2008 Honda Odyssey - Almost perfect van
For the most part, this is a great vehicle for our large family. We have four children, plus occasionally more staying with us. We also have three large dogs. We shuffle our children to various school activities, sporting and family events. The in floor storage is great as well as the back seats that fold into the floor. I wish the back seats folded individually instead of one and two. There have been many times I wish I could separate the children instead of them sitting right next to each other for long trips and still have a seat down for storage. We really like the automatic side doors; however, we have had to replace the motors a time or two. After seven years of heavy use, it has held up well in the interior except for a few cosmetic pieces. Due to the year, it was a little crowd... (more)
For the most part, this is a great vehicle for our large family. We have four children, plus occasionally more staying with us. We also have three large dogs. We shuffle our children to various school activities, sporting and family events. The in floor storage is great as well as the back seats that fold into the floor. I wish the back seats folded individually instead of one and two. There have been many times I wish I could separate the children instead of them sitting right next to each other for long trips and still have a seat down for storage. We really like the automatic side doors; however, we have had to replace the motors a time or two. After seven years of heavy use, it has held up well in the interior except for a few cosmetic pieces. Due to the year, it was a little crowded with three car seats when the kids were little. The newer ones are several inches wider and would have fit the seats better. At the time, cost of a newer vehicle was an issue. The safety features are good also. The alarm sounds when the side doors are open and the car is in gear. The sliding doors also sense when something is blocking and open back up.
The kids, dogs and I went camping at a wildlife refuge last summer. On our last morning there, it starting to rain. Not just rain, but absolute flooding downpour. Luckily, we had already packed most of the gear in the van the night before. I put the smaller kids in the car and opened the back. The older kids and I wore ponchos while we packed the sleeping bags and folded the tent. I always use... (more)
The kids, dogs and I went camping at a wildlife refuge last summer. On our last morning there, it starting to rain. Not just rain, but absolute flooding downpour. Luckily, we had already packed most of the gear in the van the night before. I put the smaller kids in the car and opened the back. The older kids and I wore ponchos while we packed the sleeping bags and folded the tent. I always use a tarp over our tents, even if no rain is forecast, so we were able to load everything dry straight into the back of the van. I tossed my poncho in since it was just a quick dash to the front, mostly under trees. I reached up and closed the back, and splash. I got completely soaked from the water accumulated on top of the license plate and top of the door.
Our favorite features are the automatic side doors, in floor storage, and the assortment of seating configurations. We have hauled some major appliances, furniture and various other things along with the four kids. Very rarely has there been a space issue. There is room in the seat backs for the kids to store electronics, books and art supplies for long trips. It comfortably holds all the kids and three large dogs for trips as well. We frequently shuttle to sporting events with friends, family, ice chests, lawn chairs, etc., and have had no issues. We constantly change the seating around t... (more)
Our favorite features are the automatic side doors, in floor storage, and the assortment of seating configurations. We have hauled some major appliances, furniture and various other things along with the four kids. Very rarely has there been a space issue. There is room in the seat backs for the kids to store electronics, books and art supplies for long trips. It comfortably holds all the kids and three large dogs for trips as well. We frequently shuttle to sporting events with friends, family, ice chests, lawn chairs, etc., and have had no issues. We constantly change the seating around to accommodate what we are doing at the time. It is even convenient to remove and reinstall the middle seats. I can do it by myself without any help. We haven't had to have any major repairs done. The engine has held up very well, though we do all recommended maintenance on it. This has saved us considerable money. The sliding doors sense when something is blocking the door, such as a small child, and open back up instead of injuring the child. The gas mileage is good. This vehicle drops from six to four cylinders when on the highway, saving money.
The top negatives for this car are mainly cosmetic. We haven't had to have any major body or engine work done. Smaller cosmetic pieces tend to come off inside. Most of the time, they snap back on without any problem. The automatic door motors/slides have been replaced twice and need it again. We have to gently guide the door with our hands to keep the sensor from sensing an obstruction. On one side, it doesn't shut all the way, and the alarm sounds when the car is in gear. The alarm keeps sounding until you can hit the close button enough on that side for it to slide the last little bit in... (more)
The top negatives for this car are mainly cosmetic. We haven't had to have any major body or engine work done. Smaller cosmetic pieces tend to come off inside. Most of the time, they snap back on without any problem. The automatic door motors/slides have been replaced twice and need it again. We have to gently guide the door with our hands to keep the sensor from sensing an obstruction. On one side, it doesn't shut all the way, and the alarm sounds when the car is in gear. The alarm keeps sounding until you can hit the close button enough on that side for it to slide the last little bit in place. The buttons on the steering wheel sometimes cross. Like you hit the volume up and it changes the song being played or vice versa. It's been decided that the cost of changing out the whole thing isn't worth the occasional inconvenience. The plastic clips that hold the bumper on have gradually broken, and the piece that fits underneath fell off last week. Most of these issues seem to be coming from cheaper plastic pieces being used. I'm not sure why a bumper needs little plastic pieces holding it on. We have never damaged it by bumping into anything or wrecked it. There is also some slight cracking to the paint on the corners.
2008 Honda Odyssey - Great family vehicle
The Honda Odyssey is a great car for a family, from everyday around the town driving to longer trips. I acquired this van when it had just under 100,000 miles. It is now nearing 140,000 miles. There have been no issues with the mechanics of how the vehicle drives. The van did have a problem with the automatic locking doors in that while driving. The van was making a sound of locking/unlocking the doors every thirty seconds or so. This was extremely irritating, so I disabled the automatic locking door mechanism. This does create some difficulties when having to manually unlock the door while holding two of four kids small kids and hoping the grocery cart doesn't roll away, but nothing the people of past generations did not have to deal with before the invention of automatic locks operat... (more)
The Honda Odyssey is a great car for a family, from everyday around the town driving to longer trips. I acquired this van when it had just under 100,000 miles. It is now nearing 140,000 miles. There have been no issues with the mechanics of how the vehicle drives. The van did have a problem with the automatic locking doors in that while driving. The van was making a sound of locking/unlocking the doors every thirty seconds or so. This was extremely irritating, so I disabled the automatic locking door mechanism. This does create some difficulties when having to manually unlock the door while holding two of four kids small kids and hoping the grocery cart doesn't roll away, but nothing the people of past generations did not have to deal with before the invention of automatic locks operated via a key fob. As the vehicle has aged, some of the rubber pieces on the outsider are starting to die and come loose while driving. The van has seven built-in seats and one extra removable seat. We always keep this seat in, as it is perfect when we have extra passengers. The van provides enough space for packing a cooler within easy access of the passenger seat for trips. There is space for kids to change clothes when we go on beach trips. The car is comfortable and has more than served all of our family needs.
One fun memory that my family has in this vehicle is going to the beach as a family. We were able to play all day at the beach and change our clothes in the back into clothes to go out to dinner. We tracked in a lot of sand, but it was easily vacuumed out.
One fun memory that my family has in this vehicle is going to the beach as a family. We were able to play all day at the beach and change our clothes in the back into clothes to go out to dinner. We tracked in a lot of sand, but it was easily vacuumed out.
The most positive things about this vehicle are that it fits our entire family of six people along with an additional two people. I like that the eighth seat may be removed if need extra people are riding along with the family. The driver's seat is comfortable. It has controls that can move the seat up and down as well as a sort of forward up and forward back motion. The seats easily fit car seats. The car seats were easily installed on the seat bracket mechanisms. The car has a surprising amount of storage. There are several compartments between the driver and passenger seat as well as tw... (more)
The most positive things about this vehicle are that it fits our entire family of six people along with an additional two people. I like that the eighth seat may be removed if need extra people are riding along with the family. The driver's seat is comfortable. It has controls that can move the seat up and down as well as a sort of forward up and forward back motion. The seats easily fit car seats. The car seats were easily installed on the seat bracket mechanisms. The car has a surprising amount of storage. There are several compartments between the driver and passenger seat as well as two compartments in front of the passenger seat. There are pockets on the back of each of the middle seats. There is also a large storage compartment below the floor, accessed from behind the driver and passenger seat. It was so hidden, I think it was a year after owning the vehicle that I noticed it. An addition positive aspect of the van is the video system. I survived childhood without watching videos in the car, but this system has helped my family to get through long drives to visit family with a level of peace we may not have had otherwise. The back compartment also fits groceries well and is easy to access.
A few negative things about the 2008 Honda Odyssey is that the automatic locking system malfunctioned. The locks began to lock or unlock frequently while driving. The sound was frustrating, like water torture. I was able to disconnect the system, but now it is annoying that the key fob is no longer accessible/working to unlock/lock the driver side door with the key fob. The doors must be manually opened at the driver's side, and then it is possible to use the key fob to unlock the remaining doors. The rear sliding side doors do become stuck on great frequency. I have not found any debris o... (more)
A few negative things about the 2008 Honda Odyssey is that the automatic locking system malfunctioned. The locks began to lock or unlock frequently while driving. The sound was frustrating, like water torture. I was able to disconnect the system, but now it is annoying that the key fob is no longer accessible/working to unlock/lock the driver side door with the key fob. The doors must be manually opened at the driver's side, and then it is possible to use the key fob to unlock the remaining doors. The rear sliding side doors do become stuck on great frequency. I have not found any debris or methods that are necessarily contributing to the doors becoming stuck mudslide or refusing to work. The back seat is also a bit of a pain to vacuum underneath. The seat has a plastic piece that does across the length of the underside of the seat. I would really like to be able to pick up toys or vacuum under the bench seat without having to disassemble the back seat, especially with young children in the seat that have a tendency to spill food. The rear view video camera has also gone out. I wish this was working again.
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