2013 and earlier-Honda Pilot Prices Paid and Buying Experience

pepperspop

It all started with a fuse...

Early Wed. a.m. on my way to a business meeting I stopped (for the first time)at Peter's Honda in Nashua, NH to pick up a fuse for my '96 Accord radio/power jack (1st thing that broke in 8 years). Parts guy tossed me a few 15 amp fuses for free. This put me in a good mood and I decided to yet again torture myself trying to get a deal on my wife's dream car, the Pilot. Surprise!!! 15 mins. later I had a Black 04
EX-L (in stock...they said this never happens and after reviewing this board for a while I agree) for $29,970 bottom line including dest. charges etc.

Picked it up Friday night...no hassles...the way car buying should be. Now I'm hoping it will be 2012 before anything breaks in this car.

Thanks for the postings. They've been most helpful.

wxman3

Twins7...thanks for the reply. Been a minivan family for the past 10 years ('94 Nissan Quest), and looking forward to upgrading to car based SUV. However, still expect to tote the friends of our kids, so thinking the third row seating would be nice. Hard to fathom paying MSRP for vehicle, and if area dealerships standing firm, will likely focus on new Pathfinder. Typically Nissan has no problem building inventory.

jfavour

I recently test drove a pilot and casually talked price at Brookdale Honda in northwest suburbs. Salesman mentioned they were offering about $1000 off msrp. I haven't yet gotten down to serious negotiating as we don't want to purchase until mid summer. He seemed to indicate they had a few vehicles in stock and are more likely to negotiate on those.

cds12

Picked up my Sagebrush Pilot EX-L RES with 3 miles on it from Faulkner Honda in Harrisburgh, PA.

Paid $30,100 plus 6% PA Tax and $129.50 in tags, registartion, fees, etc.

phillybigeasy

RES = Rear Entertainment System. I'm also looking to buy a Pilot with Navigation. Could you share your buying experience and where you purchased it.

cds12

I emailed every Honda Dealer within 50 miles plus a couple in Ohio (excluding my local dealer). A total of 16 requests. Here is what I asked for:

"I am looking for a Sage Brush Pearl Pilot EX-L RES with one DIO, rear splash guards. I am ready to purchase as soon one is available. Please email me with your best price both before and after TT&L. Thank you for your time."
Name
Address
Phone Number
Fax Number

I got 2 phone calls and 6 Emails. I took my best price and Emailed the highest price asking them to beat it. I did this for a couple of days until I though I was near the bottom.

My initial Emails were sent out Tuesday nite and by Saturday morning I put a deposit down on a Pilot.

I also called the local salesman I took the test drive with and said "I did the internet thing and the best price I got was $30,100 I would be happy to buy from you if you can match it". He put me on hold to talk to his sales manager. Came back and said that is a great deal and I can't come close to beating it.

I live between Harrisburgh and Philly. Prices went up the closer the dealership was to Philly and prices went down as I went west.

Faulkner also offered free delivery. But its only 50 miles away. And I didn't want anybody driving my Pilot. So I picked it up with only 3 miles on it.

pilot04

I end up purchasing my 2004 EXL-NAV last November from Mick Mcclure Honda in Lewiston,ID after trying to deal with WA and OR dealers.

dhander

It's easy to get a better deal. I live in the western burbs of Chicago. Just call the dealerships and ask for the fleet mgr. I started with the Sam's no haggle price of inv + $1000 and worked down from there. One dealer against another.

I think the trick is keeping control of the negotiation. Always make them come back to you with a better offer as long as you can. Once they are in the ballpark, throw them a bone.

I did this yesterday and within 1/2 hour had them at invoice +750 +protection pkg at $249. With a little more work I should be able to get the protection pkg thrown in. All of this was on the phone.

My only hesitation on the Pilot is the lack of the side curtain airbags, no moonroof and you can't get the RES and Navi both.

newbuy2

OK, heres the deal. Ordered the Pilot from Pruitt online, 400 over invoice, live in CT, never done this before. Delivery was scheduled for mid May, got it last week. I cant say enough about these guys ! The internet manager ( not appropriate to give names on the internet ) was just incredible. Talked me through the whole process, paying tax in my home state, 30 day temp reg etc etc.
Car was delivered in a covered trailer ($750 fee) with 3 miles on the clock - PERFECT !!!!
Highly recommend their pre and post sale service !

southport

How long did it take you to hear back on a quote from Faulkner? I requested one yesterday morning.

cds12

They were actually the last one to get back to me. 2 days. Someone posted on Hondapilot.org that they got an EX-L RES for $100 lower than I did. So you should be able to get a Pilot for about $400 over invoice.

Are you in central PA?

Other dealers that were close to Faulkners price were Apple Honda in York and Rahal Honda in Mechanicsburg.

jas413

Has anyone received a $400 over invoice price quote this month? If so where from?

southport

I am in northeast PA so I will check the other two suggestions. Faulkner has still not gotten back to me via internet request. They quoted over the phone $800 over invoice. I am wondering if the prices are starting to rise.

cds12

Prices are actually going down. $800 over invoice was their first quote to me too.

surfgermany

The best I have gotten so far is 500 over invoice on a EX-L, 800 seems to be the norm in the ohio area.

mugsy

Okay folks, here it is:

I purchased my first car ever yesterday, a Sagebrush EX-L, and loving it! Picked it up at Honda of Staten Island for only $539 above the $28,261 invoice price, i.e., $28,800. It took quite a bit of research and negotiations with several NYC-area dealers, but trust me, that is a pretty good price for our neck of the woods considering many dealers were either asking MSRP or above (and getting that). I even tried upstate dealers (Middletown, Kingston) but that did not help with the price. When I tried to get competing dealers to beat it they were either (a)incredulous, (b) pissed-off or (c) congratulatory and politely informed me that there was no way they could even come close to that price and I should take it.

I know, Staten Island sounds a little distant but the dealer is right there when you get off the Verrazzano Narrows bridge. They were quite nice but very busy so it took a long time (hours) to process the purchase. Since I had done all negotiations over the phone, which were based on existing price quotes in hand from competitors, I can't really comment too much on "buying experience" as it was fairly straightforward. It did seem like a friendly sort of place where they get repeat customers. If you use them, I would just recommend that you do your homework before hand.

I DO NOT recommend PARAGON HONDA. They are located in Queens on Northern Boulevard. After many conversations over a few days, their internet department manager gave me a good price quote late last Friday afternoon at approximately 5:39pm. I immediately called back and left a voice message to request the VIN of the car allegedly on the lot ready for pick up. I followed up on that message with an email telling them to check my message. No one called me back on Friday or the whole weekend.

Finally, at 5:17pm the following Monday I get an email from the Internet Manager stating: "I just wanted to check and see when you would be available to come out and pick up your new vehicle? Email or call me so we can discuss the details." I immediately called back and left another message requesting the VIN before I make the trek out there. I also sent another email telling them to check my message (I know, very thorough, but there is a point to all this detail). After not hearing anything further, I emailed them on Tuesday afternoon. They finally got "joe slick" from the dealership to call me back and finalize details and options. When they emailed it all in writing, with the numbers broken out, the price quote for the base car magically reverted to their initial (and higher) price quote. I immediately emailed them back questioning what happened to the lower offer. This time the reins were handed back to the Internet Manager (i.e, "Good Cop-Bad Cop", what amateurs!) whose story went as follows: The initial offer was their only offer and no lower offer was made. That position was easy to beat since I kept all the email correspondence and easily forwarded their lower price quote. After some time expired, they emailed me back with their new and improved story: That they "told me" that they could in fact do it at the lower price if I had only come in that Friday but since it was now Tuesday, the price went back up.

Obviously, they told me no such thing (and I forwarded all the email correspondence which made no reference to any renegotiated price). Regardless, how could they expect that BS to fly since their warehouse closes at 7:00pm and their quote came to me at 5:39pm! They even had joe slick dealer call me back and things got pretty rude.

For their dishonesty, rudeness and use of the old "Bait-N-Switch", I put PARAGON HONDA firmly in the Hall of Shame.

If anybody has any suggestions other than posting this unfortunate experience here please let me know. I of course immediately filed a complaint with the American Honda Company but given that these guys are THEIR dealers I'm not sure that they will or want to do anything.

Okay, back to $$$ details. So the wife wanted running boards or side steps for the kids to get in and out of the vehicle. We paid about 575 for the regular (non-chrome) side steps which hopefully will do the trick. Since we live in a rough part of Manhattan, she also wanted the Cargo Cover to hide anything left in the back (even though the back windows are tinted). We paid about $220 for that. Also, Cross Bars -$275, Lower trim - $300. They threw in the protection package for free (wheel locks, cargo tray, mud flaps). Some of these items we clearly overpaid for and some are about right.

So after title, DMV fees, and very hefty NY State and NY City taxes of 8.625%, we walked off the lot by paying $32,995.

Thanks to Edmunds and its readers for their help and support!

habitat1

For your first ever car purchase, I think you did a hell of a good job. Congratulations.

chris5

Just signed papers today here in Anchorage to order a 2004 Pilot EX-L. Tried to get the best deal possible, but was only able to get them down to MSRP (they originally wanted a few thousand over MSRP). Not much choice locally, since there is only one Honda dealer here in Anchorage. No Pilots on the lot...the only way to get one here is to snag one as it comes off the boat. No real bargaining power either, as I get the line "...we sell them as soon as they're built". Any ideas out there about how to get a better deal or am I doomed to pay MSRP here in the Great White North?

deepdrop

Your message about speaking english to IIs was rude. Your english is not exactly impeccable either.
IIs may not be a native speaker of english. The internet is a global forum and you should be tolerant instead of rude.

mouseonline

agree with you.
I also question if he speaks any other language besides English.

cds12

My humble apologies.

stever

I lived in Anchorage for 20 winters, and it's a pretty captive market up there (don't ask about my futile attempt to buy a Honda in '98 - sheesh).

However, Pilots are going to be tough to deal on anywhere for a while:

"And the Pilot SUV is so popular that Honda can't make them fast enough. Although the Lincoln plant will build Pilots as early as this summer, it will only be able to churn out 30,000 of them this year, well below the potential demand."

Business Week

In housekeeping matters, a recent post has been removed by the hosts, but you can also remove your own posts at any time with the Delete button by your post title.

Steve, Host

new2honda

Hi all,

We ended up talking with 3 dealers in Mass/NH, and all of them had the same story -- despite having (in some cases) hundreds of Hondas on their lots, they only had maybe 1 or 2 Pilots available for sale at any one time. They cannot keep them in stock, and (shades of Honda in the 1980's) one must 'reserve' one from an upcoming shipment.

We bought a Pilot this past weekend -- from a large dealer in NH. The dealer only had a demo on their lot. They receive 5 or 6 Pilots a week, and most if not all of those are already pre-sold when received. I confirmed this by tracking dealer inventory (on-line) for a couple of dealers, and seeing cars show up on the inventory listing with 'SOLD' already next to the VIN.

So....not much wiggle room on the price. We ended up at $500 below MSRP, plus no-charge addition of running boards and foglamps (equal to about another $900 list).

I have never paid anywhere close to MSRP for a car, but we looked at MANY MANY mid-size SUVs from just about every manufacturer -- foreign and domestic -- and the Honda Pilot was BY FAR the absolute best one from a quality, drive, and features standpoint.

Given that we wanted the Pilot, and given that there is such a huge demand for such a scarce car, I feel pretty good with how we made out.

We're looking forward to many happy years in our new Pilot.

habitat1

Since it's a done deal and you are happy, I offer my congratulations.

However, for what it's worth to others, the DC area is also a pretty tough area to negotiate a deal on a Pilot. However, the service and sales managers my local Honda dealership (Sheehy) were very encouraging of me to get the best deal I could out of town and bring the car there for service. I did buy an S2000 from them and, at that time, no out of state dealers could match their price. I can now get a Pilot at anywhere from $400 to $800 over invoice, depending upon how far I want to travel. They didn't begrudge me, and in fact still want my service business. Given the way they have serviced my S2000, they deserve it.

By the way, the Pilot isn't that "scarce", at least not nationally. My dealer pointed out that Honda produces more silver Pilots in a month than S2000's of all colors in a year. They produce more silver Accords in a month than S2000's since they were introduced in 1999. If you live in a high demand / low supply area, there are alternatives if you are willing to travel and use the internet.

chris5

Steve -

Thanks for the info! Sounds like we may have gotten the best deal possible, considering the circumstances. With over 100 inches of snow up here this past winter, I'm sure the demand for SUVs (especially the Pilot) isn't going to go away!

jd1089

I was working with 3+ dealers in the Fresno, California Area and San Joaquin Valley. Thx to all the posts that I could find in my area I was able to relate and use that info to get a good price on my new Pilot EX (Sage Brush Green) Invoice-$27,000/ Purchase-$28,000

Through this whole thing, none of the dealerships had more than 3 Pilots in-stock...they could barely keep them ready and available. Mine, LIKE THE OTHERS, had just come off the truck and hadn't had the PDI finished. They were covered in plastic still. There was a wait if you couldn't find your color.

I went to Clawson Honda (Fresno) and they wanted $2000 over invoice (Costco member discount). No hassle and they did not want to negotiate any further. I checked other dealers to see if they could beat this.

Merced Honda never responded back to give me a price or if they even had any Pilots in-stock.

Honda North (Clovis, Herndon east of Willow) was very helpful and I had an Ex-Marine (Semper Fi) as my salesperson. He was informative and not pushy at all. They said the best they could probably do was $1700 over invoice.

Selma Honda was very friendly and competitive. I told him the other offers and he said he could do $1000 over invoice...they just didn't have the colors I wanted and I would have to wait for it.

I went back to Honda North, since I liked their service, and went to give them a shot at a price AGAIN. They had the color my wife wanted. I told them Selma could do $1000 over invoice... The sales manager checked and they said they could match it.

RECOMMENDATIONS: HONDA NORTH (CLOVIS,CA) OR SELMA HONDA (OFF FWY 99 IN SELMA)...BOTH ARE COMPETITIVE AND WITH SOME NEGOTIATING YOU SHOULD PROBABLY SNAG YOUR PILOT FOR +/- $1000 OVER INVOICE.

GOOD LUCK

P.S. HONDA NORTH IS SELLING THEIR ACCORDS AND CIVICS @ INVOICE PRICE

jd1089

I'VE LEARNED NOT TO TRADE IN YOUR VEHICLE...UNLESS YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH TRYING TO SELL IT. YOU CAN ALMOST ALWAYS DO BETTER ON YOUR OWN. CHECK THE BLUE BOOK AND THE LOCAL CLASSIFIEDS TO SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE ASKING FOR YOUR CAR.

GOOD LUCK

lls

Thank you very much!

fred4

Has anyone bought a Honda from Bobby Rahal Honda in PA? Good/Bad Experience?

I saw a few people bought from Faulkner Honda. Are you guys happy with them?

What kind of prices are people getting for Honda Pilot with RES?

apuddy

I bought my Pilot w/ Navi from Bobby Rahal at the end of January. It was a great experience and I posted the details a ways back in this string - see message #2083 on p.106.

yys

Just bought red PILOT EX-L RES from Nourse OH. Price was $30,000 ($392 above invoice)...includes splash guard, road hazard tire insurance and 3.14% financing for 5 yrs.
The internet mngr was honest and corteous, and the bussiness mngr was very helpful in getting me the best deal for financing (My personal best seeking for finance is 3.45%). I live in VA and need to fly to Columbus and they kindly pick me up and drive me 1 hr to Chillicothe.

I had been looking for red PILOT EX L in VA/DC/MD, the price quote was 1500-2500 above invoice and according to a dealer it was almost impossible to find the red pilot.
This forums have helped me in finding the good deal. I also ask quote from MP, OH but the price was $800 above invoice and it is unconvinient for me to travel to Akron. Finally, we got the offer from Nourse $500 above invoice (28760 for EX L) but the red one that they had was EX L RES....they were willing to reduce the price if I take this one. So I finalized the deal with them yesterday...the driving was not bad at all 6.5 hrs in total.

Thanks again for setting up this forum and for the valuable messages.

surfgermany

good to hear the info on Norse I am working with them now on a pilot as well. How long was the process at the dealer? and what was your route from chillicothe back to nova. looks as if your numbers are about the same as I have found in nova/dc area.

bloomingtong

We are ready to purchase a new Pilot.

I would appreciate info on "realistic" expectations on what the vehicle could be purchased for. From this board, there are posts detailing pricing at... invoice +400 to +1000 up to full MSRP...that is quite a large gap.

The model we are looking at includes the rear seat entertainment system.

I have found on Edmunds that Honda is offering 3.9% financing. Are there any current incentives for this vehicle other than this financing?

Thank you in advance for the assistance.

southport

I just picked up my EX-L from Faulkner Honda in Harrisburg, PA Saturday. I searched the internet, went locally and ended up at Faulkner and couldn't have been happier. Car came in the week we put the deposit down on it and the best part is I paid $200 over invoice and got a terrific trade-in price. We were headed to Rahal but when we heard the price $200 over and the trade value we just went with it.
Thanks for all the posts. They sure helped. It was the best car buying experience I ever had.

southport

Does anyone have any knowledge if the extended warranty offered by Honda is a good idea to get? We had a price quoted for 5 years/75,000 miles at $849 + tax and 6 yrs/100,000 mi for $1060 + tax. We generally keep our cars longer than the 36,000/3 yr that comes with the Honda Pilot. They say bumper to bumper but are they really worth it? If so, is that a good price? Are there better places to get them besides the dealer?

yys

It took me 6 days from the time I officially ordered it. I think it is because the vehicle was already in stock and they just need to take out some dealer installed parts (because I do not need them).

surfgermany

Sorry yys my question wasnt worded correctly, How long were you at the dealer the day you picked it up? I know I have read here that the other OHIo dealer takes about an hour. And you said it took you 6.5 hrs to drive back to Northren VA. which route did you take on your drive back?

surfgermany

Im looking in the WDC area and have received quotes from a low of 1692 over invoice to a high of 3933 over invoice ( i wont mention the
5500 over inv. quote I got). That said the Ohio dealers mentioned on this board are in the 500 to 800 over invoice on a EX-l, I think one person mentioned a quote of 392 over on a EX-l RES.

yys

Sorry surfgermany, I did not read your questions correctly. It took 3.5 hrs in total in the dealer. It was good that I arrived early that day. I live in Charlottesville, so I took US-35E and I-64E. You may get similar deal in Faulkner Honda (Harrisburg, PA) which is nearer to NoVA. Have you contacted this dealer? I did ask for a quote but they never reply me. The other thing that you might consider is the document fee which is only $100 in OH (compared to >$250 in NoVA).

qbrozen

whether or not its a good idea is a very subjective thing. Based on the transmission recall, we just bought a 5yr/100K $0 deductible from Dick Brooks Honda over the phone for $745 (no tax). You might want to give them a call. info at dickbrookshonda.com. We found they had the best prices we could find. I even tried asking our local dealer if they would come close and they said no way.

sevenj

My wife and I are interested in the Pilot, but have no time frame other than before next winter. The recent spike in gas prices has us happy to still have our civic. But, we are very likely to buy a Pilot eventually--I'm just wondering if there is a better time to buy? I know everyone has a theory (end of month, end of model year) but I'm wondering if any of these theories are true? Will waiting until August or September really benefit me--since I'm not in a hurry?

qbrozen

it really depends on your area and the dealers. If the '05s come out in October like the '04s did, then dealers would want to get rid of their remaining '04s just before the '05s come out. However, I've not exactly seen Pilots rotting away on dealer lots. Most dealers have had no problem selling what they get, so they won't have any sitting around when the '05s are due in.

schroedk

submitted multiple queries for quote on Highlanders and Pilots, got a great quote on new Pilot for $500 over invoice (no haggle). Chose brand new Nighthawk Pearl Black EX with saddle cloth interior for $27,500. When two other dealers called wanting to give their "best" price, they wouldn't even give me their quotes when I told them about the above quote from Ed Napleton Honda, and one dealer informed me to go get that Pilot as soon as possible. Saw used 2003 model with 23,000 miles listed in nearby city with asking price $1000 more than we paid for a new one.

rsharp

I wouldn't buy the extended coverage at the time of purchase. It winds up as part of the sales price of the car for tax purposes (at least in my state). also there are several dealers that will sell the extended coverage at lower prices.

gomudhens

I'm close to shopping dealers for a Pilot EX w/L and RES. However, before I get into negotiations, I want to decide about the "available" towing package. It appears as though this is a dealer option only, and the list price is $825. That price seems really steep! Has anyone negotiated a better price? If so, what did you pay? Am I better off buying a hitch and towing package from a third-party supplier? Please advise.

rsharp

there are cheaper hitches out there. U-Haul has one that runs less than $140 installed. that's just the hitch. If you are looking to tow anything though the Honda people say you have to have all the extra coolers etc. those are expensive. I have a sea doo and I have towed it with a Prelude, 325is BMW and a Hyundai Sante Fe. I cannot imagine that the Pilot needs all these "coolers" to tow a ski but if you go to a dealer that is what you will wind up being told...privately they will tell you otherwise. But if you want to tow a boat or a trailer full of stuff, you are likely stuck with the factory bill. You can order all those parts in a tow kit without going through the dealer but then you have to find someone to install it all.

cob10

Research, Edmonds, Costo, Sams, AAA, LA Times, SF Chronicle.

Believe the following:

Honda Pilot EX, non-leather best price from local dealer quoted $27, 750 good price?

Vs

Toyota Highlander
4x4, v6, this forum AG APPEARANCE PKG -inc: (5) 16" 6-spoke...
  CQ CONVENIENCE PKG -inc: remote keyless...
  HE PREFERRED PKG -inc: 8-way pwr driver seat...
  RL DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS
  EH HEATED PWR MIRRORS
  TO TOWING PREP PKG -inc: upgraded radiator,...
Msrp: $29,935
Invoice: $27,026
Sale: $25,426 ($1600 under invoice) they add tax/tags +100 processing, +dest charge. About $26?

Any better price to be had on the Pilot or Highlander? Not sure yet which vehicle I’ll go for…

jestmaty

My wife and I just got home from buying our Pilot. We live in the Houston, Tx area and just bought a Sage Brush EXL with RES for $30,200 bucks. That excludes the TTL. I haven't treated myself to a new car for 13 years. As of right now this minute, I own a 04 Pontiac Vibe, a 91 Crxsi, a 91 240sx, and a 92 Mazda MPV, and a 04 Pilot. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience at Goodson Honda on the Katy Frwy in Houston!!!!I take delivery next weekend when they unload it off the truck. BRAND NEW!!!!

Oh I realize I said that I haven't owned a new car for 13 years, but the Vibe is my wife's and I never get to drive it....

gbd21

Received a quotation for Pilot EXL,of 400$ over invoice.Someone who has bought from them, please tell me about whether they provide VIN,contract, estimated date and delivery of the vehicle.
Many thanks in advance.

nsantos

i got mine from mike pruitt. the best buying experience i ever had. if your car is in stock they should be able to give you the vin #. you need the vin for the insurance anyway before you drive it off the lot.
goodluck.