I know this is not about the Odyssey but because you mentioned it I want to talk about it.

I have a gorgeous looking 05 EXL. I stayed away from the touring model because no way will I ever spend $2000 to replace run flats.

I thought I did a lot of research on it and you see it everywhere in ATL so you figure it is a safe bet. But you just don't know what to ask sometimes, take for instance engine mounts.

$1200 a piece for the mount (for the one that matters) before labor and pulling the engine out. Very common that they go out around 60,000 or so miles. The engine mounts are built to help deal with the extra heavy engine they installed. They have them on display at the dealership to show you what a broken one looks like because it's such a common event and costly.

To keep this on topic about Delta, I finished my quarterly CD before anyone had to call. THX.

Look under the front bumper of an 05 to 09 and you'll see a gap. Behind that open gap is the A/C system. If it gets a rock chip from the road it will not be covered under warranty. It was not uncommon for a brand new Odyssey to have this happen and returned to the dealer only to find out the $1000+ bill is not covered. Some had it happen twice in a few months. Class action lawsuit. I spray painted gutter guard black and zip tied it to the front, you should see it as it has chips in it so it worked. Problem is the A/C failed anyways for another reason... $850.

Mine may or may not have a rear seal leak. Just hit 100,000 miles. Between that in the engine mounts I'm looking at $2K to fix, if I'm lucky.

The timing belt is not on a chain. $700-$1200. Honda wants you to do it at 60,000 miles but their marketing department says 100,000. fwiw.

The steering pump had a recall and thank goodness, that thing would've cost me $600+ to replace. It squealed in the winter when cold and it doesn't go away. I found if you replaced the fluid you could make it go away for a while but Honda replaced it on my van at 99,400 miles. whew. And that was only because the service tech fought for it... and themselves really.

Personally this is the second Honda car and it will be the last. I like driving it although the wind noise is obnoxious but it's not as mechanically sound as I think it should be. I think Honda's QA is going downhill very rapidly and the one telling thing to me is they fight hard now on recalls.

I think this will also be my last van. My 2000 F-150 is absolutely trouble free and no timing belt. It's great. Trucks are built to carry their own weight plus some, a van is not built to carry its own weight plus the options. As evidenced by blown tire belts which come to find out is also common on a Odyssey in the heat.

And to keep this on topic, I've moved down 2% in ATL on the 88. I was really hoping to one day bust that 80% threshold. But I'm still here. So that's all that matters anymore. But looking at the bid, my word, A320 wow. Senior. I think my next plane when the day comes will be... ready... ready... 73N. Unless the 320 gets more junior. I plan to do this when I can hold at least 70% or so on the 73N/320 which I estimate to be around 2021.

I'd laugh, except I think you're probably right. Like you, I'm just happy that I don't have to commute again, yet.

Much sympathy to the MEM guys, and all the other newly "commuting is a choice" group. By my count the junior 25 in ATL got flushed out as well, with a corresponding suction for the rest of us.

Man would it be nice to see some hiring soon. :cool:

FTB; I'm not going to quote your whole post, but I would agree, honda quality on some vehicles has gone downhill. It started when they re-badged an isuzu pos as a honda. They still make great engines thanks largely to their motorcycle and formula 1 experiences, but everyone is/has caught up. Everyone has variable valve timing and zero or near zero emissions. The honda odyssey and toyota minivans lagged the industry in dealing with minivan transmission faults.

As a former chevy vega owner, my first car, I still have a stigma against american made small cars.

The 2013 Escape has a traditional torque converter 6 speed. Not the transmission used in the Focus.

Ford's dual clutch transmission is brilliant, but folks are not used to the "feel" and are bringing them back to dealers looking for the traditional slushbox experience.

I have not driven the Vertex / Escape, but the other Ford products in the garage have been astonishingly good.

Hopeful Contract 2012 is good. I NEED a BOSS 302 with the Laguna Seca package, really, really, badly.

Hyundai Veracruz-don't look back.

Sometimes I think the car to buy is the ones just gaining popularity. As other Honda people have said, once the Odyssey got popular then Honda began to pull back. I guess margin management.

I had a Dodge Intrepid as my second car. You want to talk pos.

Fwiw my new hire sim partner at Coex was a geologist for an oil company. He said in the field only two trucks lasted- the F250 and Chevy Suburban. The Chevy trucks weren't as good as those two but he said the Dodges fell apart, broken axles he said. This was 11-15 years ago though.

Soichiro Honda died in 1991. The Company lost its way. Just as AIG did after Hank Greenberg left, or Delta after they picked Leo Mullin instead of Hollis Harris.

Drive the WRX, then try to forget you drove it ... you will find that you can not. Yet, it is still a very practical mommy mobile.

That's a Korean Pontiac Aztek. Try not to look at it at all. I'd rather see Nancy Grace in a thong.

FTB,

I remember that grey Intrepid! It was a permanent fixture at KAUO.