I've narrowed my search down to Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and the Chrysler Town and Country. Is there one of these that truly outshines the others? Or one I should write off the list (talking about you Dodge Caravan) ?

Searching for a 2014-2017, mileage less than 100k if possible, leather seats, and a clean carfax.

I'm trading in a 2007 Toyota Camry that drives like a dream, but is a bland gold color with cloth seats and no real bells and whistles.

I knew Kia had a minivan, but I haven't even considered it. The Dodge isn't an option due to super low resale value and the sheer number of them available. That alone scares me and my family never had good luck with dodges growing up, so there's no way I'm buying a Caravan.

FCA sucks. Avoid like the plague. Kia's minivan is miles better but Honda/Toyota are still the minivan kings

This decision should be down to the Odyssey or Sienna. The Town and Country is a slightly nicer version of the Caravan you already eliminated. I'd also suggest you look at the Kia Sedona if you haven't already. They are a great value if you look at 2015-2017 model years. Also, should be a good amount of used 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacificas available, but they'll probably be ex-rentals.

I ended up getting a 2015 Sienna Limited over similar Odysseys for a couple reasons:

1. Price - I found that the Odysseys were typically a couple grand more vs. similar trim/mileage Siennas

2. 2nd row seat travel/comfort - I have 2 rear facing child seats in the 2nd row and the Sienna seats will roll all the way back against the 3rd row. This makes it much easier for anyone to access the 3rd row with the carseats installed. The Odyssey seats don't go back nearly as far. This was a big factor for us since the 3rd row gets used a decent amount. I also wanted the 2nd row lounge seats w/ the leg rests (only available on the Limited Sienna and SXL Sedona) since we do several long distance drives a year and wanted that additional comfort should we move a car seat to the 3rd row.

3. Infotainment and AC controls - I liked the simplicity of the Sienna Infotainment system. The radio and AC controls are both easy to reach and use. Also, you can easily replace the Sienna head unit with something aftermarket if you wanted to add in a Carplay or Android Auto capabilities. The Odyssey system is fine, but uses a 2 screen set up that was cumbersome and dumb looking to me and cannot be replaced.

Despite those reasons, I would've been fine getting a similar year/mileage Odyssey if one was available locally when we bought the Sienna. Both are really good at being vans and carrying kids. The other stuff is being nitpicky. The Odyssey has a couple options like the built in vacuum and console cooler that aren't available on the Sienna. I didn't see myself using those options enough to really sway my decision.

One annoyance with the Sienna is it has a power closing rear liftgate, but you cannot open it remotely unless you hit the button in the van. It is one of the dumbest design decisions Toyota could have made. The Odyssey liftgate can open and close via the remote.

I personally wanted a new Chrysler Pacifica, since it was my favorite van, but the wife insisted on used so that got nixed.

If you are buying used, Odyssey and Sienna should be the only ones on your list.

I'm an Odyssey guy, but the Sienna is very nice, also.

I think the Odyssey has a little more car feel, and dare I say, funner to drive. It's not a BMW, but it does have pretty good driving dynamics for the segment.

Sienna, typical for Toyota, has a bit more of a detached, yet plush, ride, if you prefer that. The one thing that has been a major problem for Honda, IMO, is road noise. Although they have gotten better.

Both should last you a long time.

why are you considering the town and country and not the pacifica? you're excluding the best minivan available.

ah, used, i see. that said, the pacifica came out in model year 2017.

If I found a great deal on the 2017 Pacifica, then I'd consider it.

Still looking...

Doug,

Thanks!! I didn't even realize they had leg rests.

Thank you!! I have never driven a Honda anything before, so my first time will be a test drive.

Raptor said:

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If I found a great deal on the 2017 Pacifica, then I'd consider it.

Still looking...

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it was the best one that we drove of those available at the time. it also won out against the new odyssey (which came out shortly after) in a car and drive comparo.

Doug Collins said:

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Raptor said:

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If I found a great deal on the 2017 Pacifica, then I'd consider it.

Still looking...

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FYI - there are 2 versions of the 2017 Pacifica that can only be differentiated by looking at the government safety ratings. Later production 2017s got enhanced structural support to get a 5 star rating on the front offset tests. The early production units dont have this and therefore dont have the 5 star safety rating. If going for a Pacifica, I'd only look at ones with the better crash rating.

I can't remember if there's a specific production date to look for, but you can tell by looking at the window sticker. If it's 5 star crash rated across the board, it has the improved structure.

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That is a really good tidbit to know!

19 years with Odyssey. Go with Sienna.

Honda and Toyota. Either one.
I would look at both and when you find a clean one with what you want pull the trigger. You win either way.

Mini vans for life!

15 odyssey here. Please don't by a town and country.

Kia redid the Sedona in 2015. Very solid option. Heated Steering wheel, A/C seats, etc.

Wife drives a '17 Odyssey. We were down to the Odyssey and Sienna and were looking to see which one we could find the best deal on. Personally, I think the Odyssey looks better than the Sienna, so that may be something to think about since you'll be riding around in a minivan. We drove it to the family farm in Iowa for the 4th and loaded it up for 5 people and I had full view out of the back window. In the Edge it replaced, I couldn't see crap out the back with stuff for just 3 people. Storage in this thing is massive.

The one thing the Sienna has that I wish the Odyssey has is a place in the rear to store the middle seat in the 2nd row. Instead, it sits in the garage until we need it.

When I first saw this posted I read it as "Minivan...HELP!"

Doug Collins said:

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One annoyance with the Sienna is it has a power closing rear liftgate, but you cannot open it remotely unless you hit the button in the van. It is one of the dumbest design decisions Toyota could have made. The Odyssey liftgate can open and close via the remote.

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That's weird. My 2011 Sienna can open/close the rear hatch via the remote/key fob. Is that something they took away?

I'd lean heavily towards the Toyota.

Want to sell the Camry for more than trade in value?

aggiepaintrain@gmail.com

TX_AG_10 said:

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Doug Collins said:

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One annoyance with the Sienna is it has a power closing rear liftgate, but you cannot open it remotely unless you hit the button in the van. It is one of the dumbest design decisions Toyota could have made. The Odyssey liftgate can open and close via the remote.

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That's weird. My 2011 Sienna can open/close the rear hatch via the remote/key fob. Is that something they took away?

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Must have taken it out. I thought our remote was defective till I looked it up and confirmed it was operating correctly.

Raptor said:

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Doug,

Thanks!! I didn't even realize they had leg rests.

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The limited and awd versions also don't have the middle jumpseat between the 2nd row captains chairs. Something to keep in mind if you want that extra seat. The Odyssey comes with that 8th seat on all trims.

We have a family of four, but it may be growing in the near future.

The 8th seat sounds good, but being able to have four captains chairs and easier access to the third row seems like a better deal right now.

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Raptor said:

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We have a family of four, but it may be growing in the near future.

The 8th seat sounds good, but being able to have four captains chairs and easier access to the third row seems like a better deal right now.

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We've had ours for about 8 months and it is awesome. The 2 older kids are in the 3rd row, and they just walk back there and buckle themselves in while the tot is in the base behind the driver. Very easy for all to enter and exit. Also, getting to the 3rd row to clean all of the crap that can't seem to make it into their mouths is easy. You can have the 2nd row captains out in less than a minute each.