I was paying attention to my driving—for a change—when Stephanie said: “Oh, look at that cute woodie Element”. At first it didn’t quite register; I thought maybe she was talking about a house or such. But I backed up and pulled over, and sure enough, there was a woodie Element, and with genuine wood at that. How Eugene!
Stephanie said she’d rock this or something like it, although I suspect she’d probably prefer a bit higher standard of woodworking. It’s a bit crude, to say the least. And the rest of the body has been painted by brush, although it is a very nice shade of blue.
I’m loving the cool crisp and sunny weather we’ve been having instead of the usual dark wet murk, but it makes shooting cars less ideal, and it’s almost impossible to get my shadow out of certain angles.
There’s even a genuine wood “WOODY” sign on the back, although like the rest of the wood, it’s deteriorating. As to whether these wagons should be called “woody” or “woodie”, that’s realistically a matter of preference, and it’s obvious which one I prefer.
The challenges of dealing with issues like the door handles are not easy. And one of the planks on the passenger side have gone missing.
There’s also a rather crude looking moonroof of sorts, held down by a lot of screws and caulk. The brushed paint is quite noticeable here.
The driver’s seat cushion is showing some pretty serious wear. This is a first year Element, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it has two or three hundred thousand miles or more on it. Elements have a cult following, and it still hasn’t ended yet. Stephanie has often wondered why I didn’t get one instead of my xB. Well, I rather like the smallness of the xB, but I could certainly see myself in an Element. And apparently so could Stephanie, if it was a woodie. Should have gotten two of them?
The Element is prized by its owners for its roominess given its fairly modest length; the inherent benefit of a box. Elements are commonly used as a home on wheels.
This Youtuber has made a living documenting her travels in her Element, named Elrod. It’s got all the comforts of home, although she is on the short side. And she’s hardly the only one; there are meet-ups of Elemental livers.
Although I never quite got bitten by the Element bug, I can totally relate, especially to the AWD version. What’s not to like? Honda’s splendid K24 engine, a quirky, roomy and boxy body, and room to sleep in the back. All the basic elements one needs in a car.
We’ve never done a full CC on the Element, but there’s several COALs in the archives:
COAL: 2006 Honda Element – Quirky and Fun Box on Wheels by Stephen Hackett
COAL: 2008 Honda Element – 5,000 Miles in the Pacific Northwest by ScottN59C
COAL: 2004 Honda Element LX- We Drive Boxes by Pioneer_Fox
COAL: 2004 Honda Element EX – Through Thick and Thin by JJPowers
Quirky! I like the wood and brush paint on this obviously well used and well loved survivor. A for effort.
I’m sad to have missed out on Elements and XJ Cherokees during the days of young kids. Minivan was cheaper and more suited to our needs.
Creativity run wild! I think Honda missed out on something here. I drove an Element for over six years, I enjoyed its quirkyness but I needed a larger vehicle and traded it in for a Honda Odyssey.
I’m a fan. If a car has effectively no resale value but still serves one’s needs, why not have fun with it?
Once again, your wife Steph makes a find that has you doing a double take. Still like that posting of the ’39 Chevy truck with the twin Olds 455 Rocket engines that was pulling the teardrop camper and canoe.
You have a good memory!
And she did it again just a day later. Stay tuned.
I like it. Bet it was pretty sharp when the wood was first applied!
I always admire when people do their own thing. As I’ve mentioned I tried to sell the idea of a Vauxhall Astra Woodie to the family, with no takers, but this has inspired me. Ladies and gentlemen presenting the Nissan Micra K13 Town & Country!
Totes Eugene indeed. Thankfully the owner didn’t kill the environment with multiple cans of aerosol propellant. Save a Hippie. Use A Brush.
I think that in any kind of finish work, be that painting, wood-working, frosting a cake, etc. the hardest part is to wind up with a smooth surface. So I very much appreciate Woody’s owner for leaning in to “texture”. I mean, if you’re going to paint your car with a brush (using what is likely house paint) then why should you bother with sanding its woodwork? Sure, you’re going to get splinters whenever you open a door, but that just bonds you even more to the Elemental plant life from which your vehicle arose.
I love Elements and their cult following. I think that most of the ones left nowadays are those that have been given this kind of quirky treatment…and therefore this is not the only one I’ve seen that has been painted with a brush.
It IS the only one I’ve seen that is wearing an external picnic table.
Element’s “A” pillars are as big as a sequoia and visibility to the front sides suffers.We can understand the attachment of this owner to his Element. It doesn’t seem any time soon that Honda will offer us something as practical . Suv craze that’s always bigger on the outside ( last gen Hr-v) but not on the inside doesn’t seem to be running out of steam. But maybe…
I like that Stephanie liked this. That this is a first-year Element makes me remember first seeing those commercials. I like all of the creativity and craft work that went into this, rough edges and everything. I’m just waiting for the “Woodie” Cybertruck, tho…
I like the concept and it may, well, probably looked better when first done, but it’s a little rough right now. Still, it brings a smile to my face unlike the huge pickups so common now or even the generic Camry/Accords that are so common. A woodie Element is anything but common!
Someone up this way made a woodie Ford Flex, though I think it was Di-Noc and not real wood. Somehow this car always looked like it had wood sides even when it didn’t, so much it took me a few seconds to realize “hey, that’s actually woodgrain on that Flex”. I saw it a few times. but not for several years now