After the much ballyhooed hassle with my tire before the Nankin Mills Duathlon I found a used Honda Element, 32,000 miles, clean as a whistle at the local Honda dealer for $17,995.00. It is the 4 WD model with the trim package that includes the sunroof but without the stupid $450 side step thingies that look lame anyway.
I figure if I show him a cashier’s check for $16,960.00 ($16,000 + sales tax) on the last day of the month they may take it.
Talk it me out of this deal. I know Francois had some issues with his Element, but Frenchie Franc is in Brazil chasing girls from Ipanema.
If I remember correctly Francois had trouble with his winshield cracking. I believe that was due to a design problem that Honda was less than willing to help out when it came time to replace a cracked winshield.
Other than that fact, IMO, that the Element is the second ugliest car/truck out there (the Pontiac Aztrek being the ugliest) I cannot think of mechanical reason not to purchase a Honda. However, if you are puchasing an Element for its versitility why not just purchase a used cargo van for less.
Additionally, if memory serves me correctly you currently drive a Subaru. I think Subaru is doing some really good things right now in their Outback series. You might also want to look at used Nissan Xterra; quality product, decent mileage for a truck, designed for the outdoor type of person, etc.
One last thought/question, I know I don’t know you personally but you strike me as the type of person that would drive a car until the wheels fell off. So does this mean your current car has “hit the wall” and is in need of serious repair?
I’ve had an Element for 20 months. I removed the back seats and have a ton of room to haul all sorts of stuff around. Between work and family life, the hauling capacity has never let me down. I like the unapholstered floors, no vacuuming, just sweeping. I love the suicide-style doors on the side and the MP3 jack. I’m not sure how comfortable it would be for long distance driving, furtherst I’ve taken it has been two hours one way but then comfort is a personal thing…i.e. I’m fine riding it in but my husband gets uncomfortable in the seats after a while. We had the running boards installed, makes it look nice. I think you can purchase an interior bike carrier also. If you get it, post a pic.
Tom, that’s a shitload of money. personally, i would never pay for a car that cost that much. if you do it, make sure you can tie it into your business so you can write off as much as possible…maybe stick a small sign on it or something.
and, every car is going to have issues. that’s just how it is. buying a used one you’ll have more likelihood of issues. if it were me I’d find either a lower priced used car or buy new (and i would only buy new if i got a sweet A Plant deal from Ford because of my brother in law). but if you can pay cash, write it off the best you can, and drive it for 3-5 years…just don’t make a rash decision. take your time, unless you’re in a jam. something better could come along: read, as good of a car at a much lower price.
make sure you read the consumer reports before dishing out your cash…this will tell you ALOT.
I’ve had one for a year and its worked out great. The wife and I just got back from Sante Fe Century last weekend (drove down from Denver). I have one back seat folded flat and flipped up and both bikes rolled right in (size 54). There are numerous bungee attachments inside. Roll the bike in, jump in yourself (I’m 5’8" and can stand in hunched over), throw a towel over the top/down tubes and place single bungie from floor to upper side attachment where you clipped the seat to hold it. If I flip up both seats I could easily fit in 4 bikes.
We drove 75-85 and averaged ~22mpg on the drive through some fairly rolling country.
Downsides:
Sure it’s goofy looking, but find a more versatile, economic vehicle that fits an active lifestyle. I’m happliy married and aren’t trying to bait a spouse with a set of wheels.
Hard plastic floor means helments, toolboxes, pumps, shoes, all slide around alot unless you’ve put them in some kind of box.
I did a very snowy/muddy cross race last year and had no way to was the bike off before I had to hustle home. Snow/mud covering bike melted and ran ALL OVER the inside floor. Took 15-20min to wipe it up when I got home but I need a better plan for this fall’s cross season.
buy it. it’s the perfect vehicle for the multisport lifestyle. although it won’t help with the ladies.
my wife has an 04 she bought new almost a year ago. maybe 8k miles on it. i think we paid 21k, the dealership wouldn’t deal at all (then, they sold as many as they could get; might be different now).
total problems: 0. as in none. it’s been perfect for the year we’ve had it, with trips all over the desert, colorado, socal, utah.
it carries 2-3 bikes easily inside, with plenty of room for gear. the rear seats are a great design – they fold up and over and out of the way, they recline, and they come out.
the stereo even has an iPod jack.
we get good gas mileage, not great but good.
the only complaint is it’s a little noisy at freeway speeds.
I think francois’ issues had to do with the windshield. i know this has been a problem for some element owners, but not us.
it’s amazing the amount of stuff you can carry in an element. i drive an xterra, which is a bigger truck. but, the xterra has much less cargo space than the element.
I love my Element, its my ultimate training tool. It’ll hold my bike upright in the back. I keep shoes, hats vests, wind shells, etc. on a clothesline I’ve rigged up in the back. I always have my gear ready to go. The front seat reclines waa-aay back so I can even take a pre-run nap. The sound system is great. And they look pretty cool in my opinion. They have the kind of beauty that a well-designed machine has. The boxy, functional look means a practical, roomy interior. The back serves as a great changing area and you can sit fully upright to chage your clothes. You need one, man.
I bought a new one in March and it’s without a doubt the most practical vehicle I’ve owned. It’s versatile, comfortable to drive, easy to clean, enough power to not get run over when entering the freeway, and personally I think they’re pretty cool looking.
I thought road noise would be an issue, and while you won’t forget that you’re not driving a Lexus, it’s not bad.
As for the “buy American”, as someone else pointed out, they’re made in America and with more American made components then most “American Made” cars.
