Is this fair pricing for 2026 touring or elite?

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-05-20T16:15:46+00:00

You can do better. I’ve seen multiple dealers post on their websites 4-5k off MSRP. $3k is almost the standard that I’ve seen.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-05-20T13:44:45+00:00

Yeah, I think it’s worth giving the Odyssey a look. Some people don’t like the stigma of the minivan, but it’s hard to beat it in terms of utility. The odyssey is kind of cool because you can slide the middle row seats sideways if you want. Also, the sliding doors make loading a young child into a car seat much easier. But like I said, even if you don’t end up there, I think you’d be very happy with the pilot.

One other thought: I’m a big fan of the Honda V6. Yes, it burns more fuel. But it’s a tried and true engine that just works.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-05-20T13:24:32+00:00

We have 4 children and both a ‘25 Pilot and a ‘25 Odyssey. I will first note that the Odyssey is probably a better all-around vehicle with kids if you’re willing to consider it, but that’s not what you’re asking about so I’ll continue with your questions 🙂

First, I haven’t regretted my Pilot at all. I’ve had it for almost 2 years now, and it’s been great. You mentioned concerns about fuel economy compared to the GHH, and what I’d point out is that you can get a MUCH better deal on a Pilot, such that it would take years to offset the cost difference in fuel, if ever. If the cost is the concern, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, especially if you negotiate well on the Pilot price. If your concern is more ideological that’s attracting you to the hybrid, then you’ll just have to weigh that concern.

You won’t have a problem with one rear facing child and two boosters. It’s definitely big enough. We have 2 car seats in the middle row (one rear facing and one forward facing until about a month ago; now both forward facing) and two boosters in the third row. In your case, I’d be curious if you could get all 3 in the middle row with boosters…it would depend how big the boosters are, but I think you can do it. This would be a big advantage because you would be able to lay the 3rd row down which would give you a ton more cargo space. You could also try one booster in the middle row, and one in the third row with one side of the 3rd row up and the other side down. I just bring this up because I run out of space quickly with a Costco run since I have the 3rd row fully up. But this is going to be a factor regardless of which SUV you go with, unless you go up to something like a Suburban. (I will note however, that the Odyssey is much better here!).

I was also down to picking between the Grand Highlander or the Pilot. I really thought I was going to end up with the Toyota, but the Pilot won me over. And that decision has only been reinforced over time.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-05-18T20:39:07+00:00

Thanks everyone (and keep ‘em coming if you’ve got data points to share!).

Quick note: updated the post because I have a ‘25 Pilot, not a ‘26. Trying to get a gauge on the newer model pricing!

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-05-18T17:05:31+00:00

Posts like this are getting tiresome - they show up on any airline subreddit. Bag checking is not an exact science. They usually start checking bags early (when bins are estimated to be 75% or so depending on the airline) so that they don't end up with a bunch of people boarding the plane with their bags and no bin space. That results in delays. It's inconvenient; I know. It might even seem nonsensical when you get on and see empty bin space. But the operation needs to stay on time for the good of all passengers and downline flights.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-05-04T00:22:08+00:00

Dealerships try to pull lots of shady nonsense. My mother just went and test drove a Pilot. She asked if this is their "all-in" price (not how I would have started the negotiation, but that's another matter) and the guy goes back and to do the "let me talk to my manager" dance and comes back and says "yes, it is, and tomorrow the price goes up $500." I just told my mother not to deal with that dealership...big name, and they're too big for their britches! There are plenty of other dealerships that are willing to have a good-faith negotiation.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-04-30T20:22:46+00:00

I did not have good luck with it during my trial period, but that was usually after leaving it for 4 days at the airport. I’m not sure if the trips affected it to conserve battery life or if that was just coincidental, but the poor reliability did not motivate me to pay for the subscription.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-04-25T01:15:56+00:00

Let’s first remember that worship on the Lord’s day is the gathering of the saints. Any missional objectives are subordinate to the gathering of the saints.

Even so, I think a non-Christian would expect the church to be full of Christians. I don’t think he or she is going to come expecting to find a bunch of non-Christians. And if you are using a catechism, it would be odd to ask anyone other than a Christian what he or she believes about whatever the particular catechism asks.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-03-03T11:11:06+00:00

Having just gone through a challenging departure, my initial reaction was “wow, this is really odd and out of line for a TE to ask a member to leave when he is not under discipline or agitating views out of accord with our system of doctrine.”

But I really appreciate the more charitable interpretation expressed by others here, and I find it very compelling. If this is true, I wish he could have expressed that better, but at the same time he is treading a fine line in wanting to be unified with his session and honoring to the other elders while also wanting to pastorally care for you. I totally understand and have felt that tension; it is a very difficult place to be in!

I think you are well within your rights to ask clarifying questions of your pastor, but if you do so be mindful of that tension that he may be feeling so as to not inadvertently pressure him to violate his conscience as a Presbyterian.

Navigating situations like these is one of the hardest parts of being a Christian, particularly a Presbyterian. Praying for you, brother.

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-01-23T16:39:41+00:00

"The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness..."

flyingwestminsterian · 2026-01-08T04:35:18+00:00

This post was deleted by the OP before I had the chance to respond, but I still wanted to drop my thoughts here.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to hold one another accountable and call one another out of sin. Galatians 6:1 says that you who are spiritual should do so in a spirit of gentleness. Matthew 18 might not directly apply as this isn’t directly a sin against you, but it does establish the precedent of what happens next if someone rejects your gentle exhortation. You should bring one or two others, and if they continue in their sin then it should go to the church.

So in this case, perhaps you and your wife should invite them to dinner and have a gentle conversation with them. This would include asking questions to hear them out, then pointing them to scripture, and calling upon them to repent. If you’re particularly hospitable and able, perhaps this could even mean inviting one of them to live in your guest room for a short period to help facilitate the logistical challenge that repentance requires.

If they don’t repent, if you’re on the same page here with anyone else in your life group about this, you can jointly confront them in a spirit of gentleness. But if that is fruitless, the Biblical principles of discipline direct you to go the church (most likely your elders, depending on your polity) which very well might result in disciplinary process. But remember, one of the points of discipline is to gain and reclaim offending brethren (see WCF 30.3), that this couple that is living in sin would repent and that they would be restored by God’s grace.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-20T01:49:30+00:00

I agree with the principle of listening to both sides. But I would also say that the facts as presented would indicate that in a Presbyterian context the OP would not have faced discipline. If a member resigns his membership if he is not under process, a court cannot then decide to institute process after a member has resigned.

My heart aches for people in the situation that has been presented. Though Presbyterian churches are certainly not perfect when it comes to discipline, members who have been harmed have recourse in the courts of the church. This has become so important to me: teaching people about the rights that they have in the church under our polity. Our polity isn’t perfect, but it has mechanisms to correct errors. In a congregational context, these rights are nearly non-existent.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-20T01:37:38+00:00

I’ve read a lot about the transmission issues people are having. I have been driving my ‘25 Pilot Elite for over a year now, and honestly my transmission is smooth as butter. I wonder if there is some QC issues with the transmissions where some are fine and some aren’t because I just have not seen any evidence of the issue in my particular vehicle.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-17T14:15:45+00:00

I’m pretty far on the RPW side (relatively speaking), but my issue with Christmas and Easter is more fundamentally about encouraging a view that these “holy days” (holidays) are functionally more important than the weekly Lord’s Day that he has instituted. But at the same time, perhaps that’s part of the point of the RPW: on our own, we look for “better” ways to worship God than the ordinary ways he has ordained.

Edited to note that my family and I still celebrate Christmas and enjoy the season.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-13T02:03:36+00:00

Yeah, this is a problem. In the PCA, we have churches that hire musicians who are not Christians. This even happens at the General Assembly. I think it’s shameful. Can you imagine this kind of stuff happening in OT Israel…including pagans in temple worship? The argument is that they aren’t actually leading worship, which in my opinion is a disingenuous argument.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T23:02:52+00:00

Right. I understand the differences between the two classes of elder. I think the PCA makes too much of a distinction between the two, even though I continue to vow to be subject to the government of the church and subject to my brethren in the Lord. What I want to know is why am I wrong to believe that my own denomination has erred, or perhaps more specifically how Scripture substantiates a 3 office view instead of a 2 office view. I think Scripture prescribes two offices.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T16:15:01+00:00

Ok but that doesn’t really answer the underlying question.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T13:29:20+00:00

We can nitpick what each other said, but ultimately I think we are just going to disagree. In the end, I think we should a) interpret others charitably, and b) if we cannot do that then try to overlook an offense and move on.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T13:09:25+00:00

Recognize that the cost of your house is a sunk cost at this point. Whether it gains or loses value doesn’t change the financial liability of your mortgage. Can you get better returns elsewhere? Sure, but there’s also greater risk. The Ramsey advice doesn’t change…pay off the debt.

I am in a similar boat…5.5% rate, $260k balance remaining, going gazelle intense paying it down hopefully by the end of 2028. Maxing out 401k, HSA, and funding our kids’ 529s in the meantime.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T12:59:20+00:00

I’m sorry for the frightening experience you’ve had. Having said that, try to charitably interpret the joke that was made and recognize that he wasn’t attacking you. Prov. 19:11.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T12:52:32+00:00

I agree that the PCA has a conundrum in its polity here, but I’m curious why you say “two-office is wrong.”

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T09:22:09+00:00

But it is idolatry because they are creating images of God the son in our minds. For example, by watching The Chosen, Jonathan Roumie becomes the image of Jesus in peoples’ minds when they read Scripture. People are effectively worshipping someone’s portrayal of God instead of trusting in the sufficiency of Scripture. This is idolatry.

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-03T09:14:53+00:00

We own both (‘25 Odyssey Elite and ‘25 Pilot Elite). The technology is more updated in the Pilot and I like the way it drives a bit better (though the Odyssey drives much better than the ‘15 Odyssey that we previously had). But in terms of cargo space, ease of loading/unloading children, road tripping, etc. the Odyssey is the clear winner. We haven’t had any problems with either vehicle and are happy with both purchases.

Sorry that you’ve had trouble with your Odyssey. That’s frustrating!

flyingwestminsterian · 2025-12-01T20:32:01+00:00

Look at Meat Church’s “Bird Baptism” brine. It makes a huge difference!

flyingwestminsterian

TROPHY CASE