I think we're going to be reading a lot of these stories. In my case, "the recall" ultimately accelerated the departure of my Ridgeline - this time it happened to be for a CR-V so Honda kept me as a customer for now. Had it not been for the recall, I would have either kept driving my G1 (highly unlikely), bought a G2 (even less likely), or traded for a non-Honda vehicle (likely).
There is definitely change in the air around here since the announcement of the G2 and the untimely and unfortunately airbag recall. I get the general sense that at least the slight majority of us current/former G1 owners have been disappointed in what we've seen, read, and heard about the G2 so far. Honda's putting people in non-Honda rentals will no doubt lose some customers as they realize the grass on the other side may actually be greener.
Years ago, I was in a similar place with RegalGS.org when I had my Buick. It was a good forum for '97-'04 Regal owners. When the next-generation Regal appeared in '05 as the LaCrosse and the Regal name later returned for a smaller vehicle, the forum just went downhill from there. The LaCrosse and smaller Regal just didn't have the same level of interest. A popular forum for many years, the former RegalGS.org wound down over time after the original vehicle on which is was focused lost its lifeblood. Years later, an all-new RegalGS.org came along, but it didn't carry the old posts with it. It's little more than a placeholder now.
I sense the same thing happening around here. The G1 Ridgeline was a unique vehicle that brought together a strong following of owners - some equally as unique as the vehicle itself. While the G2 (assuming it even hangs around for very long) will no doubt be a nice vehicle for tens or hundreds of thousands of buyers, it just doesn't offer the same attitude and capability as the original. The tides are turning as Honda releases an all-new Ridgeline and many of us who have learned and enjoyed so much here over the years pass the baton to newer members to learn about and discuss a different flavor of Ridgeline.
