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  • honda element: comments?

    i'm planning to sell my old '93 acura (won't get much) and buy a 2005 or 06 honda element but you guys have a lot of insights so i thought i'd ask if there's anyone with any comments--good or bad.

    i'm basically thinking of the element cuz of my 2 yr old daughter and all the stuff we lug around.

    thanks!
    525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

  • #2
    Re: honda element: comments?

    ...from what I see, it apparently is some kinda law:

    In Hawaii you cannot drive a Honda Element unless you are Japanese.

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    • #3
      Re: honda element: comments?

      I know two close acquaintances that have them and they both love them.
      They're priced right, they're Honda's and they get decent gas mileage. One friend told me there's plenty of space. More than enough for a family of 3. She got hers so she can take an ailing aunt back and forth to the hospital. Doors open nice and wide. Seats fold flat and can sleep 2 adults easily. It's also built a bit lower than other vans making it easier to get her aunt in and out of the van easily. Also good for....well, you know how kids are. Mine likes to take that jump and occasionally doesn't quite make it. We have a Dodge and it's quite a ways down on that first step.

      A cousin on the mainland has the other and she says it's great for the long drives she has to do for work.

      Ai, Kimo. My friend with the ailing aunt is Filipino and lives in Whitmore.
      Come to think of it, my cousin on the mainland is half Filipino and half Okinawan. Don't tell her she's half Japanese. She'll rip your head off and....well, she gets mad.
      Last edited by Da Rolling Eye; February 22, 2006, 01:08 PM.

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      • #4
        Re: honda element: comments?

        Originally posted by Da Rolling Eye
        Ai, Kimo. My friend with the ailing aunt is Filipino and lives in Whitmore.
        Come to think of it, my cousin on the mainland is half Filipino and half Okinawan. Don't tell her she's half Japanese. She'll rip your head off and....well, she gets mad.
        Why would I tell a Pilafeeno on da mainland she's Japanese?!

        well, we see some people maybe shouldn't drive cars if they would get that violently mad, if they were to hear an objective innocent observation regarding one's ocular experience with a particular car model ownership... here... in Hawaii.... hmmmm.

        "friends don't let violent friends drive....mad."
        Last edited by kimo55; February 22, 2006, 01:18 PM.

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        • #5
          Re: honda element: comments?

          I would categorize the Element as more a "utility" vehicle than a "family" vehicle, and definitely one where "style" is emphasized, whether or not its to the detriment of other qualities. It would be a nice compromise between a "reasonable" sedan or van and something "cool," but I'm wondering if for the money you could get something more practical... especially if more kids are on the horizon.

          Some relevant reviews below. Note that the car is a hit, definitely among the younger crowd (toward which it's directed), and has a lot of fans... but I did pick some counterpoints. FWIW, I might buy one... as a second car to my totally unsexy, boxy minivan.

          Boston Globe: "My kids referred to this car as the Hummer-Not, and they were not far off. It does have that rugged, boxy, and cladded H2 look. The composite body panels have ingrained colors so that bikes, surfboards, skis, snowboards, and tools can be leaned against them. It's meant for outdoor enthusiasts, has the option of 4-wheel-drive, and certainly won't be bothered by external or internal spills of snow or water or mud. Yet it is far more practical for the average adventurer/commuter/soccer mom than the Hummer."

          U.S. News: "Despite the spillproof, water-resistant interior and the lavish space, the Element is not a great family car..."

          Comments at FamilyCar.com: "A blend between a pick up and a van...The only problem is that it doesn't have five seat belts, so I can take the wife and three kids... What is up with the poor fuel economy of this vehicle?"

          Basically if you're in the market that Nissan is aiming it's XTerra at, the Element looks like a winner. But if you're thinking mostly "family friendly SUV," I'd think there are other choices out there. Ford? Subaru? Actually, for comparable price and a different style of cool, I've liked what I've seen of the Mazda 5.

          Just one random dork's opinion. Good luck in your search!

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          • #6
            Re: honda element: comments?

            Originally posted by kimo55
            ...from what I see, it apparently is some kinda law:

            In Hawaii you cannot drive a Honda Element unless you are Japanese.
            One of the school staff here drives one, and she's haole.
            How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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            • #7
              Re: honda element: comments?

              take a peechah. dass rare.

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              • #8
                Re: honda element: comments?

                cool. thanks a lot for the info and feedback!
                525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: honda element: comments?

                  I can't think of the Element as stylish at all. It's as much the shape as a box as the AMC Pacer was an egg...or moonrover as we called when http://www.american-motors.de/en/pacer/history/ came out.
                  Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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                  • #10
                    Re: honda element: comments?

                    It's ugly as sin to me (unless as Craig notes, you happened to like the "stylishness" of the AMC Pacer). However, it does have one practical aspect to it: you can hose down the interior with water if you have crud on the floors (easier than shampooing the interior of other cars). The car was designed to appeal to the Gen Xers, which is maybe why it doesn't appeal to me because I definitely am NOT in that age range!

                    Miulang
                    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                    • #11
                      Re: honda element: comments?

                      I kinda like the style of the Element and I'm a BB old fart, far from a gen Xer. As far as the boxy look, I'll take the Element any day over the Scion. Where da heck did dat ugly ting come from anyways? Well, it's moot since I like my Dodge Caravan.

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                      • #12
                        Re: honda element: comments?

                        yeah, while some people see it as looking cool, i just see it as a moving rectangle. i don't hate it but i don't think it's that cool. my main reasons for liking it: lots of space, fold down seats, easy cleaning (interior), reliable engine, etc.

                        when i lived in japan, i drove a honda city (not sold in the u.s.) and i loved it. it looked ugly as hell but it was perfectly functional and it never gave me a problem. i bought it used and after 7 years, the only thing i had to change were the tires and the battery. reliability is the most important criteria for me and i hope the element will be as dependable.
                        525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: honda element: comments?

                          Originally posted by Miulang
                          It's ugly as sin to me (unless as Craig notes, you happened to like the "stylishness" of the AMC Pacer). However, it does have one practical aspect to it: you can hose down the interior with water if you have crud on the floors (easier than shampooing the interior of other cars). The car was designed to appeal to the Gen Xers, which is maybe why it doesn't appeal to me because I definitely am NOT in that age range!

                          Miulang

                          Hmmm that gives me an idea...make my kids rooms as waterhose friendly as the Element. That way when it's time to clean their rooms I just hose it down. But then I guess the ease in which to clean that car must be a statement to the Gen Xers as messy people?

                          When the Element first came out I thought it was meant for wheelchair bound people where the squareness of the car would make for a great rear entrance allowing a wheelchair to roll right up to the front.

                          Like my previous van the VW Vanagon, the Element must be a breeze to parallel park knowing exactly where the rear corners of the car is.

                          Practical aside, the car is downright ugly. I can't imagine how that box passed any wind tunnel testing.

                          I actually saw a black Element with these huge 17-inch chrome spoke wheels that looked like the kind you saw on horse-drawn carriages. What made this Element cool was the square cut glass faux gas lamps that were mounted on each side. The look of this Element was like one of those old evil enchanted horse drawn hearse. I could just imagine a skeleton on top of the roof cracking a whip at an imaginary black stallion pulling this crate...for some reason the group Greatful Dead with Jerry Garcia pops into my mind.
                          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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                          • #14
                            Re: honda element: comments?

                            It is unfortunate that a disproportionate amount of local Kepani are driving this thing. It is built for the 26 yr old/first car payment/no more wife/over 6-ft/still plays volleyball dude/needs trunk space for the cooler and duffel bag. It has room for his chick and two buds in the back seat. It is not comfortable for anyone else.

                            pax

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                            • #15
                              Re: honda element: comments?

                              this auto made me think of many things when i first saw it;


                              someone stole a car from an auto detail shop, while it was just being primed and getting the body fixed from being bashed in.

                              it looks like a toaster on wheels.

                              Looks like a leggo toy car.

                              resembles what would be the winner of a junior high school contest to design a basic ugly car of the future...
                              "ok, kids now remember, the trend lately is, ALL... flowing, appealing lines and any sense of aesthetic appeal is competely disappearing in modern cars. so multiply that by dozens!"

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