I agree with you there, Bob. Isuzu in Japan makes a FINE diesel engine (Duramax)! That is an extremely nice setup. The tundra is very nice too, and I have noticed very nice 1 year-old Tundras going for very good prices locally (say $27k loaded, when they were over $43k new last year). It seems the Duramax trucks hold their value better.<br>
<br>I was going to buy the Toyota Sienna until I drove the Honda. They are very close to equal, but in the end the Honda was a bit less for the same options and the seats are better in the Honda. I have a Honda Odyssey that I can completely pack with planes. I can put my 35% plane in there with all three kids (two in car seats) and my wife, and still have a little bit of room for other toys. With the middle seat out and the back seat folded down I can fit a ton of stuff, a big 40% would easily fit. <br>
<br>My wife wishes we had the Chrysler T&C for the stow-and-go, which I agree is very nice. However it takes up some headroom, and since I am 6'6", that is high on my list. The Dodge had some fit-and-finish issues that turned me off, but the Chrysler was very nice. <br>
<br>I believe the Odyssey is the largest minivan on the market. I have loaded it up with a big pile of 11' lumber, 4'x8' plywood and sheetrock with the door closed when I was finishing my attic a few years ago. 10' lumber fits easily, but the 12' - 14' stuff extends out the back obviously.<br>
<br>Last year when I swapped oceans to move to the Northwest I completely loaded the van with Rubbermaid Totes full of the things that wouldn't fit in the moving truck, hoisted my 2m pattern plane from the ceiling with ropes, threw 4 mountain bikes on a trailer hitch-mounted bike rack, and averaged 24 mpg along I-90 effectively from Boston to Seattle, travelling around 75-80 most of the way. <br>
<br>FWIW I have a '98 Chrysler Concorde LXI with the 3.2L that is simply bulletproof. I bought it for a song a few years ago and it now has 170k miles on it. The leather on the drivers seat is starting to show a bit of wear and one of the speakers is blown but otherwise it is excellent. I will likely be able to sell it in a few years for the price I paid - literally a song...<br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 8:05 AM, Bob Richards <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bob@toprudder.com">bob@toprudder.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<div>I agree with you 100% about Toyota. I almost bought a new Tundra, but ended up with a Chevy 2500 Diesel due to the towing capability (and the Duramax/Allison reputation).</div>
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<div>I suppose everyone has a reason why they prefer one make over another. I won't buy another Ford because of the way they treated me regarding my old Explorer. And don't get me started regarding the cruise control harness recalls....</div>
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<div>I don't expect any vehicle to be trouble free, but I do expect the manufacturer to stand behind their product. This is as much about the particular dealer as it is the manufacturer. Some dealers are DEFINITELY better than others.</div>
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<div>Bob R.</div><div class="im">
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