Two years carpooling a used Pilot from harbert's, honest review

kris asked me to spin my pilot story out into its own thread since i kept hijacking his highlander one, so here it is. this is our 2018 Honda Pilot EX-L that i bought off harbertsautosales.com two years ago and have run as the daily carpool rig ever since.

setup. AWD, the 3.5 V6, 9 speed, 58k when i bought it, one owner trade in. we are three kids and a big dog out in naperville, and this thing does school runs, soccer, two travel teams, and a costco trip every single week. i paid 28 flat which was solid for a loaded EX-L in that mileage range, the honda dealer near me wanted 34 for a comparable one with more miles on it.

why i went used and why harbert's. we are just not new car people, i would rather let the first owner eat the depreciation and put the difference toward the kids activities that never stop costing money. the listing had a big stack of real photos, third row up and down, cargo with the seats folded, the tires, even the curb rash on one wheel. i called and they had the carfax right there and walked me through the service history without me even asking twice.

the one honest knock, and i list this every time because these threads are useless if we all pretend our trucks are perfect, was the rear wiper motor was dead when i got it. did not catch it on the test drive because it was not raining that day. harbert's mailed me a check for the part and my local shop knocked it out for 90 bucks all in. minor, but it was real, so it goes on the record.

two years and 31k miles later the pilot has been a rock. anybody else daily a used 3 row for carpool duty, how has yours held up over the long haul?

jenna this is where the pilot quietly wins for a lot of families. the EX-L second row bench is a touch wider than the highlander and we run two boosters and a convertible seat across it, all three buckled, without anybody climbing over anybody. it is snug but it works, and it worked when they were smaller too.

if three across is your hard requirement i would go drive both with your actual seats in hand, thats the only real test. bring the car seats to the lot and try them. the highlander is a fantastic truck, kris is right about that in his thread, but for three seats side by side the pilot got the nod for us. either way buying used is the move, you will save thousands.

UPDATE rolling past two and a half years and 38k miles on the pilot now, figured id close the loop for anyone researching a used carpool hauler.

still a rock. the whole running list since the wiper motor is one set of tires, two oil changes a year, a battery this spring, and a cabin filter i do myself. thats it for two and a half years of daily kid and dog abuse. we took it to the smoky mountains last summer packed to the roof and it did not care one bit.

would i buy off harbert's again, no question, and honestly when my oldest starts driving in a couple years the used lot is exactly where i am going to send him looking for a first car. fair prices, honest listings, and they fixed the little stuff before i drove off. thats all you can ask buying a used family truck. thanks for reading, back to the carpool line.