In that case, yes, doing 12k is an option that will save you some money.
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While I’m waiting for a 12k miles quote on an elite, I can share this quote for an Elite @ 15k miles. FYI
Stop asking them how much they want you to pay and tell them how much you want to pay.
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Seriously just get an EXL and be done with it. I got mine in July for $329 a month with $2164 DAS. Elite isn’t that much better but costs a lot more but it seems to me like no one is going to talk you out of this deal and you will end up with $600 a month pilot.
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This is a breakdown of the trims from Edmund’s
EX-L
Power liftgate, Sunroof, Leather upholstery, Second-row sunshades, Second-row USB charging ports.
SE (Special Edition)
Wireless smartphone charging, and Hands-free liftgate.
Touring
Navigation system, Roof rails, Front and rear parking sensors, Heated rear seats, Rear entertainment system, and 10-speaker premium audio system.
Elite
Second-row captain’s chairs, Auto-dimming and power-folding side mirrors, Panoramic sunroof, Heated steering wheel, and Ventilated front seats.
Finally, the Black Edition is equipped identically to the Elite but has black exterior accents and red interior trim.
Get whatever makes you and your wife happy. My opinion an EXL goes for about $350 a month, are the additional upgrades worth an extra $9,000 over 36 months?
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mllcb42 - I don’t recall asking any dealer how much they want me to pay.
Anhelenuk1 - I’m not stuck on a $600 payment for the black edition any longer. We can step down to an Elite and get all of the features on our family’s list. Remember, it’s not just for me. I’m not painted into a corner regarding payment. I meant to say in previous posts that our max budget is $600 for any make and model during our weeklong search. Some ppl take longer to make a decision or they wait for better incentives. I shared previous quotes from dealerships for reference, hopefully to help someone in the future who is starting out with getting numbers. Obviously these aren’t the best numbers on a Honda Pilot, they are just for reference.
I know I learned a bunch from others that shared their quotes. I’m not hung up on paying $600 for anything, we’d pay much less if the midsize SUV has the correct features for our entire family. The main decision maker wants to continue having her favorite feature, a heated steering wheel, its only offered on specific trim levels in the pilot. We are not adding an aftermarket heated steering wheel and will not go with an EXL. We already spelled out the specific features we want in a Pilot and the EXL lacks those features.
We’ve landed on a new Pilot trim level, the Elite, thanks to some advice in this thread above ◉‿◉ Thanks.
Did they send you a quote on the elite purely coincidentally?
The Elite and Black Edition programs are the same, so don’t expect any major price differences.
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Or you could just respond to what I sent you lol, no way anyone is going to touch that discount without a quote sheet.
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mllcb42 - I don’t understand what you are saying. I landed on the “Elite” trim level with the guidance that I received here. You’ve been a big help. We started on the most expensive trim level, in the beginning, because our salesperson said it would compare to our 2018 Highlander Platinum. We then thought about the Honda Pilot, for a few days before submitting some offers to Honda dealers of what we’d pay them. Some ignored us obviously lol.
These are the top quotes so far, some were better than others, but I did not “lay down” for anyone. I shared the offers in hopes of being helpful to a newcomer. Maybe I asked too many questions about the calculations and trim levels? I’m not trying to be a pest.
What I’m trying to suggest is that rather than asking the dealer for quotes, which inevitably are going to be as favorable to them as they can be, that you put together an offer and present it to the dealer. Figure out where you need to be, see if it makes sense, and then take that to them.
The advice that I give to anyone that will listen is this:
Talking numbers with a dealer is for finding someone that will do your deal, not for figuring out what a vehicle should lease for. If you find yourself with a dealer offer in hand, wondering if it’s a good deal, you have gotten out over your skis and set yourself up for failure. You need to determine what that deal is before talking with the dealer to set yourself up for success.
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I would highly recommend that when you do this, you do not talk numbers with the dealer and if they do try to give you pricing estimates that you totally ignore anything they say. They will quote you much higher numbers than what is doable
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Is more like it
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Regarding our recent revelation and learning from the above forum members. We will stepping down to the Elite trim level. We don’t need the special wheel package and Black Edition badging. We tried to justify getting the 2021 Pilot Black Edition at first, but after getting some solid advice here it’s really a dumb move. The interior on the Elite is the same on the black edition. Here in Colorado, the mag chloride that the snow plows put down before snow storms may eat up the custom wheel pig on the black edition anyway. The family is happy with this new strategy 
Our auto insurance would have increased $500 more a year on the Black Edition 
. Our insurance agent told us this over the phone. Thank God we talked to the insurance company before we went too far on the Black Edition trim level. If we do the Elite trim level, our insurance will go down $200 bucks for the year. That’s awesome news!
Besides, the 2021 Honda Pilot Elite has a heated steering wheel and rear dvd for the list of must have’s for the family.
This dealership also sells Acura! We looked at the 2020 MDX again, and it’s stunning. The payment was awesome on a lease. The MDX is just too small for the family to be comfortable at the same time.
I just want to clear up their explanation of the $1,611.08 drive off amount. Maybe it’s a poor choice of words? They are telling us that our monthly payment includes 7.960% tax. The actual amount due at signing is “$611.08”, it’s not $1,611.08. They say that they have to write it with 1,000 incentive written down before deduction. I’m confused too.
Our base payment is $492 and our final payment with 7.960% tax is at $531.48.
Our drive-off amount, aka “due at signing”, is $611.08 because we have to pay $76.90 tax for receiving the $1,000 incentive and 3-5 bucks in a different fee.
- You may not need the fancy trim level that we do right now. As others in this thread have noted, the EX-L is a screaming value if it checks all of your boxes.
2021 Honda Pilot Elite. 36 @ 12k miles. 59% residual. Our base payment is at $492. I know, this leaves a ton of meat on the bone, but at least it’s a start. Thanks for following along. Here’s the calculator configuration:
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Thanks for being patient with us, we’re learning as we go here. We checked out the Volvo and the family still likes the Pilot Elite with these numbers. This is our dealers counter offer below.
We are stepping down on a trim level, after learning the exact numbers. We don’t need a special wheel package and badging. Tried to justify it at first, but in 36 months we would have paid a stupid $2,000 and change that we did not have to.
Our auto insurance would have increased $500 more a year on the Black Edition . Our insurance agent told us this over the phone. Thank God we talked to the insurance company before we went too far on the Black Edition trim level. If we do the Elite trim level, our insurance will go down $200 bucks for the year. That’s awesome news!
Besides, the 2021 Honda Pilot Elite has a heated steering wheel and rear dvd for the list of must have’s for the family.
This dealership also sells Acura! We looked at the 2020 MDX again, and it’s stunning. The payment was awesome on a lease. The MDX is just too small for the family to be comfortable at the same time.
Our base payment is $492. Our final payment with 7.960% tax is $531.48.
Our drive-off amount, aka “due at signing”, is $611.08 because we have to pay $76.90 tax for receiving the $1,000 incentive and 3-5 bucks in a different fee.
- You may not need the fancy trim level that we do right now. As others in this thread have noted, the EX-L is a screaming value if it checks all of your boxes.
2021 Honda Pilot Elite with a 12.2% discount off MSRP.
36 month lease @ 12k miles with a 59% residual and a $1,000 incentive. Our base payment is $492. Our payment with 7.96% tax is $531.48.
*This still leaves meat on the bone, but it’s a decent start. Thanks for following along while we learned a lot from other members here. Here’s the calculator configuration:
Close to $500 a month for a pilot seems crazy to me. The MDX is not that much smaller and leases better. Hate to say it if you REALLY need space look at a minivan. 21 odyssey has 145 cubic feet of cargo volume vs. 123 for the 21 tahoe, and the minivan is 5 inches shorter. Just a thought…
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Thank you. If it was solely up to me, we’d get a sportscar lol. I’m just trying to help her get what she wants.
Wife’s car? AHH now I understand. Will be a 100% emotional purchase based on wants not needs. Thank god I control the cars in my house. Its my Alamo.
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Yep! Lmao. Having a happy household is totally worth it in the end.
Suburban leases bad, and the mdx 3rd row is useless, pilot has usable 3rd row.
Expedition/suburban would be biggest out there without breaking bank but are $650-$900/mo
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