Odyssey or Sienna.....Highlander or Pilot....CRV or RAV4

[SearchMaster]

On point 1...

We just bought an Odyssey last weekend. We had our hearts set on a Sienna (BTW, you just missed $2K cash back on it from Oct.) but the dealer wouldn't come down on price at all. We took a visit to the Honda dealer and they were more than willing to hit our price point. We got an EX-L, though it was a bit above your target at $27,700.

To be honest I liked the Sienna better...it does some things much more intuitively than the Odyssey. But we definitely wanted a darker interior and the Odyssey fit that bill for us, so we're happy with it.

 

[PlatinumGold]

interesting thing about the Odyssey, check out the reviews by buyers of Odyssey at autos.yahoo.com

surprisingly it has a poor rating. Sienna did well.

 

[gsethi]

I just found out that our region (SF Bay Area) doesnt get the Rav4 in Base V6. For a V6, i have to choose atleast the Sport model

Anyways, for the pricing, heres what i am getting so far:

CRV LX 2WD: ~19800 + taxes (includes destination charges) =~21-22k OTD
RAV4 Base 4-Cyl 2WD: ~20800 + taxes (includes destination charges) = ~22k-23k OTD
RAV4 Sport V6 2WD: ~25xxx + taxes (includes destination charges) = ~27.5-28.5k OTD

 

[zoiks]

none of the above.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: zoiks
none of the above.

give your "full" input pls. if none of the above, then what ?

 

[Nyati13]

Originally posted by: gsethi

My father wont purchase any other vehicle other than Japanese

Price is not that much a big factor as long as it is ~25k. (we can even afford a BMW/Benz but want to stay in limits )

I wanted to give Explorer a try also but again, my father prefers only Japanese. I will also be looking into Nissan.

try a Subaru Forester as well.

 

[Homerboy]

midsized SUV? Full sized SUV and Minivan?
you need to pick what you want to use it for first
then pick the make/model

if its a family car, and the child(ren) are still young, nothing... NOTHING beats a minivan for pure easy of in and out. My kids since 4 can open the door, climb in, walk to their seats, buckle in and vice-versa on the way out. In most SUVs they will have an issue getting up the step up and into their seats by themselves. Not to mention the cargo space in a minivan trumps that of 99% of the SUVs out there (removable seats). So when you're hauling that new plastic gymset home or new doll house you got the ability.

Sorry, I'm TOTAL minivan convert since we got ours (loathed before, loved after)

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: Nyati13

try a Subaru Forester as well.

does it sits as low as a car ? The primary reason for us getting a SUV is that my father has trouble getting in/out of a low car b/c of his knee problem.

Getting in/out of a vehicle that sits high (such as SUV/Mini-van) is much easier for him.

 

[nakedfrog]

Toyota across the board. I have a friend who has either an 04 or 05 Highlander, and I really like it. Gas mileage doesn't seem to be too wretched, either, the dash readout usually says something like 17.9 when I ride with him.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
midsized SUV? Full sized SUV and Minivan?
you need to pick what you want to use it for first
then pick the make/model

if its a family car, and the child(ren) are still young, nothing... NOTHING beats a minivan for pure easy of in and out. My kids since 4 can open the door, climb in, walk to their seats, buckle in and vice-versa on the way out. In most SUVs they will have an issue getting up the step up and into their seats by themselves. Not to mention the cargo space in a minivan trumps that of 99% of the SUVs out there (removable seats). So when you're hauling that new plastic gymset home or new doll house you got the ability.

Sorry, I'm TOTAL minivan convert since we got ours (loathed before, loved after)

I have narrowed down my list to (in-order of preference):
CRV
RAV4
Highlander

Dont need a mini-van since we are only 3 ppl in the family and no kids in the near future

 

[crystal]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: Homerboy
midsized SUV? Full sized SUV and Minivan?
you need to pick what you want to use it for first
then pick the make/model

if its a family car, and the child(ren) are still young, nothing... NOTHING beats a minivan for pure easy of in and out. My kids since 4 can open the door, climb in, walk to their seats, buckle in and vice-versa on the way out. In most SUVs they will have an issue getting up the step up and into their seats by themselves. Not to mention the cargo space in a minivan trumps that of 99% of the SUVs out there (removable seats). So when you're hauling that new plastic gymset home or new doll house you got the ability.

Sorry, I'm TOTAL minivan convert since we got ours (loathed before, loved after)

I have narrowed down my list to (in-order of preference):
CRV
RAV4
Highlander

Dont need a mini-van since we are only 3 ppl in the family and no kids in the near future

Since you already got your preference... My advice is get something bigger than CRV or RAV4. We got a CRV but think it is a little bit under power with its 4 engines. Also we consider it to be a little too small for us since we got the kid.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: zoiks
none of the above.

give your "full" input pls. if none of the above, then what ?

Did you look into one of those Mazda 'SUV''s like they have in the commercials? It looks to be pretty sporty and fast.
CX-7

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: crystal

Since you already got your preference... My advice is get something bigger than CRV or RAV4. We got a CRV but think it is a little bit under power with its 4 engines. Also we consider it to be a little too small for us since we got the kid.

Thanks for your advice. I just happened to look at a RAV4 on the road and it did look small It did not leave a good impression on me. It looks really different in person and in the pictures.

But I will be going to different dealers tomorrow and taking them all for a test-drive. Pilot seems to be too expensive at ~30k (including tax/license). Might look more into highlander now (perhaps, we will end up with a mini-van )

Zoiks, thanks for the link but I think that my family will only go with Honda or Toyota

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: crystal

Since you already got your preference... My advice is get something bigger than CRV or RAV4. We got a CRV but think it is a little bit under power with its 4 engines. Also we consider it to be a little too small for us since we got the kid.

Thanks for your advice. I just happened to look at a RAV4 on the road and it did look small It did not leave a good impression on me. It looks really different in person and in the pictures.

But I will be going to different dealers tomorrow and taking them all for a test-drive. Pilot seems to be too expensive at ~30k (including tax/license). Might look more into highlander now (perhaps, we will end up with a mini-van )

Zoiks, thanks for the link but I think that my family will only go with Honda or Toyota

Looks like your options are pretty limited. Too bad dude.

 

[Gooberlx2]

It's a tough one against the 07 Rav4 and 07 CRV. I gotta give the edge to the Rav4 because they were able to drop in a 6-cylinder whilst keeping about the same gas mileage as the CRV's 4-cylinder. Everything else is just about the same for the price between the two.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
It's a tough one against the 07 Rav4 and 07 CRV. I gotta give the edge to the Rav4 because they were able to drop in a 6-cylinder whilst keeping about the same gas mileage as the CRV's 4-cylinder. Everything else is just about the same for the price between the two.

yep, its a very touch one between CRV and Rav4. The CRV is about 1k cheaper though and has little more standard features though.

I looked at a brand new RAV4 and it looked relatively small to me . Wondering on how the CRV will appear.

The best prices so far i have gotten are:

RAV4 4-CYL 2WD: ~20800
RAV4 6-CYL 2WD: ~25800 (~5k difference b/c I have to get a Sport model for V6)
CRV 2WD: ~19800

SIENNA LE: ~24400
ODYSSEY LX: ~23400

 

[mwmorph]

The V6 rav4 is worth every penny imho. The I4 olny CRV and Rav4 are underpowered while the V6 is "Quick" to say the least.

 

[Kelvrick]

What about a subaru forester or outback/legacy?

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
The V6 rav4 is worth every penny imho. The I4 olny CRV and Rav4 are underpowered while the V6 is "Quick" to say the least.

Thanks. My pick would be RAV4 Base 6-CYL 2WD but they are not available in our region. If we want V6 on the Rav4, only option is to upgrade to Sports Trim and that comes out to ~25-26k + taxes. Would rather get the Pilot if I were to go in that price range.

I want to keep it under 25k including taxes/licenses.

I am leaning towards the Sienna/Odyssey now...going to test drive all tomorrow.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: Nyati13

try a Subaru Forester as well.

does it sits as low as a car ? The primary reason for us getting a SUV is that my father has trouble getting in/out of a low car b/c of his knee problem.

Getting in/out of a vehicle that sits high (such as SUV/Mini-van) is much easier for him.

Is your father going with you when you test drive? Would be a good idea to test the ground clearance and get a 2nd unbiased opinion.

 

[Nyati13]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: Nyati13

try a Subaru Forester as well.

does it sits as low as a car ? The primary reason for us getting a SUV is that my father has trouble getting in/out of a low car b/c of his knee problem.

Getting in/out of a vehicle that sits high (such as SUV/Mini-van) is much easier for him.

It's about a foot and a half higher than a car, but if a RAV4 seems small, the Forester is actually a bit smaller.

 

[SZLiao214]

The highlander is a really nice car, its pretty much the rx330 but toned down. The crv and rav 4 are usually the 2 cars that are compared together and the honda used to be a bit cheaper. The new crv is a lot nicer then the old one which is what i drive. I like the crv a lot, its a decent sized suv and maintains pretty good gas mileage.

Unless you haul large items id say go for the compact suv. Dont go for the mini van!

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Is your father going with you when you test drive? Would be a good idea to test the ground clearance and get a 2nd unbiased opinion.

Yes, he will be going with me also. This vehicle will be his vehicle so he gets to choose. My opinion comes second to his.

Originally posted by: SZLiao214
The highlander is a really nice car, its pretty much the rx330 but toned down. The crv and rav 4 are usually the 2 cars that are compared together and the honda used to be a bit cheaper. The new crv is a lot nicer then the old one which is what i drive. I like the crv a lot, its a decent sized suv and maintains pretty good gas mileage.

Unless you haul large items id say go for the compact suv. Dont go for the mini van!

We dont haul anything but due the nature of my father's business, he needs cargo space. The trunk of his car is FULL at all times and many times, the back seat has stuff also.

After getting some price quotes, I am getting good deals on the Odyssey as follows:

Odyssey LX: ~22.7k + tax/license only (includes destination charge)
Odyssey EX: ~25.6k + tax/license only (includes destination charge)

CRV has gotten down to ~19.5k
Rav4 is ~20.7 (~25.xk for sports V6)


All these quotes are over the internet (first offer by dealers) so far with email only. hopefully, i can get them to lower little more

too bad there are no financing deals going on and I will most probably be purchasing it with our Business line of credit initially. Just wondering, if we can purchase a vehicle (full down) on credit card ? (i wont mind ~25k miles )

 

[RossMAN]

What's the difference between the Odyssey LX and EX trims?

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
What's the difference between the Odyssey LX and EX trims?

here they are (hopefully i didnt miss any)

dual power sliding side doors (dont care)
power driver seat w/ lumbar support (comes handy)
split folding of rear seat (dont care)
rear fan control (dont care)
heated driver miror and passenger mirror (dont care - have gotten thru without these so far)
audio control on steering (dont care)
cargo nets (dont care)
universal remote transmitter (what is this ??)
automatic climate control w/ dual front air conditioning zones (comes handy)
interior air filtration (good, health comes first )
external temperature (my dad loves this feature on the toyotas)
remote anti-theft alarm system (definately need)
6cd player (dont care)

I am thinking that they are worth ~3k easily. If we get the LX model, we will be getting anti-theft system installed from aftermarket which costed us ~$300 last time