Interested in getting a camper, what can I realistically tow with a Honda Pilot ?

[Perryb67]

A Honda Odyssey uses the same engine and transmission as the Pilot. We hauled a 16' 2001 Scamp side bath for 6 years and a 17' 2007 Casita for five years. Our 2003 Odyssey was purchased at 90,000 miles and we added a transmission cooler the second it was purchased. The Odyssey died at 277,000 miles from cancer. Every summer that van took us to the Rockies for many, many great memories.

Our Odyssey always carried two trikes and much gear. We probably were overloaded, but maybe not. The rear dropped about 2" at times from the gear.

The only time we got stuck was in January at Itasca State Park in about a foot of snow. I turned the wrong way and entered a loop that hadn't been plowed.

We did change the transmission every two years and it never looked like it was overheated. On some mountain passes we did have to drop to third gear, but never felt that was an issue.

Enjoy your Pilot as a tow vehicle.

Perry

[Jon in AZ]

Early Odysseys used a different transmission (from the Accord, I think), which became rather notorious for premature failures. A new, heavy-duty 5-speed eventually replaced it as Honda became committed to larger American-style vans and crossovers. Failures went way down after that.

In more recent years the 9-speed has had some issues. I haven’t followed it closely, but I’d be inclined to look for one with the 6-speed if I were replacing my Pilot.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Early Odysseys used a different transmission (from the Accord, I think), which became rather notorious for premature failures. A new, heavy-duty 5-speed eventually replaced it as Honda became committed to larger American-style vans and crossovers. Failures went way down after that.

In more recent years the 9-speed has had some issues. I haven’t followed it closely, but I’d be inclined to look for one with the 6-speed.

We had a late 2003 Odyssey. In August, 2003, Honda introduced the 4-speed tranny that replaced the three speed that didn't exactly have the best reliability rating. Our 4-speed tranny was solid for it's entire life and easily pulled our Scamp and Casita 80,000 miles or more. We had other vehicles to drive when we weren't camping.

When our Odyssey was picked up for recycling we were asked about the engine and transmission, and told them both were solid. I'm guessing the tranny may still be running down the road.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Kip in Ga.]

Hello wyo83

Unless things have changed, an AWD Pilot is rated to tow 5K lbs.

The Pilot should have a class 3 hitch receiver, trailer wiring (7 pin round plug) and auxiliary transmission cooler. All those are part of the factory trailer towing package. If you don't have any of them you can get it done aftermarket, such as some "U-Haul", small repair shops or HONDA.

You can buy a conventional "Stickbuilt" camper for a lot less than a Moulded one. Problem being that they are harder to tow due to poor aerodynamics and they get blown around by cross winds and 18wheelers. They also tend to leak and do require more maintenance. They are screwed together if it is a better one, but the "Lite" weight ones mostly are held together by long staples and brads. The depreciation is horrible. . Enabling you to get a great buy in a used one. That really is not so great at all.

Bought our 2003 17' Casita in January 2011. Have been towing it with our 09 Ridgeline the entire time. No problems other than an ABS light that would come on occasionally. But the dealer fixed that. I don't use a sway bar or WDH, although they came with the Casita. . Right now Casitas similar to ours are selling for $2k-$3k more than I paid for it 9 years ago. A lot to do with "Camper-mania" and some to do with Molded RVs just flat holding their value. I expect that by this coming fall, prices will drop considerably.

You might go to some camper rallies and talk with folks and see the inside of their campers. This website has a listing of upcoming events. Plenty coming up in Florida. And join as many discussion like this as you can.

Fuel mileage will drop when towing. For trips, we have averaged a low of 12 mpg and a high of 18 mpg. We tow at 60 mph..

kip

[Jon in AZ]

2015 and earlier Pilots are rated 4500/450# for AWD models.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by MJo

Just look at the price people ask for older ones, the Scamps hold their value. If you maintain it, you can sell it for close to what you paid for it.

I would point out that this statement is somewhat misleading. If you buy any brand of fiberglass trailer, NORMALLY it will hold MORE (both are key words) of its value than the typical stickie. But value is a RELATIVE thing. Let’s say, for example, you purchase a Scamp 16 new from the manufacturer in 2006 for $14,000. Twelve years later, in 2018 you decide you want to sell the Scamp which has been meticulously maintained and essentially looks new. You sell it for $13,900. You say wow, I sold it for just about what I paid for it, it really held its value. A week later, you have sellers remorse. Whatever possessed me to sell my beloved trailer? So you get on the phone, call Scamp, and the 2018 price for an identically configured Scamp 16 is $20,000. What, you say. Burned by inflation and rising material and labor costs. So the CURRENT value of the item is $6,000 more than you sold yours for, and the $13,900 netted from the sale will not buy nearly as much in 2018 as it did in 2006.
Getting back to NORMALLY, supply and demand may alter the price goods command, such as in a pandemic. A few month ago you probably could have sold a pack of toilet paper for 2, 3, or who knows how many times more than you paid for it. And that stickie your neighbor purchased years ago for $4,000 just sold for a quarter of a million dollars because he purchased it from a dealer who provided documentation that it had only been used for a two-week trip by its original owner, a rock and roller named Elvis Presley. And getting back to MORE, with the passage of time, MORE or almost as much can actually be a much lower value.

[Jon in AZ]

No, you won’t get enough out of a 12 year old Scamp to buy a brand new one. But you’ll be in a better financial place than with a non-molded RV.

No RV makes sense as an investment. There’ll be lots of repairs and maintenance, insurance, storage maybe, taxes, and other expenses along the way. A molded trailer can make more financial sense than other RV types, and more important, it can add greatly to your enjoyment of life through travel. But it won’t fund your retirement.

Resale value becomes important iwhen your needs change, for example, when you decide you need a larger trailer with a bathroom in order to take longer trips, or when kids or grandkids require a greater bed count. Selling one molded trailer and buying another, especially used for used, can involve less financial pain than most other RV types.

I agree that the pandemic is driving RV prices to unprecedented levels. It’s not a great time to be a buyer. You’ll have to weigh the current higher prices against what you’ll lose by waiting.

[thrifty bill]

While its nice that molded FG trailers hold their value much better than typical RVs, they are certainly NOT an investment. As a minimum, you will have significant money tied up into an asset that depreciates, although slowly.

I remember a conversation with a guy that had just bought an $800,000 + motor coach. He understood it pretty much immediately dropped in value. He called it an "investment in lifestyle". I liked that approach. You get "your money out of" an RV by using it, lifestyle, enjoyment, experiences. I had almost the same enjoyment and experiences when I was using a tent. Comfort? Not so much.

At my current age, delaying enjoyment and experiences to hopefully get a more favorable price would be foolish. Its all about what you can afford, available time, health, age, so on.

[penelope woodard]

I am towing 16 foot u haul VT with 2 WD with no issues. I have surge brakes on camper and also no issues. I drive mistly on east coast from florida to maine and mountains in between. I have drive 3 which is useful in hills and mountain. My MPG averaged 17-19. Enjoy

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

I remember a conversation with a guy that had just bought an $800,000 + motor coach. He understood it pretty much immediately dropped in value. He called it an "investment in lifestyle". I liked that approach. You get "your money out of" an RV by using it, lifestyle, enjoyment, experiences.

Bill, I’ve not heard it stated that way but I like this guy’s approach. Almost any non essential item(s) I purchase result from me wanting them or wanting to do something with them. I never, ever allow resale to affect my purchasing decisions. If I still lived in New Hampshire and I wanted a snowmobile, I would buy one without a second thought. I might research features and reliability of the different brands, but if the highest rated machines were made by a specific manufacturer and they were also the most expensive, that would be what I would purchase (within reason). I didn’t need a camping trailer; I wanted to get back into RVing when I was approaching retirement. We had previously had an Aliner and sold it when the children reached their teen years. Loved the Aliner but I knew it was too small and inconvenient for longer term RVing. Research pointed me to fiberglass. First one I purchased was a real POS. Sold it at a loss to be rid of it and didn’t batt an eyelash. Ponied up the extra cash to purchase what I now have. When the time comes that I can no longer RV, I will savor all the memories but I won’t shed any tears if I don’t get all my money back. The memories and good times are far more valuable than whatever I recoup.