The Odyssey has been our constant companion in all our trips since we bought it in the 22nd of December 2012. It's kept us safe and comfortable as we take on our daily commute to work, our trips to the church, the supermarket, and ferrying the kids to playgrounds. It even endured very long drives to the Gold Coast up north and the Snowy Mountains down south last year. It has been more than a workhorse helping me transport lots of people and loads of heavy furniture without any complains. It's the epitome of a true road warrior. But like all good things, it has reached the pinnacle of its life.
I was due for registration renewal so I had it checked last Friday. Unfortunately, there were already too many battle scars. We'd have to spend a lot to keep it a safe transporter of our family, especially the children. Failing suspensions, broken bushings, engine mounts, squeaks all over, and now the transmission is starting to play up. We decided to let it go.
Yesterday, I went to Car City in Minchinbury with my uncle, Tito Toto, to help him collect the car he bought (a 2009 Ford Focus). I met with a dealer, a nice gentleman, who was willing to take in the Odyssey at quite a high value (twice of what I expected) to offset the cost of a newer car. I was torn between a 2008 Ford Territory and a 2006 Holden Captiva, but eventually decided on the latter because I was turned off by the cramped 3rd row leg-room on the Ford.
And so I came home later with a new (old) car.
2006 Holden CAPTIVA CX (4X4) CG M-POINT F-INJ 32.6 V6CYL
The car was built in December 2006 and was first registered in September 2007. It has traveled 166,669kms, a fair bit, but a lot lower than the 278k when we first got the Odyssey. The interiors are neat and well-kept. There are some small scratches and bumps outside, but I'm not too fussy. The engine runs fine and it's a delight to drive - very light and easy compared to the 1998 Odyssey. All-in-all, it seems like a great car.
The Captiva was actually my dream car when I first came to Australia. I remember my first business trip here in March 2012, while traveling on a bus I'd ogle on the sight of the many beautiful Captiva's roaming the street of Sydney. It is a popular car here. I told myself that's the car I will buy if I ever get a brand new one.
The one thing that I miss in the Odyssey though is the boot space despite having 7 seats in use. With the Captiva, or even the Territory, there is very little space at the back for luggage when the 3rd row seat is up. I guess I'll have to get roof racks for those long trips.
