When our good ol’ pickup bit the dust 4 years ago, my
husband and I went looking for the best family-friendly, used vehicle we could
afford. It seemed like a no-brainer to go with the 2002 Honda Odyssey. After
all, it has an average customer rating of 4.5/5 stars on edmunds.com and is
ranked first in it’s segment by CarandDriver.com.
But it didn’t take us long after signing the paperwork to discover the
Odyssey’s awful secrets.
1. Heated Seats
Listen, Honda, I live in Utah for a reason—the average
temperature in the winter is 32 degrees. It’s my choice to
drive in a frozen tundra, it should be my choice whether or not I want my buns
toasty warm. Granted, I can turn the heat off, but once it’s
on I’m too warm to reach over and push the button, basically
removing my agency.
2. Seating for 7
Who, in their right mind, would want to drive with six other
people? Not me! I like riding solo as much as possible. But when Honda puts all
those extra cushy seats in the Odyssey, people assume you want to haul them
around. Listen kids, just because there’s room in the van, doesn’t
mean I need to drive you to school.
3. Folding Backseat
Granted, this could be an advantage if you don’t
want to drive people around (see reason 2), but it’s a great
disadvantage when your husband shops at Home Depot. Do you realize how much
paint and wood can fit in a van when the backseat folds down into the floor?
Take my word for it. It’s a lot. Just to return the favor, I
might see how many Nordstrom bags can fit in the same space.
4. V-6 Engine
I live in a small town with small vehicles. It’s
bad for my image to sit at a stoplight next to Joan Schmo and have her know by
the sound of my powerful engine I could take her in a drag race. Not that I
would go zero to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds. That’s just pretentious.
5. Automatic Sliding Doors
Jill Swensen blogs at Being Spiffy where she tells the tales of her people. Said people include her husband and three children. When not blogging, you can find Jill carting her family around the thoroughfares of Utah, searching for adventures and the perfect fountain Dr Pepper.
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