I think Honda failed at doing their market research in that area. The original 1st gen RT prices started in the low to mid $20k's. Prices steadily rose a bit through its 10 years of availability, but the RT was a great base truck with no frills that was perfectly affordable. Now, that same base model with AWD is over $32,000. The RTS and Sport models are $34-35k. I may be off base, but if you're willing to pay in the mid $30's for a base model truck, why would you not just spend an extra $5-6k and get the top of the line with all of the awesome features the RTL-E offers? If the RT were still around $28k with AWD and the RTS/Sport were just a few thousand more, I think you'd see more frugal people buying them. There simply isn't enough of a price difference to justify not getting an upper-end model.
I also think the 2WD models will be a thing of the past within a few years, or they will make even less of them than they are now. As much as I hate to say it, if you buy a 2WD RL, you basically have an Odyssey with a bed. This is a stigma that Gen1 owners fought for over a decade. Honda only made it worse by offering this machine. I would never own a RL that wasn't AWD.
That being said, if the dealership really wants to make a sale, they can do a dealer trade with another dealership to get the truck you want. The problem is finding a dealership that is willing to give up an RTL-E - which will likely be next to impossible. Another option would be to find one, get a one-way flight to wherever it is and drive it hope. It will give you time to get a feel for your new truck and it could be a nice little getaway for you. After a quick search on Autotrader, it appears there is a blue RTL-E at two dealerships that are each about 110-120 miles from you. One is at Delray Honda in Delray Beach and the other is at Headquarter Honda in Clermont. I wish you luck in your search.
I also think the 2WD models will be a thing of the past within a few years, or they will make even less of them than they are now. As much as I hate to say it, if you buy a 2WD RL, you basically have an Odyssey with a bed. This is a stigma that Gen1 owners fought for over a decade. Honda only made it worse by offering this machine. I would never own a RL that wasn't AWD.
That being said, if the dealership really wants to make a sale, they can do a dealer trade with another dealership to get the truck you want. The problem is finding a dealership that is willing to give up an RTL-E - which will likely be next to impossible. Another option would be to find one, get a one-way flight to wherever it is and drive it hope. It will give you time to get a feel for your new truck and it could be a nice little getaway for you. After a quick search on Autotrader, it appears there is a blue RTL-E at two dealerships that are each about 110-120 miles from you. One is at Delray Honda in Delray Beach and the other is at Headquarter Honda in Clermont. I wish you luck in your search.
