Can we talk SUV's? Honda Pilot vs Mercury Mountaineer

[vikivoly]

With #2 on the way, we've decided that we need something more family friendly than our Nissan Xterra. I really love my Xterra because it doesn't say "soccer mom" and DH and I are still trying to hold onto our identity. :) But, reality is sinking in and we need something bigger with a smoother ride. We're not interested in mini-vans.

We're looking at both the Honda Pilot and the Mercury Mountaineer. I love the features and layout of the Pilot. It's clearly made for families. It has the advantages of a minivan, but I won't have to confess to owning one. :) I'm not wild about the exterior styling, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for all of the great amenities offered on the inside. DH on the otherhand prefers the Mercury. We're looking at the V8 with leather. It has nearly everything th Honda has, but the materials are cheaper and the layout isn't as smart. It's seems a little more "grandparent" than "parent". KWIM?

I've read all of the great reviews from the Moms on this board about their Pilots, but haven't found a whole lot of family-oriented reviews about the Mountaineer. All things being equal, it would be the Pilot hands down, sorry DH ;)! But, the deal on the Mountaineers are awesome. We can get the leather v8 for about $5000 less than the Pilot, even though it stickers for $3000 more. Am I crazy to pay that much more for a convenient place to put my purse and a cell phone holder? I'm the primary driver of the vehicle, although this will be our family vehicle, so DH will drive it too. If I truly push I know I'll get my way. But I'm not sure the Pilot is the smarter choice because of the price difference.

For those of you who have purchased the Pilot recently, did you get them down on the sticker price much? Although we haven't gotten down to the nitty gritty, I'm thinking $2000 off will be the max and it will more than likely be about $1500.

[Kieransmom]

I know that my parents were looking between the Mountaneer and the Eddie Bauer Explorer within the past year. THey were able to get a great deal on the Explorer.

Now my brother looked for the Pilot and some Honda dealerships don't stock them on their lots or if they do they stock very few so you most likely have to pay sticker price for them. bus as I said it depends on the dealership. My husband works for BMW and he can attest to this. He sees it all the time. (not just at his dealership) I also know of 2 other people from different states who ran into the low/no stock problem with the Pilots. One had to order theirs.

You'll be able to get a much better deal on the Mountaneer because it's american and they give much better deals because they have to compete for the Japanese/German market. However they depreciate drastically. Unbelievably more than the Honda does. So you end up paying much more for the Honda up front but would be able to get more for it when you try to sell it. It seems much more worth it to me.It all depends on if you have the means to spend it all up front. I personally would go for the Pilot. I've had 7 cars in my lifetime, all German except for 1 that was American and they just don't compare. The difference in quality is so obvious. I have yet to go the Japanese way but that will be our next car.

Good luck!

Michelle
Mommy to Kieran, born 5/9/03

[Melanie]

Rather than pay sticker, you should try to go through Costco (or another membership like AAA) to at least get fleet pricing on them.


I am wondering between the Pilot and the Toyota Highlander. Just dreaming though. =)

[smilequeen]

The Pilot would definitely win, hands down. It's safer, more fuel efficient, better built, and more reliable.

For the price difference, long term, I'd consider that you will spend less on gas as the Pilot gets several more miles to the gallon and likely less money on repairs if you keep it a while. But the difference in safety alone would be worth the extra money to me. And the depreciation is slower on a Honda...

I also just think they drive better, although I can only compare 2 similar cars that I have driven. I have an Acura MDX which is VERY similar to the Pilot and I have driven (but never owned) a V8 Explorer. I just LOVE my Acura. It drives like a car. It's V6 is actually very well made and was more powerful, with better pick up than the Explorer. The Explorer drove like a truck and you can feel the difference in the rollover rating. As an aside...the 3rd row seats in the Acura fold flat down into the floor as if they don't exist, and the Ford didn't do that. I would assume the Honda and the Mercury would be similar?

I will admit that I have a bias against American cars though :) I've only ever owned Honda, Nissan, Acura, and Mercedes :)

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Only since you asked...hands down slam dunk Pilot!!!!!!

My friends just bought one with an interesting stragedy.
He faxed ever dealership within the distance he was willing to drive a note of what he wanted in one, he didn't give them acess to him via phone or last name and only provided a fax number. It took out the middle sales guy and thus only involved the sales manager. they faxed back and forth costs.

He said when the faxes stopped coming after pitting the places against eachother that is how he decided it must be as low as they'll go...

I wouldn't worry so much about one being a few thousand more as I would be about how one depreciates, and look at older Hondas vs older Mercuries which stands up better (I do not know but assume I know).

Anyway only since you asked...I hate having such a strong opinion so sorry I do...but when it comes to cars and trucks etc... to me it is obvious that the Hondas, Toyotas etc are so great!!!!

My dad is getting a Pilot I think...
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[rrosen]

I am another Pilot vote! We bought our Pilot in March and could not be happier. We were able to get a great price on the Pilot. They even threw in some extras since we had to wait a month to get what we wanted.

I don't think you will regret the decision to go with the Pilot. It is a great car, with a great safety record.

[Kieransmom]

Oooh...Costco..I never thought of that. Great idea.

I think the Highlander is cheaper. I don't remember though. Although I do admidt I was online on the Toyota website this morning building my own to see how much it would cost to buy. Unfortunately my current car is a lease and I have a year and a half on it and I looked into buying it out. Not a good idea financially right now. <Sigh> If it would make you feel better you too can pretend and build your own. Lol...I guess it's like window shopping. It makes me feel better.

Michelle
Mommy to Kieran, born 5/9/03

[vikivoly]

Can you tell me more about Costco? I'm not familiar with it.

We looked at the Highlander and ruled it about because it is much smaller than the Pilot and I actually liked the Pilot's interior layout. The third row seat in the Toyota is useless, even the salesman said that.

BTW, the Toyota is more than the Pilot. The base model is probably close to the same, but Toyota adds all kinds of upgrades to their models. The salesman said the only way to get a stripped down version would be to order it and the deal wouldn't be as good. I do think you have a little more bargaining power on the Highlander though, because they're not as in-demand.

[vikivoly]

I had a feeling I would get an overwhelming majority in favor of the Honda. I'm still interested to hear from anyone who owns a Mountaineer. I've read reviews and was quite surprised at how many people liked their Mountaineers.

FWIW, we usually keep our vehicles for about 10 years, so depreciation is not as big of an issue. I've tried using this on DH and he doesn't care. Although now that we have kids, I'm wondering if our vehicle needs will change. Our mileage used to be evenly divided between 2 vehicles and now the SUV gets about 90% usage. But, you know men, they just don't think they need to change their strategy until it's right in their face. Before DD#1 was born we had a Mercury Cougar and a Mazda B4000 (2-seater). Even though I warned him, he didn't think we needed a different vehicle. Well, she was about 2 weeks old when he said, "let's go look at an SUV", thus the Xterra was added to our family. :) Back to depreciation, I was impressed because I saw a used 2003 Honda Pilot with 26,000 miles on it and they were asking $27,000. You could buy a 2004 with the same options for $29,900.

Thanks for the opinions and keep them coming!

[Melanie]

thanks for the highlander commentary. The 3rd row is important to us. What drew me to the highlander was the promise of a hybrid next year.

ETA - as a member of a large organization like AAA or Dostco, you are eligible for fleet pricing. It is a set 'no haggle' price. Last time we used it, it was $X over invoice.

[infomama]

You dont have it listed here as an option but I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Toyota Highlander...

[nola]

Sorry for think out loud here, but here goes. I have a 1996 Ford Explorer and it has run great. Still looks good too. I want to get another car in a few years, and would really be interested in the Pilot.

The only problem is the gas milage. I just pour so much gasoline into my car every week. It is so costly. And for what? Most of my driving is solo or only myself and the baby. It seems like such a waste. On top of that I worry about the vehicle in a roll-over situation.

On the other had, a sedan just doesn't seem safe enough in my area. There are so many SUVs and I have heard that if they ram you from the side occupants have no protection. I can't risk that with my daughter.

So, I guess I have been biding my time until a low-hung SUV hybrid hits the market.

[sarahfran]

I don't have either, but did look seriously at the Mountaineer a while ago. Like the PP, we have an old Ford Explorer (1992) and it's been great for us. I liked the Mountaineer b/c it was nicer version.

BUT I think they're discontinuing the Mountaineer (which is prob why you can get such a great deal), so you are likely to take a HUGE hit when you resell. I'd do some investigation if I were you. If they do discontinue it, you should get an INCREDIBLE deal now, but will suffer at the back end (a consideration depending on how long you plan to keep).

I've never driven the Pilot, but my sis just bought an Acura MDX and it's da bomb!

Good luck with your decision!
-Sarah
Mom to Dylan, 8/18/03

:) Motherhood is such a joy! :)

[mharling]

> Back to depreciation, I was impressed because I saw a used 2003 Honda Pilot with 26,000 miles on it and they were asking $27,000. You could buy a 2004 with the same options for $29,900.

We have a 2003 Pilot (purchased almost exactly a year a go) and I recently priced it. I knew it would hold value pretty well, but I had no idea how well!!

I know we got ours for under the sticker price, but don't remember exactly. I can look it up and e-mail you. Dh did a great job bargaining (which, honestly, I wouldn't have expected!).

Mary
Lane 4/03
#2 on the way!!!
http://lilypie.com/days/050302/0/0/1/-6/.png

[vikivoly]

If I'm not being to caddy and nosey by asking for the details I would appreciate the email. We're going to try another Honda dealer today.

[vikivoly]

Have you checked out the Nissan Murano or the Chrysler Pacifica? They're an SUV, Mini-van, Sedan hybrid.

[vikivoly]

You're right, they are discontinuing the Mountaineer and that is why the deals are so great right now. It's hard to pass up. DH is still sold on the Mercury and I'm leaning towards the Pilot, but with the right price the Mercury could tip the scale. We do INTEND on keeping the vehicle for 6-10 years, so depreciation isn't as big of a factor.

I refuse to even take a look at the MDX. No need to fall in love with something you can't have!

[mharling]

Check your e-mail. :)

Mary
Lane 4/03
#2 on the way!!!
http://lilypie.com/days/050302/0/0/1/-6/.png