ourlee

i'm a man who needs a tow vehicle [bought a boat].

Hello, I'm Rick. We bought a boat and the Pilot won't cut it. Today I drove two GX 08s, one with 120K for $25K and one with 30K for $38K. The "old" one felt great for how many miles were on it but the "new" one won me over. I've settled on the GX 470 but my first question is this: Which is better, an 06 with 50K miles or an 08/09 with 75K miles, all service etc being equal.

I'm not interested in pre 06.

Thanks.

/rl

clubsport

50k miles truck sounds better... gives you another 50k worth of ride before major maintenance work is needed...

Muti007

The drivetrain is identical on the 06 and the 08/09 so theres no difference there. What you need to ask yourself is how much do the other things matter to you and what is the price delta? The 07 and newer have the newer Nav unit, upgraded Mark Levinson and a few other odds and ends that make them a bit more modern but externally and under the hood, theyre all but identical. What are they asking for the 06? I had asked you a number of questions about it on the other forum in an effort to try and gauge value but you didnt answer any of them, so we cant help without incomplete info.

RickC5

Not surprised the Pilot won't tow. We traded a 2010 Ridgeline for our '08 GX and lots of PO'ed guys on the Ridgeline forums constantly complain about the Ridgeline's inability to tow anything. The V6 just doesn't have enough torque/power.

I don't tow, but the GX V8 sure has tons of power/torque. Plus, gas mileage is no worse than the Ridgeline.

ourlee

Still figuring it out. I don't care about stereos and nav systems. I'm comparing all GXs I look at to a brand new grand Cherokee that can be had for $31k. I spoke with ARB, the makers of Old Man Emu suspensions, I'm waiting to find out if I can eliminate the "fancy" stock suspension and install the OME. If this gets confirmed, I'm all in, and hope to spend less than 30k. The pilot is worth about half that so the check to be written will be not so much. After tonite, I'm convinced any year 06 and higher will do us fine, now to find a G queen in blizzard or d blue.

Thx for the help. /rl

ourlee

Basic rule of thumb, minivans suck at towing.

stiles_s

Had a pilot (05 ex/l) that I traded for our '07 gx when new. I towed quite a bit w/the Pilot, and moreso with the GX.

The torque of the v8, the ladder frame vs unibody, all add up to big improvements in the towing department.

RE: that fancy suspension you're referring to, don't discount how nice it is to have rear air suspension keeping everything level when towing. It's a huge advantage.

And, see if you can find one with the sport package & KDSS. The significantly reduced sway with the huge swaybars it comes with improve towing with heavier trailers.

Good luck.

Ancient

I had an 05 Jeep Grand Cherokee, with the Hemi. Not a lead foot, but the torque of that motor, fried the transmission at 35K and the rear end (typical) howling was rebuilt at 70k. The dash board lights and other electricals, concerned be at 90k, where the GX470 would just be getting started at that mileage. Traded mine for an 08, with less thand 50k miles. Miss the raw power of the hemi for towing, but Jeep should have matched the Hemi with a better than stock trans and rear end. The GX has a full truck frame and for towing, much better. Good luck choosing. Unless you are really having problems with the standard GX suspension, it is a plus, with the self leveling ride height when towing. Not to mention if you have a back up camera, easy to hook right up to a trailer, with one person.

Johnny Rad

You'll have to get some fab work done to accommodate the OME rear suspension. I think it's the spring mounts, but could be mistaken. There's a couple of rigs on here that have done exactly that ... it's the direction I'm going down the road. Happy shopping!

What about a new school Seqouia? Or, Tundra 4dr?

RickC5

Umm, the Pilot & Ridgeline are NOT minivans.

Although the Honda Ridgeline & Pilot use some of the same driveline components (engine & transmission) as the Honda Odyssey, the Ridgeline is a pickup. Yes, a pickup, but not a typical Detroit pickup. It has independent suspension on all four wheels, a unique AWD/4WD system that is outstanding in snow, room for four adults, and a real, locking trunk under the bed. It's actually a great mid-size truck and if it weren't so damned noisy and didn't get such crappy gas mileage, we would still be driving ours. I reached my saturation point with Honda's noisy vehicles and bad customer relations. We now have two Lexus and are not looking back!

ourlee

Too big for my wife, the sequoia is one of my favs. I've had 5 jeeps, the next one will come with a fat warranty.

BlairC

i would take the 06 w/ 50K. miles don't scare me on these - provided they are maintained - but i would still take the miles.

Muti007

Hey bud, sorry I havent been around for a while.

If the stereo/nav malarky isnt high on your priority list anyway, I would definitely go for the 06 with far lower miles. Youre talking about an identical truck and drivetrain. I have an 07 so I do have the newer nav, stereo, led tails etc. but if none of that matters, and really it isnt as if it really means all that much to most folks if they even notice them to begin with, then by all means go for the 06. Lower miles on essentially the same vehicle, win win.