Honda Element?

[thegiraffe]

Anyone here have a Honda Element (it's their cute 'lil SUV thing)? I'm looking at getting one, and I was wondering how people feel about them after owning them. They're not easy to find used, so I'm assuming they must be quite popular.

And no, it's not a fridge-on-wheels or a toaster. I like the 'Hummer Lite' description though lol. I can afford one with like 20k miles on it. Things I'm looking for:

-Is it true to gas mileage (remember - I'm in Florida. We don't have hills)?
-How scratch/dent resistant is the plastic (I want the one with more plastic vs. less - it's cuter and cheaper)?
-What's the maintenance like?

Or anything else. Thanks a bunch!!!

[Rahmota]

Only thing I know about them is we had one come through the dealership as a trade in. The guy wanted something more robust for offroad and traded it for a Jeep Liberty.

But it wasn't too bad a car and I'd own one if I could. It handled nice and was comfortable as well as had a nice stereo. The A piller is kinda thick so you gotta watch out for that but otherwise its good.

Sorry I can't help more than that. I just drove it around the lot and to the store a few times.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Hondas are good cars. One of my cousins has over 200,000 miles on his, and brags that it's not even broken in yet. Assuming you keep with routine stuff like oil changes, you shouldn't have too many problems.

Other than that I don't know. I don't drive an SUV and don't really want to, at least not until I start making more money.

[thegiraffe]

Thanks guys. Rahmota - what's an A pillar? And I'm not planning on taking it offroad. I learned that lesson when dad tried to drive the lexus (SUV) in the creek behind our house. Took a tow truck to get that one out lol.

And IPF, yeah - we've had hondas my whole life. They last FOREVER. The gas mileage is actually quite respectable - 25 highway, 21 city. The reviews say it's what would happen if a hummer and a mini cooper mated...which I think it totally accurate.

[Mr. Rager!]

A-pillar is the pillar between your windshield and font door.

[thegiraffe]

Ah....thanks. I'm not exactly car illiterate, but I don't know all the technical jargon lol.

[Hemily]

here's a enetertaining road test of it, by Top Gear :p

Honda Element (http://youtube.com/watch?v=gnZBoqWK7kw)

[blas]

This topic just triggered a high school memory:

A girl got a Honda Element as a birthday present. Forgive me, but I find those to be one of the ugliest things on the road, next to those Scion boxes-on-wheels and those Subaru Bahas. Anywho, I remember now, quite vividly, I'd be hanging out with my friends in the parking lot and we'd watch this chick try (and fail) to park her Element, then try (and fail) again, and then...rinse wash repeat a few more times. It was extremely entertaining......if you can't handle it, don't drive it!
Kinda like the older woman at work who has the Ford Excursion and nearly kills everyone within 15 feet when she tries to park the big thing...

Despite my opinions, if you feel that it's the vehicle of choice, if you like the look and feel, if you think it handles well, go for it! But make sure to test it out first!

[Rahmota]

Sorry about that TG, my bad. The pillars (aka window/roof supports) on a vehicle are lettered from the frontmost one to the rearmost one so a regular cab pickup has an a and b pillar a sedan typically has a,b,c and a suv or minivan a,b,c,d, or so on.

I'm glad you arn't considering taking it offroad. It always makes me laugh when i see someone with one of those cute utes which are usually based off of a car platform trying to run with an actual off road vehicle or putting swampers (big mud tires) or other hardcore offroad stuff on it. Most of the 4wd systems on the cutes/crossovers are not powerful enough to handle the demands of true offroad driving and are more for slight mud/snow/slush on the roads kinda stuff. I mean I can take my 2wd pickup through places that will get some of these cutes stuck.

Oh well like has been said before if you want it, are comfortable with it , can handle it and it works for what you want to do with it then go for it.

[Hemily]

why would anyone even concider taking the Honda Element offroad anyways?

SUV's are bad enaugh offroad, why try with a minivan then? O.o

the element is not a SUV, but a MPV

[digilight]

I dunno about the ellement, no experience with them. I am, however, in the same boat as a long experience with hondas. My parents and grand parents both bought 89 acords as new back in the day. After my grandmother stoped driving a few years back she sold (practicaly gave it away) to my aunt and uncle.

They drove it for a few years (put around 150-190K miles on it) and I was to get it. We were to meet halfway between our house and theirs (about a 2 hour drive for each). About 5 minutes from our hotel, my aunt feel asleep at the wheel and went airborne off the freeway and landed on the roof. It took 2 pairs of the Jaws of Life to peel the car away from her. Went to the hospital, and was pronounced fine. Just a few bruises and such. She ended up driving home a couple of hours later.

Since that car was now dead, my parents decided to sell me their honda, and they bought a 04 (I think) civic. I drove the acord until I rearended someone and totaled it out (Minor damage really, but on a 16 year old car it doesn't take much to put the repair cost way ahead of the cars value).

So then my parents sold me dads 98 town car and he bought a 06 honda ridgeline. He loves the ridgeline, he has mentioned, however, that the gas mileage isn't as good as the sticker says it should be (at least when he first bought it, which is over a year ago, might have improved now). Keep in mind that they do almost entirelly city driving and not a whole lot of that either.

I would say that you probably can't go wrong with a honda. My aunt should have been severly injured at the minimum in her accident and the car saved her neck (literaly).

[Rahmota]

Hemily said:why would anyone even concider taking the Honda Element offroad anyways?


I have no idea but people do so anyhow. I've seen kia sportages lifted and swampers put on them and then people try to take them off road. Its the redneck version of ricing a civic with a huge tabletop on the trunk lid and 500 stickers on it and saying they are so fast!

[thegiraffe]

Well, I got an element! It's a 2007 LX - Tango Red Pearl. It's absolutely adorable!!!

I'll have a lot of fun with it and enjoy it. It still hasn't hit me that I have a car (this is my first). And hey...it's a Honda. It'll last forever!

[Hemily]

Hemily said:

I have no idea but people do so anyhow. I've seen kia sportages lifted and swampers put on them and then people try to take them off road. Its the redneck version of ricing a civic with a huge tabletop on the trunk lid and 500 stickers on it and saying they are so fast!

the Sportage atleast is a "SUV" the element is a MVP, Multi Purpose Vehicle, wich in the US means Minivan.... do you go offroad in a Voyager? :p

[protege]

And hey...it's a Honda. It'll last forever!

It will...provided you take care of it :p

[Bella_Vixen]

Just out of curiosity...have any of y'all heard about they guy who's Saab has gone past a million miles?

[protege]

Just out of curiosity...have any of y'all heard about they guy who's Saab has gone past a million miles?

Hehe I've heard about that. So far, we have a Mercedes, Volvo, and now a Saab in the record books.

[thegiraffe]

I just wanted to show off my new wheels:

http://a881.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/18/l_c9535ded9b9809c74ec6342e91bbe828.jpg

http://photos-185.ak.facebook.com/ip002/v57/201/28/5002511/n5002511_32317185_1451.jpg

http://photos-179.ak.facebook.com/ip002/v57/201/28/5002511/n5002511_32317179_243.jpg

Isn't it adorable?!?!

[Tanasi]

I didn't know those had suicide doors on them, very neat. You realise that you have to customize it now don't you? I would suggest lamboing the doors that would make it very unique and easier to enter and exit.
Nice ride I bought myself a Murano a few months back.

[Rahmota]

TG: Congratulations. Glad you like it. Looks good. Hope you enjoy it.

Hemily: No I usually dont take a mnivan off road, at least not on purpose. :)

tanasi: I don't think you can Lambo the doors on an element as the clamshell is part of the structural integrity of the sides of the vehicle. Also I thought the front doors where pretty easy to get in and out of as the only time you have to open the other half is to get into the back seats. that and I don't like the looks of the Lambo doors on anythign except lambos but thats just my opinion.

[thegiraffe]

Nah, I can't afford to customize it lol. I like it just as it is!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Glad you like your new wheels.

I'm thinking my next vehicle will be a small SUV, but that won't be until years down the road (heh heh, pun not intended)

First I am going to drive the wheels off my Saturn.

[AFpheonix]

Congratulations! New cute cars are always fun. My cute car was cruelly murdered and I replaced him with a Forester, who is not so cute, but he's actually a much nicer car with a lot more toys. Ah well....

I mostly am just happy when I have something that runs and I don't have to try and figure out why it went tits up.

[HYHYBT]

Nice car! Did they redesign the Element recently? The ones I've seen before were ugly... or possibly some other kind of car I only thought was an Element. They didn't have back windows either.

[thegiraffe]

Thanks! This one looks relatively similar to the '03s that I was looking at (I drove an '05, and it's quite similar to that also). You MAY be thinking of the Scion XB - the smaller box car thingy. People suggested that I look at that too, but it miserably failed the crash test this week. My car has 5 star crash ratings and 6 airbags (the '07 is the first year with the 6 airbags - every previous year had 2). It's quite safe I'd say.