The Honda Odyssey and its minivan competitors - Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan and Toyota Sienna - are often touted as family vehicles.

In television commercials, the Odyssey is showcased with a mother or father transporting the neighborhood youth soccer team to practice or with a family packing up for a summer camping trip.

But what if a large family isn't part of the equation? Is a minivan still a prudent choice?

With the 2004 Honda Odyssey, a strong case can be ma ...
Author: James Raia
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The 30-mile stretch from Willits to Ft. Bragg along Highway 20 in Northern California is an ideal place to drive a sports car. The two-lane road offers tight switchbacks, extended flat stretches and plenty of climbs and descents.

On a warm, spring day and with a convertible top down, anyone who enjoys the combination of shifting gears, fresh air and the open road will thrive on the route. It's a drivers' nirvana tucked among forests of Redwood trees and rolling hills.

And so it wa ...
Author: James Raia
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The trunk was open when one friend walked by and the hood was popped open when two other friends meandered by.

"If I took off my front wheel, OK maybe both wheels, I could get my bike in the trunk, no problem," one friend said. "That's a spacious trunk for a mid-sized car."

My two other friends were more impressed with the powerful and efficiently designed engine.

"Look where everything is; it's easy access, for sure," he said. "Even if you know nothing about cars, you can f ...
Author: James Raia
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