2000 Honda Odyssey EX 3.5L from North America

Summary:

Liked the sleek styling and car like driving since day 1, and still liking it

Faults:

Transmission stopped after the warranty expired at 105,000 (recalled - extended warranty ended at 100,000). Still, the Honda company and the Honda dealer gave me a 1/2 price deal when I said I will do a non-violent hunger strike like Mahatma Gandhi at the dealer shop (but I have to pay for the service charge and for the water pump (recommended) and motor mounts etc).

Engine check light comes on/off and it's P1456 Evap Leak. There's a YouTube link here to fix it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wac6F2JUVSo

General Comments:

It's been 15 years that I have been driving it, and it still feels like new van (even though I was out of county for 2 years, left it parked on the street, and returned back with lots of fear, but was surprised that it didn't showed any signs of stored vehicle problems/issues, except a battery replacement and loss of air tire pressure). Wow, that was a great relief to me!

It still drives like a new van (get the tires balanced for a smoother drive).

I've driven other older luxury cars like Audi, BMW etc... belonging to my friends, and nothing drives like this mini van.

Drive gently and take care of it with the recommended maintenance schedule, and it will take care of you.

Good for moving people or lots of stuff.

No known major problems yet, and I hope not for the next 5 years or so.

And life goes on like Honda goes on...

Update 11 Mar 2015:

Also I came to know the Odyssey engines are rolling well after 400,000 miles. So I will plan to keep it as long as its original engine keeps going.

If you have similar story of more than 300k or 400K, PLEASE post it at the below Honda Story Link.

http://automobiles.honda.com/mile-makers/story.aspx?Story=280

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th February, 2015

2000 Honda Odyssey LX 3.5 from North America

Summary:

Extremely Reliable

Faults:

2008: EGR port was blocked when I first bought it. I found a way to fix it myself on Google. $100.

General Comments:

I bought it as a used 8 year old vehicle. It has been 5 years since I bought it, and now I realize I have been very lucky with this vehicle after reading others' remarks on this website.

The Good:

When I bought it, the 'Check Engine' light was on. It was because the EGR port was blocked. I fixed it myself for under $100 with the help of Google. I have only had to do maintenance work on it ever since, which includes: regular oil changes, 1 transmission oil change, 1 coolant flush, 2 brake replacements, 2 sets of wiper blades, 1 set of tires, and 1 rotor replacement.

Compared to my previous minivans (Mazda MPV, Dodge Caravan), the Odyssey feels a lot more powerful. Acceleration under normal load is satisfactory, and passing at highway speeds has never been a problem. I have hauled everything from Christmas trees to furniture. It is also roomier, especially in the front passenger and driver area. Visibility is good to excellent because of the large windshield. The ABS has saved us from our stupidity a couple of times. The rear fold down seat is very convenient. I've owned it for 5 years now and have many good memories with it. We've taken it to New York, Detroit, and Orlando (from Toronto).

The Bad:

My number one complaint are the sliding doors and how they seem to get 'stuck' in the closed position very often, as if it has 'suctioned' itself to the body, so that you have to use a lot of force to open them. The heater is very weak, so that during the winter months, the thermostat is always set to the highest. Wind noise is greater compared to my Caravan, especially at highway speeds. Some button lights no longer illuminate at night, and it seems every year, another one goes out. The middle seats do not fold into the floor and are heavy to remove. More recently, it has developed an oil leak around the oil pan.

Overall:

If all Odysseys were made this way all the time, I would definitely buy another one. We call her 'old reliable'. Too bad she is reaching the end of her useful life (>350K) and we will be selling or trading her in real soon. I'm looking to get either an Acura MDX or a Toyota Rav4.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th May, 2013