Being the resident male in ahouse has it's advantages, but it also has it's downside, and one of them is that I am expected to represent the sum of male knowledge on any given subject. As such, one of my roomies came to me recently to inquire about the Honda Element, it's strengths and weaknesses, etc. Now, keep in mind, I know less about cars in general than I do about East Indian cooking, which is to say hardly a thing. I mumbled something about the possibility of roll-overs ( as she said it was short, but built high) and wondered in a vaguely wise way about whether the lack of central strut would make side on collisions more destructive. I also reminded her, again, that I know nothing about cars, but her faith in my opinion seemed undiminished. So I said I'd ask people who do know what they're talking about, and here I am; Could informed people in here tell me about the pros and cons of the Honda Element, and whether my gibersih had any substance to it at all? Much appreciated.
CON: One of the ugliest cars on the road next to the Scion and Aztek For opinions on those that actually own the car go here: Epinions.com - The Honda Element
Gas mileage aint that great as this vehicle isnt that light. Looks funky and different yeah, but its not an economy vehicle. Watcha lookin' for in a vehicle?
I thought about buying one last year -- I really wanted it, but I shyed away. It was nice and fun to drive, but I thought the drivers' seat was too short -- i.e., I pushed it all the way back and my legs were still jammed in there. It's pretty sluggish, IMO. You can hit the gas and it doesn't go anywhere. Also, last year was its first year -- the first production year of a car usually has a lot of small problems. For instance, with last years element, there was a problem with the windshield cracking. I really liked the versatility though. There's a lot you can do -- it's well-designed for usefulness. It handled very well, and there's lots of neat things you can do with it -- lots of mods. Point her <a href="http://www.elementownersclub.com/">to this site, and its forums</a> for lots of great info. I was also a bit worried that this car wouldn't end up with much of a resale value because it wasn't loved by the "general public". Kind of like the Aztek -- the ugliest car ever, but I've heard/read that Aztek owners really love them. I figured that Element owners would love the Element, but the only people who would pay good money for one are already owners, so there's no one to sell to. At the time I was looking at it, the vehicle was going for more than MSRP. I ended up evaluating all the options for a long time, and I ended up buying a GMC Sierra that I got for about 2,000 less than the most basic Element, and it's been able to do everything that I wanted to do with the Element, plus a lot more. The gas mileage on the Element is better, but not tremendously so, and it came out to about an average of a couple hundred dollars a year at the most. I really loved the Element, but the fact that it was slightly uncomfortable, and its cost versus the competition really killed it.
Whatever you do, don't get the Water version. Damn thing leaks too much. Stick with Earth or Air. Fire has coolant issues.
One of the biggest cons for me is that the rear seats only seat two. The back seats are two bucket seats. Most cars seat three.
Thanks guys, I'll pass this along. Esse: I'm not the one looking, so I can't accurately answer your question, but as I understand it, the appeal to her is the functional use of space, and the idea that you can basically turn the rear seats into beds.
btw, I ended up getting a 2004 Matrix Its one of the top 10 best in Gas Mileage (which is what I was lookin for) and it has the fold down back seats and hatch back thingie. Its not the roomiest of cars but it has alot of space for a mid-size economy car. Tell her to check those out too.. good luck!
