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Looking to by high mileage '05.....advice?

4K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  lifetimewarrant 
#1 ·
So let me just start by saying you guys have a pretty good website with what seems to be a lot of folks that like to help each other out. You guys seem to be good at pointing out the good, bad, or ugly and are great at painting a picture of how you see these vehicles.

Here is my situation. Wife's old caravan is fine...but getting on in years. I really didn't see purchasing another van, as the kids are getting a bit older etc...but my in-laws are going to be selling their '05 EX. I think it is black leather and pretty well loaded so it is a much nicer car for the lady...and I could drive it without feeling quite as emasculated.;)

Having not thought about putting more money to another van, I was really curious to see what the trade in value is for this car, and with 130k miles, it is definitely within the budget and seems like a really decent deal.

This car has 130k miles, but most all are highway miles. My wife and I live about 400 miles away from them and so they come up with that car a lot...as well as drive a few times a year to my wife's sisters house which is a 2000 mile round trip. They have another car that they nearly always use for groceries/around town.

So, given the fact that the van is grandma/grandpa owned but pretty high miles, is there anything to be aware of? I couldn't seem to find how the transmissions on this gen of ody were. I know that this car hasn't had any issues to date and has been a perfect (typical) Honda.

thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
I will assuming that you have full access to COMPLETE and WELL documented maintenance records (meaning: everything has been done on time and correctly). It sounds like you are very familiar with the general history of the van and are getting the "family discount", buy drive and enjoy.

There will be others on here that tell you to steer clear of anything with that amount of miles.... maintenance records, overall vehicle care through the years and price are much more important than low miles to me.

Hope you enjoy.
 
#4 ·
Thanks guys. Like Jeep mentioned, I will have all the service records, and just as your average older guy who never touches his own car, the maintenance has been done on time by their Honda dealer.

Sounds like with the family discount (and perhaps a decent set of aftermarket wheels) we should be styling.

Thanks again.
 
#5 ·
I agree with jeepcj258 also. To me the most important thing is that the maintenance was done over those 130,000 miles and also the fact that you know the original owner is a plus. Those were big factors for me in purchasing a 2008 EX earlier this year-I knew the seller, and she did have the maintenance done on the vehicle as needed. Of course, hers had just 44 K miles on it which also helped in making my decision!
 
#6 ·
I think for the price that I can get this for and being pretty loaded up and in perfect condition (other than the miles) is helping me make my decision;):D.

My wife only drives around 5k a year...but they are all city, so I am a little concerned with these torque converter issues (which this van shows no issues with)...but I guess we will deal with it if we have to.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I think it is black leather and pretty well loaded so it is a much nicer car for the lady...and I could drive it without feeling quite as emasculated.;)
It sounds like a good deal to me, but there is one thing I hesitated about. I'm guessing it is probably a typo and I'm sorry to be so picky, but in this case it is probably worth mentioning. In your first post you said "black leather." If you meant it has a black exterior and leather interior, I would say it is very likely an EXL, but if you really meant to say it has a black leather interior, it has to be a Touring and you will have to deal with the PAX system. I'm sorry to be so technical, but I just thought I'd clarify. Good Luck.
 
#8 ·
Sounds like a nice deal to me. These are good vans but are not quite as trouble-free as the "perfect" Hondas (CR-V - Consumer Reports most reliable vehicle ever). They are more average to good. Transmissions are not the ticking time-bombs of the previous generation but are not entirely trouble-free.

We enjoy ours. They are fine to drive and perfect for family hauling duties.

I drove the school bus route once this week including a car pool that looked like Manhattan at rush hour. That's when you appreciate the value of things like power doors.
 
#9 ·
It isn't a Pax car...and it doesn't have tire pressure monitoring either according to my father in law. The car is silver paint and must be dark grey (not black...?) leather and not the touring model, but not the base model...I thought it was an EX (if I heard him right) but I have no idea what the EXL means. There is no NAV or DVD in it.

I really appreciate the honesty here regarding this vehicle.


This will be the first Honda for me, so I am at least glad to be going in with my eyes open. My father in law can't say enough good things about it. They are just going to be getting an all-wheel-drive Volvo that is a little more sporty since it is just normally the two of them burning up the highway.
 
#10 ·
The car is silver paint and must be dark grey (not black...?) leather and not the touring model, but not the base model...I thought it was an EX (if I heard him right) but I have no idea what the EXL means. There is no NAV or DVD in it.
Well an ex has cloth seats and the exl has leather seats. The L in exl stands for leather. Also the exl comes with a sun roof which is another way of telling what model it is.
 
#11 ·
the "L" stands for leather 'eh?...that makes sense!lol:stupid:

It does have a moon roof and leather so I guess that makes it an EXL.

Thankfully I will have all the paperwork so I can see all the options it came with. They are probably not aware of all the goodies and gadgets that this car has so that should be fun to figure out.

The wife is going to be SOOOOO spoiled...:D

Thanks again for all the info guys. Hopefully we should have her in a couple months.
 
#13 ·
Also make sure that the 105K has been done, "Timing belt, Water Pump, drive belts and tensioners" also valve adjust etc..

Otherwise it sounds like a great buy.. its rare to know the history on a used vehicle but since its coming from your own family, Id say go for it.

P
 
#14 ·
So on the 105k they automatically change the waterpump (and tensioners)? I will ask if that was done.

What is the deal with the motor mounts? Is it something they can check? ...or just fix if it breaks?


Is there any other items like shocks I should replace given the miles? They have the original break pads so I will probably replace those.
 
#15 ·
Well, I finally got to test drive the van and wow. I never thought a minivan could be somewhat enjoyable to drive but these cars are great. Super comfy chairs, great ride - not all mushy like the old van, and great power. Looks like we will be taking delivery hopefully this month.

For the price I am getting this car for, it is just too good to pass up. Time to find some wheels for it though. Gotta set it apart from all the other ody's in the neighborhood(and there are a ton)!

Thanks again guys!
 
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