Opportunity to acquire a 2007 EX

[cdubea]

Hi all,

First time poster here. If this works out I'm certain it will be the first of many.

Anyway, my wife and I have the opportunity to acquire the lightly used 2007 pilot EX that belonged to my now deceased father-in-law.

It's got about 40k miles on it and seems to run well. Unfortunately it has been very poorly maintained by my brother-in-law. He has had it repaired when it needed work but done very little in the way of preventative maintenance on the vehicle. The only thing that has been done to it is oil changes and I honestly have no idea the frequency of those.

For instance some time back he had one tire replaced for some reason and today when I was looking at the remaining tires they are all dry-rot. Really angered me as my wife has been driving the thing on the highway and the tires look to me like they could fail at any moment.

Anyway it has sat in the sun in a parking lot outside the retirement center where my FIL live for virtually it's entire life. So it needs a lot of TLC. The paint is in serious need of attention and the interior is filthy.

I figure to get the car where I want it will cost me between $1,500 and $2,000 as there are several interior pieces that need replacing and there is a lot of touch up work needed on the paint.

What are the implication of buying a vehicle like this that has been poorly maintained? I don't think my BIL has abused it, he has just ignored it.

According to Kelly Blue Book it's got a retail value of about $18K. Honestly, I think my wife would rather have a more recent CRV in better condition.

I certainly wouldn't pay $18K for it, but what do you think it's worth. The car is physically located in Baton Rouge and we would eventually be taking it to Northern VA. I'd like to have it for the 4 wheel drive aspect as we occasionally get severe snow storms.

If I did buy it, what maintenance should I do right off the bat?

Thanks for whatever thoughts you might like to share, I greatly appreciate it!

cheers

chris

[cofetym]

Welcome! Change the fluids oil, atf and vtm. There is a lot of information on the site that walks you through it all. Do your searches through the google box at the top it's tends to better than our search feature.

[Brolan]

Whatever you do, don't pay anything near Blue Book price. That is for a prime vehicle at a dealer. Yours is in poor condition from a private party. I'd low-ball him at 6K and see what he says.

[TomStromie]

You don't sound like you really want the vehicle in the first place. Regardless of the price, it's not worth it to you.

It needs some repair and the maintenance has been spotty at best. It will also need a new timing belt ($800) in a couple of years and new tires ($800) now. I suggest you pass on this Pilot and find something that you are more comfortable with owning.

[hkellogg]

Originally Posted by Brolan

Whatever you do, don't pay anything near Blue Book price. That is for a prime vehicle at a dealer. Yours is in poor condition from a private party. I'd low-ball him at 6K and see what he says.

6k seriously lol, what are you an idiot even at fair condition its a $12,000 vehicle

[Brolan]

Originally Posted by hkellogg

6k seriously lol, what are you an idiot even at fair condition its a $12,000 vehicle

How do you negotiate? If its a 12K car do you say "I'll give you 12K?" Then he'll say 15K. At best he'll meet your price and you are stuck at 12K.

Maybe he just wants to get rid of thing and doesn't much care what he gets. Maybe he doesn't know the value of the car. That's why you low-ball him.

[rocky]

Remember folks this is a family situation and it's the OP's wife's Dad's car. Since she's been driving it, bet she'll keep on driving it. She probably has an emotional attachment to it.
Respect that folks.
Treat the deal as a dealer would a trade in. you'll need to replace the tires. Probably the original GY Integrity. $600. Budget to replace engine oil, tranny fluid, VTM 4 fluid ( rear diff) and air filter plus cabin filter. Say $300 at a dealer. Drive it a year and then replace the TB say $450 as you'll keep the water pump and know the age of the other fluids.
12k would be a steal. Go for a walk with your BIL as I think your wife really wants it. Ask him during the walk what shall we do with the Pilot Take a soft approach you may be pleasantly surprised at the number in his head. Share with him your personal reluctance at getting it but willingness to do a deal even though it wasn't in your budget.
I'd offer 12 with a well shy of 14 tops since there is reconditioning of the car that has to be paid for to bring it back up to standard. Hopefully you'll strike a deal. If not leave the door open. Deals within family are tough but done right and you'll both come out winners in the families eyes.

[ltp646]

Family or not, before making any offers, have a trusted (if one exist) mechanic performs a throurough inspection of the vehicle. This is important considering the vehicle questionable maitenance history. Good luck.

[cdubea]

Thanks all. My wife and I have decided we want the car.

I had a new set of tires put on it and all the vital fluids changed yesterday. It really made a large difference in the driveability.

I had not driven it much until this trip and it's really growing on me. I like the stability and build quality. We encountered a really severe thunderstorm in the car on Wednesday and the Pilot was rock solid. I would feel very comfortable with my wife in this car.

We've got an 03 Sienna with 115k miles and it's been very reliable. I really don't like driving it as it has virtually no road feel whatsoever. It's fairly light car that is not anywhere near as surefooted as the Pilot. As frame of reference my daily driver is a 2008 S2000....

I found out yesterday that it's a 2005, so the value is appreciably less than what I was expecting. The only concern at this point is the fuel mileage. I filled up today and calculated 14.7 mpg. Ouch. I guess that stability comes at a cost.

I'm going to let my wife negotiate the price. That's between her and her brothers. She knows what the resale value is and is not willing to pay anywhere near that. She will walk away if the numbers don't make sense.
Thanks

Chris

[rocky]

IMHO the 05 is the best year for first generation. Tranny troubles experienced by 03/4 fixed, no variable cylinder management or anti sound system to mess you up.
Good for you.
Rocky 2005 142k

[cdubea]

Originally Posted by rocky

IMHO the 05 is the best year for first generation. Tranny troubles experienced by 03/4 fixed, no variable cylinder management or anti sound system to mess you up.
Good for you.
Rocky 2005 142k

Cool. I was a little concerned about the tranny issues.

Like I said, the more I drive it, the more I like it.

All I really need to do now is figure out the NAV system. Searching directly for business names results in locations hundreds of miles away. :/

I appreciate all the helpful info.

chris

[Raymond_12000]

Keep it, and get it buffed and waxed up at a detailing shop. Find some spare hardware at some scrap yards if you need them. I have an 07 EX as well and its a wonderful vehicle to drive. It will give you many years of no trouble. And shop around for maintanence service at different Honda dealears (prices vary!) as its still within the warranty period.

[cdubea]

Originally Posted by Raymond_12000

as its still within the warranty period.

Please explain this comment. The vehicle is long past the 36 month warranty.

thanks

chris

[hkellogg]

Originally Posted by cdubea

Please explain this comment. The vehicle is long past the 36 month warranty.

thanks

chris

He might be thinking that the vehicle is CPO which extends the powertrain warranty to 6 years 100k but you are correct it is well beyond the 3/36 for everything else

[whizmo]

If you get the car at a decent price, I think you're going to come away smelling like a rose. This is a good year for the Pilot and if the oil was changed regularly, that's really the only thing that is vital in 40K miles. If you're doing the fluids now and getting it up to snuff, it should be fine. Everything else sounds cosmetic. These are stout cars.

On price, private part sales are typically mid-way between wholesale and retail. Take off perhaps $2K for deferred maintenance and another $1500 for cosmetics, and I'd think the car would be worth about $3500 off the average price.

Not groking how you have invested money in the car but haven't agreed on a price. You probably know this, but I'll say it anyway: be very careful of doing business with your own family. No better way to develop hard feelings has ever been invented.

What Nav? The EX didn't have a Nav and I think you had to move up to the EX-L to get the option for one. Do you have leather too?

Pilots are no gas mileage champs. Unless you can get it out on the highway, 15 mpg is depressingly more or less the norm. The sticker said 17 city when the car shipped, but later the EPA re-evaulated and downgraded all the Gen 1 Pilots to 15 city. Which is about exactly what I get. On freeway trips, I'll flirt with the low-20's if I can keep the speeds reasonable. At 80 mph, back to 15.

- Mark