S/o: replacing 04 Honda Pilot with another Pilot?

[smiles33]

The thread about the perfectly good but older Sienna inspired me to think about whether it's time to replace our 04 Honda Pilot with 110K miles. It still drives well and we've pretty much only changed the oil regularly and had 1-2 larger repair bills. However, it's the car we take on all our road trips and it only has driver and front passenger airbags (not side, head curtain, or other new safety features).

DH couldn't care less re: getting a new car, but after seeing the Sienna thread, I brought up the safety feature issue. We can pay cash in full so we would not need a car loan. Yet the only reason to replace the Pilot is to get the latest safety features, which I think is an important reason given the vast improvements since we purchased it in 2003. So he told me to start researching it.

We are very happy with the Pilot and I'm considering getting another one but I haven't been following what changes have occurred in the SUV market. We need something that can tow a large bass boat (so no minivan or smaller SUV like the CRV/Toyota RAV). It needs to fit 4 passengers, have ample storage space, and have 4 doors, so no pickup trucks (even the 4 door models).

We do not want to get a luxury brand, as I don't think it's worth it for our lifestyle, nor do I want the associated worries with driving a nicer car and having higher repair bills just because it's a BMW/Mercedes/Lexus. But am I missing something? Do the luxury brands offer something other than nice luxury upgrades (like heated leather seats) and brand cachet?

I think reliability and value are very important, so I probably would stick to an Asian brand, not a Chevy Tahoe or Suburban (just because I've been spoiled by Honda reliability).

But what else would you recommend? Where should I start my research?

[kaharris83]

We got our '11 Pilot in July '10. We are very happy with it. Not sure if you're looking at new or used but the '10-'11 models had some changes from earlier models that I wanted, but I can't remember exactly what they were. I think the '12 has body style changes but is the same as the '10-'11. The '13 is probably out/coming out soon. We don't have a boat but I did research safety and it was ranked highly. We tried basically every larger SUV at the time and Pilot won for us.

[smiles33]

Yes, we would buy new and that's great to hear you really liked it. It was the clear winner back when we bought it in 03 but I haven't done any research since then. Other than Edmunds.com, can I ask what other sites you used for research?

[kaharris83]

Car and Driver is a big one for DH. I can't remember which safety sites I checked but it was well rated on all that I checked. We test drove nearly everything in and right below its class. We didn't get the NAV or DVD players because we knew we could get those for less ourselves. I think we paid 33k cash in '10 for an '11 it has heated leather seats and is a 4WD.

[AnnieW625]

Yes I would replace a 04 Pilot with a new one. Those early models between 02-05 were prone to brake and transmission issues. I usually keep my cars for at least 10 yrs., but I think even though I am not a huge fan of the current styling of the Pilot if I had an 02-05 Pilot I probably would have sold it when it was only 4 or so yrs. old because of the reported issues I mentioned above.

For towing I might look at the Toyota 4Runner if you want a mid size SUV, but the body styling makes it make really big and I think it would be a beast to drive. I sat in the limited model at the auto show and it was quite comfy and luxurious. I also really liked the Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, which should easily be able to pull a bass boat. The Jeep is one solid car. I was quite surprised by the upgrades and feel of the new ones. I also like that they aren't oversized and still a mid size SUV.

Car & Driver, although they only seem to test the same cars year after year. So they may or may not have a recent Pilot review. You can also check out Auto Week, Road & Track, and Motor Trend. I know a lot of people tend to not favor Consumers Reports, but I still really value their opinion on a lot of things, ESP. cars.

[hellokitty]

I feel like this is a deja vu thread. Wasn't there a similar pilot or highlander thread a few months ago? I brought up the safety issue on that one and I think in the end the owner decided not to do it, since ppl kept mentioning that it was not economical. For me, yes I had a honda ody 01 and ended up getting a honda ody 09 last yr, for safety features and b/c I was afraid that down the line our ody (which only had 80K miles) would have transmission issues and also I have a family member who was in a severe car accident in an older honda accord w/o side curtain airbags and that experience really opened my eyes to the kind of injury that could be prevented with side curtain airbags. So, I really wanted the extra safety feature. I am a pretty practical person and for all I know, our 01 could have chugged along for another 50K w/o any issues. However, it is our main family car and we also use it for long road trips. So, for us, it felt like the right decision. If you can afford it, I think you will be fine. Hondas hold their value well, so you can still sell/trade your old pilot for a decent price. We were able to sell our 01 ody for $2500 more than what the dealer wanted to give us, though, so if you can sell it on your own, it's worth it.

[smiles33]

I'll go look for the Car and Driver website after this. I might still consider the rear DVD system because some said it's connected to the sound system, has 2 wireless headsets yet adults can listen to the radio, and there are 2 screens.

Annie: we have never had any Transmission or brake problems so it wouldn't have occurred to me to sell it earlier. Our repairs were to replace belts and minor issues that cropped up after about 80 or 90K miles.

Hellokitty: I usually don't click on any threads about cars as I thought we would drive this car into the ground (DH's car before this was a 1985 Nissan 300ZX). It may not be the smartest money decision, but everyone has to make decisions about priorities. At the end of the day, i would rather drive the safer car than have cash earning a paltry 1% interest. We would definitely sell on craigslist, as trade-ins lose at least $1000.

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by smiles33

Hellokitty: I usually don't click on any threads about cars as I thought we would drive this car into the ground (DH's car before this was a 1985 Nissan 300ZX). It may not be the smartest money decision, but everyone has to make decisions about priorities. At the end of the day, i would rather drive the safer car than have cash earning a paltry 1% interest. We would definitely sell on craigslist, as trade-ins lose at least $1000.

Yeah, after personally seeing a family member deal with a severe car accident, that might have been avoided by the side impact curtains, I feel the same way as you do. If you feel so strongly about it, then I would say you should just get it. It will give you an extra peace of mind.

[sophiesmom03]

We traded an 05 used pilot (meaning we bought used) for a
Lease on an 11 pilot, same trim (ex-l) and love it.