Buying a New or Used Honda Pilot, Looking for Feedback

s2k3011

Hello,
I'm new to the forum, looking for some feedback. I'm interested in a mid-size SUV with the 3rd row. I looked at the Pilot, CX-9, Highlander and Acadia.
I test drove the Pilot and it drove much better than the Highlander. I also wasn't crazy about the 19" wheels on the Highlander. I liked the Mazda, but I seem to like Honda a little more. The Acadia scares me with GM in it's current status, and I wasn't too satisfied with the captain chairs.
I'm just looking for anything that you would like to share in regards to your Pilot. Good or bad.
Thanks!

tina1976

Hi s2k3011,

I have an 05 Pilot and haven't had any problems with it. I am also interested in upgrading to the 09 Pilot. I test drove the 09 Pilot and the 09 Pathfinder and prefer and love the Pilot. It has so much room and the interior looks great. From my research, it's received high ratings. And the pricing is good. The Pathfinder had too much going on with the different options and the pricing, but the Pilot's options and pricing are much better and simpler. Good luck....

theworkz

Hillarious. I just spent the last month comparing the same vehicles, with the addition of the Nissan Pathfinder.. I just bought my 09 Pilot and absolutely love it!!! I have always been an american car guy, and this is the first Honda I have ever owned, but I am suprised with the interior size and power of the pilot.. I am 6' and 250lbs, and my wife is 5' and 100 lbs and we both fit really well in our own configurations.

tina1976

theworkz---- Which 09 Pilot model did you get? Did you get a good deal on it? I got a really good e-price quote from a local dealer, then when I read the fine print, I realized that the destination charge wasn't even included. So I called them up to find out the pricing for all of the extra charges and found out that their "accessory package" is really expensive and includes stuff like wheel locks, mudguards, trim, etc. He said the price on that stuff is negotiable, but I'm wondering if I really need it at all (definitely not the trim).

shodanusmc

I got a 09 Touring AWD (No Res) for 33,500 plus Tax. We love it. However, the material quality of the dash board is not the best....

theworkz

I just bought a 2009 4WD EXL Cherry with Black Leather in the Portland Metro area on Friday for $29,999. Since Oregon doesnt have sales tax, my out the door costs for registration/dmv was only $218. So, my total was $30,217. It took some haggling and holding my ground on the price, but I was able to get it. I also got them to throw in two years of free maintenance that they were trying to charge me for.

tina1976

What are people's general feelings about 2wd SUV's?

daddyyankee

I purchased an 09 EX-L 2wd last week. My last Pilot was an 05 EX 4wd. We looked at the Highlander, Pathfinder, and 4runner before purchasing the Pilot. The Pilot had the most interior room. Also, the Pathfinder and 4runner haven't been updated in quite a few years. My advice to you (if you decide on the Pilot) is to carefully consider which trim level you want. I now wish I had gone for the Touring model since it adds a 512 watt stereo, bluetooth, navigation, power tailgate, parking sensors, etc. over the EX-L. My only complaints so far about the Pilot are: road noise is a bit high and some wind noise is evident from the side windows, rear parking sensors should be standard (I don't find the rearview camera of the EX-L all that useful), quality of leather could be better for the price, and another 20 to 25 hp would be nice. Overall, I am very satisified and do not regret the purchase.

citivas

For me the 2WD vs 4WD depends on where you live and how you expect to use it. When we lived in CA, I would only consider 2WD's. We didn't have to worry about snow or ice and had no plans to take it off road or haul a boat or jet ski, etc. So I preferred not only the up-front savings but the slightly better fuel economy of the 2WD, and never regretted it. When we moved out East, the 4WD became a no-brainer for winter driving.

tina1976

Yeah, it's a hard call regarding 2wd vs. 4wd. I live in Maryland and we haven't gotten any really bad snow storms or ice in a really long time. And the snow and ice that we do get generally shuts down schools and I try to work from home on those bad weather days. So since I don't do a lot of driving when the weather is bad, I figured that a 2wd is sufficient.

s2k3011

Thanks everybody. I appreciate the feedback.

I'm probably going to see about a Touring Navi. Touring does add a lot of value with the nicer stereo, phone capability and power tailgate.

Daddyyankee, thanks for the response. How bad is the wind noise? I noticed the Highlander also had some noise and I thought it was because the the lower profile tire. I kind of like the 17" wheel on the Pilot, keeps replacement costs a little lower. And there seems to be good tread on the 17" tire.

tina1976

I thought wind noise was common on SUV's. My husband has a Nissan Murano and has this same issue as my Honda Pilot.....

theworkz

Traveling at 60mph, I haven't noticed too much Wind Noise on my EX-L. Nothing abnormally high at least.

daddyyankee

Make sure you test drive the Pilot on the freeway with the stereo off. The EX-L and up models actually have an acoustic windshield so wind noise is almost non-existent from the front. However, I am starting to notice that the road noise at 65+ is a bit high. It seems largely due to the rumble from the stock Goodyear Fortera tires. Also, there is also some minor wind seepage from the driver's side B pillar area. I think I might have a loose seal. Anyone else having road noise issues?

peteer01

I'm about to move to the Albany area from overseas (I am American). Neither my wife or I have a car, and I'm leaning towards a Honda Pilot.

I'm particularly interested in any information that would be applicable to Albany, but I'm looking for a general idea of what people would recommend regarding a recently used Pilot vs. a new 2011 model. Any one else go through the same decision process and have any experience to share or recommendations?

72blackbird

We looked at the new Pilots before we bought out 08 EX 2wd- for us the $10k-20k difference in price between our Certified used 08 Pilot and a 09- 2011 EX was not justifiable. We also chose the 08 Pilot for the typical reasons (Honda reliability, needed more room for our dogs, family hauling, etc.), and we were also not big fans of the Hummer-wide style front end on the 09 -newer Pliots.

We found an 08 EX in Dark Cherry w/ 28k mi in excellent condition for $20.6k. We've owned a 95 Accord LX and 06 Civc LX, so the Pilot didn't disappoint our expectations. My wife doesn't like driving large vehicles like SUV's or trucks, but found the Pilot easy to drive and park, so she was very pleased. I was happy w/ the Pilot's 3.5l V-6- drive it easy and you can get 22-24 mpg out of it, but it still has the V-tec to surprise most V-8 SUVs when you want to pass. Interior room is also very spacious- can't wait to load it up w/ the family and dogs and take our first long road trip.

I'm also learning about this SUV's quirks too- it has an occasional steering wheel shake, not terrible but enough for my wife to complain. I know this is tire/ suspension related since our Pilot has generic cheapie tires on it installed by the dealer- our 06 Civic had a rough ride so this isn't surprising to me. The stock stereo is also not the greatest- just sounds cheap and in need of some better speakers. We've only had it for a few days, so I'm sure more quirks will pop up. Overall, we are still not disappointed w/ this purchase- we know our Pilot will serve us well in the future.

peteer01

Thought I'd share my buying experience should it be helpful for anyone where I was a week ago.

In contacting dealers for quotes, I was told that "Honda has a current incentive in place in the form of $1,250 cash" for people who finance through Honda Finance.

Trying to find a competitive price on a used 2009 or 2010 Pilot (wanted to keep the current style) against with the Edmunds TMV minus the $1,250 Honda Finance cash...it just made more sense to buy new. (I had absolutely planned on buying used and paying in full, but that turned out not to be the best bang for my buck! I will be paying off the loan in full, but it was definitely worth the $1,250 off!)

pghatty

I am in the same situation in looking for an EX-L. Found a few 2009's that are Honda Certified for 25K which is a great deal. I think the reason the price has dropped is because the initial 09's are just coming off a 3 year lease and the residual is around 20k or less.

Since the 25K is the dealer list price, I am sure they will come down some so about a 10k difference between a 2009 and 2011 even with the incentive. Makes me lean toward the 2009. Any thoughts?