Element: not the best looking, elegant, etc., but it serves its purpose very well, and is reliable.

 

Personally, I don't like how they look at the moment, but if Honda were to rid the vehicle of the cheap plastic (such as the picture below), I would like the looks of it much better



I have been inside one, and it is very utilitarian, good for what Honda's target market for the vehicle was. Frankly, I would consider it for a hauling things if I didn't want a truck.

-Chase

 

Maybe they'll grow on me. And I do like that image above better than the rolling hats I've seen on the road. I can see the utility aspect but to my eyes the Element was beaten with an ugly stick 'till it broke.

 

I currently have an Element (4WD EX 5 speed) as my daily driver and I love it. I traded my S2000 in back in December of 2002 on a Civic Si, as I needed something with space for my business. After about 10 months of having the Civic Si (which I thought was a GREAT car) I needed more room, thanks to needing to deliver bigger systems. We do retail and restaurant systems, and I quickly outgrew the Civic Si.

The Element has been fantastic. I will say that I bought it as a beater, knowing it was going to get beaten up and driven hard. It spends a lot of time in Center City Philly and I haven't really paid attention to trying to keep it nice (or clean for that matter...it has been washed once in 16 months.)

There is no doubt the plastic is prone to scratching...more the interior than the exterior I have found. Again, knowing this vehicle will have about 150k on it in 4 to 5 years, I don't really care about how I beat it up. It was bought to serve the business and it is doing it's job perfectly. I am about to turn 40,000 miles after 16 months without any issues at all (not that I would expect any.)

It is truly more of a tall car than it is a truck. Part of the reason I went with the Element over the CRV had to do with overall length. The Element is only 2" longer overall than the Si was; parking it in the city is a breeze. The 5 speed is great...not a speed demon, but a lot more fun to drive than I was expecting. It is excellent in the snow and it gets relatively decent mileage (around 21 to 22 usually.)

All in all I have been thrilled with it.

 

i would get it because of it's versatility. the looks aren't a knock out but the right color helps. saw an off lime geen with orange combo

 

I think its a great car. Perfect for what its suppose to be and I dig the look too

If I needed a second/more practical car I'd definately pick one up

 

I've come close a few times to buying one. They drive nicer than I thought they would.

 

You can't haul anything with it because of the low payload capacity.

You can't sit 5 people in it because it only has four seat belts.

You can't tow shit with it because it has no power and small brakes.

You can't go off-road in it because it has no low range, articulation or real 4wd system.

 

You can't haul anything with it because of the low payload capacity. - I don't need to haul anything.

You can't sit 5 people in it because it only has four seat belts. I don't need to be someones chaufer.

You can't tow shit with it because it has no power and small brakes. I don't need to tow anything.

You can't go off-road in it because it has no low range, articulation or real 4wd system. No where to go off roading in the city.

Obviously those are all issues with this vehicle, but if they are, I have no idea why anyone would look at it. Personally none of the above is an issue for me, so the Element makes a lot of sense.

 

they do not lease well becasue honda does not want to lease them! The apr has been very low on these for quite some time, 2.9% They intended it to be a 20-30 year old car and the 45-60 year old are mostly buying it.
They are great little suv's, they will get you down a dirt road or to the ski mountain just fine, they are not made to be rock crawlers or baja trucks, besides only .0001% of buyers actually hit dirt anyway.

MAtt