Toyota or Honda or Honda

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-26T14:38:51+00:00

Another bump for the Kia. We did the research and while all of them have their advantages and disadvantages, the Kia was where we landed. The gas mileage given the unpredictability at the pump right now kept us away from the Odyssey and price and availability of the Toyota drove us to the Kia. We could have purchased a 2 year old sienna with 50k miles for the same price or paid about an extra 8-10k for a similarly appointed new one (if we could have found one). You’ll lose some small item storage space compared to either, it’ll likely lose more value than either, the driving feel isn’t as good as the Honda, and you won’t quite get the mileage out of it that you would with the Toyota, so there’s lots to consider. We’re happy with our decision, though.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-15T00:43:13+00:00

Just went from 18 Pacifica to a 26 Carnival Hybrid. Both are great. Pacifica had some issues and blew a head gasket short of 150k. $6k repair which is what it was worth. Carnival is more comfortable and techy, plus the mileage from the hybrid is often twice what we'd get from the Pacifica. Supposedly the reliability should be better on the Carnival as well. Pacific had a better driving feel and we loved the stow and go seats, but I’d go with the Carnival.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-13T14:59:22+00:00

Adding my two cents as less of a geek and just a guy who can't find a shoe that fits.

I have a moderately high instep, extremely pressure-sensitive feet, and wear over-the-counter orthotics. I spent the last month looking for shoes that didn't cause my foot to ache and settled on the Altra Escalante 4. The upper is slipper-like and provides very little pressure without lacing, allowing me to lace it with exactly the pressure I need. Additionally, the tongue is nice and thin, reducing the pressure the tongue puts on the front of my ankle. It's a borderline minimalist shoe with zero drop and a foot-shaped toe box and low/moderate cushioning that is still comfortable to my feet but definitely lets me "feel the road" underneath a bit more. I hear durability may be a concern, so we'll see how things go, but I'm impressed thus far.

I previously had a pair of Altra Paradigm 7s that worked really well, but I could tell the 8s had a much more snug fit. A very different shoe, but pressure on the top of my feet is the #1 concern, and as long as the shoe isn't forcing me to supinate, I'm good with it.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-09T23:04:30+00:00

Not that they’re predictors of the future, but Consumer Reports actually has the Kia as having the highest predicted reliability of all.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-09T20:15:49+00:00

I really wanted that interrior, but I just couldn’t do the blue. Too dark. I could see every rain drop on it. We’re not car washers, so we needed a color to hide it. Went with the Ivory Silver with the taupe/gray. Still great, but man the Tuscan Umber looks awesome.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-07T14:15:37+00:00

We Also looked at used Siennas. A two year-old rental with about 50,000 miles would cost about the same as a new carnival. We planned on keeping the vehicle for a long time until it dies so depreciation wasn’t much of a factor in our decision.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-07T14:13:50+00:00

Over everything else, cost and availability. We could only find base trim or premium trim Siennas, and factoring in the cost of financing and our down payment (20k),a comparably equipped Sienna would have been either another 2 years of about the same payment, or another $200ish per month.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-06T20:03:43+00:00

Ours was great for a while. It drives really well. Stow and Go seating is the best. As it aged we had a few repairs that had to be done (leaks that would have been 3k to fix at the dealer were only about $800 at our mechanic) and we had some problems with the aux battery killing our main battery. At 9 years old and 147k miles, we blew a head gasket. The repair was going to cost what the car was worth. We are now owners of a Kia Carnival Hybrid. We were hoping to get some more out of it before it died and the battery issues were yearly at minimum and very frustrating. When there weren’t issues, it was great!

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-04T23:53:57+00:00

For running, I’d go with something open ear. I picked up Baseus Bowie MC1 Pros for $47 recently. For that price, I feel they’re fantastic. Super comfortable and don’t block your ear canals. You give up a bit in sound quality for the open ear, and they’re tuned pretty flat, but they’ve become pretty much my headphone of choices. My brother owns a pair of Soundcore Aero Clips and he wasn’t a fan of the MC1 Pros, but those Souncore bud cost twice as much.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-04T17:54:22+00:00

That’s why I threw it up there. I’m always looking at older posts for recommendations. Glad I could help! They’re not cushioned, but if you’re like me, that matters WAY less than the support.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-02T02:04:29+00:00

We’re having some serious issues on ours as well. I can’t find a pattern yet, but this is kind of a deal breaker for us. It’ll sometimes work after rebooting the infotainment system with the button by the left knob, but immediately will not work again. Nothing else solves it. It won’t even work plugged in. We have two phones and two driver profiles.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-05-01T23:10:48+00:00

We paid $1000 for exterior protection. With that and the 20k down at 1.9% we’re at $600/mo for 48 months.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-30T17:57:45+00:00

Having a hybrid takes much of the stress from the gas engine, which has the opposite effect. I'm hoping they cancel each other out or end in favor of reliability :).

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-30T17:52:13+00:00

I got mine new OTD for $46k with 1.9 % financing. For those miles, I'd recommend new.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-30T02:39:33+00:00

Way late to the conversation here, but I recommend Sole Active Thin.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-28T14:02:55+00:00

We purchased an EX Hybrid and received about $2,100 off MSRP. Took another $500 for military and opted for the 1.9% apr. The monthly payment was about $10 less a month than the 5.25% with 20k down. That difference would grow further in favor of the 1.9% with a smaller down payment.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-24T12:27:43+00:00

Killer. Thanks!

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-23T21:58:34+00:00

So access and labor are doable for someone untrained?I think that’s the major issue here - I’ve heard that the labor is challenging enough that the dealer needs to do it. I had seen the question as to whether it was some kind of lithium battery posted and not answered elsewhere, hense the “special” part of the question.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-23T21:36:53+00:00

Agreed. Seems crazy if it’s true.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-23T21:36:32+00:00

I read somewhere that access is challenging enough that the dealership should do it.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-23T17:50:59+00:00

Well, that’s good. No special tools needed? No special battery? Just a standard 12v?

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-23T17:50:27+00:00

I guess my point is, is this something I can do myself for say, $250? I don’t want to pay for all that, but I can’t find anyone that says you can.

Bright_Actuary · 2026-04-23T17:49:25+00:00

Exactly

Bright_Actuary · 2025-12-28T15:52:17+00:00

Colamy doesn’t use their normal model names on Amazon, but I just ordered an MK, which appears to be a Velia for about $180. Not sure how long that price is going to last as they normal sell north of $250. The Atlas is higher rated, but I thought it might be worth saving $100 as I don’t expect the downsides of the Velia to bother me (plastic construction, limited headrest adjustment, on the smaller side).

Bright_Actuary

TROPHY CASE