Saying Goodbye to the Odyssey

Well, today is the day that I knew was coming, but hoped wouldn't.  My kids and I are devastated.

Nah, no one died or anything.  We're upset because the Odyssey has to go back today.

Yup, today is the day the 2012 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite heads back to its home in Texas.  Today between 11 am and 1 pm a gentleman will arrive at my door and demand that I hand over the key.  My kids and I will be sobbing, but the Hubs will probably do a cartwheel or two.

My only complaint?  It wasn't black.  But it was still pretty badass. 

We've had a great 16 days with the Odyssey.  I was just re-reading my original post about what I love about minivans and I'm happy to say that this Odyssey delivered on all fronts:


 "Slidey Doors" - this SAV (Suburban Assault Vehicle) has slidey doors at the push of a button.

Oh you want to get out?  Left side or right side?  Would you like the back hatch opened too?  No problem!

My kids had dreams of "parachuting" out of the van in the school pick up line.  Sorry kids, looks like parachuting out at the pool will have to suffice!



I wanted a "leathah" steering wheel.  Mostly, because I like saying "leathah," plus it feels nice when you're driving.

Leahtah.  Boom.

The Hubs thinks he didn't like the minivan that much, but I noticed he managed to program the XM radio with most of his favorite stations.  (He did give me NPR and BBC.)

Who the hell is Richard Blade, Hubs?  It's like I don't even know you when you listen to this music.

Yes, even if the Hubs can't say it out loud, I bet this afternoon he will have a little twinge and miss that Odyssey - or at least "First Wave."

We had a great time tooling around town and road tripping (I can't imagine a better way to road trip).  

Thank you, Honda, for the experience!  It was fun!

28 comments:

BeanDavis said...

Sad for you. Once you go slidey doors, it's hard to go back.

Holly said...

I listen to First Wave all of the time in my (old) Odyssey. In fact, my kids get a charge out of trying to sound British and say, "First wave" the way they do on the radio!

As much as I have loved my 2003 Ody, I'm on the fence about a do-over when the time comes...

Cabin77 said...

I feel your pain. My Hubby won't even let me LOOK at a minivan. We settled for a Veracruz with third row seating. But we did get XM. I can't live without my 1st Wave! And Coffee House. (Much to the kids' annoyance.)

Anonymous said...

We have an Odyssey but not the Touring model... gotta watch out for those. Replacing the tires will cost you your first born. But we still have slidey doors :)

Anonymous said...

We replaced the wheels on our touring model so we don't have to buy the expensive run flat tires. We can use normal tires.

Sarah said...

Why is it going away?

elaina moscato said...

I will only ever drive a Honda. Ever.

Kari J said...

I'd like to punch my 2004 Odyssey in the throat!
The back windows don't open when I push the magic(or not so magic) button. The slidey doors go - eh,eh,eh,eh,eh,grind, grind, grind, because my kids have gotten sand and winter road crap in tracks - and it is invisible and will never come out. Slushy snow got caught in the front quarter panels and caused big damage. And, my car is a magnet for anyone who doesn't pay attention in parking lots. Maybe if I had XM radio,it would ease the pain. Regardless, I would buy another Odyssey in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

Partain Family said...

Maybe you can talk Honda into givin' you a SCREAMIN' deal on the Oddessy so you won't have to return it...then all the kids' dreams about parachutting out of the slidey doors can come TRUE! ;)

VanessaD said...

I loved the slidey doors and trunk when we had to rent a 2012 dodge caravan after our 08 kia sedona was in an accident. My youngest loved it so much that she cried when the "robot car" had to go bye-bye!lol We didn't have the xm radio but the slidey doors were cool enough for us.. :)

Anonymous said...

I just traded my 2003 for a 2012! I don't regret it one bit! I don't really care about looking cool anymore- I just want the space and function. And it gets like 5mpg more than an suv.

Kari said...

Sooooo he wont let you get one? Hubs should be over ruled.

Unknown said...

I bet you got your 16 days worth out of it though. Lol, Love ur blog!

Lizbeth said...

We made the switch to the minivan after our third kid and for as much as I hated it, it's worked for us. I did do one thing though----I had every upgrade put on that damn thing so I didn't feel too much like a soccer mom. And the irony is none of my kids play group sports.....

dafellasmomma said...

Keep your minivan I am with the hubs..You so can't, don't and won't be sexy on a minivan. Just picture it..Girls night out and 7 of you get out of the car in you cute wedges and maxi dress. People are rolling their eyes before the "slidey" door stops because they think it is full of kids about to ruin their time with wine but no its moms clearly trying to be cool and have fun. They are ALL thinking "they are not cool." That is how I feel about minivans...NOT SEXY!! LOL!! Still love you ;-)

Mrs. Yoy said...

Maybe it's not goodbye, more like, see you in a little while.

We leased our minivan last Feb, and I'm already feeling tinges of sadness when I think about giving it back in July 2014. I seriously love my minivan. Definitely more than my dog, and possibly more than my children.

My husband seriously hates it.

Ali said...

It is because of you that I have embraced my hidden love for the minivan. I come from a big family, and we always had a minivan when I was growing up; long before automatic slidey doors, when it was only one slidey door and you had to get a running start to close that bitch. I swore I would never drive one. That was, until they started making minivans totally badass. My in-laws have a totally tricked out toyota sienna. And I have secretly loved that car for a while. When I read your first blog about wanting a minivan, I was like, OMG maybe i'm not so lame after all for wanting one. So I told my hubs that I kinda want a minivan, and he was like ME TOO!! We've both been secretly loving minivans for a while, and were too embarassed to tell each other! LOL!! When my current lease is up, we're TOTES getting one. I seriously can't wait.

Sarah said...

NM....the loophole in my brain is fixed now. lol

Sanstrousers said...

It's so sexy! My minivan has really let itself go. Granted, it's got almost 300,000 miles on it, but still. Take some pride in yourself, minivan!

Anonymous said...

I'm on my 3rd Toyota Sienna....wouldn't have it any other way!

Anonymous said...

hmmm... I must disagree. My minivan is pretty sexy. When it be rockin, don't come knockin!

tricia said...

No way around it- mini-vans are really the only car for cool people. They are so uncool, they are cool. It's like avante garde.

Julia said...

yeah, the slidey doors are cool until the button breaks and the windows only go half way down for no reason. I like to say my Sienna has arthritis so you have to give the doors a little extra help. in the Sienna's defense it's almost 9 yrs old and has 150,000 miles on it, not to mention the custom pin striping courtesy of my son's bicycle handlebars. PS I think the new Odyssey looks like a HEARSE so if I were you I wouldn't get a black one!

Shmemspace said...

My husband and I drove a Honda Odyssey across the country before we got married; it was awesome! Then we got married and we have just one kid, so we didn't buy one for ourselves. We do have a Honda Civic Hybrid though.

We have XM radio in both of our cars, and, sorry to say, I'm with your husband on this one -- First Wave is my very favorite station! What can I say, I grew up in the 80's. The first concert I ever went to was Billy Idol. I have only one live music regret, that I never saw Duran Duran back in the day! Tell your husband to read the book, "Talking to Girls About Duran Duran" by Rob Sheffield; he will LOVE it!

Anonymous said...

"Dear Honda, just give her the damn van bitches. She has probably sold more than any of your stupid ad campaigns"

Mexmom said...

Maybe this is not a goodbye but a see you later minivan post, if you can convince the hubs of course.

Cristy said...

Slidey doors, yay! Having to wait for someone in an oil rig (sorry, plus-size SUV) to close their stupid NON-slidey doors before you can pull into a parking space, BOO! We have an Odyssey with power slideys but it doesn't have an automatic rear hatch and it doesn't say "open" or "close" on the switches. Yours was way cooler than ours is! Sorry you had to part with such an awesome vehicle!

crittersandcrayons said...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bring it back!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think they heard that wail, but it was worth a try. :)

Overachieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies

By now we have all heard of the adorable little Elf on the Shelf . Almost everyone I know has one.  Some people even have two!  (Now I'...

Popular Posts