Prospective high mileage buyer (1 Viewer)

[tnpilotgx]

I have an '08 Honda Pilot that is nearing 275,000 miles. It has mostly been without issues, but it is definitely showing it's age.
I recently moved to a northern state and find myself wishing I had 4WD and more power.

Found a GX470 with 240k miles on it. 1 owner, has maintenance records showing regular oil changes, timing belt, etc. Rust is there, but not structurally a concern.

Am I crazy for "upgrading" to an older vehicle with slightly less mileage? I'm not looking for 10 years of ownership, I'd be happy with 2-3. My logic is the GX470 is tougher, more robust and also just nicer than my Pilot.
Any input is appreciated.

 

[Mrpinortiner]

Biased answer here since this is a GX board.
I'd take a GX over a Pilot any day of the week, high miles or not. I'm at almost 270k on mine, got it with 150k. Best rig I've ever owned. These are forever vehicles. I've always found the seating in Honda products to be akin to sitting on a 2x4, back starts killing me in about 45 minutes.

 

[CapsFanChris]

One owner and service records are good. Have it checked out with a pre-purchase inspection. Maintenance and repair are not cheap on these, but if they are taken care of, they are pretty much bullet proof. Say good bye to gas mileage and you will be buying premium fuel if you want the higher end of mileage. I had an 05 Pilot but had transmission issues. The drive train was built by Isuzu so it isn't exactly Honda quality. I would definitely trust my GX over my Pilot and the GX is only a year newer than my Pilot, which I got rid of seven years ago! Good luck.

 

[tnpilotgx]

One owner and service records are good. Have it checked out with a pre-purchase inspection. Maintenance and repair are not cheap on these, but if they are taken care of, they are pretty much bullet proof. Say good bye to gas mileage and you will be buying premium fuel if you want the higher end of mileage. I had an 05 Pilot but had transmission issues. The drive train was built by Isuzu so it isn't exactly Honda quality. I would definitely trust my GX over my Pilot and the GX is only a year newer than my Pilot, which I got rid of seven years ago! Good luck.

From the looks of it, maintenance items aren't really much more than the Pilot, although the more complicated suspension makes full replacement more expensive.

Pilot has been bulletproof vehicle besides timing belt, brakes and tires. Just looking for a change.

 

[Rednexus]

At 240K I'd expect most suspension components (shocks, springs, bushings, joints) to be shot, the airbags to be leaking, and likely have future needs for things like the radiator, front and rear wheel bearings, HVAC servos, interior AC evaporator core, dashboards, steering rack, starter, alternator, exhaust manifolds (due to ticking/leaks), and brake master cylinder/vacuum reservoir. Those can be pretty pricey and labor-intensive items to address; most if not all GXs will need them at some point. I've done most of those items on mine and have a few more to address. Maybe some have been done on this rig, maybe not.

In summary - if you are able to DIY do the wrenching and don't mind spending the time doing it, and like the GX, then it will be a fun car to keep on the road for another 100-200K miles. Just be aware that there may be a few times you'll need to dump $1K plus in parts in it, or where it may need to be off the road for a few days while you fix something.

If you aren't into wrenching on it yourself, I'd pick something else, perhaps a lower-mileage GX460 instead. An older GX can easily eat you alive in labor with a shop doing the work.

Here is a link to what I've put into mine through ~2.5 years of ownership. It already over a year out of date so that tally has grown .

 

[dl819]

At 240K I'd expect most suspension components (shocks, springs, bushings, joints) to be shot, the airbags to be leaking, and likely have future needs for things like the radiator, front and rear wheel bearings, HVAC servos, interior AC evaporator core, dashboards, steering rack, starter, alternator, exhaust manifolds (due to ticking/leaks), and brake master cylinder/vacuum reservoir. Those can be pretty pricey and labor-intensive items to address; most if not all GXs will need them at some point. I've done most of those items on mine and have a few more to address. Maybe some have been done on this rig, maybe not.

In summary - if you are able to DIY do the wrenching and don't mind spending the time doing it, and like the GX, then it will be a fun car to keep on the road for another 100-200K miles. Just be aware that there may be a few times you'll need to dump $1K plus in parts in it, or where it may need to be off the road for a few days while you fix something.

If you aren't into wrenching on it yourself, I'd pick something else, perhaps a lower-mileage GX460 instead. An older GX can easily eat you alive in labor with a shop doing the work.

Here is a link to what I've put into mine through ~2.5 years of ownership. It already over a year out of date so that tally has grown .

I agree ... I bought a well maintained 2006 GX470 with 170,000 miles in 2019. It's still driven daily, at 290,000, and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it across the country tomorrow. Mine needed many of the repairs Rednexus listed between 240,000 and 280,000, so check to see how many of those items have been taken care of.

 

[rwhockey29]

biased but im the 4th owner of my gx with maintenance recods. just hit 235,000 and i trust it more than any car ive owned besides maybe the '99 4runner. the only "repair" ive needed to do is i currently have a leaking rear air bag. other than that it has just been standard maintenance.

 

[tnpilotgx]

Thanks for all of y'all's input. This one was wayyy too rusty which is unfortunate because it drove so good. On to the next one.

 

[hillbill]

I would find a rust free GX that's been well maintained, keep in mind at some point you will have things that need replacing no matter what.
Mine has almost 360,000 on the clock, late winter I did the heater core/ ac replacement as both were leaking.
It was either sell or fix and drive.
I ended up spending 10 grand on the thing
All Ac parts that were wear items incl lines
Dash pad
upper/lower control arms
wheel bearings/seals
tie rod ends/stabilizer bar end links
sway bar bushings
460 calipers/rotors
stainless lines
Eibach Pro struts, front/rear
new 4 Runner wheels with Toyo Open country RT trails
other assorted items
Bottom line was I wanted to sell, the wife didn't.
she was attached at the hip, had driven it since 07 at 17,000 miles. Best ride we have owned by far.
I told her if we kept it I was making it my hunting rig, she has a 460 so she was good with that.
I would drive it across the country right now, without question.
uses no oil, has no leaks, runs and drives great.
I expect to drive it for several more years, yes, I know I will have to spend money on it, but I will drive it til it croaks and then put another croaker in it.

 

[10sec]

FWIW My GX has about 198k miles and when I hop into my brother's GX that has 320k miles it feels the exact same albeit rides a little different because his has been converted to springs and non-adjustable shocks. I went from a 2012 G37X with 100k miles to a 2005 GX that had 185k miles and that decision is one of the best I've ever made.