Honda Element?

[milkbone]

Thanks for the replies!!

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!

[Blueberry]

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

[katluvr]

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!

[Tuckervill]

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

[Tuckervill]

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

[emily_in_nc]

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!)

[Tuckervill]

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