Vehicle help please

[Mr. Bloom]

i also found out my friend use to work as a new/used sales girl, and she also worked in the financial department. i'm taking her along for ammo.

this next vehicle i get, i'm going to be well armed! watch out sales man! you have a wild one who is well armed coming your way!!!!!

A BIG THUMBS UP from Mister S!!!!

One more thing, keep in mind that the salesman has an incentive to get the best price...then the finance manager has a totally separate incentive to get the highest rate and to sell high margin products like warranties. The finance manager will be the slickest one...better educated and much more highly paid.

[tygab]

Agreed. I drove a Forester for four years, and my DH always complained about how tiny it was on the long trips we take. With suitcases and a dog kennel, it was packed. If we took bikes in it, we had to stack them on their sides and there was no room for luggage or dogs then. The Element is much, much roomier, and bikes go in upright!

Plus, my Forester needed a new transmission after four years, and I was plagued by a "check engine" light that just couldn't be fixed for any length of time. I put a lot of miles on that car, but that just didn't seem right. The dealership where I live were jerks too, so I've sworn off Subies, even though I like the company's values.
Emily

My husband and I both have Subarus of roughly the same age and mileage, which we love as cars, and it's how we met so I feel we "should" always have a Subaru. Mine is a WRX wagon which I got when they first came to the US. Great to drive, and Subaru's AWD + snowtires combo is rock solid in winter (not that we had much of one this year). Anyway, long story short, I just got an Element a few months ago, and I love it too. The Subaru wagon simply cannot carry bikes + gear, kayaks + gear, camping gear and 2 people, even though this to me does not sound like that a crazy load. I disliked being forced to choose between biking or kayaking when we'd set out someplace. Even without two people's stuff, I had to arrange my bike into the interior since we have the kayak racks on it.

After looking at current Subaru offerings, the Forester's never caught my eye, and the Outback seemed too... I dunno, plushy and not giving us much more cargo space for what we wanted. I did go to test drive the new Outback. Add some frustrating interactions with dealer service departments (though nothing major has broken on the car), and I started looking at other vehicles.

The Element really became my vehicle of interest because of it's flexible and large interior. I can put the bikes, upright with NO changes to the wheels inside it. I can put the kayaks on top. And we'll still have room to throw camping gear and whatever else in there, with just some seat changes. I'm most undecided about if I'll remove one or both of the seats for the summer, but we'll see. It also gets pretty good MPG for a SUV/boxy type car, no worse than my Subaru, and takes regular gas (WRX is premium fuel due to the turbo). It has AWD and I took it on a ski trip two weeks ago where it handled quite well in fresh snow roads (though I will want to get snow/summer tires once the stock ones are done). [I got mine preowned which is nice because I got a longer warranty this way.]

I'll be able to wipe out the dirt we will get in it with just some cleaning cloths. Sounds about perfect to me and I can't wait to have it fully loaded up. I named it Bento.

[Mr. Bloom]

My husband and I both have Subarus of roughly the same age and mileage, which we love as cars, and it's how we met so I feel we "should" always have a Subaru.

Interesting statistic: Subaru is the best selling car in America...kinda. Here's why: Subaru is not a "full line". They only have a few models targeting the customer niche they serve well, so their success in that niche doesn't get the notoriety it deserves since all the other manufacturers make so many more units. This is also why a Subaru dealership will also represent other brands as well.

Hope that's your fill of esoteric knowledge for the day!

[Tuckervill]

The Element really became my vehicle of interest because of it's flexible and large interior. I can put the bikes, upright with NO changes to the wheels inside it. I can put the kayaks on top. And we'll still have room to throw camping gear and whatever else in there, with just some seat changes.

I still haven't put a hitch on mine, yet, but when I do, likely the bikes will go on the bike rack on the hitch, kayaks on top, and camping gear inside when we go camping. It doesn't rain much in the hot summer time around here, so bikes outside won't be much of an issue. It's those cross country bike trips (Oregon in 4 weeks, woohoo!) that need the bikes inside.

You can even build a PVC frame for a full-sized air mattress, which can fit in the back (seats out), and then sleep inside! I think directions are on the elementownersclub site.

Karen

[emily_in_nc]

The Element really became my vehicle of interest because of it's flexible and large interior. I can put the bikes, upright with NO changes to the wheels inside it. I can put the kayaks on top. And we'll still have room to throw camping gear and whatever else in there, with just some seat changes.

Yep, that's us! We have the back seats out pretty much permanently so bikes can go inside upright, with plenty of room around them for luggage and gear, kayaks on top, and we're good to go. You also brought up a good point about the wipeable interior - I love it. I had bike grease stains on the carpet in my Forester's rear section.

I believe the Element also comes in a hybrid model now (confirmation, anyone?) I bought mine in '04 before that was an option. I would definitely go for it now if I were in the market, but I'll drive this one til it falls apart.

Emily

[Trek420]

I believe the Element also comes in a hybrid model now (confirmation, anyone?) I bought mine in '04 before that was an option. I would definitely go for it now if I were in the market, but I'll drive this one til it falls apart.

Emily

Not yet. I read somewhere that the teeny tiny itsy bitsy Honda Fit is close to cargo room of the Element and it's true:

Fit - passenger volume 90 cu ft
mpg 31/38

Element - 102.6 -105.4 cu feet.
mpg 22/27

[Blueberry]

I believe the Element also comes in a hybrid model now (confirmation, anyone?) I bought mine in '04 before that was an option. I would definitely go for it now if I were in the market, but I'll drive this one til it falls apart.
Emily

Nope - no hybrid. There's a rumor that there will be a diesel model next year, though. I might hold our for that, or might look at the Fit - they are cute (and I'm getting a little tired of various and sundry VW "issues")

CA

[Trek420]

VW's have "issues"?

[emily_in_nc]

Nope - no hybrid. There's a rumor that there will be a diesel model next year, though. I might hold our for that, or might look at the Fit - they are cute (and I'm getting a little tired of various and sundry VW "issues")

CA

Thanks for the info! Someone told me the Element came in a hybrid now...obviously misinformed. I haven't seen a Honda Fit yet!

Emily

[Cha Cha]

Not sure if it's much help - but can comment on the Volvo V70 and the Audi A4, both wagons...

The Volvo will hold two bikes with the 2/3 'half' of the rear seat folded - i.e. there is still room for one backseat passenger. Volvo also makes an interior rack for two bikes, but for some reason I think you have to take off the seats or something.... I'm not sure if it would fit a tandem, but the front passenger seat will also fold completely flat with the back seats, so it's good for long items. Cha Cha (the bike) is in and out of my V70 all the time, and it's a breeze. Disadvantage: it has the notoriously unreliable volvo electrical system, and maintenance is a bit pricey.

DBF has the A4 and loves it. It also will fit our two bikes inside, plus plenty of travel stuff. He also has a 2-bike roof rack, which works well also. Reliability appears to be a lot better.

True story: our first date was 'blind', and DBF pulled into the restaurant parking lot right after I got out of my car - and parked next to me. Not only do we both drive import station wagons, but they are both silver! Who knew! It was a nice ice-breaker - and the rest is history!

Happy Monday all!