2013 and earlier-Honda Pilot Prices Paid and Buying Experience

at12110

You're lucky to find a dealer you can trust. And I agree that peace of mind count for something.

My previous Honda dealer (which I bought a Honda not 1.5 year ago) flat out told my offer price of 2000 below sticker is not gonna do it. He wasn't even making a counter offer because someone will pay that $500 below sticker that he demanded.

I was even ready to pay up to 1500 below sticker should he showed a willingnes to negotiate, but their attitude was "our price take it or leave it" was clear so I decided to buy it from OH even though I never done that before.

Thanks to a lot of people sharing their experience here buying out of state I decided to do the same.

chrisnreg

I picked up a Sagebrush Pearl Pilot EX-L from Landmark Honda (Alexandria, VA) for $30,289 delivered.

The deal took 2 minutes. The salesman wrote out silly, over-MSRP numbers. I crossed them out and replaced them with $30K delivered. He came back from his manager asking for a $289 processing fee and the deal was done.

I had purchased my CR-V from them in 1998, so perhaps they get a "dealer loyalty" reward from Honda.

falcon74

Also, what dealer sites show these new colors for 2004? Thanks.

porknbeans

The new color is Midnight Blue Pearl and IIRC is currently available on the Accord to give you an idea. It is a, well, Midnight Blue. It is a very attractive color and I would buy it if I washed and waxed my vehicles once a week. They are dropping Havasu Blue and Evergreen Pearl due to slow sales in these colors.

You can go to the Honda website for color chips. There is also a dealer in Wooster Ohio that has a very helpful website. If you google it you should be able to figure it out.

Hope this helps.

desertscar

I am talking with a fleet manager in the Phx area.

He has offered invoice + 500 for any 03 models, or invoice + 1100 for any 04 models.

I am leaning towards putting a deposit for an 04, unless the price is going up more than marginally (more than say $300 for any model?).

What do ya'll think?

Also, what should installation of a side step run?

rerenov8r

First, I will you that the installation of the sidesteps is very easy. There are about 72 total bolts, but they go through/onto six brackets per side, every is identical, it is very straightforward. Even if you no mechanical aptitude it won't take more than 90 minutes. I would guess an expereinced mtech could do it in third of the time or less.

If you have not already priced the steps from hondacuraworldDOTcom, you really ought to!

As to you 04 vs 03 question, my math says "go for the bird in the hand". The 03 at $500 over invoice is a terrific deal, no waiting, no uncertainty.

There is the possiblity that the 04 will be signficantly 'enhanced', but I would imagine that the odds of that are quite low, and the possibility of another price hike is most unpleasant.

Of course, if you are not sure how long you might own the Pilot it might make sense to wait for an 04, as depreciation could be a factor.

Why don't you ask the dealer point blank why he thinks DOUBLE+ profit is fair on an 04??

lumberjack1

I bought a Pilot EX-L w/RES for $30,189($32,480 MSRP) in Louisiana included mud flaps, trunk tray, and wheellocks. Got ext warranty of 5 yr/75,000 for $695, but not for sure if that is a good deal.

simple_guy35m

lumberjack1
You seem to have made a good deal. Whats the name of the dealer you purchased in Louisiana.
Thanks

robevts

I am looking to to buy a Pilot LX. Who can I contact in Phoenix to get closer to invoice? I live in Tucson, and the dealer here is sticking to just shy of MSRP, and won't budge. Thanks, as I am not used to paying near retail...even if it is a Pilot. Heck, for that matter, I haven't bought new since 1986. With the low interest rates, I figure now is the time to make my move, but could sure use some help now that we have more options to find better deals.

qbrozen

woohoo! so that would make our havasu blue pilot even more rare. I knew it wasn't a popular color choice and my wife just had to have blue, so I was happy with it. We still love it. Its still a light metallic color, so it doesn't show dirt and dust very well. but its not such a commonplace color like silver.

desertscar

Found two places willing to go $500 or less over invoice. I put a deposit down on an 03 EXL with side step installed, here are the final specs/agreement we have written:

EXL $28,223 + side step $426 + $300 proc fee

Total before TTL=$28,949 (about 500 over invoice if you include doc fees)

Total w/AZ TTL = $31,682.36

They had an in stock EX in Sandstone they would have sold today for basically $1100/$1200 less (pre/post tax), but I decided to wait for the leather (stain/cleaning factor mostly), which they are confident they are getting in this month. I'll take the first Sandstone or Red EXL they can trade for or get in, I bought a VW from them last year so know they will follow through.

Overall, because I think we will keep the vehicle a long time at this price the 03 seemed the way to. I figure the extra $200-500 Honda will charge plus whatever less the dealer is willing to negotiate on the 04s (1000+?) is not worth it in my situation.

I may pay for a Costco exec (have regular membership, get .1 lower with exec) to get the 60M/3.64 from PeopleFirst.

lumberjack1

Simple_guy35m

Walker Honda in Alexandria. I also registered it in Texas which saved me a couple of percentage points on taxes.

beechman

I'm looking for either an Odyssey or a Pilot, was hoping you could tell us the dealership you're working with, since you seem to be having a good experience with them? Thanks for your help!

lornmead

Looked at a Pilot EX that was a demo with 6500 miles.

It has the running boards, after market entertainment system (TV & bigger screen), 20" alum wheels, & trailer hitch.

They are asking $35000.

The wheels don't do much for me and might ask if they could remove.

I would welcome any opinions or suggestions on how to proceed.

qbrozen

a most likely beat on demo car... lessee... $400 running boards, maybe a $1500 entertainment system, and lets say, for the sake of argument, $2K in wheels and tires .... So that's about $4K, maybe $4500 in add-ons? Sound about right? In which case it looks to me like they are asking full sticker all around on this thing ... you did say 6500 demo miles, right? As in 6500 miles where little johnny is running his grubby little fingers over every surface he can find, 6500 miles with little suzie's leaky diaper plunked down in that 2nd row, and while sweaty 300 lb. dad found just the right position in that driver's seat.... should I continue?

I'd say I MIGHT be tempted to pay EX MSRP on the vehicle with zero for the bling bling. The add-ons merely offset the miles in my book. And the car better be purrrfect and show no signs that johnny, suzie, or dad were ever there.

22cool

I have question for people who registered pilot in Massachusetts or California and bought from out of state like Ohio or Texas where the good deals are.. In MA or CA, all new cars should have Ultra Low Emisson system(ULEV). If you buy a car from out of state dealer and you get regular LEV vehicle, is there any problem getting sticker or registration?

I talked to dealer in Ohio and they don't have ULEV and may not able to get one in 3 months or so, but have LEV.. is there any risk that I may not get sticker?

rerenov8r

don't know if other vehicles still hava seperate "tune" for CA, but the Pilot does not. WHat you get in CA is the same as anywhere else.

Also, do not cornfuze the STATE "desigination" with the EPA moniker -- by EPA standards Pilot is an ULEV SUV (and yes the SUV means something diff'rent than a 'passenger car' designiation...)

atl_resident

Just bought my first honda vehicle, a pilot EXL. $31,800 ++++. Great truck wish I could buy it directly from the manufacturer !

These Honda dealers in Atl, I'm sure the rest of country are adding "NO" value at all. I mean with edmunds and other sites we pretty much know what we are getting and with the Honda name there is no selling needed.

I will give 0's on my feedback form for sure. I Will also contact Honda cars and tell them about this dealer and his disgusting treatment of customers who are paying cash to buy this truck..

qbrozen

Are you giving zeros because of what you paid??

YOU PAID IT!! They didn't force you to. You could have gone elsewhere.

I hope your gripe has more behind it than just price.

atl_resident

Its factors like these that ticks me off about honda dealers:

1. Bait and switch techniques with high demand vehicles.
2. Creating mass hyteria and being smug.
3. Keep you waiting while rushing off to another customer to close a deal. Knowing well that we are there for a "Honda" product and can wait.
4. Greedy attitude and behaviour.

I agreed to pay whatever price they asked (I knew it had a markup)

qbrozen

I did find that at a couple of Honda dealers as well, but not all. I have, however, found that attitude at ALL Toyota dealers I have visited. Which is why I never set foot in them anymore. It really does bother me when anybody who needs customers to exist acts like they don't. Some of these car dealers aren't the only place you'll find that sort of attitude. I've seen it in other industries as well. Its becoming more and more widespread I think and that doesn't sit well with me at all. All I can do is refuse to give my business to those people or places and hope that enough people do the same to make them change their ways.

golfnut10

the best pricing I've been able to get in s. florida is msrp. Is there anyone out there in florida, georgia or louisiana who can give me the name of a dealer who get down close to dealer invoice? Thanks

lindalu

Totally over the internet, I negotiated a Pilot EXL for $28,416 ($500 over invoice) from a Chicago dealership - we live in Iowa. Total fees are less than $100 above this, which I also had to negotiate but it really wasn't that painful. Will have to pay TTL here in Iowa when we get home. It's about a 6 hour drive each way from here, but we are going to see a Cubs game, also, and get away (no kids) a couple days, so it works for us.
However, the dealership didn't have the red we wanted, said it would take 7-10 days to get it in. I was OK with that. By day 12 I had not heard from him, so called salesman and he said it would be about another 7-10 days. I'm starting to notice a pattern. I wasn't in a big hurry on July 5 when we sealed the deal and I thought it would be less than 2 weeks, but we are leaving on vacation August 1 and would like to have the Pilot by then. Also, if I can't get there to pick it up by end of July, I will be out of state (in the other direction) for 3 weeks.
Does anyone know how long it usually takes to "order" a Pilot? I assumed he was trading for it, but now am not sure. I had to put down a $500 deposit that was refundable in case of problems with vehicle, but not sure if it is refundable because of untimely delivery. Am guessing I would have to fight for it if I tried to cancel the order.
Has anyone had any similar problems with delivery?

pack1

Golfnut10, Try Courtesy Honda in Sanford. The Internet manager qouted qouted $28,753.00 When

pack1

Sorry, got a little spastic and hit the enter key! As I was saying, $28753.00 for EXL when I contacted them. The dealers fees were too high for me at $500.00

diamond14

I ordered my Red Pilot from McDavid Honda Houston just recently, it took exactly 10 days and the sales told me that is the time from Canada to Texas.

diamond14

We got our Redrock Pilot EX from McDavid Honda Houston, Invoice +$400+TTL.

mohans60

Has any one bought a Honda Pilot with Nav and then added a after market DVD system ?.

If so, any problems or any thing that voids Warranty & things of that sort. Would like your valuable input.

Thanks.

mohans60

A local dealer in NC informed me of the following changes

a) Black exterior with Saddle leather interior

b) Heated external mirrors and Seats

Has any one ordered a 2004 and if so any info on prices ?.

Thanks.

edkruse

Linda LU, Could you let me know what dealer you found in chicago to sell @ $500 over invoice? Looking to buy in chicagoland b4 the end of july. any additional details of purchases prices in chicago would be great. Thanks.

desertscar

Robevts and Beechman, the best quotes I have got are from Beaudry (Tucson) and Showcase (Phx). Please e-mail at andreaandscott@yahoo.com if you want more info.

BTW the new changes seal it for me, I am going for an 03. Out here no need for heated seats or another dark exterior color option. I plan on keeping the car many years and I rather save the upfront money via lower invoice plus get the better price relative to invoice. I think you can think of the difference this way--would you rather have the 03 with leather or 04 with cloth, or 03 with leather and DVD or NAV or 04 with leather. Personally, I choose an 03 EXL that is on the way.

the8znman

My Local Honda Dealer offered my $28,500 for an Base EX Pilot MOdel (cloth) do you think thts a good deal. 28,500+ 6.2% sales tax= $30k. Is this a good deal and by the way are ur prices in ur board include tax?

lindalu

I landed up putting a deposit down with Ed Napleton Oak Lawn Honda, though Windy City Honda did say they would meet this price, but they didn't have red in stock either. Ironically, I went with Oak Lawn because the salesman there was very prompt about returning my emails and following up with me, though delievery of the vehicle doesn't seem to be as prompt! At both places, I spoke with the internet mgr listed on their website that I found through the Honda website. I also checked with Carr's Honda, and though they had the best price on the Odyssey (which I tried to talk myself into, just couldn't do the van thing, though they are great), they weren't as willing to deal on the Pilot.

Since we live just as close to some other larger cities, I also emailed several dealers in Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, and all over Iowa. The closest I came was $1000 more than what I found in Chicago, so must be a real regional thing.

If the Pilot comes in, my final deal as agreed upon is SUPPOSED to be:
Price including dest chrg $28,416
Doc fees $53
Cook county fee $15
10 day temp tags to get me back to Iowa $10
I'll pay ttl back in Iowa.

I did everything via email until I put down the deposit, then the salesman called me and I gave him a cc. I hate dealing with car salesmen and their comments like "oh, you're trying to rob the place!" and finally I think I found a way I can stomach buying a new car. I can attribute all my newly acquired internet car purchasing skills to this site, my husb thought I was nuts when I started this but has since found many others he knows who have shopped like this. Hondas are definitely easier to compare prices on than some other makes, because they don't have all those odd package combos for the options. I picked up a lot of good tips on the Odyssey forum, those people are really frugal!

mattinga

I test drove a Pilot and REALLY like it. My question with Honda dealerships in general is that of added dealer costs. It seems all Honda dealers I have encountered in the Atlanta, GA area want to add dealer extras such as splash guards, VIN etching etc... Typically, there are 3 or 4 different items that inflate the cost $1200-$2000...PLUS this "admin" fee (which I think is real bull) of $500. This is not restricted to just the Pilot, but Odyssey, and pretty much any new Honda car. I'd like to buy this Honda, but how do I get through this BS? Do any Honda dealerships not do this, and not jerk me around?

the8znman

My Local Honda Dealer offered my $28,500 for an Base EX Pilot MOdel (cloth) do you think thts a good deal. 28,500+ 6.2% sales tax= $30k. Is this a good deal and by the way are ur prices in ur board include tax?

acheslow

Matt, try Curry Honda in Chamblee. I ordered an EX-L with NAV from them and since it is coming direct from the factory they aren't adding any dealer accessories. Total cost was $30,753 + $460 delivery + $387 junk fees = $31,600 + $1,580 sales tax + $21 licenese fee = $33,201 total out the door.

I really don't have much experience with Curry to recommend them or not, but if the Pilot is delivered ontime and without any surprises than I will be very happy.

I put down a $500 deposit on 7/12 for a Redrock Pearl EX-L Nav that was allocated but did not yet have a build date. On 7/18 we found out that the build date had been determined and will be between 8/8-8/10. We are hoping to take delivery by 8/25.

cdfwife

After searching for months for a decent deal on a Pilot, I shifted my focus to a used MDX. I had really wanted one, but I couldn't afford it new. I was lucky to fine a great MDX at a good deal, fully loaded, and they gave me a great trade on my Odyssey. Ironically, all the dealers that laughed at my offers on Pilots have been calling to tell me they are all reducing prices. The big discount is "we are now offering Pilots at MSRP instead of the $4000 over sticker that we originally quoted." (They said this with a straight face.) The dealers who didn't return my calls 3 weeks ago are now calling repeatedly.

My guess is that business has slipped, at least here in San Diego. It also seems that Toyota is selling a ton of new Siennas ( at least here) and it must be hurting Honda. I think I would still have to pass on paying MSRP, but it is nice to know that the market is loosening up. The Pilot is still a great vehicle. I am loving the MDX.

Happy motoring!!!!!!

kingadaroad

I got my Pilot two weeks ago in Connecticut. It is a blue 2003 EXL with leather. I paid $30,930, plus sales tax, and $250 for the required VIN etching. I love the car. It takes lots of heavy cargo without complaint, the seats fold nearly flat effortlessly, and it will hold all eight of my grandchildren at once (if I let the oldest drive). It is everything I was looking for, and more.

rtischner

I live in Northern Va. A week ago I bought a Pilot EX-L w/RES for $29,950 plus tax from a dealship in Ohio. I take delivery in a three weeks and I have to pay $84 to fly to Ohio to pick it up. The prices in the Washington Metropolitan area have been pretty high (the best price I was quoted was 31,500 ++) and the Ohio deal was the I could find within reasonable travel distance. Shipping distances from other areas such as Phoenix were cost prohibitive) I've heard that the reason for these regional price differences is the lack of demand for foreign brands in certain parts of the country. I suspect that this is probably true in the area of my dealer in Ohio. Does anyone know of another plausible explanation other than regional demand?

Karen_S

The moving truck is here to take this discussion to our new What Did You Pay? board.

If you have subscribed to this discussion, the move should not interfere with your subscriptions.

Sorry for any confusion or inconvenience! Any questions can be emailed to me.

Thanks!

martiva

I live in Northern Virginia but bought my Pilot EX-L in Ohio, following the good advice from this discussion group. My E-mail requests for quotes from Washington, DC area dealers typically resulted in them sending me the MSRP and inviting me to make an appointment to come to the dealership. Apparently these dealers have not caught on the fact that those of us trying to negotiate via e-mail are doing so to avoid having to spend several hours at each dealership and to get something better than MSRP. One VA dealer might have offered me $500 below MSRP, but it sounded like they were going to add on extras I didn't want once I got to the dealership. So I asked for quotes from dealers in Akron and Cleveland and quickly got several offers between $750-900 over invoice with another $200 off with an internet certificate from some dealers. I decided to go with Motorcars Honda in Cleveland because their internet sales rep was the most prompt in answering E-mails and phone calls, and had good answers to all my questions. His dealership matched my best offer, which was about $500 over invoice in early June. (The Ohio dealers also were not charging the $300 processing fee added on by Virginia dealers.) I had to wait until the end of June for my car to be built and delivered to the dealer. I picked the car up with a one way rental for about $100 and spent only an hour and 15 minutes in the dealership because all my paper work was prepared and ready to go. This was one of my easiet car buying experiences ever and I probably saved about $2500 over the best deal I could have gotten in Virginia. For those of you looking to buy on line, be persistent. A number of dealers in Ohio that others recommended never responded to my requests for price quotes. There appears to by a lot of hit or miss on the responses you will get from the various internet sales reps. None of the Virgina internet sales reps appeared to be trying to sell cars via the internet.

mjhilb

We are in the process of looking at purchasing at 2003 Pilot EX-L. I did the internet thing of mailing local dealers in the burbs. Best price i found was Continental Honda in Lagrange at $29780, Valley Honda in Aurora at $29980, and Honda of Lisle at $30,180. After talking with Continental, they said the would sell me a 2004 Pilot with Leather for $30180. After reading the previous posts, I am curious to see if the heated seats are standard on the 04 Model. Any input as to other dealerships to look at in the Chicagoland area would be appreciated. Think we might hold out for the 04 Pilot.

rerenov8r

The cramped lot that Windy City/Airway Honda has (sorta kinda near Midway) was busting at the seams with Pilots a week or so ago...

2now4

After doing much research on this and other forums, my wife and I decided to buy a pilot EX-L. We found a dealer in the Boston area who would let it go for $29,300. We put down a $500 deposit and waited. That was early June. Now the dealer is saying we might have to wait another 4-8 weeks, and then we would have to buy a '04 model. The dealer would eat $250 of the price increase of the new model year. As the dealer cannot tell us the changes for the new year or the price increase, I don't know if its worth the wait. Any advice of how to handle this?

qbrozen

So... lemme see if I got this right. They are going to give you an '04 for $1950 off sticker, right?? (in case anyone is wondering, I got that number because $29,300 is $1700 off sticker currently, then add the extra $250 they mentioned.)

If that truly is the deal and you can get something in writing, then I'd probably wait (as long as you CAN wait). That's a great deal and you wouldn't be hit with a year of depreciation as soon as you drive it off the lot (as is the case with the '03s at this point in time).

prajapati

I think it's a very good deal. Can you please indicate which dealer and/or sales person you have worked with ? Thank you.

2now4

The deal came from Clair Honda. The concern I have is that the salesperson could not tell me the price of the '04 model. So, if the increase is more then $250.00, I might end up paying more for a car I will likely keep for more than 5-6 years and without any significant improvements (unless there are, which no one seems to know about).

mjhilb

The price you were quoted sounds fantastic. I had a local dealer quote me a price of $30180 on a '04 Pilot EX-L. He thought the price increase would be about 400 over the '03 model. I am ready to pull the trigger at this price. The only hold back is my trade of a '99 Nissan Quest SE. They want to give me $8000 and the KBB Fair Value is $9850. If they come up in price then i will put money down on the '04. This is for the chicago area.

danla

Last month I purchase an '03 Pilot EX-L w/RES in Sandstone Metallic. After test driving a Pilot at my local dealer, and after reading this board, I decided $1,000 over invoice was a reasonable price to pay. I offered this to my local dealer. He said he could only go $300 under MSRP. I then called all dealers in Colorado and extended the same offer. None accepted. Then I called all dealers in Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and South Dakota. The only dealer that accepted my offer was Howard Kool Motors in McCook, NE. Since Howard Kool only had a white Pilot available, they exchanged it for a Sandstone Pilot at a Colorado dealership that had previously rejected my offer. Howard Kool transported their white Pilot to the Colorado dealership, then loaded the Sandstone Pilot on the trailer and brought it to my house.

In the end I paid $30,640 ($1,000 over invoice plus $375 to transport). The many phone calls were well worth the savings. I will pay TTL when I license in Colorado.

lindalu

So I'm NOT the only one waiting forever for a Pilot they ordered!

I put $500 down on July 5 for an EXL with Ed Napleton Honda in Chicago, was told it would be 7-10 days. Hadn't heard anything, called them on day 12 they said it would be another 7-10 days. It will be 4 weeks on this Saturday, and now the salesperson won't return my calls or emails. I have never been given an actual ETA or production date like some people on this site have stated.

I am considering canceling the order because the salesperson has torked me off at this point. Besides, we are going on vacation next week, I was told I would have it in plenty of time. However, if I don't have it by then, there is no longer any hurry to get it. Then maybe I should wait for an 04.

Got my credit card statement today with the $500 down payment on it, am thinking about disputing the charge until the car shows up, or possibly trying to cancel the order. Not sure the dealership will want to give my deposit back. It was agreed upon as "refundable" in case there was anything wrong with the vehicle, wonder if lack of delivery falls into that category...

Any tips on effective complaining? Should I ask for the internet manager's manager? Should I just dispute the charge with Mastercard?