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Looking to buy a new vehicle in the near future. Heard about the Element today. I have a Honda Civic and I love it.
Just wondering if anyone has any input.
I have two boys (9 and &7), we are involved in scouts, soccer, cycling (all three of us), camping, kayaking and many other various activities.
Thanks in advance.
I had some really adventurous friends who were craaaazy about their Elements. They loved the bomb-proof interior of it.
I don't have much input, but it's at least 2¢ worth! :o
lots of folks on this and other bicycling forums have them Everyone I know who has one absolutely loves them.
Everyone I know who doesn't have one wouldn't be caught dead in one. I like their looks :rolleyes:
I'm also active on performance dog forums, and lots of people love them for that, too - fill them up with dog crates or bikes or whatever. They seem to be a wonderful way of moving lots of stuff efficiently.
People on the dog forums are chatting about the Nissan Cube as well (now that's ugly!), it might be just as functional if it is as advertised and is supposed to have good gas mileage.
http://www.nissanusa.com/cube/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BCIQomREo
Here are a couple of previous TE threads about Honda Elements:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=9349
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=17643
We have an Element that we haul our 2 bikes around in, plus we sleep in it when we camp out.
Heh - I think the Element is ugly, but for some reason, I'm drawn to that Cube! Weird, huh?Quote:
Originally Posted by TsPoet
We are not in the market for a new car (Toyota Matrix owner here), but if we were, I'd definitely look into that oddity. :p
The Element has a lot of space, but it's weight limit is only 675 pounds. Four adults come pretty close to that.
Veronica
I have an Element and love it. However, I also raised two sons (they're 24 and 27 now). I seriously doubt I would have liked the rear doors with children getting in and out of the back continuously. They aren't a hassle with no kids but it would have grated on me when they were the age of yours!
This was something we looked in to - almost all mid-size SUVs we looked at had low weight limits, and most sedans had much higher weight limits - it was a little counter intuitive but I guess the rollover issue with taller cars makes them more vulnerable at higher weights.Quote:
Originally Posted by Veronica
But we got the E regardless, and love it! We also have the Honda Fit and we love that too. :D
My husband works for Honda, so we're biased. ;) Honda makes a good vehicle.
I love the Fit! I want one really bad.
Thanks for the replies!! :D
I will have to let you guys know what I finally decide on. I have by 02 Honda Civic now, and can't complain about one thing - I still love that car.
I was thinking of the Honda Odyssey or Pilot too...??
Thanks everyone!
I'm another Element lover - but we never have more than 2 people in the car. The Odyssey and Pilot were both out of my price range - but I think the Pilot is less versatile (less cargo space). I suspect the Odyssey would be great - but it's about 2x the price, last I looked.
We put kayaks on the roof and bikes on a hitch rack.
CA
We have one and we call it the "best bicycle accessory" we have ever bought.
So easy to wheel in both our bikes (w/ the Elements seats out of the way).
Bikes stay in safe and dry! And so easy!
I am very short, so I can almost walk around inside (just stupped over).
Love it!:):):):):):)
Yep, love my Element!
I love being able to almost stand up inside it and sleep inside it. I love that I can roll all the bikes right in. I love that I can put a hitch rack on.
I agree it would be a tad inconvenient to have kids always getting in and out of the back, but if they all get in and out the driver's side door, it's not a problem, really. It is really hard to close both doors from the back seat. But, it's just like getting in a VW Beetle, which I've had 4 of, and spent my childhood in, too. Mom would open the door, pull up the latch on the seat and we'd climb in.
You can pull a trailer with it. If you're in to a lot of sports with a lot of gear and people, it can get crowded really fast. The roof rack only holds 150 lbs, so you could put the bikes up there, a cargo tray on the back, and the kids inside. :)
The Pilot is too fru-fru for adventure. It has carpet and nice seats. Ditto the minivan--although that van has got some mighty fine features!
There are kits that turn the Element into a camper, with a pop up lid.
I never even give the weight limit on the Element a second thought (except the roof rack and the hitch). I figure if I can get it in there, it can carry it.
If you go over to elementownersclub.com, you can find threads about what people have stuffed in their Element. Also lots of actually useful information. :)
Karen
By the way, I've seen a few Cubes on the road, and studied the brochure, and I don't think they are any uglier than the Scion Xb or the Element. Unique, yes. Meant for cargo...I don't think so. The Scion, Cube and Element SC are all marketed towards the young, hip, and electronically savvy crowd who like to modify their vehicles for fashion. The Scion and Cube will stay in that category, but the Element has it's roots in utility.
Karen
I've had my Element since May 2004 and love it. Have over 104K miles on it. Right now DH's road bike and my mtb and our gear are in it, awaiting tomorrows' rides. He does a Wed. am club ride (I drop him off at the top of our very bumpy gravel road), and I ride mtb with a friend after work.
The interior is all scratched up from use (bikes, travel, trash for the dump, quantities of plants), and the back seats have not been installed for years, but it is an absolutely perfect vehicle for us (two adults, one small dog, no kids, lots of bikes!)
Yes, that's one thing I hate, how the plastic in the back (not the floor) gets scratched up so easily. My friend had one before me (has since traded for a Pilot) and hers was never scratched up. I don't know how she kept it so nice.
Karen
My friends have one. Great car, but probably not great if you have people getting in/out of the back. See, the back doors only open if the front doors are open. Then you have to close them before the front doors can close. I suppose this might be great with kids? Maybe not. I found it to be rather annoying as an adult sitting in the back.Quote:
Originally Posted by milkbone
I test drove one and considered buying one... but it just had NO get up and and go to it. Not to mention, being a box on wheels ensures that it is not areodynamic at all. In a strong wind, it gets pushed around pretty easily (rode in my friends driving into a 30 mph headwind).
have you thought about the CR-V? more comfy driving i imagine, both our bikes fit in back with only the smaller 1/3-seat behind the driver up. passenger doors both sides. just a thought.
My son was in that age group when I drove an Element.
I loved it.
The "suicide doors" aggravated me at first but I got used to them. In fact, they're somewhat of an advantage at keeping the child "contained" until you want him to get out.
After I traded up to a Ridgeline, I kept reaching to open the back door the wrong way.
Yes, wind is a big deal. Very, very bike and camping friendly.
I had 4WD but there wasn't enough ground clearance for the off-roading that I do.