[MacosNerd]

I'm thinking of picking up a honda Ridgeline
I test drove one, very smooth, tons of features. Kind of pricey - the model I was looking at was 29k and change. They knocked a grand off of the sticker price but still kind of pricey.

Any owners or people in the know about these trucks? I test drove a dodge dakota, not quite in the same class, feature or price (ride was much rougher too). I may look to see what Toyota has too offer too.

Sticker shock is well shocking. The last time I bought a new car/truck whatever, the prices were in the 14k range now its 30k.

[Rev-O]

Have had one for a year and a half and love it. Comfy, roomy, powerful enough. Have heated leather and a moonroof, which is nice as well. Bed is big enough to haul a bunch of rock or a bunch of lumber. In bed trunk is brilliant. Holds a bunch of groceries and beer Built like a tank, solid but rather heavy. A nice truck for what about 80% of people need a truck for.
What I do not use for: towing, off roading.
It's not a manly man's truck either. Not a truck for fellas who feel the need to 'compensate'. Feels way to civilized for that.
Fwiw, I drive pickups a lot at work (and commercial dump trucks and what not), plow snow in em, haul stuff in em, tow stuff with em. For a personal vehicle and daily driver, I'll take the Ridgeline any day.

[MacosNerd]

Thanks.

I'm still reeling from the sticker shock. I'm having a hard time justifying the expense. I'm looking at the RTX model because towing will be in the near future. so basically the base model, plus towing msrp is 29k Of course it has all of the ammenitie like power windows, 4 wheel drive etc. It doesn't have the moon roof or leather.

I'll be financing 26k and that's a lot of money to pay on a monthly basis - 500 bucks (60 months).

Edit: They don't have any used and 07 models, so I'm stuck looking at the 08 model year. Plus they're the only dealership in the area so its not like I can go down the street.

[ghporter]

Hondas traditionally retain their value better than just about any other line. I've been a Honda driver since 1980, and the reliability, support, and of course durability of their cars has kept me coming back.

For comparison, the S2000 starts at about $34k and it's worth it. Dodge Ram 1500s start at about $32k and they are not necessarily worth that-especially when a friend just bought one (a brand new 2007 model with an interesting array of "incentives") for $16k. Hmmmm.

I financed my new Civic sedan (at about $24k, plus some extras) for about $500 a month for 60 months. A very nice, very comfortable truck with the Honda name behind it, should be worth that sort of car note (in my opinion).

[MacosNerd]

Its not truck vs. car sticker shock Its being that we're in 2008 and cars and trucks cost an ungodly amount of money and I now need to pony up 500 a month.

Of course I could opt for the 72 month financing but it still remains that the truck costs a ton.

I was going to be looking at Toyota also but my wife and I bought a mini-van at this specific dealership, and before that she had a Honda accord so she's been a big proponent of Honda.

I understand the dodge dakota is not in the same class, nonetheless I couldn't believe the difference in riding between the two. Also the lack luster cabin of the dakota is an embarrassment to American made vehicles.

I'm not a huge Nissan fan, nothing wrong with them, I just found the salesmen at the Nissan dealership hard to work with. I don't ever pay MSRP. They're walk away not willing to wheel and deal.

I'll be calling the Honda dealership back and see if he is willing to shave 500 to 800 off his latest offer. I have no idea of he'll accept but 27,800 is 5% over invoice (invoice + dest charge that is) and all things being equal that seems like a fair price.

[Googer-Giger]

Dodge's engines last longer than their bodies.
Nissan makes a great, reliable mid sized, however their titans are quite oversized.
Ford's ranger is good, their larger trucks dive like, trucks, not cars, as appeased to nissan or honda, (could be a good or bad thing)
Honda's trucks are reliable, and maybe innovative, but the bed is quite small, and useless, like the hummer bed.
Toyota's tacoma is very reliable and solid, their new tundra's, as "powerful" as they are, are wayy too big.
Chevy's trucks ride very nice, but do not last as long as the ones they made earlier, I have a new Silverado and am finding it less and less reliable than it's predecessor, a 93, It was a diesel, I put about 320,000 miles on it before it died.

I have owned a 99 ford ranger , a 93 F150 and now own a new 2006 silverado, my dad has a 2005 F350 and has owned the older (94) silverado and a (91) nissan frontier , my friend has had a 99 Dakota and a 03 Ram, no one I know has had a Honda, so I don't really know about them, my dad's friend has an 06 tacoma and used to have a 99.

Just wanted to share my opinion, because I don't really drive anything else...

[sek929]

To be honest if I were looking for a car-like truck I'd buy a crossover SUV. I think 30 grand is a little steep for a truck that is anything but heavy duty coupled with a car that has a high center of gravity.

I'd either get a crossover SUV or a small truck.

[Rev-O]

Originally Posted by sek929 

To be honest if I were looking for a car-like truck I'd buy a crossover SUV. I think 30 grand is a little steep for a truck that is anything but heavy duty coupled with a car that has a high center of gravity.

I'd either get a crossover SUV or a small truck.

Yep, the Ridge is spendy. For me it is flexible in ways that a crossover isn't. Some stuff you just want in a pickup bed (rip rap, redwood, pressure treated lumber, top soil, etc) and wouldn't really want to toss in a Murano. The charm of the Ridgeline is that it really combines the best of a car with the functionality of a truck. Crossovers are just 3/4 car and 1/4 suv, a different beast entirely.

Each their own tho!

[Sage]

The Ridgeline’s a good truck if you don’t need towing/off-roading. There are really only two things I can think that go against it:

1) It’s incredibly ugly.

2) The spare tire is in the “trunk” thing in the bed. Seems like a good idea, until you realize that if you have a blowout with a load of gravel in the back, you’re SOL.

We have a current-gen Tacoma. It’s a pretty good truck, and as it’s a Double Cab it’s roomy as hell, but it’s main problem is its chassis. It’s quite high, and to compensate Toyota has mounted the front seats really really low – I’m of below-average height, and I find them quite uncomfortable. Second problem with the chassis is that even though it can tow quite a bit for a mid-size truck, it’s a flexible piece of crap, and the truck shudders over every little thing.

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by Sage 

The Ridgeline’s a good truck if you don’t need towing/off-roading. There are really only two things I can think that go against it:

How so, one reason why I'm leaning towards the RTX is the towing package. I'm looking to tow a small boat, and/or a camping trailer. Its rated for 5,000 pounds

1) It’s incredibly ugly.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No I'm not saying is a great looking truck, but it isn't fugly either.

2) The spare tire is in the “trunk” thing in the bed. Seems like a good idea, until you realize that if you have a blowout with a load of gravel in the back, you’re SOL.

Wow didn't even think of that, great point.

I'm with REV-O, I want something that can occasionally carry carpet, or lumber or anything else I might need at home depot but at the same time have the ability to seat 4+ people. The Ridgeline has a capacity to have 3 people in the back. I'm not sure if that's unusual or normal for trucks in this class but its a nice to have.

I agree though 30k for a truck that isn't a heavy duty, just doesn't make sense. On the other hand, its like an suv that does more.

I tried to call the salesman back with a counter offer but he wasn't available. While I might have missed some of the incentives during labor day, I can wait if need be, The last thing I want to do is rush into a decision. A 450 - 500 dollar a month car/truck payment is just too scary for me and I need some more thought on it.

Its one of those things, I know I can (afford it) but should I.

Edit:

One more thing, their bed doesn't look small, at least compared to other "light" duty trucks. Its 60 inches and you can get an extender.
I don't know if there's any cleats you can tie off on, and the width of the bed does seem smaller. Might be an optical illuision thanks to the sloping sides or might be because of those sloping sides.

[MacosNerd]

Well the deal is almost done.

I offered the salesman 27,600 which is 4.5% over invoice and damn he took it. I was hoping he'd make my decision easier by not budging on the price. Good news is that I'll be a brand new Honda owner. The bad news is that I'm going to be 150 dollars a month poorer,i.e., My monthly car payment is going up by 150 dollars from what I'm paying now.

I'm heading off to the dealership this afternoon to sign my life away.

[Rev-O]

Hopefully you are getting a white one. It is well known that the white Ridges are the fastest.

[MacosNerd]

white
pffft

Black is the only color a truck should be

I sealed the deal this evening and in fact drove it home. That surprised me, I was expecting to do the paper work today, and then pick it up tomorrow or Friday. I guess they were anxious to book the revenue. I think I made out pretty decently. I paid only 4.5% over invoice and getting blue book for my current vehicle was awesome. I've been looking for a new vehicle, car/jeep/truck now for a while and nobody was offering blue book.

The jeeps - nobody really dickered, cars they offered a little off the sticker price. Honda was the only one that bargained with me and wanted my business.

They gave me the business, errr I mean got my business

of course now that the ipods are out, there's 0% chance of convincing the wife. My old ipod broke and I was waiting for this, but since I spent a boatload of moola its a losing proposition. Doesn't matter I've very happy with the purchase.

[Yose]

My brother's gf's father pays $100CDN/month for his dodge truck on a lease. Sure he doesn't own it… but for $3600 over the term of his lease… amazing deal. And sure it might be a Dodge… but $3600 for 3 years… I was thinking about getting one.

[MacosNerd]

Go for it, 100cdn a month is a great deal. Personally I had issues with Dodge but if your bothers girlfriend's father (now that's mouthful) is happy by all means. I had to get three brake jobs on my dodge all before 10,000 miles. The passenger side leaked and created a puddle when it rained. The dealership never found the leak. The engine had a propensity to stall when it was first turned over - it had to sit there for a minute or two before putting it into drive. And that was in the summer never mind the winter.

If you can swing a deal for a dodge truck for 100 a month, then you should jump on it.

[sek929]

Dodge trucks that aren't diesel....meh, I'd spend a bit more for something else.