$400 a year in maintenance is a LOT. I am not interested in paying that much for new tires all the time. So unless the Sienna is a lot cheaper up front, I'd pass on that kind of yearly expense.

OP, thanks for posting this. We will be getting into the minivan market too, so this is a good reason to go Honda.

Anonymous wrote:You will pay top dollar for either of these minivans used. Not a lot of great deals to be had. I would look at 0% financing for a new one.

'

NP Why would 0% financing on a new car be a better deal than paying cash for a 3 year old car? The used cars are 10k less than the new ones.

Anonymous wrote:We have a 2015 Odyssey and have had no problems yet. It’s a very comfortable, very convenient car. DH recently drove my moms 2012 Sienna and he feels that it drives better but the difference is so minor. I don’t like driving the Sienna and I don’t really know why, it feels like a bus to me and the just-as-huge Odyssey feels more manageable. I think I am just one of those people who prefers driving a small car.

This is me and the tire issue is real. My parents have the 2012 Sienna and it costs $800 to replace the tires every two years or so.

Watch out for flood cars

Thanks everyone! Special thanks to the posters with info on the high tire wear on the Sienna; I had not read about that before.

We have a 2015 Odyssey and have had no problems yet. It’s a very comfortable, very convenient car. DH recently drove my moms 2012 Sienna and he feels that it drives better but the difference is so minor. I don’t like driving the Sienna and I don’t really know why, it feels like a bus to me and the just-as-huge Odyssey feels more manageable. I think I am just one of those people who prefers driving a small car.

We bought a used 2011 Toyota Sienna in 2013. It was definitely a better deal than buying new. Our only issue has been the tires. We have to replace them every 2 years or so and each time it's $700 to $800. I did some looking on the toyotanation forum a few years ago and apperently it's a common problem for siennas. I don`t know if it's the same for Odysseys. Even with this issue we would buy one again if we needed to. It's been a great van. My only complaint is that it's hard to park, but this is because it's a van and not because it's the Sienna.

I chose the Sienna b.c it came in an AWD version. I had to go to Fredericksburg to get it. I looove it.

Anonymous wrote:You will pay top dollar for either of these minivans used. Not a lot of great deals to be had. I would look at 0% financing for a new one.

OP here -- we are finding some great deals in the metro DC area. Maybe that's not the case in other parts of the country, though.

You will pay top dollar for either of these minivans used. Not a lot of great deals to be had. I would look at 0% financing for a new one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a 2012 Sienna which is basically the same car as the 2014-15 (SIL has 2015 and there are just some very minor cosmetic differences). It is by far the best car we’ve ever owned. It has 90k miles and we have had no major issues with it. It’s never broken down or needed a repair. It still handles great. We actually purchased a new car in the past month and I can’t say the new car drives any better. But there is a caveat. We have gone through a lot of tires. I’m not sure why. However, my SIL has a 2015 and they are still on the original set so perhaps that’s something they fixed after 2012.

Are they run-flat tires? Those have to be replaced often.

No. Regular tires. We have had the mechanics tell us it is a common issue in our year.

I think people are happy with both, so it might come down to your preference. We have a 2013 Odyssey and it's been very reliable and the kids love it. The gas mileage is surprisingly good on the highway. It's also very easy to maneuver -- I think the turning circle is tighter than the compact car we had before.

We did have one unexpected repair but I think it comes down to bad luck -- the rubber boot protecting one CV joint ripped at some point, probably from some road hazard, which made it wear prematurely and need to be replaced. But that is something your mechanic can easily inspect for on a used vehicle.

Anonymous wrote:We have a 2012 Sienna which is basically the same car as the 2014-15 (SIL has 2015 and there are just some very minor cosmetic differences). It is by far the best car we’ve ever owned. It has 90k miles and we have had no major issues with it. It’s never broken down or needed a repair. It still handles great. We actually purchased a new car in the past month and I can’t say the new car drives any better. But there is a caveat. We have gone through a lot of tires. I’m not sure why. However, my SIL has a 2015 and they are still on the original set so perhaps that’s something they fixed after 2012.

Are they run-flat tires? Those have to be replaced often.

We have a 2012 Sienna which is basically the same car as the 2014-15 (SIL has 2015 and there are just some very minor cosmetic differences). It is by far the best car we’ve ever owned. It has 90k miles and we have had no major issues with it. It’s never broken down or needed a repair. It still handles great. We actually purchased a new car in the past month and I can’t say the new car drives any better. But there is a caveat. We have gone through a lot of tires. I’m not sure why. However, my SIL has a 2015 and they are still on the original set so perhaps that’s something they fixed after 2012.

ISO used minivan -- looking at 2014-2015 Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

Is one of these better than the other or are they pretty much the same "best deal" wise?

(Replacing 2006 Honda Odyssey we had purchased used, which replaced 2003 Toyota Sienna we had purchased new.)