pilot owners please check in!

[my1staccord]

My gf and I are thinking about buying a Pilot. We first were talking about getting it at the end of this month, but now we are looking to wait until next year. Probably summer or maybe even next december. What I would like to know is what you guys like/dislike about your pilots. Does anyone know what changes if any are in store for the '06? And last but not least I want both navi, and DVD. Has anyone installed an aftermarket dvd player in their pilot? I cant afford the mdx and honda wont install both from the factory:mad:

Thanks for any input!!

[Pairallel]

I have an '04 EX-L Pilot. I can't think of anything major I dislike off the top of my head, but stretching it to be as picky as possible, here goes:

--OEM tires are the absolute pits (especially GY Integritys)
--Gas mileage is a big disappointment (15-16 in every day driving, up to 24 on all hiway driving)
--Gas tank sloshes when full (fixed in '05+ models, I think)
--Rear brakes clunk (fixed with shim TSB, but recurs after 5k miles)
--Sagging leather on front seats
--No sun roof
--Stereo sound quality is below average

That's a quick list. Don't get me wrong - I love the Pilot, and my wife is crazy about it. I paid sticker (like an idiot) but still believe it was a great buy at $30k.

One warning about add-ons - many have loaded up with accessories, including aftermarket DVD, XM radio, running boards, etc. right off the bat. I had the same urge to do this, but I found that once i got it and drove it every day, those extras were not really necessary and I quickly lost interest in them.

You must plan for: rear splash guards, all weather mats and cargo try, at a minimum (about $200).

Everything you would ever want to know about Pilots can be found at HondaPilot.org......

:cool:

[my1staccord]

thanks pairallel, those are some interesting observations. The sunroof is now an option on the ex-l and above, and we currently have a much smaller jeep liberty that is getting 13mpg average so i know how disappointing that can be! The tires bother me, she is a nervous driver and I was really looking for the Honda to be a large improvement in handleing over the Jeep. The Honda is the only 8 passenger SUV that interests us. I think we would have to live

The DVD would be a luxury, but we do drive a lot to go to the kids hockey games One hour each way, and also in the winter to go skiing 3-4 hours each way. I think it would be nice to give the kids something else to do - other then fight! :) When I was a kid my family (5 kids in a station wagon)would travel from North Carolina to northern New Hampshire and back every summer. I often wonder how we did it with out game boys and in car movies!! I still cant get some of the songs my little sister used to sing on those long trips out of my head!!

We live on a dirt road so the spalsh guards and all weather mats truly are a must for us!!

The Honda is the only 8 passenger SUV that interests us. I think we would have to live with these small issues.

I am glad to hear that you had to think so hard to come up with this list that is a good sign!!

Thanks again

[princess]

We LOVE our Pilot.....

I'd like a sunroof, but he doesn't miss it.
I wish for memory seats in both Hondas.
I agree the OEM tires are nasty!
We changed the speakers.
We don't have saggy leather.


I have my fingers crossed that the Pilots will have a touring package like the Odys soon.

The way the seats split has been wonderful! (60/40 on both rows)

We get a little better gas mileage than Pair, but not phenominal.

The reason Honda doesn't put DVD with Nav has to do with how they're wired..... several have added aftermarket over at the Pilot site. We opted for portable. (he does have it wired so we can also view the movie on the Nav screen. BUT it loses the GPS signal when you do.)

[my1staccord]

we did it!!! We bought the pilot last Wednesday, and took it on a trip up to Lake Placid NY. It was such a nice ride.
I think we got a good price, we paid $29750 including destination for the EX-L, and they installed a 10" dvd included with that price. We also traded in an 02 Liberty which they gave me $200 under Nada trade pricing for. Overall I think we did a good job on the price.

We still cant get over how much room there is inside, and what a smooth ride it gives.

[princess]

WOW! Congratulations!!! One comon thing Pilot owners go through is trouble parking! They're hard to get straight! (there was lots of whining about that on the Pilot.org) When I was driving ours last week I did great until a shopping adventure in which I took my daughter....so now she gets to tease me about not being able to park the Pilot. I do great in backing it into it's spot at home though!

What color did you get??

[my1staccord]

we got the silver, the blue was our first choice but the silver was in stock. Now I have to go out and get all weather mats, bug guard and wheel locks. Any other accessories you would recomend?

[princess]

If you only use the 3rd row occationally, then get the liner tray for it! It's been wonderful! It catches dog hair, the mess from plants, gives peace of mind when hauling many things!!!

We also have the net for back there. If you plan to use the top, then the cross bars & a container of a variety of bungies to keep in the back cubby. We haul wood & pipes on top.

We also bought one of those "neat sheets" (they're a picnic blanket with little weights in the corners) & keep it in the back cubby too. It has helped with the messes of sheetrock & other stuff. It also made it nicer to clean up after a snow trip. We put it down when using the 3rd row for the snow toys & boots behind the seat.
:)