I'm generally a Toyota guy mostly because of their trucks, but Honda seems to build as dependable a product in most cases.

Both are going to be long lasting, reliable vehicles, so it comes down to whatever style, options, and comfort of driving you prefer.

Does the Odyssey come with a timing belt or chain. The Sienna has a timing chain. That would be a decider for me to get a car with a chain if all other things are fairly equal, especially if you plan on keeping the car 9 plus years.

Only reason to go Sienna is for the AWD, if not the Honda is nicer. I have an AWD sienna and if Honda had AWD I would have bought that.

Honda has a timing belt:

http://tbk-garage.timingbeltkit.com/honda-timing-belttiming-chain-complete-list/

never mind (wrong thread)

This is a real good point and Toyota has been going back and forth with that for a long time. And can be one or the other depending on if it is a four or six cylinder.

That being said, they are much sturdier now and when I did the belt on my 3.4 pickup a while back, the parts I removed still looked like brand new after 80,000 miles. But nobody wants to break one and bend the valves on interference engines like Honda has been mostly known to use.

Toyotas:

https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog/9343/when-to-replace-timing-belt

I have a newer 2016 Toyota Sienna xle. It’s a very nice van. It’s been very reliable, we have not had any issues in about 40k. I’d definitely recommend one for hauling multiple pins. 2 fit with room to spare. I’m also a Honda fan and the new odyssey looks really nice too.

Looks like most or all Toyotas have been using a chain for the last ten years.

Rarely, but occasionally I get a high mileage one in that is rattling a bit, but at least that is some kind of warning when it needs to be replaced.

I'm in the market for a van and have had several people try to steer me towards the Kia Sedona. They seem like a good value for the money and have a great warranty and seem to have decent reliability and safety ratings. Interior also seems nicer than Honda or Toyota too. Could put the savings towards a new pinball purchase?

It's funny as in my owners manual for my Tacoma, there is nowhere in the maintenance schedule at all that mentions timing belt replacement.

In the early days 60,000 miles was the general rule of thumb and usually listed as such, but when I worked a Nissan we were getting a lot of 300Zs and Maximas towed in at 50,000- 55,000 with broken belts and bent valves.

Some belts got thicker and heavier over the years like my V-6 Tacoma so they will last much much longer than that.

One thing about Honda that kind of bothers me is that "random act of kindness" ad campaign.

Maybe they are giving away a bunch of money, but that has to come from somewhere, probably the bottom line on the price of the vehicles.

My odyssey (2011) has been great. Swallows pins and rides great. Has 68k miles and ticks along. I did the touring elite and found a dealer who came off sticker quite a bit. I’m not a “Honda” guy but do love the van. It’s in cherry condition or I would get another Honda to replace it. AWD did not matter with a land cruiser and a raptor in the driveway.

I have been a minivan owner for an embarrassing number of years. I flat out love how practical they are. I drove a Dodge Caravan for many years, and it really never had too many issues until it hit about 160k. Went from that to a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The Sienna was far more luxurious, had more room, and even got better gas mileage (about 2 mpg better). After 2 years of ownership, the Sienna started getting electrical Gremlins. I was past the warranty from a mileage perspective, so any diagnostics/costs add up quick when dealing with electrical. Both of the power sliding doors would open and close when they felt like it (never while driving thank god). Most of the time during extreme cold, they wouldn't work at all. The dealership quoted me $5k for computer replacement that would fix the door issue.

I took that van straight to a Dodge Dealership, and traded it in on a brand new Dodge Caravan with almost all the options. For me, it's Dodge or nothing when it comes to minivans. I believe they are still the only ones that hold the patent for full stow and go (front and rear passenger). It doesn't sound like much, but after not having the fronts stow down in the Toyota (had to remove them), I could never go back to another minivan that didn't have full stow and go.

We drove the Honda quite a bit when choosing between the Toyota and the Honda, but from a ride comfort perspective, the Toyota just felt more comfortable to my wife and myself.

I borrow my fathers 2015 Sienna when picking up 2 pins at a time - one thing I don’t like is that the rear seat “carriers” stay and get a bit in the way when trying to put in 2 pins. Not sure if the Honda seats are similar.

My only warning would be to look into a VCMuzzler if you get the Honda. Since 2008 they have been prone to having excessive oil consumption problems and in some cases killing engines that ran dry with no check engine light coming on for the oil when it got low. Odyssey with the problem can use a quart or more every 1000 miles, which Honda tried to say is "normal" - and they got sued for it and settled, paying for repairs on many affected Odysseys, but not all.

A quick check of Honda forums shows there are still complaints about excessive oil consumption. The VCMuzzler seems to make it about 75% better which is a huge improvement.

Talking to the BAR in CA, it seems that Toyota has similar problems, but not as severe. In both cases it's caused by rings on the pistons to reduce friction and improve fuel economy that are letting oil seep, plus software that turns off cylinders that aren't needed in highway driving.

In 2016 we bought a new Odyssey and got rid of a 2005 Odyssey that had 265,000 miles. It started every time, ran like a champ, and never had to do one single thing to it other than regular maintenance.

Toyota all the way. Nothing but good service out of my Toyota's with mostly normal maintenance
- 1983 Toyota SR5 4x4 pickup 22R, had 200,000 when I sold it, 1993 Toyota Deluxe 4x4 pickup 22RE, still running strong @ 305,000 - Had a '92 Previa van 260,000 miles no issues, currently, the wife has a 2007 Sienna we bought new & it has 166,000 on it now. Lots of power, decent fuel mileage, & room for pin hauling & people hauling. Never thought I would be a mini van guy, but I do like to drive it. Very few problems & those it had were cheap to fix. A web site called Siennachat.com cover all common trouble spots, with solutions. Yes, the Toyota V6's are all chain drive now.

Hell last month I bought a new 2018 TRD Sport double cab 4x4 longbed -1,200 miles so far & looking forward to many more -- yeah, I'm a Toyota guy

Toyotas have the same issue, but not to the same degree. Hondas was bad enough for a class action lawsuit, so I'm pretty confident it wasn't internet bitching alone. Also, the fact that the guy at the CA BAR was intimately familiar with the problem and causes and mentioned Toyota has the issue in degrees, too means it's not plain internet bitching, either. As long as you're aware...

Of the two, I'd still recommend the Odyssey as it's the ultimate pin-hauler (2 pins plus a pin dolly, with room to spare), but I would definitely put the device on that disables the VCM, which seems to delay or prevent the oil consumption issue if the one you get (lottery, essentially) is susceptible to it. A little insurance goes a long way. We've had two Odysseys. Our 2000 model was perfection. Our 2008 has been one issue after another its whole life. Probably will still get a 2019 or 2020 Odyssey (hoping the Japanese hybrid comes here), though.

I had a 2009 Sienna for 8 years, and was planning on buying that or the Honda you mentioned above. Drove both, barely an improvement on my 09 which honestly was way behind the times then. Test drove the Pacifica, it was clearly superior technology wise compared to the other two. It wasn't even close. Reliability long term I don't know, but I do know though that if reliability wasn't a factor it clearly stomps on the other two (looks better, better electronics, drives better, stow and go seating, etc). My Toyota wasn't all that reliable in the electric department, so who knows how it will compare. I don't think I would go back to a Toyota or Honda unless this thing fall apart...the thing is though, it's so much cheaper (a few grand) for the same features that if it does end up needing stuff we should have plenty of savings to cover it.

I second mopar on this one. Stow and go is perfect for pinball, and you could likely buy a NIB with the saving.

I have many friends on the east coast that love their Pacifica. I too didn’t believe it until a Road trip in one, and it’s very very nice. Reliability has been very good last I heard when I was up there.

Well unless Honda or Toyota has made any significant changes in the past two years, they're going to look pretty bare compared to the Pacifica. I don't know if you have kids or not, but the dual screen video is pretty awesome.

We have a 2016 Honda Odyssey and it has been great. No oil consumption, so maybe they got this issue figured out (my 2009 Honda Pilot uses about 1 quart of oil every 5000 miles). This was our 3rd Honda and all of them have been great, almost no maintenance issues.

1 Quart per 5k miles is great. If you have the issue you're using a quart every 1000-2000 miles and Honda's response (before the lawsuit) was that was "normal".

Good call. I'm interested to hear how you think they all compare. Keep us updated!

It will disappear after about 200-300 miles. My Caravan and my Dart were the same way. The dealer told me it was some sort of coating that was on the exhaust manifolds. I bought my Caravan 6 months before the Pacifica was released. If the Pacifica was an option at the time, I would be driving one today. Very nice vehicles. I don't normally suggest extended warranties on vehicles, but I would highly suggest extending the Chrysler bumper to bumper to 100k. Mine only set me back about $1500 to add it on at purchase, and I had to use it once on my Dart (but not my Caravan). $100 deductible is all you pay when you take it in. With the advanced factory diagnostics needed today, the costs of repairs adds up quickly.

Also, that is a nice price for the Toyota. My 2012 Sienna was $48,500 at the time.... Good to see they have come down some.

I had a Honda Odyssey 2007 touring, went with 2018 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid limited. Tech is awesome, there’s a pretty good PacHy group on Facebook that helps with anything from setting up the uconnect theater to run a ton of movies to comparing mileage and troubleshooting any issues.

The hybrid goes 33 miles electric but doesn’t have the stow and go seats due to the battery, but it is eligible for the full $7500 tax credit.

Works great for us!

Doesn't appear to be a great deal. Here's a couple I found on cars.com

Used with 20k miles for 30k:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/724272295/overview/

Brand new for 31k?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/731071334/overview/

I would stay the hell away from a first year model (Odyessey). Toyota or Kia are good contenders. Pacifica, I just don't trust a Chrysler to last 10 to 15 years !!

Another couple things:

The build quality on the Chrysler is great at speeds 65 or below. This weekend I got it up to 80-102, and it felt a little wobbly going around corners at speed, something I’ve never felt in my Honda. Sitting in the way back for 50 miles of the trip, it felt a little more wobbly in the back too, almost fishtailing. But in my normal 70 or below commute, I don’t notice any of this. I don’t usually drive my van at 102 so it’s not a concern to me.

You can get a lifetime warranty from Ziegler for non-hybrid components, with a $100 deductible. Mine cost about $2600. This will be useful after the regular warranty if say, the transmission needs to be replaced. It also covers the fun stuff like the uconnect theater, DVD player, etc.

you're going to take a huge hit on resale value on the Pacifica compared to Toyota or Honda. I would look for a 2017 model if you go that route. They are very nice on the inside and have great features. I just don't know how long term reliability is since it's a new model.

I'd also make sure to take a look and test drive a Kia Sedona before making your decision. They really are a good value. You can get a nicely equipped 2017 model with leather and some nice features with low miles (20K) for around $22K certified with a decent warranty.

I haven't bought a van yet but have done some research and will likely buy in the next 6 months.

Did you talk to Ziegler specifically, or the dealer you were talking to? Ziegler is much lower.

And yes the value of a Chrysler tanks faster, hence why I got the lifetime warranty and will just drive it until it’s completely dead. Or with the lifetime warranty, just use it as a pin hauler!