After our 1990 Chrysler Grand Voyager graced us with $3,000 in repair bills in six months, we decided enough was enough. After visiting the Wizard and getting a brain, we purchased a 2000 Honda Odyssey in May. Oh joy, rapture! We added a roof rack and cassette player while Ziebart did paint and fabric protection.
April 2001: On a Boy Scout camping trip I decided to sleep in the back of our Odyssey instead of pitching a tent. I put the magic seat down, threw down my foam pad and sleeping bag and slept great. It's not just a van, its a mini camper.
May 2001: Our Odyssey turned one year old. We are happy to report there were no production flaws and our gas mileage meet the manufacturer's promise.
July 2001: Our five week Pacific Northwest trip was a blast! To cope with long driving days, father-in-law Doug made us a van TV stand for our TV/VCP. We also ordered a Stowaway 2 for carrying all our stuff. It worked great!
June 2002: I drove my Odyssey on a two week Boy Scout scuba diving trip to the Florida Keys. We drove three thousand miles and watched fourteen movies. Our other trip van caught fire, but the Odyssey proved flawless.
September 2002: I got an engine check light. It turned out to be a clogged EGR exhaust system port and was repaired free as part of a manufacturer's recall.
June 2004: I drove my Odyssey on a two week Boy Scout trip that included Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. I'm approaching 100,000 miles yet have not encountered any major problems.
December 2004: We turned over 100,000 miles on our Odyssey and have yet to have had any significant problems. Yowza!!!
October 2007: We turned over 160,000 miles and it still runs like a dream. The only major repair we have done to date is to replace the catalytic convertor ($360).
February 8, 2009: We hit 200,000 miles! We have never had an auto that ever did this and we are pretty darned excited!
February 12, 2009: We encountered major transmission problems. Sorry to see you go old buddy. You served our family well.
Our 2000 Odyssey arrives!
The fuel efficient 4,000+ pound van.
The birch TV stand that Doug built.
Added a Stowaway2 rear mounted carrier.
