Thoughts? I know GRM liked their experience and I'm thinking of one. No idea why, but it hauls what I want as I use the 8ft. box about three times a year, and it's not hard to look at.
Issues, likes, dislikes, ooooh; blind spot?
114,000 miles for $8500.
Everyone that I know who's had one really likes it. Answer the inevitable haters by saying "It's not a truck, it's a SUV with a hack job!
You mean that you only need an 8' bed 3x a year, right? Because the only way that suckers going to do that is if you back another one up to it.
edit: where I live, that'd be a great price.
If I weren't commuting so far for work, I'd have one in a heart beat. Comfy, drives like an SUV, and can tow my racecar. I really don't need a gigantic American truck to tow my car 3-4 times a year.
They're great. Haters gonna hate. It'll tow way more than a 4x8 box 3 times a year, and if you do it'll have a lower loading height than a longbed pickup anyway. Depending on how much you drive, you could probably literally pay for a decent 4x8 trailer in gas savings vs a longbed pickup within the 1st year. Unless you're currently in a modified diesel, it'll probably win a drag race with an older longbed pickup too. And don't forget, underneath it is basically the same thing as the Honda Odyssey that GRM beat up on an old Jag E-Type and Porsche 356 with back in the day. Minivan beats up antique sports cars. I know that article ends on a note of the modern Honda Utili-Mobile somehow sucking the soul vs 'legit sports cars' but as a man who not only owns a minivan but added a turbo to it, raced it against fellow GRM'ers, AND drives a Porsche AS WELL, i see that as mostly a false dichotomy (no diss on an entertaining article). Why not all of the above? Honda took the 1g Ridgeline to the Baja 1000. It's only going to be boring if you choose so.
It's a pretty great combination of attributes. The only people who hate on them generally do so in a way that makes you wonder what types of stifling gender stereotypes were forced on them in their childhoods and if they wouldn't be a lot happier just being who they really wanted to be. I personally would not feel even slightly emasculated by driving a Ridgeline.
Had one as a company vehicle a couple of years ago. It had a rough life, nearly had 300K on it when they finally retired it. I was looking through the file on it one day at work and they had all the service records going back to when they bought it. Had lot's of recommended services but I couldn't find any proof that they approved any of them. Things like replacing the timing belt and spark plugs. The only receipts I could find were for oil changes and tires. I found no evidence to contradict my belief that the thing went almost 300K on the original timing belt and spark plugs, and shocks, and tranny fluid, and diff fluids and anything that wasn't oil and tires.
Still after all that abuse it ran decently. And it was tight as a drum with no rattles or squeaks and the interior still looked decent. Hell of a vehicle I'd say.
Can you fit the same eco delete on these as the odyssey? We've got a 2010 odyssey with 168k on it that's been basically bulletproof aside from a power steering pump that doesn't love the cold.
The buy in seems to be the only down side. And yep, $8500 for that condition/mileage is kind of a steal.
3 issues: (beyond limited towing) transmission ( yes, even the improved one dies), not real 4wd, no separate bed ( not a real issue). Unless you use the bed on a regular basis, get a pilot. More versatile, cheaper. For me a truck needs to be a real truck, otherwise why bother.
I have a 2008 and love it. Comfortable lots of secure storage and decent towing rating (5K). It has been trouble free and has 190K on it.
grover wrote: Can you fit the same eco delete on these as the odyssey?
Eco delete? As in disable the 3cyl mode? Tell me more.
All I know about the Ridgeline is that the radio antenna is a little strip on the inside of that panel by the third brake light, and that the VCM on the later version of the J35 I assume it has is really annoying when it fails. It was a cheap/quick fix when it did on the J35 powered thing I'm thinking of though.
what's the front end and what's the rear?
If you want some fun read the 50+ page thread over on the Garage Journal board about Ridgelines. There are a lot of idiots over there who think a truck has to be a jacked up 1 ton quad cab dually, anything less is a toy. a very, very stupid thread
My neighbor loves his and he is a car guy with an E30, 2002 and a 944S2 so I trust his judgement. I shopped the new ones based on his love for the old one ... but it was way more expensive than the Taco.
My only complaints on that model having not had one is that the bed sides are too high in front to reach things that slide forward so you have to climb in to get them and he used to borrow my old Chevy to tow with because it can only barely pull 5k well if you don't load the rest of the truck with engines, beer, and 4 adults who should really consider a diet program.
So, awesome light duty PU with Honda reliability. Will tow a 2002 but don't push your luck trying a trailer with 5 tons of hardwood flooring on it. Call your buddy with a diesel :)
Here is something I never understood Ridgeline=not real truck. Dodge Ram = real truck
Ridgeline payload Crew Cab 4x4 1451-1588 lbs. GVWR 6000lbs.
2015 Ram Crew Cab 4x4 1220-1650 lbs. GVWR 6900 lbs.
ProDarwin wrote:grover wrote: Can you fit the same eco delete on these as the odyssey?Eco delete? As in disable the 3cyl mode? Tell me more.
There's a guy that's been selling them on the odyssey forum and now eBay for a few years. It tricks something (but I think not the ecu) that the motor isn't up to temp and so it won't turn on the 3 cyl mode. I've been thinking about buying one over the last few years because that feature, and the shakes and rattles it brings, has always annoyed me.
A friend of mine is on his third, or fourth. He loved the old ones, towed his Golf racer on a light trailer all over the place with no issues. His 2017 new one is nice, and has a berkeleying terrible heater. AC is fine...
I have one (2006) that I bought by default, because the deal was too good and I needed a truck/SUV thing for work. If you don't mind the looks and the non-bro vibe, it works awesome. It is very versatile and the ride/handling is great for what it is.
I definitely use it as a truck so those "not real" comments are stupid. I haul/tow on a regular basis and it hasn't snapped in half.
The 1st gen doesn't have VCM so no need to worry about that.
Thanks folks! The heaviest thing I haul is an A-Line camper once a year; the sailplane I just sold weighs $1300lbs. in the trailer, neither have trailer brakes.
Guess the only question is what color?
Dan
I think (not 100% sure) that the RTX model is the only one that came factory equipped for towing, although a towing kit was a dealer installed option for the other models.
grover wrote:ProDarwin wrote:There's a guy that's been selling them on the odyssey forum and now eBay for a few years. It tricks something (but I think not the ecu) that the motor isn't up to temp and so it won't turn on the 3 cyl mode. I've been thinking about buying one over the last few years because that feature, and the shakes and rattles it brings, has always annoyed me.grover wrote: Can you fit the same eco delete on these as the odyssey?Eco delete? As in disable the 3cyl mode? Tell me more.
Well, to be fair, most of the shakes and rattles are because the factory active engine mounts have died. I plan to replace these, but if there was a way to disable eco mode with no other side effects, I would disable it and replace the mounts with standard (way cheaper) mounts instead.
nocones wrote: Here is something I never understood Ridgeline=not real truck. Dodge Ram = real truck Ridgeline payload Crew Cab 4x4 1451-1588 lbs. GVWR 6000lbs. 2015 Ram Crew Cab 4x4 1220-1650 lbs. GVWR 6900 lbs.
They are Dodge Ram drivers. From personal opinion, some of the most arrogant and dangerous drivers on the road. If there is a truck being driven aggressively around here, it is probably a ram. Basically, if it is not a RAM or a challenger, it is not "real". Don't try to understand it, that small subgroup are the ones that ruin it for everybody
As Woody said, the early models did not all come with hitches and towing kits. I bought my 2006 new, kept it 11 years, put 235,000 miles on it and loved it so much I sold it to a friend who has put another 25,000 miles on it since. The only problem he has had so far, is a blown stereo speaker. I might have been rocking out a tad too much when I owned it. I now have put 15,000 trouble free miles on a new Ridgeline. The first Ridgeline was the best vehicle I have ever owned and the new one is way, way better than that. There wasn't much I didn't like about the first one; (torque steer, a bit under powered, poor fuel mileage, difficult to reach over the buttresses to tie stuff down and mutt ugly). The new one gets 21-25 mpg is much faster, quieter, tows better, is truly good looking and is much quicker.
As Woody said, the early models did not all come with hitches and towing kits. I bought my 2006 new, kept it 11 years, put 235,000 miles on it and loved it so much I sold it to a friend who has put another 25,000 miles on it since. The only problem he has had so far, is a blown stereo speaker. I might have been rocking out a tad too much when I owned it. I now have put 15,000 trouble free miles on a new Ridgeline. The first Ridgeline was the best vehicle I have ever owned and the new one is way, way better than that. There wasn't much I didn't like about the first one; (torque steer, a bit under powered, poor fuel mileage, difficult to reach over the buttresses to tie stuff down and mutt ugly). The new one gets 21-25 mpg is much faster, quieter, tows better, is truly good looking and is much quicker.
Oh and the guys at the office will now tease me because there is a Ridgeline love thread. I sold my truck for $6000 with that super high mileage. The guy I sold it to felt that price was a gift. He had bought another one for 9000 with 200,000 miles, so your price of $8500 is a true gift. Early maroon or white are the best colors in my opinion, but silver works too. Early Ridgelines look better and better every day, once you own one. They still are not pretty, though.
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