Honda Odyssey '96

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myrns, Nov 19, 12:45am
421795190, I presume this car will be a 2.2 so are they good on gas and would this be a good buy at $1500, Are these cars reliable and what would be the things to look out for when inspecting car! TIA

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 12:49am
For that sort of money getting something reliable etc in a people mover is fairly hard work. Odysseys are known for a few expensive problems in particular automatic transmission issues.

If thats all the money you have to spend you could buy it on a "sell it to the scrappie if somethng major breaks" basis.

They are certainly a nice enough vehicle to travel in etc and about as good on gas as its possible to get in a Japanese people mover of size.

What is your maximum budget!

Do you actually need a people mover!

What is your intended use i.e carting 5 kids around etc.

grangies, Nov 19, 12:50am
The auction says "in very good condition"

LOL

They have not even bothered to wash it.

I suppose you can't ask for much from a large vehicle for only $1500.

But if you are fussy, don't buy that one.

Spend a bit more on a nicer one.

carmedic, Nov 19, 12:53am
http://www.carjam.co.nz/car/!plate=cdb729
Registration status: Lapsed

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 12:57am
Good spotting!
I take it that means its properly lapsed as in over 12 months. If it is then forget it poster 1.

Edit, if carjam is correct then its well and truly lapsed.

myrns, Nov 19, 1:00am
Good spotting! I just presumed it may of been on hold, yes think I will pass.I've onlygot $1500 to spend unless I sell my car first but need a car everyday so may wait to school holidays sell my car then buy something around the $3000.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 1:02am
Do you actually need a people mover or just a good reliable little car!

mugenb20b, Nov 19, 1:07am
Mainly in V6 and some 4WD models. Even though their transmissions aren't very strong, they do seem to last well enough. We've done an auto trans in a Honda Accord recently, it cost the garage around $1700 to rebuild. They are very simple and easy to work on compared to most trannies.

myrns, Nov 19, 1:11am
Just need a good reliable car and cheap on gas, as I do 200+kms a week,I have a '93 toyota camry 195kms though due for cambelt and waterpump, power steering is a little bit noisy also drips oil (not sure if it is a major repairbut doesn't use any oil), just got rego and wof so thought it may be a good time to replace, I don't mind a car if its high km's as long as its been serviced well.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 1:11am
That echo's my limited experience too, although less common I have seen 4 Cylinder ones do gearbox's in (including a freind of mines) but agree its mostly the V6's and those that are stressed or abused.

A good one for $1500 would be worth a shot in my opinion especially if a people mover was a must. Just a pity this one is not a good one.

myrns, Nov 19, 1:26am
Not quite big enough for what I need I have this on my watchlist 423200345 but not sure what they are like,besides need to sell my car first do you think a seller would hold something like this for 2 weeks until I sold my car!

carmedic, Nov 19, 1:28am
Rubbish, if someone said that about one of your beloved Fiats or VAG car you??

kazbanz, Nov 19, 3:23am
You are totally wrong in this case. The 2.2l AUTO transmission in the odyssey is utterly bullet proof._I've bought and sold a fair few of them and NEVER had one with a blown up Tranz.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 3:38am
Those Avenir's are surprisingly thirsty, over priced and over rated. The only good point is they are reasonably reliable.
You can do much better.

mrcat1, Nov 19, 3:45am
The secret is to use genuine Honda transmission oil.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 3:47am
You know what. I think you are quite correct!
I am scratching my head to remember here but pretty sure that's old enough to have the archaic H4A transmission in it. If so then yes I agree it should be fairly reliable.

myrns, Nov 19, 3:57am
So would it be worth the gamble ifI got it $1000! Thenif I spent another $500 getting back on the road, and if it needs a new cambelt/water pump etc that would still get me a good reliable car for around $2k.

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 3:58am
No I still wouldn't suggest you buy it. I think you can do much better with a car that dosn't need mucking about with. Getting compliance on an old car like that can be an absolute nightmare sometimes.

It might be different if you were super mechanically minded but even then this could easily turn into a money pit before it even gets on the road.

myrns, Nov 19, 3:59am
Cool will keep looking elsewhere

thejazzpianoma, Nov 19, 4:06am
If you can work it so you can take your time you will pick up a great bargain. It might be worth considering putting the extra $1500 on a credit card and then selling the other car to pay it off.
In the cheap segment I always like to look outside the square and then you can pick up a real bargain. I bought myself a 99 Fiat Marea wagon in lovely condition with 120K on the clock for $1350 the other day.

My suggestions for economical small/medium wagons would be:

VW Golf
Fiat Marea (But only with the 1600cc or 1800cc engine)
Volvo V40
Fiat Multipla (petrol or diesel)

All three are very reliable and good on fuel. I have seen very tidy V40's turn up at Turners Auctions for under $2K.

Remember to factor in any major servicing that is due like cambelts etc. The Golf is particually cheap and easy to do a cambelt on, the other three are not too bad.

kazbanz, Nov 19, 7:55am
NOPE-not quite $1000 for the car $400 for recompliance $300 for rego then cambelt/waterpump around $650. BUT you would end up with a darned reliable solid vehicle.
For the recored I got $2500 for a 97 odyssey done 155 and it had current rego/wof but needed a screen

mugenb20b, Nov 19, 8:06am
It says ATF D-lll on the dipstick. Pretty common fluid, but TQ95 is better. I do a drain and refill on my one at every oil change. They have no servicable filter, just a big fat magnet on the drain plug. After 190 000 kms of drains and refills, the fluid is always clean and clear. Transmission has been faultless so far.

franc123, Nov 19, 8:11am
I've always found that the shift quality deteriorates if you don't use either the TQ95 style or else genuine fluid, especially so in the intermediate gears, the clutch plate linings s used in them must be very sensitive to the friction qualities of the fluids.

mugenb20b, Nov 19, 8:14am
I've never used TQ95 in my car, but will next time. I'll have to do a proper flush. And, yes, every Honda I had, has had jerky, harsh shifts, but that never bothered me.

kazbanz, Nov 20, 3:23am
You are totally wrong in this case. The 2.2l AUTO transmission in the odyssey is utterly bullet proof._I've bought and sold a fair few of them and NEVER had one with a blown up Tranz.
I'm suspect of this particular vehicle simply because its not had live rego for many years.
BUT if it was checked out by a mechanic before hand and bought for about $1000 then it may well be worth the effort to put it back on the road.
Pay $1000 that leave you $500 up your sleeve for compliance. If you get it to MR2a stage then when you sell your car you can register it.