sure my kids will too... Our toddler loves the wiggles, and we have videos, but we play audio only for that reason. I don't mind music, but I'd rather not create a culture of needing to watch movies.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd


The best deal going is some of the new Chevys and supposedly 2015 or 2016 Hondas, where you can pair your phone to the car and it'll display your Google Maps Navigation on the car's screen. Now THAT is a solution I can get behind -- sort of the best of both worlds. Cord-free and built-in appearance with the superiority and always-updated nature of Google Maps.


Something in our owner's manual implied that. I'll have to look into it more. Totally agree that would be best (until the embedded screen fails!).

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: supton
I dislike the wires in my vehicles, but the dvd player did do its magic for long drives. With my kids of age to buy their own iPads I am hoping all I need now is charging cables and perhaps some way to stream wifi movies.


I recently bought a sandisk wireless drive, all flash based, that streams media to five items over an n-type wifi. I figure I'll use it like a big music drive since I drive a lot, but the possibilities are endless.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
(until the embedded screen fails!)


In my limited experience, with our '05 MDX, your screen will be working for MANY years to come. I had to replace the button control panel on our '97 Cadillac due to it failing. And the screen on our MDX still works. I get it that a screen is another failure point, but if the alternative is a set of computer-controlled buttons, that may not be any better. If the alternative is a true cable-operated HVAC system, then I might go along with the notion of skipping a screen for reliability. But given the way cars are built these days, I don't think screens represent a likely failure point.

 

[greenjp]

Update - purchased a 2015 EX yesterday. Decided the leather, sunroof, and some other small things weren't worth the ~$2,500-3,000 or so extra. We got the red/maroon with beige interior. It had just arrived so didn't show in their inventory and only had 3 miles when we took it off the lot.

The dealer's initial price quote on the EX turned out to actually be quite good. It was about $500 below the Truecar price, and between $500-1,000 below what 4 other dealers offered when I contacted them. I emailed and made calls for a couple of days, got them to drop their price another $200, and got out the door for $30,114, taxes title tags included. We did not have a trade in. I'll post a picture or two later.

jeff

 

[JHZR2]

Congrats! The maroon color was our choice going in. We got blue because we loved the color when we saw it and it was on the lot at a steal... but we were really close to matching colors!

I don't think that true car is a good basis for a deal. I think that they are now trying to sell cars through their featured dealers as a business model, so they're trying to define what a good deal is which includes their profit and the dealer's.

 

[greenjp]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I don't think that true car is a good basis for a deal. I think that they are now trying to sell cars through their featured dealers as a business model, so they're trying to define what a good deal is which includes their profit and the dealer's.

Agreed. It's now the de facto worst price you could pay for a car. That said a lot of dealers gave initial quotes higher than Truecar, so at the least it's a data point to start with.

 

[greenjp]

And here are a few photos:
P1100691 by Jeff Green, on Flickr

P1100694 by Jeff Green, on Flickr

jeff

 

[Hokiefyd]

Looks great. As a Hokie alumnus, I love your choice in paint hue.