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The Toyota Sienna is the only one in that entire age range that did not have major mechanical issues. Honda Odysseys from 2001-2004 were plagued with major transmission issues. 2005 was better, but still had a high incidence of failure. With that said, I think Honda does make the "better" van as long as you avoid the trouble prone years.
So, it would really come down to budget. If you need to go with a 2001-2005 I would personally recommend the Sienna. From 2006-2009, my choice would be the Odyssey.
The Toyota Sienna is the only one in that entire age range that did not have major mechanical issues. Honda Odysseys from 2001-2004 were plagued with major transmission issues. 2005 was better, but still had a high incidence of failure. With that said, I think Honda does make the "better" van as long as you avoid the trouble prone years.
So, it would really come down to budget. If you need to go with a 2001-2005 I would personally recommend the Sienna. From 2006-2009, my choice would be the Odyssey.
True. From 2001-2004, I'd stick with the Sienna (without a doubt).
From 2005-2009, It's a toss up. I like them both. My wife has an 06 Odyssey EX-L. We're looking at a 2011 Sienna XLE, in the next year or two (meaning used, when we can find a used/low mileage, CPO one for a good price). We love the new style.
The new Odyssey fell short on style this year.
To be on the safe end, I'd stick with a used Sienna. Honda had tranny issues during the first half of the decade.
Which minivan has the best 2nd row middle seat? It has to fit a car seat and eventually a booster seat.
I think they're both comparable and either will easily accomodate a car seat or booster. The hard part is going to be finding one that has the 8 seat configuration (2+3+3) as opposed to 2nd row captains chairs (2+2+3). The vast majority of vans have the captains chairs unless they are an absolute base model as people generally prefer the captains chairs for comfort and ease of access to the third row.
I drive a 2008 Toyota Sienna LE 8 passenger and love it! My husband and I bought it used this past summer. I wanted the 8-passenger model so my two kids could each have their own 'row' and not fuss (as much) with each other. Unlike some other minivans I have seen, the 3 middle row seats are all the same size and will fix a Britax Frontier booster seat on the passenger side with 2 people able to fit comfortably beside it. I don't like the 40/20/40 seats that many 8 passenger minivans have.
Either one will be good. We had a 2000 Sienna we bought new and it was great. Super reliable and low maintenance costs. My kids grew to hate it and we got a Honda Pilot. I sold the minivan with 265k miles on it and it was still going strong...
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