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Is the best riding, best handling, and probably most reliable four door vehicle with a sizable bed. It can tow 5000 lbs, has great room for 5, has a waterproof and lockable storage compartment under the bed.
It looks a bit weird, and probably doesn't get the fuel economy it should.
But I am very happy with my 2006 model. Bought in late 2005, and has been bulletproof for 99,000 miles so far. Not long ago I replaced the original brake pads (at 89,000 miles). Replaced the battery 76,000 miles. And I am on my second set of tires (my original Michelin LTX rear tires lasted 97,000 miles - I don't rotate).
I occasionally tow jet skis and it works fine to get my Mastercraft boat to the dealer for servicing. The AWD system works very well. I haven't driven in snow, but it apparently does quite well. I have hauled a flatbed with sod, filled the bed with dirt, and of course it carries furniture to my kids college dorm.
The audio system is not state of the art. So I replaced it.
What else do you want to know?
I have a 2008 and love it. I agree with what hoffdano says and we did take it up in the New Mexico mountains and traversed a snowy hill and it did just great in 4WD.
IMO, "real" trucks ride and handle rough and they don't have the interior comfort the Ridgeline has. For what you have described, it would suit your needs well.
I'm sorry to hear they are being discontinued. I might just have to buy one of those 2014's!
In 2004 I bought a 2003 Honda Element for $11K and can sell it now for $10K. No one ever got into it and said it was a nice truck but never a problem. NO unexpected maintenance.
In 2004 I bought a 2003 Honda Element for $11K and can sell it now for $10K. No one ever got into it and said it was a nice truck but never a problem. NO unexpected maintenance.
Really? kbb.com shows a private seller value of $8883 (EX model, 90k miles). 10k seems high.
Several things about a Ridgeline that you may not find outstanding. The YM 2014 will be the last year of production so you'd be buying into a future dinosaur. Sales of the Ridgeline are dismal at best mostly because they're grossly over priced as compared to a real truck. The Ridgeline is not an SUV but and SUT and is alone in this dying class. It does maintain typical Honda quality and they are a long life vehicle with the only caveat being the transmission. Maintain it per owners manual and it's fine but fail to change the transmission fluid on time and it's unforgiving. If it fits your needs better than a Frontier, buy it. If you expect to put only a few miles a year on it, I'd suggest avoiding it as parts may be an issue 5+ years down the road. Resale/trade in may also be an issue later. Why the Honda Ridgeline pickup is driving off into the sunset - Autoweek
Parts will will not be a problem any more than they are with any other Honda that isn't made any more. The engine is 95% the same as the Pilot and Odyssey. I have no problem getting parts for my 1997 NSX, now 15 years old.
And the Ridgeline probably won't need many parts.
You could spend the same amount on a fat Silverado that carries more. But it rides like crap, handles like crap, will not be as reliable, and in 4x4 trim will suck more fuel no matter what engine you put in it.
It is a perfect truck for my needs. I don't want more capacity or more towing or more size or more weight.
I think this truck is a solution looking for a problem. It's not a real truck, it's not a SUV so it doesn't do either very well. IMO it's an example of how Honda lost its way.
I'll second that, and with the notable exception of the Pontiac Aztek, it is the most hideous contraption on the road (well, the Accord Crosstour is pretty bad too - gad, Honda DOES have problems, doesn't it!?!).
Really kind of sad. It's a pretty truck. I never drove one but it always struck me as underpowered.
How do you know it is underpowered if you haven't driven one? It is quicker than almost all F series or Silverados. It has enough power and torque to tow 5000 lbs. That is its design target. More than enough for me.
Although I considered so many other small/medium size trucks, it is impossible to find a better blend of drive comfort/luxury with the added bonus of loading a 4x4 skid of parts (under 500 lbs) once in a while - all for over 21 MPG on the HWY.
All this while having a reliable vehicle that keeps its resale value.
It all depends on what you want. Real truck guys do not like it and there are even some soccer moms out there that drive around in lifted F350's (why? I have no idea).
I downsized in 2008 when fuel prices were through the roof. I had a full size ram fully loaded and it was good for truck stuff. However for me - it was not a very good daily driver - wheel hop on the freeway and parking it kind of sucked. Could not really take it from shop to shop as there was no trunk and not everything fits under the seats away form someone looking for a quick steal of your stuff. It did truck stuff well, when I needed it.
I also had a charger srt8 at the same time and it was fun, however at 90 to fill the tank with premium at the time every 3 days was not fun.
I decided to get rid of both and get one car that can do it all pretty well. I needed something that I could load dirt bikes in the back (instead of pulling a trailer with an suv), something that fit my kids and do it safely, all wheel drive would be a plus, something I was not embarassed to step out of in a suit, and a place to store my belongings. Drive daily, park it daily and so on.
The only car at the time that fit this was the ridge. It sure is not pretty to look at, however the honda badging makes it more acceptable than a pontiac aztec for instance. It was safe, it drove like a car sort o,. as comfy as a high end suv without all that body roll. It will not win any races, but neither will a full size. This thing will take most 2500 and 3500 trucks off the line unless they are heavily modified. The cab is huge compared with small trucks and midsize ones. The explorer four trax was just ugly and cheaply made and the dodge midsize -was well a truck.
I have 62,000 on it and it works for my lifestyle without any issues. The all wheel drive is plenty for me as tearing up a new full size also does not make sense to me. It is good enough to climb stuff I cannot walk up and way better in the sand than my full size ever was. Did good in some heavy mud as well. If you want to do hard core trail driving-this is not for you. However most people do not do that with new $45,000 full size 4 x 4's anyway (most people -there are the die hard 4 X4 heads out there that do not mind a scratch or a dented front or rear bumper from hitting stuff while aproaching or at departure). Some People just like to have capabilities they almost never use. I have dirt bike for that stuff and am afraid of rolling a truck, I can alway bail on my bike if it gets too gnarly.
If I can have two cars again -it would not be my first choice and I would propably get a power wagon and it would sit and collect dust in the driveway until I needed it. But if one car is all I can afford then this surely does everything I need it to do. Will pull a boat up a ramp better than almost any 2 wheel drive full size and that comes standard. Someone mentioned that they are expensive - no where near as similarly equipped full size - let alone a 4 whell drive full size. You would have to get a stipped down full size to match the price.
It is also tough as nails when it comes to safety and is rated that way as well. I got nailed in my driver door by an infinty doing about 40 (full impact without any major braking by the other car). I moved away from the door the second before impact and walked away with a bruise on my shoulder form the side airbag. Door still opened and window still worked. Frame was not bent and she drives like new after all the repair have been done. That thing saved my life.
Anyways - for what it is worth. I do not regeret this purchase at all. Only dowside for me is that the fuel economy is like a full size V8, and she aint too pretty to look at.
Most people however will not be bying this for looks but more for function.
Sorry about the spelling. Wanted to knock this out in a rush.
Last edited by dariusz1; 12-04-2012 at 05:27 PM..
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Poor Man's SUV
