Thank you all for being such good sports about the weird modified cars last week. This week we’re getting back to more typical fare, and keeping it cheap. Each day we will look at two cars from one manufacturer, starting today with Honda.
On Friday, I asked you to pick which of the week’s weirdos you wanted to see as a model kit. The van seemed like an obvious choice, and in fact it won. And I absolutely love the idea of putting a mural of Cookie Monster on the side of it; that’s perfect. The Corvette came in a close second, as I thought it might.
As an avid model builder, I have to think of this from the other side: which one of these would I pick up off the shelf at a hobby shop? It’s a toss-up between the van and the Corvette; it would depend on which one looked like it had better detail – and fewer chrome parts. (Why do they always put the alternator and the air cleaner on the chrome tree? Drives me nuts.)
Honda has a good reputation for reliability and durability, second only to Toyota in most people’s minds. This makes a used Honda a good proposition, but not always a cheap one. If you’re shopping at the low end of the market, you’re going to end up with something that needs work, or has a bazillion miles on it, or sometimes both. One of today’s cars needs a little work, and they both have a bazillion miles on them. But the prices are right. Let’s see which one is a better value.
2006 Honda Ridgeline – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.5-liter OHC V6, five-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Odometer reading: 310,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs wheel bearings
For a long time, there was one segment of the automotive market that Honda’s clever engineering and fine build quality hadn’t yet invaded: pickup trucks. That changed in 2006 with the introduction of the Ridgeline. But in typical Honda fashion, this truck has almost nothing in common with traditional pickup design; structurally it’s closer to a Civic than a Silverado. It’s not a Honda for truck people; it’s a truck for Honda people.
The Ridgeline uses a transversely-mounted engine and an all-wheel-drive system that operates in FWD mode until extra traction is needed, then the rear wheels kick in. The engine is a 3.5-liter V6, and the transmission is a five-speed automatic. This one has a ton of miles on it, and it has had a lot of recent work – everything except for the wheel bearings, strangely. I do see that it has new CV axles, and that the spec for the axle nuts is 242 foot-pounds of torque; there’s a chance that the wheel bearings were fine before the axles were replaced, and someone didn’t torque the nuts enough. The bearings, unfortunately, are the press-in type, so they’re cheap, but require lots of labor. Factor that into your calculations.
Mechanical stuff can be replaced on a high-mileage car, but there isn’t much you can do about the soft parts. I can tell just by looking at this interior that its most comfortable days are behind it. That driver’s seat looks hammered. The headliner is falling down as well, and it looks like it is held up with thumb tacks. On the plus side, the air conditioning is in fine shape.
The top half was wrapped years ago, and it was left on too long. I don’t think you’re getting it off now without sanding. But it’s a cheap truck, so who really cares how it looks? It shouldn’t be rusty, if it has lived its whole life in Arizona; it just looks like crap.
2008 Honda Pilot – $1,850
Engine/drivetrain: 3.5-liter OHC V6, five-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Farmers Branch, TX
Odometer reading: 292,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Along the same lines as the Ridgeline, and sharing the same drivetrain, is Honda’s biggest SUV: the Pilot. The Pilot came out in 2002, and I still remember how strange it was seeing something this big with a Honda badge on it. But that’s just the way things were going, and now the first-generation Pilot doesn’t look all that big. It is a three-row SUV, however, with plenty of space inside.
The Pilot also uses Honda’s 3.5-liter V6, five-speed automatic, and automatic all-wheel-drive system. This one is still under 300,000 miles, but not by much. The seller says it is “ready to drive” and has good tires, but doesn’t elaborate. Honda had some serious issues with this transmission earlier on, but this is a later, improved design that’s supposed to be more robust. At this mileage, I would imagine that any failures that were going to happen have already happened and been fixed. But check the fluid and make sure it’s nice and pink.
The Pilot is a little fancier inside than the Ridgeline, and it’s in a little better shape, too. The seller tells us it has “AC and heat,” which I assume means they work, because of course it came with them. It has two different phone mounts stuck to the dash; I guess that’s a sign of the times. Technology changes, and new stuff gets stuck to old car interiors to keep up.
It has some dings and scrapes outside, and a few signs of that old Honda nemesis – rust. Even the mild Texas weather can’t keep it totally at bay. It looks like it’s confined to the rear wheel arches, but take a peek underneath to make sure.
These are both old, tired, and pretty well used up – but they also both still run. And they’re cheap. Obviously, they won’t last you forever, but they should have a bit of life left in them. Since they’re mechanically more or less the same, it comes down to condition. Would you rather deal with the Ridgeline’s wheel bearing issues or the Pilot’s potential rust?
Pass, I’ll take the bus or MAX or both today.
Unfortunately, the desert sun has had its way with that Ridgeline. A pickup would indeed be a little more useful than an SUV, but not that much more useful, and that makes this a really easy choice. Pilot all the way.
Weirdly voting for the Ridgeline, because I think it’s the more honest car here.
BUT: the first-gen Ridgeline has huge, known rust issues. The company even recalled a lot of them for inspection and remedy.
https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-corporate/releases/release-db2492147c55da663fd32edfea1b6ef5-statement-by-american-honda-regarding-rear-frame-corrosion-recall-2006-2014-honda-ridgeline
I’m thinking that’s not so much of an issue for a vehicle that’s spent its life in the arid desert southwest.
And for all the “reliability” reputation Honda has, I have heard and seen several tails of sub-150K lifespans for the 3.5L V6 *AND* the auto transmission in everything on this platform (Odyssey, Ridgeline, Pilot). One of my coworkers had to get their 3.5 V6 rebuilt by the dealer at about 130K. That’s anecdata, I know, but it would also make me shy away from BOTH of these.
I do really, really like the second-gen (current) Ridgeline, however. Helluva truck for suburbia.
Had an ’05 Acura MDX I traded in last autumn with about 197k on it. Never had any engine problems but I was getting worried about the transmission – it was starting to thunk a bit going into gear. The final straw for me was the leaking power steering rack. As in blowing out ALL the P/S fluid in 2 turns leaking. That was a fun drive home from vacation 400 miles away.
Never had any engine or electrical problems. The interior and body held up well overall (I had rust in the rear wheelwells too). But there were a number of other major parts (radiator, A/C compressor, timing set) that needed replaced over the 8 years I owned it.
It gave me years of faithful service, but it was time.
I will go ridgeline. If it is accurate, the number of repairs done already and the easy wheel bearing work will likely get that thing in a bit better shape than a rusty Texas truck. not even sure how that rust occurred down there. But, the lack of a plate also scares me a bit. makes me think this is a BHPH lot, or a truck drug down from the midwest to El Paso then not allowed to go across the border for it’s last life.
At first glance, I thought the Ridgeline was caught in a fire. It doesn’t look better on the inside. I’m going with the Pilot. In context, if the Pilot was being sold in the Northeast, it’d be a very clean example.
Ooof that Ridgeline is nasty.
I would have voted Pilot, but having lived only a few miles from where that one is at AND the upper Midwest, there is zero chance that Pilot spent much of its life in Texas. Rust is not a common thing in DFW, at least not to that level of rust, but that looks exactly like the rust I used to see in the northern rust belt and I can promise the underside of the Pilot looks far worse than those fenders do. That Ridgeline is ugly as sin and nasty inside, but it gets my vote.
The Ridgeline is already trashed, so I won’t have to feel bad about how it will look after I’ve used it as a random crap carrier.
that trucklet is roasted, no thanks, really pass on both, my mom had a RDX and transmission (yes I know this is a later model) was trash. no thank you!
Buuut I did vote pilot, its a good choice for short term use.
Er – No.
Both are short-term vehicles, so I’ll go with the Pilot. Rust shouldn’t devour it until I’m done with it. The Ridgeline is already pretty done. If it were an F150, you might keep patching it up for duty.
The Pilot managed to rust in Texas? I’ll take me chances on the Ridgeline.
Arrr matey, and the open bed be better for haulin’ me booty!
I can do wheel bearings, and I hate rust, so that tipped me towards the Ridgeline. I also just feel like the truck format is probably marginally more practical for me at this stage in life? It’s also cheaper, which is a plus
For most people that “need” a pickup, an SUV and an a small utility trailer is frequently a better option. For years we had a CRV with a 8’x4′ fold up trailer that stood in the garage when it wasn’t needed.
That and I’ve no interest in that sunburnt Ridgeline. I love the design’s functionality (that watertight trunk behind the rear axle almost got us to buy one), but it’s a bit too far gone.
That said, I’m a bit scared off by the rust around the rear wheel arches.
In real life, I’d probably keep looking, but between these two, Pilot all the way.
I disagree. I’ve tried the SUV/trailer combo a couple of times, and prefer just having a pickup. Trailers are a pain in the rear in the city, plus you have to do more planning to use one, where a pickup you have the bed available all the time. Lastly, lots of things you can just throw in the bed, while on a trailer you’re going to have to tie it down.
There are definitely things about having a pickup bed available all the time that makes things easier, but there’s also a lot to be said for that extra enclosed space in the back of the SUV.
I probably used that little trailer less than 15 weekends a year, with errands grouped into the same weekend whenever possible.
The back end of the SUV, on the other hand, got used almost daily. (We were raising two kids at the time.)
Our current fleet has both, but that’s because the current “utility” trailer can hold 11,000 pounds of cargo, and the camper is 28 feet long.
The RAV4 gets driven almost daily, and the truck can go weeks without moving. (I work from home, so my daily driver is more like a biweekly driver, if even.)
As with everything, your mileage my vary.
I would much rather have a Ridgeline than a Pilot, but not this one.
Wheel bearings and terrible cosmetic wear, or cracked windshield and rust? My days of dumping endless time, energy, and money into high mileage worthless shitboxes is long gone. Both of these cars need more money and effort than its worth just to pass inspection, and thats going off of what we can see/know. If you’re lucky, they’ll last another 10-20k before the next thing goes out.
I guess I’ll go Ridgeline, I’ve done plenty of press in wheel bearings…not the most fun job but definitely doable. We’re assuming the seller is correct on this diagnosis after spending $3k in other parts….
I pick the pilot, but mostly for nostalgia. My mom was going to get a Highlander to replace her aging 93 Accord wagon, until the pilot came out. She got the first one that came in at the local dealer (a havasu blue 03 EX AWD). She refused to be a minivan mom. Must have been a popular color, because over the next year 4 other families in our neighborhood got them too.
We had it for 250,000 miles;it moved my sister and I into college a few times; my sister learned to do donuts, and what happens when ice builds up inside the alloy wheels; i stuffed many a bike and car parts in it; and it only ate through 2 transmissions (120k and 215k).
When it was sold, I had the choice of taking that or my sisters 99 Sable. The Sable needed rear struts and an oil pan gasket vs the Pilot needing an exhaust, shocks all around, and rear lower control arms. Sable won.
But my mom replaced the Pilot with a 2012 Volvo XC60 3.2, so everyone lost. That car sucked more than a Dodge Caliber.
“Why do they always put the alternator and the air cleaner on the chrome tree? Drives me nuts.”
I strip chrome plating from model parts using Easy-Off oven cleaner. Place parts into a plastic container, spray pretty heavily with Easy-Off (do it outside, wear gloves and a mask; Easy-Off is nasty stuff) and let sit covered for a few hours. It strips the chrome plating and the lacquer undercoat it adheres to.
Oh, the vote for today? Pilot. That Ridgeline is pretty gross. If the condition were similar, it would definitely be the other way around.
This unlocked old memories I had forgotten of scraping chrome away on my old 1/24th and 25th scale fan belts, and how satisfying it was to get the paint just right on that belt wrapping over the pulley.
Based on Honda ownership experience, the rust on the Pilot is far worse than it looks in the pictures. I voted for the Ridgeline, because I can fix wheel bearings (or more likely pay a shop to do that) but I can fix tin worm once is started eating an Honda, ask me how I know.
Having owned two of them, Pilot all the way, assuming the rust isn’t causing any safety hazard. But if you really want something pickup-like and aren’t afraid of the bearings, I wouldn’t quibble if you chose the Ridgeline.
Come fly with me as I go pilot the Pilot!
The Pilot gets my vote as it seems to be in better overall condition.
I was gonna vote Pilot until I saw the rust. That thing has lived in the land of salt, and the rust you can’t see is always worse than the rust you can.
It’s a lot easier to replace some wheel bearings than rust…especially if the ridgeline lived mostly in AZ
…voted Ridgeline but honestly, it’s probably not the right call for most people looking for something cheap to run around with. I’d just rather have a truck that’s prepped for moving dirty things than stripping out the back of a CUV to haul stuff. Ugly is fine for a pickup if truck stuff is what you want it for. The wheel bearings would be no fun, though. My Sentra SE-R used to eat them.