Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives 2007 Honda Ridgeline for Son???

Been doing some used truck shopping for my sons first vehicle and I can't find a decent Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma without a ridiculous amount wanted for it. (20k plus for a decent lower milage truck)

I found a used 2007 Honda Ridgeline 4wd - super clean, looks like its been a garaged city vehicle all its life. 113k miles, leather, navigation, clean car fax. Dealer wants 13k for it.

Any issues with a Honda? Seems like it could have a lot of good life left in it. Thoughts? 13k is pushing what I wanted to spend (had 9-10k max in my head) but just can't find anything decent in that price range. I am not realy a car guy and not someone who can diagnose and do car/engine repairs. Hondas seem to have really good reliability and longevity at least in their cars.

One of our sales guys had over 500,000 miles on his Honda sedan! I wouldn’t trust something with 500k on it, but he did. When it came time to get my son a car, it was a 4 cylinder Honda Accord.

Its going to need a transmission sooner or later and they are gas hogs. Make sure the timing belt has been replaced.




Having owned many Honda sedans would say that 500k is quite remarkable. My wife has 55k on her Crosstour and has been really good , but it is not a Ridgeline either and her car won't need a timing belt at 100k.

Honda has a generally good reliability reputation. I had a civic that the distributor crapped out on me. 600 for a used one, back in 99. IIRC.

I guess - does your son actually need a truck? Ridgeline isn't something I'd consider a truck to do truck work with. Take brush to yard waste or light material moving - yeah but I'd punish the hell out of a Taco or Danger Ranger long before I'd push a Honda to limits.

I wanted my son to have a tacoma. Close as I can get without breaking the bank. No he wont tow anything, wont be rock crawling. Basically wanted a bigger 4wd vehicle for him (we had friends who had kids killed in small sedan in a wreck - not going down that route) He will have his Baseball and football gear in the back. As he gets older and is able to go hunting/camping on his own or with his buddys it will go off road some but nothing extreme. This truck will be a pavement cruiser 90% of the time. I will sacrifice gas mileage (ill be paying for his gas) for a bigger heavier vehicle that will give my wife and I a bit more peice of mind.

Ridgeline safety rating - HERE

Not a poke, just see it's important to you.

I have an older Ford Explorer Sport-Trac with the 4.0 litre V6 and really like it.

I have had 1 good Honda and 1 lemon Honda. The Lemon has been the most expensive, per mile driven, vehicle that I've ever owned. I paid $6,700 for a 2003 Pilot with 120,000 miles on it in 2017. Since then we've driven it 62,000 miles and poured money into it. I wanted to sell it in 2019, but my Wife didn't want to, so we've put over $10K into it over the last 15,000 miles.

In contrast, I've driven the Sport-Trac over 100,000 miles, it has 224,000 miles on it now, and have only put $4K into it, including the usual fluid changes, 2x sets of Michilen LTX tires, brakes replaced x2, shocks/struts, and a radiator.

Here is the truck...I drove it and its a nice rig, super clean, lots of features for the money/mileage...

https://www.petersontoyota.net/inve...e-rtl-4wd-4d-crew-cab-2hjyk16527h531773/

I know a local real estate agent that is on his 2nd or 3rd Ridgeline. He loves them and puts a ton of miles on them when showing rural real estate. I wouldn't think 100k miles +/- to be high for a used Honda or Toyota. I went that route for my daughter a couple years back with an Accord sedan that an older couple traded in on an SUV. It's been a good car so far.

Remember that this isn't real 4wd, it is FWD with torque going to the rear wheels when wheel slip is happening. You can lock in VTM-4 to keep the rear wheels powered, but it only works in low gear and reverse up to 15 mph. It is the same drive system that my 2003 Pilot has and it is not a system that gives me much confidence going off-road, in mud, or in snow deeper than 12". It works fine on gravel roads, driving across cut corn and bean fields that are dry, and low challenge off road 2-tracks. I've driven the Pilot on dozens of forest service roads in central and southern Colorado when they were dry, but wouldn't even try to plow through snow drifts or mud that didn't have a firm bottom.

The price and miles look good. If it hasn't had the timing belt changed, it should have been during the 100K mile service. It cost me around $1,250 to have the timing belt changed and the drive train fluids changed when I bought my Pilot with around 120K miles on it. If you buy it, I sincerely hope that it treats you much better than the Pilot has treated me.

Purchasing the truck today - negotiated in the dealer replacing the timing belt( I pay for parts they pay for labor)

Hopefully it’s a good rig for my son.

I just sold a Honda Accord 2010 with 140K miles on it for 10K. Ran and drove perfectly

I just sold a Honda Accord 2010 with 140K miles on it for 10K. Ran and drove perfectly

Congrats, it looks like a pretty clean wagon and I doubt you could do better in this FUBAR market.

I asked one of my previous mechanics, who specializes in Hondas, about the older Pilots, Ridgelines, and Odyssey vans. He said that he wouldn't count on the transmission lasting long in any of them. He said the transmission in the cars back then were very reliable and durable, but not in the bigger Honda vehicles. Reason I asked the mechanic was because a friend was shopping for one, and it was a common concern back then. I don't have any personal experience with any of them though.

A modern car with AWD and bed would be handy for a lot of people though. Should ride nice, be quiet, etc. If the tranny craps out, then just rebuild it. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just be prepared, as with any used vehicle.

The only other concern that I would have are reports of Pilots and Ridgelines getting stuck on steep grades. Not spinning wheels, but the transmission overheating or traction control freaking out. Not an issue on pavement, but only on really long steep gravel roads. I don't know the cause of the shutdown, but have heard a few people complain about it.

I lost 3rd gear in the 2003 Pilot at around 170K miles, so that cost over $4K for the transmission to be rebuilt, new motor mounts and both front axles installed. I hope that the OP's Ridgeline isn't the money pit that my Pilot has been. I had hoped that it would be a reasonably inexpensive vehicle that my kids could run up over 200K miles, but it has had one thing after another go wrong with it. I have had much better luck with Ford, Lexus, Subaru, and Toyota. A deer hit the left rear tire area when I was running about 70 mph last week, no damage to the Pilot, but the deer was road kill when the cattle truck that was behind me hit it. I lucked out not hitting it with the front of the car, otherwise it would have been totaled and we only have liability and comprehensive, for hail, on it.

My comprehensive covers a deer (or a turkey in the wife's recent encounter) collision. I'd check with your insurance guy about that. Comprehensive insurance is very inexpensive.

Another $5k-$8K for a Tacoma is well worth it compared to the Honda. Guess it's too late since you are already making the deal.

I had 8k saved for his first truck, thought I would stretch it to 10k if needed....This market is so crazy - espeically here in idaho were trucks are on high demand - we had to scrounge up the extra to get to 13k...

no budget to spend 18-22k on him a tacoma....Also, those 10+ year old tacomas that have 100k+ miles and are selling for 20k - that what they sold for brand new on the lot...Just not happening for us.

Have you looked at older 4 runners?