2013 and earlier-Honda Pilot Prices Paid and Buying Experience

bennfine

Wow! What a great, informative post.

Thanks much!!

daddy

I got a quote for 06 2WD EX for $22,699 + $550 dest. charge + $399 doc. fees + TTL and was wondering if this is a good price.

I'm hearing from current owners that the leather in Pilots is not good quality and wrinkles show up within months and ages very fast. But unfortunately you need to get leather to get the sunroof. I'm unable to decide.

rockfan

I bought a 2WD-LX about 10 days ago and got a pretty good pricing deal which I have already posted on the forum. The original test drive went great but I only tested the car on the local highway and feeder road near the Russell & Smith dealership. The night that I took the car home, I started hearing a low bass noise every few seconds whenever the VCM system tried to enage and disengage. The noise was clear and noticeable. I called my salesperson that night and said there was something wrong with the car and he told me to bring it in. Since I bought the car on a Sat, I took it in on the second business day (Tues). The salesperson promised to have the service area look at the car and fix the problem. I told the salesperson that I am not comfortable with an repairs being needed on a brand new car with only 64 miles on. He assured me that this is a minor problem and can be fixed.

The dealer now has had the car for about 7 days now with no idea of what is causing the noise. They thought they fixed it once after calling Honda but no luck. When I asked about giving this car back and getting another Pilot which is not making the noise, they told me that according to Texas law, once a car is sold and driven off the lot it is considered as a used car. A title will be used and after that, the only way that a dealer can take the car back is through trade-in. When I told the sales manager that there are other dealerships that allow 7 days ownership guarantees and will accept the car back, he said he doesn't know how that is legally possible.

My question to the forum is how do things really work. Is the dealer being honest with me regarding the no compromise about getting another identical pilot? What about the used car status once a car is driven off the lot? If so, how are other dealerships taking these cars back. Please help as this has been a very disappointing purchase so far and I was really excited about getting a pilot for my family. Thanks.

mgsfba

I plan to buy 2006 Pilot EX-L w/ RES in next 2-3 days. I got quotes via internet from a few dealerships. I figure the cost to dealership as follows:

Invoice + Dest Charges - Incentives - holdback (3%of MSRP)
30,090 + 550 - 1000 - 1000 = 28640

I plan to get quotes through internet from local dealers and buy the lowest quote. I wonder if some dealers engage in unscrupulous behaviour - selling new cars that are slightly damaged during transportation, or some other known problems (??). Wouldn't this be illegal? Maybe I'm worrying too much! Just curious if I just go buy from the dealer who quoted the lowest or stick only to large (volume) dealers. Has anyone had any bad experience buying through internet/fleet managers at the following dealerships in the SF bay area?

- Dublin Honda
- San Leandro Honda
- Anderson Honda

thanks in advance.

wheels8

Bought EX-AWD-RES on 4-11-06 Honda Cars of Clarksville Indiana
$30,718 include dest.
$379.00 doc fee
15.00 title fee

drivein

I know about the holdback but what about the incentive you mentioned?

mgsfba

Currently Honda is giving $1000 (ends 5/1) to dealers on each Pilot sold. There is also a 3.9% -5.9% financing option for 3-5 years respectively. These two cannot be combined.

My question here however is about unscrupulous dealings. Just read about someone's experience with new car - it started to make some noise the next day! I'm wondering if the dealer knew about it and therefore sold it at cheaper price! Anyone else had such experience?

merschel

Does anyone know how common these manufacturer-dealer incentives are? Should I rush to buy a car because the $1000 incentive expires on 5/1 or is it highly likely that a similar incentive will come along again in the next 3 months? I don't really want to buy for another 3-6 months, but if there were a $1000 additional savings, I'd consider it.

bennfine

Did you negotiate any at Dublin Honda ?

I just asked for a quote for the 2WD EX and was told
25990, plus ttl.

Curiously that's 990 over your price, which is almost equal to the $1000 April incentive. Has the incentive disappeard already ?

chimob

I've been offered an out the door price of $31,761.79.

This includes the following accessories:

Chrome side steps
Trailer hitch package
Bike carrier hitch mount
All-weather floor mats

Went with the Black with saddle interior.
Location is in the Chicagoland area.

nupltwannab

I'm looking to lease (in Northern NJ) the Pilot EX-L w/ Navigation System and am in desparate need of help. It seems that there is a promotion ending next week so I need to move quick (is this a sales gimmick?). I have never done this before, but will read Edmunds quide per Car_Man's recommendation, though I am nervous I have "sucker" written on my face. How much should I be paying (12K mi/year, 36 months), assuming top credit? What are the components (MF, MSRP, Res. %, etc.) and what have other people seen for lease pmts?

How much more should I expect for a 15K mi/year lease? Also, how much is the Nav System costing me on a monthly basis?

Thanks much.

erical77

Did anyone purchase Gap insurance through Honda when they purchased their Pilot? We didn't put any money down (wasn't worth it when our savings account is paying almost the interest rate on the loan) and we declined Gap. I asked if we could add it this weekend when we pick up the car and they said yes.

Should we pay $595 through Honda or look elsewhere (online, credit union, etc)?

pistonhonda

The incentive is still there until 5/1...

No negotiation on my part. The first email they sent out that wasnt auto-generated came from their internet manager w/ the 25Kflat quote. Did Stockton, or the others I mentioned give you their quotes already? Oh and are you asking for what I asked for, just the 2WD EX Fabric with no additions?

The quote they gave you should include their contact info. You could just call them up and say that one of my edmunds.com forum friends from Antioch had bought one last Saturday(4/22) when you guys gave him a quote for 25K on friday(4/21) for the 2wd Ex fabric...If I were in your shoes I wouldn't bother because I'm stubborn and hate to negotiate. But if that dealership is so close to you and you really wanted the 2wd ex fabric at the price I got it for then just go for it and ask them if they accept your 25k offer like a previous quote they gave out for the couple in antioch(thats me&my wife of course).

After I bought the pilot and he was demonstrating all the features before I drove off, I told him I frequented edmunds.com forums about the honda deals for this month. He'll probably know by then that the 25990 is a bit too high from what others are offering. If you think about it, they gave the 25K outright to me, so it should just be expected that there could have been a little bit more room for negotiation on my part unless that 25K was really their lowest price limit for me w/c I doubt. And anyways, unless they know what other specials will be coming for May, they'll be trying their best to let go of as many units, other than the civic and fit, as they can to get more of their dealer incentives as end of the month is approaching. Monthly specials or not, I've read elsewhere that as months-end approaches, dealers try their best to sell as many units as they can before the next month comes up. IDK the logic but my guess is that either they're trying to earn something(like the incentives right now) or that they're trying to save something(like floor space for next delivery from honda plant as they'll have to rent some space or something happening like this).

mgsfba

Just bought 2006 Pilot EX-L w/ RES Sage Brush. Out the door price $31,500 ($28,640 [quoted price]) from Anderson Honda in Palo Alto. Great Service! Didn't try to push anything I didn't want. No hassles. Very happy with the service.

hp2006

I used this board extensively during the last 2-3 weeks for research, so here is my contribution.

I purchased EXL with no NAV or RES in Houston for 27,800
(incl. addtl dealer window tint for $100). OTD ~29,800

I used e-mail to request quotes from 5-6 dealers. While most initial quotes came in 28,000 - 28,200 range, I pushed a couple to lower the offer and they responded by lowering it to 27,600 - 27,650 range. I presented the lowest quote to the dealership of my choice (convenient location) and they met it.

Excellent service/moderate amount of sales pressure from John Eagle Honda. The deal included 3 oil changes/roadside assistance for life/free loaner car with any repairs except for oil change.

Do your research, do not get emotionally attached to specific features/colors, and be firm with dealers.

Good luck.

charles20

4WD or 2WD?

qbrozen

$595 is WAY too high. Call your insurance company.

imaduner

Does anyone know if honda will continue rebates on pilots ???

tinatina

Cash rebate, no. However, attractive leases and factory to dealer incentives (i.e $1,000)should continue next month. If you are in the market, this weekend may provide a very good opportunity to buy.

happypilot

I'll post my figures for the lease in the leasing forum, but just to let you know that the INTERNET SALES MANAGER at ROCK HONDA northeast of Los Angeles in Fontana, CA. (I know I can't post his name here) gave me the choice of a purchase of a new 2006 Pilot 2WD EX-L (msrp $32,395) with 10 miles on the odometer for $26,798 plus tax, or the lease, which I took (I just could not pass up the .00022 money factor/.528% interest rate!)

GREAT EXPERIENCE, NO HASSLES!

novaexl2wdhunt

Wrangled with same decision last month in Northern Virginia and opted for the 2WD. With traction control and front wheel drive, I'm not too worried about not being 4WD for the occasional snow. There's no real off-roading in the works for this vehilce, either (I hope not). So, the superior fuel economy won out, with the lower purchase price a bonus. Hope to hold vehicle for 8-12 years, so not too concerned about resale. And with gas prices unlikely to be cheapo in the near future, the better fuel econ could make it more appealing on resale market in future.

howardp74

Anyone have strong opinions for or against Navigation? Worth the $ or just a gadget that will rarely be used? We're buying the vehicle for the fam so DVD is more practical, but we're thinking EX-L Nav and then aftermarket DVD install, headrest DVD player, etc. if pay up for one of these features.

Also, what are the dealers saying re: the resale of the new FWD vs. AWD? It seems to be ~$1000 premium for AWD with potentially better resale, but mileage is a little worse.

dpbhyd

Does this mean that it has an RES. It may be a dumb question, but i will ask it anyway. Have all the guys who bought pilot EX-L with DVD also have Navigation. As far as i looked, It shows you can get either one of those. How true is this?

Appreciate all the replies. I have been using edmunds for about 5 years now and the website has never let me down. Kudos to the website.

aleck828

RES = Rear Entertainment System (DVD). If the Pilot equips with a Nav, it won't have a RES, and vice versa. If it has a Nav, you can have an after market RES installed. My 2WD EXL does not have either - not a fan of Nav, don't want to have RES right now, may consider getting one later.

aleck828

Sorry to hear that. It seems to me that if you don't want the Pilot, you will have to take legal action. What's the status now?

mrgiella

nupltwannab

I leased my EX-L with navi (36 months/12K per year) in Northern NJ with top credit about a month ago and paid 4K down TOTAL and $327 a month (I wanted to keep the payments down) with the purchase price (including Dest.) at about $31,750. I forget the rest of the specifics. Hope this helps.

hfzeus

I am about to buy my 2nd Pilot (4WD EX cloth this time). So far, most quotes have been around 27,000 (I only requested a few so far). If anyone wants to see if we can get a better deal with a group buy, let me know.

I plan to buy in a month or less.

buffalobull35

Dealer was very aggressive in getting by business (conyers, GA). Great Professionalism, great service, great Deal! Out the door $31,500.00 for a 2006 EX-L demo with less than 4000 miles. This included all taxes, fees, tags, destination, etc. I haggled the old fashioned way for them to throw in the crossbars and a trailer hitch & coolers for free and they reluctantly agreed. Also agreed to provide complimentary oil change services.

oakley134

I have used email to get the best deal from a dealer in Georgia. Let me know what you think.

The deal breaks down as follows:

06 Pilot EX with leather 2 wheel drive

Base Price: 26,752
Destination: 550
Doc Fee: 399
Tax: 1662.06
Title: 28
Lemon Law 3

Drive-out 29,394.06

rkww

I actually cut two deals. First over the phone for an AWD LX for $26,200.00 (plus 3% tax). That was the out-the-door-price, and included mudguards and wheel locks. The salesman faxed the specific offer, including VIN #, and I took the fax and a cashiers check and drove 200 miles to the dealer. By gentleman's agreement, my only "out" on the deal was if I didn't like the color. "I" didn't like the color (it's a long story the involves a color blind husband and a color fussy wife). I ended up with a AWD EX with mudguards and wheel locks for $28,000.00 (plus 3% tax) out-the-door. I declined the extended warranty. Because I paid cash, I insisted that as soon as the cashiers check clears, the dealer issue the Certificate Of Origin directly to me. I will save the additional $194.00 dealer transfer fee by personally walking the COO through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

mrgiella

I also got wheel locks in my deal above.

Also, as far as Navi, I like it, but dont love it. I am into gadgets, so that plays a part. My biggest problem is the search function, it has its flaws. But as far as when you put in a specific address the navi is great, especially for a directionally challenged wife. And a HUGE plus for me is the audio on the screen of the navi, as opposed to just on the radio without the navi.

pault1300

Just picked up my Pilot today, Steel blue EXL 2WD with mud flaps and wheel locks for 28500. Great buying experience at Boyte-Usry Honda in Brandon,Ms. I love it so far.

ejpm

We got a price today of $31,680 for the EXL with Res. We are in Connecticut. Does anyone know if this is a good price?

pault1300

I got a quote of 30,600 for an EXL RES in MS. Is your quote for a 2wd or 4?

ejpm

4wd!

caldaddy

Well, I finally went through with it today and bought my new LX 4wd (Sage). After lots of looking around I dediced I wasn't going to do much better than $24,000 +tax and tags and that is exactly what I paid. However, I stupidly gave my savings back by agreeing to 1) a 6 year warranty extension , 2) an add-on alarm system and 3) an interior and exterior protection treatment (some kind of Teflon thing). Though they said these extras should be $5,000, they practically jumped for joy when I agreed to buy them for $1800 (always a bad sign).

So, how much of an idiot am I? Does anyone know if the Honda add-on security system and protection treatment are worth anything? I guess the value of the extra 6 years of warranty can only be determined a few years from now, but I know experts (e.g., Click and Clack Brothers) view these extensions as a waste.

Thanks ahead of time for any words of consolation or even "better luck next time"s.

jenkinsisme

I'm glad you finally got the thing bought Paul. I hate that my used car mgr. couldn't put as much into the trade so you could get the green one you wanted, but congrats anyway! I hope everything went as you expected over at Boyte Usry.

rakeshnayak

Got delivery this evening from Crisswell Honda in MD. Here is my experience:

Decided to go for it on Thursday night. Requested quotes from 16 dealers in DC metro area through Cars.com and Edmunds.com. Spent all day Friday answering phone calls and emails. Only called back the lowest two for a couple of times for a price match or beat each others price during the day. By 6pm on Friday, I had my spreadsheet with 16 quotes, the range was 3.5K. Sent another email to all with a deadline of 2:00pm Saturday for their lowest quote or a match ($31,600) with at least 3 colors in stock
Received 7 answers, two of them matched, one with six in stock including the nighthawk black with saddle. This quote was #10 in the first list. Reached the dealership at 4:30, absolutely no discussion on the price. Completed the transaction at 6 because I had to negotiate the trade in at the last. I think I got a decent price for my trade in too, better than CarMax.

This is my second car through net, both went absolutely fine. One thing I have done both times: I was very stubborn in my emails and phone calls that until they send me quotes through emails and I finalize a price I won’t go to the dealership. If I have to touch a Honda Pilot, I will touch one at any other parking lot. They tried their best to get me there without a final quote but I won.

I am not sure if I got the best price but it was quick and hassel-free and I saved some time and money on gas. :)

OTD: $31,600 (Including 3% VA sales tax, dest, processing fees, TT)

rakeshnayak

Sorry forgot...

4X4 EXL Nav is the configuration.

rukind

I just purchased an EX-L AWD w/NAV with Auto Dimming Mirror, Running Boards, and Wheel Locks for $34,555. Taxes, document fees and license fees extra.

Honda of Renton (WA). Base was $200 over invoice. Dealer options were horrendously overpriced.

imaduner

Looking for a '06 pilot EX-L(no nav or DVD). Would like to get into it around $28k. I am not afraid to drive in Washington,Oregon,No. Idaho. Any suggestions on dealers ???
All help appreciated !!

oldschool3

I was ready to buy a Pilot EXL AWD (no RES or NAV) and had priced them at every dealer in CT. Based on your recommendation, I called Berlin City Honda in Gorham, New Hampshire and couldn't believe the $28,545 internet price.They even offered to deliver it to my door for an extra $125.I was skeptical so we made the long drive up to the White mountains this week-end and came home with a new Pilot EXL in Sage Pearl. Could'nt be more pleased or surprised. Berlin City has to be one of the largest dealers in New England and they certainly "deal" on the price. No pressure, no nonsense, and I saved @ $1600 off the best price I could find in CT. They also sell Toyotas, Fords,Chryslers, et. al. Definitely worth the drive if you're in the market. Looks like I won't be buying any more new cars in CT........!

ps: They filled my tank with $3/gal gas and, as a bonus, I got 24mpg on the drive home!

charles20

Just bought a 2WD EX-L in Maryland for $27,399(inclusive of freight and processing); taxes and tags are extra. Very good dealer, no pressure to buy any options. I live in Northern Virginia, but the dealers in Virginia were at least 500 over this price, so decided to buy in Maryland.

feet2fire

Hi oldschool3,

Glad Berlin City worked out for you as they did for me! Enjoy your new Pilot!

rdf

Sounds like a good deal. How did the other fees breakdown and what dealership did you use? I'm looking to get a good deal in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area too.

Thanks

tuthman

I just traded my silver 05 pilot EX with 16,200 for an 06 2WD EX and I only paid $1683 difference. That included charging me for tint and the door protectors.
The purchase price on th 06 was 26,383 and they gave me 24,700 for the 05.
Is it crazy to drive a car for 15 months and log 16000 miles to then only pay 1683 to get a new one? I know it is not apples to apples, but the 4WD would only have been 1200 more. And, all the little improvements and safety stuff make it worth it alone. We are so stoked because we love the Pilot so much already!

I am still in a daze because I just lost 7,000 on a car I had for only 8 months. A new Avalon.

Good luck on buying a Pilot because they are the best value on the planet and they keep their value!

f1hornet

I live in Louisiana but just purchased 2006 EX-L AWD w/NAV last weekend in Houston TX.

Price: 30,045
Destination: 550
Doc. fee: 187.80

Total before TTL: 30,782.80.
Love the Navi, now I know why people can't live w/o it.

Now I have to deal with the LA 8.75% tax (OUch!!!)

jenkinsisme

It was announced in our sales meeting this morning that supposedly the dealer cash would be extended this month also.No official word from honda but that's what we were told. Just thought I'd pass on the info.

piloteer

where did you get this deal?? I have a 04 EX-L 4WD with RES only 15K miles. Looking to trade for an 06 EX-L with RES 2WD

saxe10595

I guess dealer cash is $2000 for this month. I have an offer for EX-L 4W drive for 27031+destination+tax. Is this a good offer or should I wait ?

I heard that Honda is anxious now for PILOT as gas prices are going up and sale of SUV's are down for last month Numbers overall. PILOT is now also due for major model update next year. Any thoughts ?