[Claimee]

I know it's a horrible time to buy a car, so I keep going back and forth. I think I need to "ask the audience"!

Feel free to comment on the 2nd gen vs 3rd gen--I love my current 2012 pilot, but it's getting up there in miles and all the amenities of the Elite are enticing...
But the 2nd gens are getting harder to find with low miles to be viable as a replacement vehicle...

HELP!

 

[Sport22]

I know it's a horrible time to buy a car, so I keep going back and forth. I think I need to "ask the audience"!

Feel free to comment on the 2nd gen vs 3rd gen--I love my current 2012 pilot, but it's getting up there in miles and all the amenities of the Elite are enticing...
But the 2nd gens are getting harder to find with low miles to be viable as a replacement vehicle...

HELP!

I'm currently waiting for delivery of my 2022 Pilot AWD Sport, so take this with a grain of salt, i.e. I don't have a ton of experience with the Pilot yet.

Reading through this site, it's apparent some of those "amenities" are not trouble free. Auto Idle Stop seems erratic (e.g. the car won't start after AIS shuts it down,) Variable Cylindar Management (VCM) can cause expensive problems down the road, etc. That being said, you're more likely to see complaints in a forum such as this one than praises.

All that aside, you're asking a question that's difficult to answer. For me, I can barely tell the difference between a screw and a bolt, so I've always bought new cars, thinking buying used is buying someone else's problems that I'll have to pay to have fixed. If you're mechanically inclined and have all the necessary tools, then by all means buy used.

For what it's worth, This guy doesn't like the 2013 model.

 

[cintocrunch]

I'm always a fan of buying the newest and lowest mile vehicle you can so I voted for the '19 since it was an option.

1. The '15 is DOA with the rebuilt title. Too many question marks and you won't get enough answers. Could be great, could be a nightmare. The scales tilt more towards nightmare than your usual used car risk.
2. The '13 is 10 years old this year (assuming produced in '12). IDK, I just feel like $20k for a 10 year old Pilot with 100k miles is too much.
3. Your current has 200k miles. If everything is good, I really don't see a problem with keeping it and setting aside $300 or $500 per month until it does die. That money you set aside is a sizable down payment and now your new monthly is low.
4. I'm in support of the '19 and newer Pilots. They just don't get the same amount of complaints as the '16-'18 models do, it seems to me like Honda made the appropriate adjustments.

 

[crokett]

Keep your 2013. I have a 2012 that just rolled over 200k miles. I have some maintenance that will need to get done this year - spark plugs, brakes and coolant flush/fill. I just replaced the rear shocks and have new lifters for the rear hatch that I have to put on. It's still a solid car. I will drive it for a while. Set aside what a car payment would be for a while. Use that cash for when the current vehicle does die to pay cash (or at least mostly cash) for the replacement vehicle. I would not buy a car with a rebuilt/salvage title. A lot of insurers won't insure them.

 

[fcdoc85]

2018 Toyota Highlander

 

[Claimee]

2018 Toyota Highlander

So back when we first settled on a Pilot, we chose it over a highlander because the Highlander was on a car body frame and drove more like a car. I'm not sure if that is still the case, but I do like how my pilot sits up and handles. I haven't tried a Highlander since our initial choice back in 2008, so I don't know if that's still the case.

 

[cintocrunch]

So back when we first settled on a Pilot, we chose it over a highlander because the Highlander was on a car body frame and drove more like a car. I'm not sure if that is still the case, but I do like how my pilot sits up and handles. I haven't tried a Highlander since our initial choice back in 2008, so I don't know if that's still the case.

Both the Pilot and Highlander have always been unibody style vehicles, similar to most modern cars (and crossovers). The Pilot may have felt more "trucklike" than the Highlander but their construction was very similar. I feel that Honda has always targeted higher payload/towing/volume which leads to a more substantial feeling.

 

[road2cycle]

You didn’t mention the mechanical condition of your current Pilot, but if it’s in good shape I’d consider holding onto it for another year to see if the car market settles out. You’ll loose its increased resale value once things get closer to normal, but you also won’t be paying today’s premium on a used car purchase. The used car market today is insane. I’d avoid buying anything in these conditions unless it’s absolutely necessary.

 

[plplplpl]

The used car market today is insane. I’d avoid buying anything in these conditions unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Or work for the man 5 more weeks.

Americans needed to work five weeks more on average to afford a used car in 2021

Wages are not keeping up with inflation. The price of cars has grown significantly faster than earnings, a new analysis by the Anderson Economic Group found.

www.cnn.com