Glenn2

The two cars that I have are the S and an Accord. The "S" remains in the garage over the winter and the Accord is the daily driver. I am looking at retirement in the next year or so, and was looking for feedback what the second car should be.
There is nothing practical about owning the "S", so I am looking for the most utilty I can get without sacraficing exciteiment. I am actually thinking about buying the Honda Element. My wife does not like to camp, but as a young man, I camped every weekend and all summer. I believe that I would like to do that again when I am retired and have the time. I belive that the Element would be a pratical vehicle around the house and I would get the added utility. I would like to hear your thoughts.

MsPerky

Here's a recent thread on this subject to start you off...

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=231080

Kyras

Glenn2,

Let me get this right. You are getting rid of the S2000 because it's not practical? Or are you getting rid of the Accord? I'm confused.

First off I hope you are keeping the S. I can drive mine year round though so there's no way I would ever part with mine. I like Accords too. I had a 1991 Accord EX wagon 5- speed that I loved and before that a 1987 Accord LXi four door. I like the Element but I've never driven one to see how the handling is. It doesn't seem very comfortable though, as I don't think it's meant to be, as an Accord is.

Legal Bill

Now that the kids are all out of the house, I don't really need a sedan anymore. My wife has an RX300, so we have a utility vehicle in the fleet already. That frees me up to look at sport coupes and small compact sport sedans that might not make as much sense if we only had the S. When I trade in the Jag in the next 12 months, I will be looking at a wide variety of cars. Mini Cooper S, Audi S4, BMW M3, Caddy CTS-V, Evo, WRX STi, RX-8, G35 Coupe, GTO and '05 Mustang, are all on my "first tier" of cars to check out. The second tier has things like the Toyota Solara, Jag S-type R, Accord 6 speed, Acura TSX-S version, Acura RSX, Neon SRT,Golf R32, Volvo S60, Volvo S40, Saab 9-2..... But no SUVs, trucks, tanks or boxes. The Saab may fall off because it is a wagon shaped thing, but I kinda like it.

anarky

I like the Element even though it is butt-ugly.
It has a lot of utility and should be fairly easy on the gas.

If I was looking for a medium sized vehicle that would haul cargo and carry 5 comfortably I think that I would lean towards an Exploder Sport-Trac or a 4 door Ranger or Cheyenne (S10 follow-on).

Legal Bill

^ If it was a typo, it's a funny one.

OhioRacer

The new Acura TL is worth a look. And the new 3 series BMW will be out next spring.

tomcatt

My S is my year round daily driver. My wife has an Accord sedan; we got the sedan as it's a lot easier for my mother-in-law to get in the back seat than the coupe. We looked at the Accura TL and liked it a lot, but really didn't want to spend that much money.

We plan to keep both cars long term, and add another in a few years. I don't know if it'll be something like a Jaguar E-type or something new, but it will definitely be a weekend car.

Rowland

The wife and I amazingly agree on this subject. I am planning on retiring in approximately 10 years. I will be keeping my S, under the current plan. It is just the kind of car we want to zip along the coast or wind around the mountains in. The wife drives a Mercedes and we will probably be trading that in the next year or two, for another, she is vert partial to them. That keeps the sedan with 4 doors requirement taken care of.

As for the third car we agree that it should be a little handy 4X4, something in the line of a CRV or Forester for size. That would give us the utility, economy, and comfort if needed. Of course between now and retirement we will probably change our minds. With me being transferred to Philadelphia in the next month this very topic came up since that is where we are planning on retiring at.

paivag

I believe in having at least one Practical vehicle in my fleet. My everyday driver is a Mazda 4x4 pickup. I need something to use for Home Depot runs. You don't want me hauling 2x4s in the S!