Summary: I bought a minivan for my wife and kids too hastily. Somebody tell me to either chill out or do something about it.

There was a point where I thought we'd get by with just my beloved 2003 4Runner and a little Jeep Wrangler with no AC or hard top. I was going to use the YJ to get to the airport (I work from home and often visit clients that are from 50 to 500 miles away), and for longer drives I would rent a car and be reimbursed for the mileage by my company. My wife, meanwhile, would use the T4R as the daily driver with the kids. I decided I was OK with all this, even the bit about the kids spilling soda and french fries in the back seat.

Sounds OK on paper I guess, but I couldn't handle it. I wanted my 4Runner back, and so we needed a car for the wife and kids. Budget: $20K tops, and I'd sell the YJ. After making extra sure my wife wouldn't feel like a dope driving around town in a minivan (she still swears it's fine but I'm not sure I believe her) we figured out what attributes were required (seating for 7 plus cargo, fold flat third row, motorized sliding doors, good reviews, affordable). This led to a quick conclusion: 2-3 year old Honda Odyssey was the only choice. If more money had been available, a newer Toyota Sienna would have been a no-brainer, but we just couldn't afford the latest model (they only recently added fold flat rear seats).

18 hours later I'm looking at a 2001 Odyssey EX on a used car lot. Four hours after that I drove away in it and got (I thought) a pretty good deal. That was a few months ago.

Now for the buyer's remorse. I hate this minivan, partly because it's no fun to drive (duh), and partly because I had a bad buying experience.

• # Three days after buying it I found the battery smelled of sulphur and wouldn't hold a charge. Replaced it myself rather than drive 25 miles to the dealer and let them keep it for four hours.
  
  # I was assured the vehicle was factory certified and had a warranty that was good for something like 2 years and/or 30K more miles (we bought it at 52K). In the dumbest move of the century, I didn't verify this claim in any of the contracts, and of course I have no such warranty.
  
  # When I told the dealer I would be financing the car through my own lender, they said "no problem" and promised a quick three day free loan as is common in such situations. When I called them with my credit union to pay off the car and transfer the pink slip I was told the loan had been sold to a third party and I'd have to deal with the new lender. It took 2 months to wrest the loan away from the new guys and get my loan in order. This too could have been avoided by more vigilance on my part.
  
  # I was pretty sure the car had floor mats when I looked at it, but of course there were none when I left the dealership. The dealer denies the possibility of "accidentally" forgetting to replace the mats after the car was detailed for delivery.

So I have a bad taste in my mouth over this, and I guess it's because I didn't pay close enough attention to the transaction, allowing myself to be rushed by my impatient family, tired kids and a dealer in high gear.

What should I do next?

• # See if I can still buy a warranty if the car is indeed certified and I'm still elligible.
  
  # Get the dealer to fix the whine coming from the transmission (apparently a factory warranty extension due to a known defect).
  
  # Figure out why the check engine light just came on.
  
  # Figure out why the TCS light (traction control?) light just came on.

Blah! Am I whining pointlessly? Should I be thinking in other terms? Should I try to sell the stupid thing even at a loss and get a vehicle I can have some pride of ownership in and redeem myself by handling the transaction correctly? Or just calm down and get over it?

This weekend I saw a commerical for the Navy, it showed Navy Seals coming up on a beach, someone on a computer reacting to a command, someone steering a ship and then it said "Someone, somewhere is now considering buying a mini-van" and it showed a guy with a frown on his face looking into the camera. So even the US goverment does not like mini-vans.:arrow:


Actually, I can't laugh at you since I am in the same boat.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...ghlight=previa


My parents bought a new Honda, I hope it doesn't have all the problems your does. As far as my mini-van goes, the handling is terrible, it feels like, well, driving a mini-van.

At some point you have to reconcile and get past it, but your candid post is a great scenario for things others should watch out for. Rest assured, this has happened to many others out there. You are not alone. Sorry, nothing I can say to make you feel better.

Unfortunately, we all learn after we make these mistakes. I would drive the minivan back into where you bought it and make a stink over the hassle. From what I have heard/experienced, the more you yell, the more results you get. If you make a scene in their showroom where the customers are, they will take you seriously. Did you buy this from a Honda dealer or a private used car dealer?

From a dealership that is a franchisee of Honda, Nissan, Isuzu and a couple others. How many times must one learn the laws of used cars?

- Slow down, no reason to hurry.
- Don't buy from used car dealers.
- Spend $100 on a once-over by a mechanic.
- Write down all promises made and make sure they're in writing.

I'm a letter writer, so I'm sending a letter to the dealership owner outlining the issues and asking for a warranty, transmission repair, etc. If I don't get what I want, I'll send a copy of my letter to BBB, local newspapers, this thread and maybe a Honda forum somewhere, then I'll get on with my life.

If I am reading your plight correctly: at least you still have your 'Runner! My wife still has mine and I only get to occassionally "borrow" it back!

Yeah, sounds like you got smacked by the dealership...thats a dealership for ya! They probably charged you for detailing it again before you took delivery...they seem to like doing that.

The good side: You did get a decent vehicle. Batteries die and need to be replaced. You probably saved $$ on that deal by doing it yourself...and you KNOW what you have for a battery now; very good peice of mind since the family is cruising about in it. Floor mats are no biggie; one less thing for the kids to cram up under the seat, leave in the driveway or try to use as sleds for the dog (yes, I have three kids myself!)
And...you dont have to drive the thing daily! It is a safe, reliable and comfy family rig that should save you $$ on your insurance too! So go fling some mud on your 'Runner and have fun!

Sit back, relax, take a breather and realize your not alone when it comes to a bad buying experience at leat you got a Honda, if you ended up with a Caravan or a WindStar you probably be typing with the end of a gun hanging out of your mouth

Read up, even new odysseys are having problems www.odyclub.com

Just a little side note, after 4,500 miles I figured out the mileage of my 91 Previa minivan that I got last year. It is 17.05 MPG, while my 4Runner after 60,000 miles gets 19.3 MPG. The 4 cyl. gets worse mileage than my V6. That is just a reminder that minivans are big suckers.

Speaking of big suckers, I must admit when you go to Home Depot / Lowes it is great to put a 4'X8' sheet of plywood inside your van. I think that is a guy thing, probably the only thing in a minivan that is a guy thing.:arrow:

Gotta remember most minivans can weigh as much as midsize SUV's and are equipped with the same engines what does that say for gas mileage and they are only better at moving mulitple rug rats

The Odyssey weighs more than a 4Runner, has smaller brakes and less tire size. Honda's other mini-van, the Pilot, weighs more, too. In our extended family weh have one of each. The Odyssey drives really well for a mini-van but I don't like the spongy brakes in either Honda. And both have been problems, like failed transmissions, egr valves and automatic doors. If that wasn't bad enough, I had to go to war with the dealer to get anything done on know, common problems. Honda makes great vehicles. It's such a shame, that you have to buy them from a Honda dealer. I had a service manager look me straight in the eye and lie. These dealers are having problems with informed customers. And with the Internet and forums like this, it's only going to get worse for them. The only way to own a car, now is to keep records and receipts, get imformed and when there is a problem, keep after it until it's solved in a resonable manner and if necessary go to war.

The internet has got to suck if your car has a common problem and the dealer is tryin to play it off like it's just a 1 time thing, gone are the days when you met 1 guy in the waiting room with a similiar problem, now their are 1000's of owners with similiar makes and models reading online from other owners who are having the same problems

Many times I have been at the dealer and someone will come in and be like, yes I read online that such and such an item is causeing this problem, can you fix it, that really pisses a service writer off when the customer knows whats wrong and that it is a common problem on all the cars, they then act like it's the 1st time they heard of this

1 of the main reason I bought a 4Runner was cause of all the owners who had no problems even with high mileage