We just replaced a 10 year old Odyssey (which I LOVED) with a new Pacifica hybrid. There were a few reasons for the choice - with the hybrid tax breaks, the Pacifica ended up quite a bit less expensive (plus, the savings on gas are pretty significant). Also, DH did a lot of research on the new Odysseys, and they have some issues that gave him pause.

I had been wary of something with a Chrysler name, but so far, it's been great. Between the Odyssey and the Pachy, I don't think you can go wrong, it's just whichever works best for your needs, and which you prefer to drive.

Anonymous wrote:I wasn’t asking about whether or not I should trade my 2014. I was just asking for opinions on one minivan vs the other.

But you claimed that your hesitation about the Odyssey was based on superior gas mileage of the Pacifica Hybrid. Why worry about fuel economy on that aspect of the transaction when you've completely ignored the financial aspects of the rest of the transaction? And if saving the planet is your thing, well, then, casting off your barely used Honda with plenty of useful life left doesn't reconcile with that either.

If you are just asking people to compare and contrast the two cars, you should have just said that.

We have a 2018 Pacifica Hybrid. It's been amazing with a couple of caveats. First, you'll only get maybe 30 miles on a single charge. We installed a level-2 charger ($500) which will charge the battery in 2 hours. Since we live in a smaller town, we normally can go 5 or 6 days a week on just electric. However, if your driving habits will take you over that range on a regular basis before you can recharge you are going to be back on regular van gas mileage (it's still pretty decent even after you go back to hybrid). Second caveat - no one told us about this before buying - the car switches back to gas if the temperature is below 35 degrees or so. Supposedly it switches over to electric at some point but we haven't really witnessed it. That's not a huge probably for us in central Virginia, but if you live in a place where you're under 35 degrees for a third of the year realize you're not going to get the benefits of being fully electric during that time.

Otherwise it's a great car so far.

Anonymous wrote:Buy American.

(Also, I’m happy with my 2014 Town and Country.)

Worst advice ever when it comes to cars.

I just shopped minivans. I felt like the Pacifica just felt cheaper to me. The seats weren't as nice either. We ended up buying a toyota because we get a deep discount on any model due to work discount. But I would have gone for the Odyssey a million times over the Pacifica.

I picked the Odyssey over the Pacifica despite having a family member who worked on the Pacifica. My reasons: second row seats are way comfier in the Odyssey (not a big deal now because of car seats, but we plan to drive this car as long as it lasts), I hated the dial gear shift in the Pacifica and prefer the buttons in the Odyssey, I adore the second row seats that slide around (great for letting a kid into the third row and still adjust a car seat in the second). Also we didn’t have a convenient charging setup. I’d go with the Odyssey if you want a new minivan.

Stupidity #1. Trading in your 2014 Honda

Stupidity #2. Even considering a Chrysler

Stupidity #3. Wasting your money unnecessarily rather than saving it when you are able

Anonymous wrote:I wasn’t asking about whether or not I should trade my 2014. I was just asking for opinions on one minivan vs the other.

Well, it will be easier to answer your question if we knew why you want to get rid of the 2014 so quickly. Is there a major problem with it, or is the lease just up?

I’ll be honest, we are on our second Honda Odyssey. We had a 2006 and drove it until fixing it cost more than it was worth. We chose it again (a 2016) because of all the minivan conveniences. When we bought our first Odyssey we also looked at the Pacifica. The main reason we did not buy it was that if you sat in the third row your head was just a couple inches from the trunk door. That made the third row useless for passengers...at least to me. I have not looked at the car since then, so don’t know if that has been changed/improved upon.

Buy American.

(Also, I’m happy with my 2014 Town and Country.)

We test drove both a few weeks ago since we are expecting #3 and need to expand to a minivan. I liked both, but I think we are going to go with the Honda. One of the advantages of the Chrysler is the stow n go seating, but you lose that option with the Hybrid because the batteries are in that space. The Honda also seemed (at the Touring level) to have a few more things that would be useful with three in car seats. If your kids are older, it might not make as much difference.

I wasn’t asking about whether or not I should trade my 2014. I was just asking for opinions on one minivan vs the other.

I have a chrysler pacifica and love it, but I was replacing a chrysler with 175,000 miles on it. I would not trade in a 2014 for a new car (unless it has a ton of miles on it).

You are getting rid of a great car and blowing money on a brand new one that will depreciate a few thousand bucks when you drive it off the lot, and you are having a hard time justifying the fuel economy differences? You get how ridiculous that is, don't you?

I would just keep the 2014 Odyssey, that is still relatively new. You would just be throwing away money on a new car unless there is something wrong with your current model. Also, I would never get a Chrysler if I could choose a Honda instead.

We are trading our 2014 Honda Odyssey and are trying to decide between these two choices. We love our odyssey and I really wanted to just get a newer one, but I’m having a hard time justifying this love over the gas mileage of the hybrid. I wanted to hear more pros/cons from unbiased people. My biggest concern with the Chrysler is the reliability.