Honda Pilot

[bucket o' butter]

We are about 6 months away from buying a new automobile. We bought our past two vehicles on a "whim" and we really want to do our homework before we buy a new one. Our current vehicle (Buick Terraza) is paid off, but we would like to go about 6 months with no payments so we can get our one credit card paid off. I am so mad that we ran up a credit card. We haven't done that in many, many years, but oh well, what is done, is done. Bottom line is we have to get it paid off! We have looked at the Chevy Traverse, Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot. At this point we are leaning toward the Pilot. Does anyone own the Pilot or Highlander? I think we have decided against the Traverse due to the price, but we haven't completely eliminated it. I would appreciate any comments, good or bad, that anyone has? Thanks!

 

[merekc]

I just bought a Highlander and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!

I had a Kia minivan that I hated and had tons of problems with. My critieria was that the new car had to be pretty much excellent across the board in its revies. Of the larger vehicles I considered, my two choices were the Pilot and the Highlander.

Both are currently offering great interest rates, actually unbelievably low compared to what Honda and Toyota used to offer. What made me go Highlander was the way the Pilot drove. I test drove it first and it felt like a big, bulky vehicle to me. I was not in love with the way I felt driving it even though I knew I would get used to it. I was very impressed with its turning radius.

I then test drove the Highlander and was much more comfortable in it from the get go. It drove more like a car.

The other factor was my Honda dealership wouldn't give me straight numbers (which made me walk away). The Toyota dealership bent over backwards to get my business including give me more trade-in than my van was worth.

I think either one is a great choice. I have many friends that have Pilots and love them.

I'd also suggest you look at used ones. I actually ended up with a fantastic deal on a practically new Highlander. A new one would have been out of my price range. I went through the websites of every Honda and Toyota dealership within a 2 hour drive to check their inventory.

If you consider used, with the Highlander it went through a model change in 08 (I think). The new model is larger. I do not remember when the last remodel of the Pilot was.

 

[ragtopday]

I drive a Honda Pilot - 2005 EX. I bought it new and love it. I have not had any problems at all. I got new brakes this summer and replaced the timing belt in advance of recommendations (I had a timing belt go on me once in a previous vehicle and it is not something I ever want to go through again!).

We love the third row seating - we usually use that area for cargo (groceries, dogs, what-have-you), but when we are carrying the kids' friends it's so nice to have that extra space.

I'm a bit of a car snob as far as features go - ours has the leather package with the entertainment system - love my heated seats!!

Good luck with your decision - Honda makes a great vehicle!

 

[POOHDRMR]

Love my Pilot-I currently have an 2010 after having a 2006.I looked around before getting the new one looking for something a little cheaper and nothing compared for me.The drive is more like a car than a suv.It gets good gas mileage and it is very roomy.Right now I have 3 strollers,a bouncy seat and various other baby things in the back and still had enough room to go christmas shopping and stop at the grocery store today.I have unfortunatly had accidents with both of my Pilots(both times hit from behind while stopped at red lights)The first time the car hit me doing 40 and the bumper took all the damage and kept me and my dd safe.The second one was not as hard.They also hold there value really well.I couldn't find anything else I thought was as good.

 

[magchavez]

We just went thru the same thing. We test drove the Highlander and Pilot. We have always had Hondas but we ended up with the Highlander. It rides so much smoother and quieter than the Pilot. Plus we didn't like the boxy look of the Pilot. Our Highlander is 6 days old and I love it!!!! I would highly recommend it to anyone!

 

[Ar1el]

I have a 2008 Honda Pilot and although I do love it, I do not find it to be that roomy. I have 3 kids, 2 booster seats and 1 infant seat. It is not the easiest to buckle in my 2 kids in the booster seat with the infant seat in place. Yes, I have the 3rd row but my 2 older kids want to be near the baby. The pilot handles well and the gas mileage is not bad. We actually are going to be trading it in bc of the lack of room for us now. If they were just 2-3 inches wider it would make all the difference. With the 3rd row down you have a lot of cargo room but with the 3rd row up, not so much. Good luck with your decision.

 

[riley2008]

We have a 2007 Pilot that I like well enough. At the time, the Toyota Highlander was about to come out with a new model in 2008, maybe. I did love the Toyota Sequoia, but WOW on price and size.

I'm not sure I would like the Pilot or Highlander with three kids. Both have the third row seat, but it isn't easy to get to on a regular basis. (Maybe the style and options have now changed or it's just our inconvenience with two booster seats still.) There are several crossovers/SUVs that I have seen lately with a removeable (or just not there) middle seat in the second row. Makes it so much easier to access that third row.

With two kiddos and the occassional neighbor(s), our Pilot is GREAT. Plenty of room for what we need - I can even toss in the boys bikes to grandmas. What the PP mentioned is correct though, an extra 2-3" in the second row for carseats/booster seats would make a huge difference. For us we don't use the third row seating but 1-2 times a month, so we're good.

Good luck on the car shopping!

 

[MELSMICE]

My DH just turned in his 2007 Honda Pilot lease & leased a new one. I have to honestly say that I don't like the new one because of it's size & boxiness. It seems larger then the older model & it's very boxy.

Also, the back which can either be used for hauling or turn into a 3rd seat seems to be on a slant for some reason. Maybe it's a defect with his vehicle, but you have to be cautious when you open the back so nothing slides out!

My DH seems to like, so I guess that's what matters because he drives it most of the time. When I do drive it though, I'm not a fan, to be honest.

 

[VanessainWonderland]

Hi Bucke-O-Butter!

I don't have time to get into much detail, but after doing MUCH research, we went with the 2009 Honda Pilot. AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!

It is huge and roomy, seats 7 comfortably. My favorite part is that it was the only SUV that I can drive that doesn't feel like I am riving the Titanic!

That Pilot has taken us very comfortably to Disney many times! I never test drove any Toyotas becasue at the time they were having to recall all their vehicles, but in terms of price, I think you get a lot more with Honda and pay a lot less.

Good Luck!!!

 

[simonsmom]

the only problem I have with our Pilot(which is a "02 btw) is putting the 3rd row back up. It is way too heavy for me- I would suggest that you try doing that before buying. It has held up extremely well

 

[merrily]

I love my "06 Pilot. I'm not sure I would buy a new one though as I don't really like the redesigned look.

It drives so nicely, can seat 8 (small people like kids not in car seats) and mine has 4X4 on demand which I like.

 

[GJM]

I have a 2003 Highlander and love it! We pretty much only buy Toyota or Honda, we did look at the Pilot but at the time it was just a little too big.

I really want the new Highlander!!

 

[FLmomof2]

We have a 2011 Pilot and love it. Its much more roomier than our Mountaineer we traded in. The back has tons of space and love all the little storage spaces! It rides really smooth.

We also bought a 2010 CRV which my husband drives and he loves that too!

 

[gabrismom]

we have a 2003 Pilot and I highly recommend it. I have three kids and it works well for us. At one time we had two boosters and a car seat in the 2nd row and it worked fine for us. (I'm sure some carseats will be easier than others to fit in.) We use the third row all the time as we are always running to rinks and bringing my girls teammates with us. Having said that, we only put kids in the back. It's a tight squeeze for adults with minimal leg room. Maintenance has been fantastic. We will buy another one in a year or two. Having said that, we have only ever had Hondas so I may be a bit biased. Judging from the posters on this thread either vehicle will be a good choice.

 

[czycropper]

I love the Pilot. Let me tell you a little story - I had a 2005 and unfortunately it was totaled in 2007 and I was not injured, it had kept it's value and we got a good amount of insurance. It was able to hold my family as well as my BF family on several trips into NYC (8 of us- the men all over 6ft).

In 2007, we ended up not getting another Pilot since my DH felt that I really didn't need all the room - BOY was he WRONG we got a Hyundai Santa Fe (which I love but it doesn't have as much room). We are now in the process of getting another Pilot. I drove several mid-size SUVs and the Pilot is the only one that I felt safe in....when I closed the doors on several SUVs they sound hallow instead of sturdy (which is how the Pilot door sounds) - not sure if you know what I mean.

Just my $.02!

 

[heartsy77]

I got my Pilot in FEB and will never go back to mini-van! Love the room and the fact that it doesn't feel like I'm driving a truck! We had a Pathfinder ( we used as an extra 3rd vehicle and to haul camper) I hated it because it felt like driving a mac truck! my Pilot!

 

[tlbwriter]

I have an 06 Pilot and absolutely love it. Hondas are extremely reliable and hold their value well. I'm a Toyota fan too, but the Highlander is a little smaller than I wanted (a friend of mine bought a Highlander instead of a Pilot because she felt the Pilot was too big, but a month later announced she should have bought the Pilot).

 

[Plumeria9]

We are about 6 months away from buying a new automobile. We bought our past two vehicles on a "whim" and we really want to do our homework before we buy a new one. Our current vehicle (Buick Terraza) is paid off, but we would like to go about 6 months with no payments so we can get our one credit card paid off. I am so mad that we ran up a credit card. We haven't done that in many, many years, but oh well, what is done, is done. Bottom line is we have to get it paid off! We have looked at the Chevy Traverse, Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot. At this point we are leaning toward the Pilot. Does anyone own the Pilot or Highlander? I think we have decided against the Traverse due to the price, but we haven't completely eliminated it. I would appreciate any comments, good or bad, that anyone has? Thanks!

I read your thread and was curious as I hope to get a new vehicle soon too. I have an '02 Odyssey. I have been seriously thinking about the Traverse too, but I've never wanted a Chevy before. All of my cars have been Honda or Toyota. What is it about the price of the Traverse? Is it more than the Pilot? I didn't think I could afford a Pilot or a Highlander, but are they all in the same category? What I really want is an Acura MDX, but those are at least $50k. Wow. Like you, I also want the best car I can get for the money. Would love to hear what you think of the Traverse, did you test drive it at all? I haven't, just seen it on the road. Not crazy about the way the back window looks, but then again, I haven't been able to get too serious yet! Thanks!

 

[mom2brina]

We purchased our 2011 Pilot in May. I love it!

I didn't like the size of the Highlander. It seemed too narrow. The Pilot's third row & cargo area work really well for us.

I really liked the way the Mazda CX 9 drove (lots of zoom zoom), but it's cargo area wasn't what we were looking for.

Both are great vehicles, but I think you need to test drive them a couple of times to figure out what suits your family best. See if you can take them for an overnight test drive. See how they fit in your garage. Test out how much of your normal stuff (lawn chairs, coolers, softball gear, etc ...) you can fit in the back with the third row seat up.

 

[chrissyb2411]

I don't know if you have considered a Nissan Pathfinder at all. I went between a pathfinder and a pilot, and eventually opted for the pathfinder. If you work it you can get a great deal. I absolutly love it! I have fit 2 rear facing infant seats, and a highback booster in the middle, and 2 backless boosters in the back, no problem. And those rear facing infant seats are HUGE. I love everything about it, except that the interior (tan cloth) stains super easy, not kid friendly unless covered. The seats are easy to get up and down, easy to get in and out. I can get into the third row to buckle a belt if needed. Like all 3rd row SUV's you loose most of your cargo space with the seats up. But for us its not an issue, we don't use the third row on a daily basis, but it sure comes in handy when we need it!!