Opinions Needed on Mini Vans..... Honda Odyssey Vs. Town and Country

Updated on April 15, 2008
K.C. asks from Seaside, CA
18 answers

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I need your help or rather your opinions..... I am in between the Odyssey and the Town & Country mini van. I am leaning towards the new Town and Country..... b/c of all it's features...... however the Odyssey has some great merits too..... So I would love to hear from all the mini van owners... Why do you LOVE your van?

Thanks in Advance!

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So What Happened?

Ladies I wanted to give you give you an update on the our mini van search!!! First....Thank you for giving me your all of your thoughts and opinions. We have looked and fiddled with all of the mini vans across Jacksonville and we decided to go with the 08 Town and Country- I am just in LOVE with all the features and it looks kind of sporty too. They have a great warranty and consumer reports has given some good advice to go with it. So I am turning in my beloved Tahoe this weekend! (My Tahoe has lots of people room but no stroller/cargo room when all of the seats are in it) Thanks Again for all of your advice!

Featured Answers

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T.S.

answers from Panama City on

Odyssey Owner and love it. Its economical, gets great gas mileage (important especially now). Has the best owner satisfaction rating of any. 2nd place-toyota. Very hard to find an owner who wants to get rid of theirs-once you have one you just love it. You don't even have to have all the bells and whistles, its great with or without them.
Happy shopping!!!

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B.D.

answers from Fort Walton Beach on

Well K. I had the town and country and really loved it. The reason I picked that over the odyssey was initial cost(the odyssey is much more expensive initially but holds its value longer) and the cost of the repairs being lower on the American made car. It was so roomy (bigger than the Toyota Sienna but I think the same size as the odyssey) and such a convenient van with all the little bells and whistles that made being in my car with small children pleasant. Easy to load tons of things into the back, had room for strollers, and lots of space for the children to sit. I bought it used, it ran great and gave me little to no mechanical problems the whole five years I had it. Liked it enough to buy another one. :)

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R.M.

answers from Daytona Beach on

K.,
My husband and bought a new Odyssey last summer. We love it!! If I can reccomend one thnig research through consumers report and other places that aren't bias. I know nothing about the town and country other than consumers report didn't list them very high, but that was last year when we were looking.
I think what I love most about my van is that when I'm driving it I don't feel like I'm in a van. I feel like I'm in a car. I like the cockpit seat that is removable and also folds into a console. I love the fact that the back seats completely stow very easly. We have 3 in car seats and can also fit three adult in addition comfortably. The console btwn the front seats folds down so that the passenger can get to crying babies without any trouble. The shades are in the door for the kidos, there are tons of cup holders. I really can't say enough. My husband and I both drive hondas and we won't drive anything else. In my opinion they're the best.
Have fun looking,
R.

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F.R.

answers from Pensacola on

I have the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and I LOVE it! There is so much storage. There are so many great mom features. (the Town and Country are pretty much the same) I do NOT recommend getting the swivel seats with the tray, but go with the stow 'n go model. The seats swivel around to face the back, but it leaves very little room to get into the van. The edge of the seats are very close to the other seat so if someone is sitting on the opposite side, they'll be getting kicked. You can't just swivel them back around. You have to stop and pull the driver and front passenger seats forward and then swivel. It's a whole production. And you have way less storage space. With the stow n'go, there is so much room when the back seats are stowed you can almost stand up and walk around in there. Easily fit in larger things.
Oh... the mom features... there's a little "conversation" mirror that drops down in the front above the rearview and you can see what's going on in the back. There are sunshades built into the sliding doors and back windows that can be raised and hooked onto the top... no more suction cups! The sliding door windows roll down as well. So many wonderful features. We love ours! Hope you find one you love too!

M.S.

answers from Ocala on

100% stay away from Chrysler Town and Country and all other Chrysler vehicles. They ALL have transmission problems within time. And many more problems as well.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee93e7a

http://www.geocities.com/plumraptor/

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0dc1d4

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c0535

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This is only a few things that I got online, there are more problems to read about.

I think that the 2008 Town and Country looks GREAT!!!! BUT stay far away from Chrysler.

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I wish you the best with what ever you chose to get and enjoy it. I am sure that you deserve it. :)

God Bless.

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V.A.

answers from Tallahassee on

Hi K.!
I am a stay at home mom with 4 children and we have a Chrysler Town and Country and this is our second Town and Country and these 2 vans have just been the best for us!! We bought our first one in 2004. It was a used 2002 with 56,000 miles. We put 120,000 miles on it in 3 & 1/2 years, and it never gave us any problems at all. So for being 6 years old and 176,000 miles without any problems, we thought was great! We just traded it in back in March for a 2005 that had 55,000 miles, (it's the kind with the seats that fold into the floor, and has all the super nice features). We decided to trade just because of the high mileage on the other and we wanted one with some new features and less mileage. We hated to see it go, because it was so good to us. But we love our new one as well, so we are all thumbs up for Town and Country.
Good luck, and take care!
V.

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B.L.

answers from Orlando on

I have the Grand Caravan ( the same as town and country) same manufacturer.
I LOVE IT! I have all the bells and whistles and I would reccommend it to anyone:)

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A.R.

answers from Orlando on

Town & Country is awesome. Bought one Jan 2008. It has everything you need. I am now a pround owner of a soccer grandmom minivan. I am very happy with all it has. Can't find anything else I need. Kids love the table and swivel seats.

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B.R.

answers from Orlando on

Just FYI, I don't have one, but the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sieana (I think that's what it's called) are voted number 1. I know a few people that have the Honda Odyssey and love it.

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H.C.

answers from Orlando on

I highly reccomend the Town & Country. We had one and not only was it roomy, it had DVD player to occupy the kids. Most of all it is a very safe ven. My husband recently crashed into the back of a semi(not moving) @ 60MPH. Thought the front end was smashed and the winsdhield gone. The front seat was barely damaged. Except for the steering wheel. My husband survived with minor injuries. We will miss that van.....

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L.W.

answers from Orlando on

I have a honda Odyssey and I really like it. The 2008 Consumer Report Car book stated that the Town and Country was very disappointing because there are so many transmission and car problems. I hae found Consumer Reports to be pretty correct with their predicitions if that helps...

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B.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

Well We are looking at minivans too. Unfortunately we can't afford a Honda Odyssey but I can tell you from all of the research I did and from talking to people that own both, the Honda Odyssey far out weighs all of its competition. It is reliable, plenty of room great records etc. The Town & Country on the other hand has great features but was noted as not being very reliable. I would if I could afford it go defiantely with the Odyssey, no comparision there.

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K.W.

answers from Orlando on

We've owned our Town & Country for 3 years & hadn't had any difficulties with it at all -- the fold-down seats we love and are a must; the kids love when we arrange different seating too -- you can also transport large items like a van..... the dvd t.v.s are a nice perk......I read, though, there are times to buy certain items & I think in the fall you get a better deal on cars (they are getting rid of the old year & bringing in the new) fyi

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E.L.

answers from Tallahassee on

I would absolutely go with the Honda--they have much better reliability than Chrystlers. Also, consider the Toyota Sienna--my mom has one and loves it.

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A.G.

answers from Tallahassee on

i was just at the chrysler lot last week go with the town and country i think it has a better rating plus go back and play with all the buttons in the back and move stuff around. good luck we had fun playing in it and i love the room and the fact that if i need to get in the back i can

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J.M.

answers from Orlando on

hi K., my name is J. and I was with the same dilema til a good friend of mine told me this: both of them are grat vehicules with the big diference that within 5 years your Honda still will have great value($$) and the crysler will low its price on probably 40%....so wich one I bouht? HONDA!!!!

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K.B.

answers from Orlando on

We bit the bullet and became minivan owners earlier this year. After a LOT of research and test drives, we opted for the Chrysler Town & Country (we have the swivel & go). We LOVE this van!! We have 3 small boys (all under 4 yrs and in car seats). It fits our family and all of our gear very comfortably and this van has everything we need. We recently braved our first family road trip (17 hours to northern NJ). I couldn't even imagine doing it in any other vehicle. I feel silly saying it, but- This minivan ROCKS! Well worth the investment. Happy driving!

A.L.

answers from Ocala on

I have a 2001 Dodge Caravan Sport and am going to be trading up to a Town & Country, I want the 'Swivel Seating' with the table, though the salesperson we have been dealing with wants to sell me the 'Stow & Go' (more than likely it's cuz' it is the one they have on the lot). My DH is a Dodge man so the Odyssey is out though the car mags like it better than the Town & Country (safety wise) the Town & Country has more interior space which is a plus for me personally. The life time drive train is a good thing as well. I would go to Consumer's Affairs and read up on both as you have a choice prior to making your decision as it is such a personal thing and you want the best you can get for your $$$!

Good Luck!!!

A.

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