Ok! folks! I’m ready to make the plunge. I am just about to purchase an Element. I would like your negative and positive feedback or your ownership experience.
I am getting mine in 3 weeks, EX magnesium, w/ Yakima rack - 4 trays and 4 wheels carriers, should be $24-25k out the door
The only vehicle I could find to haul everything, with decent gas mileage and that rated well
Maybe I’ll put some dubs on it
fo shizzle
-g
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at least no one will steal it
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search slowtwitch forum land, there is a loooooong thread on elements. I love mine
seriously, all kidding aside, I debated on which vehicle to get … for several months now
Here are the vehicles I tested, in order of testing:
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05 Honda Element EX
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05 BMW X3
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06 BMW 330
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06 BMW Z4
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06 Audi A3
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05 Audi TT
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06 Honda Ridgeline
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05 Nissan Xterra
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05 Nissan Armada
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06 Hummer H3
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05 Ford Explorer
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05 Ford F-150
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05 Subaru Forrester
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03 Land Rover Discovery
Other not on the list that I considered: Lexus RX, Toyota 4runner
OK, how I ranked them (aside from the sports cars and sedans which I considered a roof rack):
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cargo area - must be able to fit a bike inside without removing the seatpost, and wheels intact and upright is a huge plus
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reliability
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fuel economy
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style
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price (up to $40k)
The order I ranked them:
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Element
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Subaru Forrester
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Nissan Xterra
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Land Rover Discovery (no longer made)
So, I did my homework, and feel I am making the correct decision, and look forward to the big, bad, love child of a Hummer H2 and a Mini Cooper
Good. Except the windshield is apparently very sensitive to cracking. Happened on my dad’s and on Francois’s. Other than that, nothing but positives.
only on 03 models. apparently fixed in subsequent models
I’ve had a Honda Odyssey minivan since 2000 and LOVE it. I can fit TONS of stuff in the back including 3 bikes without removing anything, or I can lay a futon in there and sleep, insurance is reasonable since it’s not an “SUV” and it has seating for 7 if you want. I’m getting another one this year! Oh, and they’re cheaper than SUV’s! I know because we also have a Honda Pilot that we paid $6k more than the van for and it’s smaller, gets lower miles per gallon and has a higher insurance tab.
I have an 03 with 40K on the odometer. It has given me good service, nothing other than regular services.
Pluses: interior room, utility, easy to clean, handles reasonably well for a tall vehicle, can take rear seats out, gas mileage reasonable
Minuses: poor outwards visibility, road noise is pronounced, stuff slides around everywhere, seat fabric sweaty in summer, (I have the manual version which has reasonable performance, the auto version I drove seemed sluggish in acceleration to me)
Overall no regrets, I have done some light to moderate off roading when mountain biking bouncing rocks off the underside and slept in the vehicle overnight on a couple of occasions. I hauled two people with four bikes to a stage race.
Yeah its “ugly”, but if you define yourself by the vehicle you drive then you need counselling to work on your self esteem.
I’ve read all of the threads, but I’m looking for an updated owners feedback, good and bad. the others have been lots of pros and cons,but very little of wy I hate/love my element.
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/102974/article.html
Top 10 Hippest Vehicles for 2005
**By Warren Clarke
How do you know if a vehicle is hip? It stands out in a crowd. People want to look at it and touch it. It brings something new to the table, and is genuinely different (for a shining moment or two, anyway) from the competition. And most everyone wants to own one. With that in mind, we’d like to present a list of 10 vehicles that we think make this year’s hip list.
Honda Element: The Element is edgy — it looks like it was plucked from a Japanese cartoon. And it’s versatile, with an interior whose highlights include scratch-resistant flooring and water-repellent seats. We’re guessing it’s this winning mix of form and function that continues to make Honda’s angular SUV a hot commodity, a good two years after its initial introduction.
I’m well into my third year of ownership. At this point, you can have my Element when you pry it from my cold dead hands. I’ve got nearly 60k on it and haven’t had a single issue yet.
Two “upgrades” I recommend (outside of racks and goodies like that)…
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Sound matting. One application will significantly reduce interior noise to levels close to luxury autos. You can do it yourself or take it to an auto sound shop. DIY will be <$300. Auto sound shop will be >$500 to do it right.
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When your OEM tires wear out…Yokohama Geolanders…forget about the other options…the Yokos are hands down the quietest AND best handling tires you can put on it. And you can go very slightly larger than OEM (235/70R16 vs OEM 215/75R16).
Also, the Honda Element neoprene seat covers are a wise investment if you often climb in the car wet or sweaty from swimming or workouts…
Ipods or other MP3s play well with the Element with its dual power and radio AUX jacks in the dash…that means you don’t have to use the crappy FM modulators…you wire straight into the radio through that jack.
I thought long and hard about buying an Element for almost two years. Just couldn’t take the plunge. Went one day to look for a used one and saw the Ridgeline on the lot. 2 days later I am now the proud owner of a Honda Truck. It carries everything (in bed truck hold more bags of ice than a deep freezer), rides nice and doesn’t look dorky. I would recomend the truck to anyone. I have the base model and it has everything I need.
No advice here, but I received notice this week that they fine folks of Sportspectrum have arranged to give an Element away to one of the 1300 entrants at Rivercities Tri next weekend. How cool is that?
I love my element. It is a 2004. For short trips I just roll the bike into the car and bungie to the side. For long trips I take the front wheel off and I purchased the interior bike option. Be careful if you buy that. The installers think everyone rides a mtb so when I first put my bike in the rear door wouldn’t close. I took it back with my bike and watched them install it. It is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time. I don’t think it would work as well if you have kids. Only 2 seats in the back.
I have been car shopping. I think Elements are cool and cool looking. Likely I will wind up with a Ford Escape for a number of reasons related and unrelated to the vehicle itself (local economy, good deals on Ford right now, good car too, sponsor of Ironman, customers who work for Ford, buddy deals with dealers in place, etc…).
Having said that, I think the Element is really cool.
I went to a Nissan dealer to buy an X-Terra. They were not super skilled at selling or were unable to sell what I wanted. As a result, I was more attracted to the local Ford dealer who proved they were highly motivated to get me in a new Escape.