EX-L or Touring ? Worth the extra 4K ?

[user12345]

Besides the obvious fact that one is 5-speed and one is 6-speed, is it worth another 4K-6K to make the leap to Touring from EX-L. I don't need Nav but yes need rear DVD, etc. How much difference does the 6-speed make, performance wise.

I ** could ** money-wise afford the Touring/Touring Elite but if I don't have to buy one, then I would prefer to save my money for something else. Will probably buy a new Garmin GPS once we get the vehicle.

Vehicle mission will be for self-employed tutor wife to travel locally around city area and also to pick up kids age 10 and 8, soccer practice, grocery store, etc. Once-a-month trips of 4-6 hours one way. Inclement weather, rain, snow, everybody will be in the 2004 Pilot and the van parked.

Also debating whether order brand-new via USAA or CostCo buying program or buy a Honda Certified used model, one to two years old.

Opinions, comments wanted

Thank You

[tvette]

I would buy the exl with res! We just bought a new 2013 touring elite. Really dont need all that stuff!

[stockae92]

For *our* purpose, its not worth it. We ended up with EX-L and we are happying about it.

My wife sees the saving in $$

And I KNOW my family will really USE the van, they will put scratches, dings and dent, dirt, everything you can imagine to the van. And I am happy that They are destorying a "cheaper van".

We got portable navigation and plan on adding iPad as entertainment when the baby is old enough to complain about long ride.

I can live without the 6sp knowing that the saving in mpg won't justify the cost (that's all i care about the 6sp transmission)

your mileage may vary

[pkrface]

Only you can answer the question as it is an individual decision. List all the features you pick up in a Touring or TE and compare the cost to an EXL RES. If the value is there for you, get a T/TE. If not, buy the EXL RES.

[John U]

You can build a case to support either way of thinking. Logic says we should all be buying a 3 year old vehicle to escape the inital depreciation hit. Why would anyone buy a Honda van when you can buy a Hyundai van that will take you from point A to B too?
Luxury vehicle sales are showing the largest sales gains so it appears the buying public is shopping "big" vs "value". US auto industry back on track but luxury cars keep richest in the fast lane | Business | guardian.co.uk

[silver3.5]

Looks like the OP's more concerned about getting from point A to B with the family so any 7 passenger minivan would do!

[dL_amg]

For car this size, we feel blind spot sensor, parking sensor and Xenon are must...so TE is out choice.

[islandbeef]

I'd go with the EX-L with the NAV (not the RES, get a couple Android tablets that play movies and games, with a 10 hr battery, check Costco). I do miss the seat memory I had with the more luxurious but less practical Acura MDX Tech Pack. You can "Touring-ify" your EX-L with the additional cosmetic add-ons for less if you do it ala carte. Spend the money you saved for the upgrades/future vacations and the big screen TV.

[MHgtr]

You gotta decide if its worth it to you. When you are paying 30-40k anyway for a minivan (a really nice one), you might as well get what you want. Assuming you keep it a long time, thats time you may regret NOT spending the extra $ to get the HIDs, Wide RES, BSI, etc. If you dont care for that stuff, then no brainer and go EX-L.

Having just faced similar dilemma (EXL or Touring or Elite), i narrowed it down to either EX-L w/NAV or Touring Elite. I didnt quite get jumping to a Touring that didnt have all the Elite bells and whistles. At that point you're already in the 38k-40k range, so why stop there i guess. The addnl safety features i wanted were the HIDs, parking sensors, and the BSI, so the Elite was it. Kids could do with the regular RES, but the wide screen RES/sound system is not why i got the Elite. The sound system does sound great though...bonus

What i found was a slight savings buying a used EX-L/T/TE, but imo it wasnt worth the savings vs just buying a NEW vehicle where i am orig owner and know where every mile came from. I ended up buying my wife a new 13 Touring Elite.

Either way its a win. Good luck.

[BigBoat]

Opinions, comments wanted

Some similar threads if it helps

Huge difference between EXL-RES or NAV and Touring?

Touring vs. EX-L w/ Nav.

2011 Touring or EX-L RES

EX-L or Touring?

[BASISON]

I am the proud owner of a '12 Odyssey Touring Elite. I looked at all the other trim levels, but I figured that I was already spending $35K+ I might as well get the top of the line. Having a 5 year old and a 2 year old makes having this van all worth it. It's our workhorse and we drive it everywhere...dropping off the kids at school, carpooling with the wife, weekend trips to the store, etc. From a resale perspective, it's also a great choice.

[upstatedoc]

We were coming from an '07 MDX with all the toys and the TE is a close match.

[user12345]

good info thank you. As far as "any old minivan will do", I have narrowed it down to the Odyssey. Now I just have to figure out the trim level. Thanks again

[artnmshn]

I had this same issue a few months ago... back in Nov. we were just getting out of a Lemon law buy back of our 2010 VW routan. Touring Vs EX-L RES , New Vs Pre-owned... do your research.. we ended up buying a 2012 Diamond White Touring.. We feel it was COMPLETELY worth the 4K difference. The Nav is great(we use it rather often) the RES is great, parking sensors, rear back-up cam has been used SEVERAL times! the Touring is rated better mileage than the Ex-L, we averaged 29mpg on our trip to NC from PA the first week we bought it.

As for new Vs preowned... I was able to locate a 2012 model in Nov. and the dealership had 2013s on the lot.. We were able to negotiate the $42850 down to $34875@ 1.9% which actually made it a better deal than the 2011 CPO Touring we were looking at @ $32500 @3.5% so shop around.. there are some dealerships around that still have 2012 sitting on the lot! Good Luck!!

[javamaan]

I also had similar questions. In the end i bought 2013 EXL RES. For me, the only thing worth going for Touring was the memory seats. Other than that NAV in my opinion is a liability, as you can get better GPS like garmin and replace it frequently.

If you like islandbeef's idea of buying couple of ipads and putting it for entertainment, i would say, just go get a EX-L with NO RES or NAV. All you do is get 2 ipads, one garmin GPS and you are done. You will save a lot of money.