Just to give you guys and update.
I had to walk away from the dealership as they didn't want to cut a
"reasonable" deal.
I'm still on the prowl for a mini-van but I've got a couple of leads.
As for the Dodge Caravan, it had crossed my mind as well as the
Chevrolet/Pontiac but I'd rather stay away from domestic.
I've had better success with imports rather than the domestic models even
with a warranty.
I've heard just as many horror stories from either.
Dan

Do you have proof of this?

And you obviously missed where I said that at least Honda works to fix their
tranny problems, unlike Crapsler.  In case you forgot, Honda extended the
warranty on the 4-speed automatics and issued a recall for the 5-speed
automatics.  Crapsler 4-speed auto trannies have been prone to failure since
the late 80s and they have never admitted to it.

Honda also extended the warranty on the EGR.  There is a perfectly logical
reason why Crapslers have such long warranties... they know they make junk.

But a 4-year-old Odyssey is still likely to be more reliable than a new
Caravan.  I know quite a few owners of newer Crapslers who hate their cars
because they have had many problems with them from the time they were
new.  I'd rather pay more money for peace of mind knowing that an Odyssey is
still less likely to break down than a Caravan, and that Honda at least
works to fix such problems.

Honda transmission failure rate in the 99-03 year is far higher than
Caravan's.  Odyssey also has problems with EGR, iac, and other areas. A new
Caravan would be a far better investment than a four year old Odyssey with
an unknown past and especially paying just about the cost of it when it was
new.

Why in the hell would he want a Crapsler minivan?  Odyssey gets slightly
better gas mileage, has more power, and a 5-speed automatic vs the Caravan's
4-speed.  Although past Odyssey's had tranny issues, tranny failures are
much more common on Caravans.  Honda at least has been working to fix their
tranny problems, unlike Crapsler.  Beyond the tranny issue, the Odyssey is
still much more reliable.  Caravans are proven junk.

Any car, foreign or domestic, is bound to develop rust if the proper
precautions are not taken.

For this price or less , you could get a brand new dodge caravan with a full
warranty. They advertise is for around $19,000. If you go through apa.com or
similar organizations, the invoice price could be even less, as they tend to
go through the fleet manager.

The 2002 Odyssey is 4 years old and you don't know its history. There is
probably rust starting out inside the bumpers and the top of the doors
already - thanks to salt on the winter roads. However it would be worth it
to call up Honda or even just do a carfax report to see how much warranty is
left.

Hi,
I'm in Ottawa, ON Canada and i'm looking into purchasing a used 2002 Odyssey
LX. I'm wondering what a fair price is? The dealer has it listed as 20995
with 63, 000 Km on it. I took it for a drive and it seems OK and the
interior exterior all look in good condition.
Also, doing some research I found that there have been a few people with
transmission problems and I'm wondering if I should be concerned.
Dan