whiggy

This is my 3rd Pilot. I had a 2004, 2006, and now the 2011. They are pretty solid and I never really had any issues with them; never left me stranded and I never had to stare at a $3000 repair bill for any of them (not even $1K). In fact, I work on my cars myself as much as I can so basically I only reach out to shops and dealerships for things I have no tools for (like tires, lol) or when purchasing tools for the job would not be cost effective (like tire mounting and balancing machine).

In the grand scheme of things we all deep down know that Lexus > Honda. Heck, we all know Lexus > Acura, Lexus > Mercedes, Lexus > BMW, etc. It does not necessarily mean those other brands are not good; they are just not as good as Lexus. The years of consumer reports, reliability ratings, satisfaction ratings, repeat buyers, etc show it. So, yeah, I am a believer. I am just trying to figure out what I would get on top of what I already have and whether it's worth the price in my case. For me, GX470 has that certain "je ne sais quoi" appeal but at the same time my brain keeps nagging me: "What are you doing?", "Are you sure you want to pay more to have pretty much the same thing?"... hence my dilemma.

In the end I think I'll just have to give it some more time and read more threads on the subject in this forum and others. Also, I'll keep an eye out for a deal on a GX... who knows, maybe with a good deal I could break even.
Thanks everyone for your input and opinions and by all means please keep them coming; it's your thoughts that make this thread useful.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

You can fit more chicks in the GX so yes go for it

whiggy

Not a bad argument... I like the way you think....

BradTank

I would want something different just for the fact you've had 3 Honda Pilots in a row.

whiggy

Yes, that's another thing. Whenever I needed a car and weighed my options I always somehow ended up with the Pilot for its combination of space, reliability, and utility.
I wish I went with something else this last time as I am definitely bored with it. I guess that's why I am looking at the GX now

whiggy

I really like this one - http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...39783933&Log=0 - but the price....ouch!

yackowski

I paid 19k for my '08, 1 owner, non-nav, with 87,000 on the clock FWIW.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

Go for one with the black interior, having had both the darker interior is just win all around for me.

IanB2

X2, I wish ours was the darker interior, and non-nav.

whiggy

I think I'd be happy with either interior and do not really have a preference regarding the nav. What's so bad about the nav, anyway (other than being outdated)? Does it break often or something?

LoneHiker

I updated the nav disk to the latest version, and it still works well enough that I use it all the time. The controls are not very intuitive like they would be on a modern tablet for instance, so it takes some getting used to. But it is still very usable.

Very few people appreciate the quality of the Mark Levinson stereo that comes with the Nav, and they believe they could spend $1000 and get a much better sounding stereo, so a lot of people just like to be able to install their own stereo instead of the Mark Levinson Nav system. The problem is that if you have the ML/Nav system, you are pretty much locked into it and can't make much in the way of custom stereo improvements without A LOT of effort.

I am a bit of an audiophile, and worked as a master installer back in college. I like the ML system enough that it's the first car stereo system that I haven't immediately ripped out upon purchasing the vehicle. So don't let anyone sway you one way or the other about the NAV system, get it or not based on your own preference.

chiph9

Agree. The ML is the first factory system I've had that is actually pretty good. I used to be involved (in a minor way) with the car audio scene in the 90's and got to listen to Richard Clark's Grand National one time (amazing, btw).

If you ever open up your door and look at the drivers, they're aftermarket quality - not the usual cheap frames with tiny magnets and flimsy cones you get from automakers.

Chip H.

IanB2

Factory stereo is fine sounding, but lacks in the ability to play MP3's, attach a thumbdrive/SD card, stream from your phone, handle bluetooth calling (on the pre-'06 anyways), etc. The nav is in many cases in excess of 10 years old and updating maps can't help that. The problem is that it's no easy task to upgrade if you have factory nav/ML Audio, so you're stuck with an above average stock stereo, which is a big drawback for many. If you don't care about that kind of thing, then it's a non-issue.

There are add-on units that help (bluetooth & USB input), but I've never really been that impressed with the GROM USB2 unit I purchased, the wife can't figure it out and it's sat installed, and unused for over a year now. Maybe the other alternatives are better?

whiggy

From the sound of it it does not look like I would care either way...I would not upgrade the stereo anyway and rarely use navigation. The only downside to the nav that I can think of would be if the AC controls are built in and the nav system dies...yikes... this is how my G35 was - AC controls ran via radio and when the radio went out I had "hot tunes" of a different kind.

cgdrennan

My wife and I were debating between the pilot (09-14) or GX (03-09) last September to upgrade from our '01 pathfinder. She was a nanny during college and drove a '11 pilot and loved the way it drove so she was initially leaning towards that. After some research I fell in love with the GX. We found one locally and test drove it and my wife liked it immediately. We bought it the same day...Black '04 with the dark grey interior w/ Nav. with 88k miles and new timing belt. It has been awesome over the past year. I have had to replace the radiator which wasn't a huge surprise after looking at this forum. I also replaced the front rotors and pads myself, but that was normal maintenance for the mileage. The only thing that would make me swing for the pilot over the GX is the need for the 3rd row. The GX is pretty tight back there compared to a little extra space with the pilot. I also added a Grom bluetooth interface for stereo and hands free calling. Works awesome!