After two years of hard wrenching and scads of hard cash, it became apparent that my balky VW van was never going to be reliable enough to adventure with. As the van sat hyperventilating with a pending transmission code after huffing and puffing its way to the top of Highway 35, my wife and I talked it over and decided the VW experiment had met its end.
Hondas have a reputation for being bulletproof. Could a used Honda Element with 125k miles on the clock handle a 5,000-mile road trip right out of the gate? What could go wrong? What, me worry?
In some ways, an Element is the perfect panacea for the disgruntled VW enthusiast. The familiar boxy, toaster-like shape allows for maximum cargo utility, and the foldable seats that turn into a bed, can be pinned up or removed altogether to make for a veritable hotel on wheels.
Add the cabana tent option to the tailgate, and two people can sleep tightly in the back.
Like the Westfalia, another option is to add an eCamper for a poptop roof, which looks rather organic on this particular car, and has spawned a cottage industry for conversions in Portland and San Diego.
Once I had got it into my mind that an Element was I wanted, the search commenced. At first, it appeared as if there were a half dozen ridiculously low mileage ones for sale around the Bay Area, but these ads turned out to all be placed by one individual scammer who kept posting them as fast as I could flag them. Finding a good one with fewer than 150k miles turned out to be a lot harder than it looked. The few nice examples had astronomical asks from delusional sellers.
And then there was the plastic cladding…The cladding is rather a turn-off to some people, myself included. When the Element debuted in 2003, it sported four plastic fenders that made the car look like it was some sort of Frankensteinian abortion resurrected from the Pick n’ Pull. Worse, the plastic didn’t age well and oxidized easily. This feature turned out to be not only aesthetically unpleasant, but a shortsighted trend that dated the car considerably. Fortunately, starting in 2006, Honda began offering monochromatic Elements with painted fenders as an option for an extra $500. They look way better in my opinion, but holding out for one prolonged my search further.
After searching unsuccessfully for about two months, I located a 2008 tangerine metallic Element about two hours away. Particularly enticing was how the seller had tricked it out as the ultimate adventuremobile: This Element featured a Gobi safari basket that spanned the entire rooftop, a Goal Zero solar setup with a generator and roof mounted solar panel, ladder, hanging cabin lantern, and Dometic cooler.
Also included were a tow hitch and a shovel and crowbar that locked to the rack. Finally, the seller was throwing in memory foam bedding and the Honda tailgate cabana tent. All these toys were hugely enticing, and I felt most grateful to get a shot at this Element before someone else came and snatched it away.
I arrived early, and once I saw the Element, it was apparent that it had been well cared for and loved.The paint shined with a factory finish, and the tangerine sheen winked at me in the midday summer sun. Once the seller opened the doors up, though (including the rear side ones that cannot be opened without the front doors being open first), I started to see the flaws. The Element was packed to the gills with crap and looked as if it had been lived out of. The owner had been abroad for a few months, and the car had sat parked. After a long cranking time, it started, but I made a mental note that the battery might be shot. With the rear seats pinned up and the long, heavy sections of memory foam haphazardly tossed into the rear, I could hardly see out of the back. Worse, the whole car stank of rank cigarettes. Sitting down in the driver’s seat, I was blown away by how cavernous the interior felt.
My wife, who’s around 5’4″, looking rather tiny behind the wheel of the behemoth
I sensed that I was sitting really low, but the seats would only tilt up or down in the front or back, but could not be raised. I backed out gingerly, tested right away by two tight concrete pillars in the shotgun carport. The next thing I took note of was the massive blind spots created by the most enormous A-pillars I’ve ever encountered.
The seller commented on how many near-miss collisions he’d had just as I nearly creamed a passerby coming out of a shopping center on my left. Yipes! The seller also warned me that the Element acts like a sail on the highway and advised me to make sure I kept both hands on the wheel when doing freeway driving. Well, this thing was going to take some getting used to!
Under the hood, things looked tidy but dirty; the owner was not a hands-on enthusiast. I noted that the serpentine belt looked like the ends were fraying a bit. The tires had cornering marks but tread aplenty. The VAG-COM code scanner I’d kept handy from my VW days revealed no problems. The Element drove smoothly, and the engine hummed along like a sewing machine, just as Hondas should. This Element has the nearly indestructible 2.4 liter i-VTEC engine, much like the smaller one in my wife’s Civic, and hers I’ve tinkered with a bit over the last three years.
The seller had a very protective mother who was also on the car’s title. Buying the car meant meeting her at the bank, verifying my cashier’s check, and then going straight to the DMV to register the car and deal with the paperwork. The mother flashed an overstuffed manila folder of receipts of everything ever done to car, but she refused to give it to me, instead only offering that I could look at it, but that all records were rightfully hers. Imagining this to be vigilant rather than paranoid, she was determined to hang on to all the service records, and it wasn’t any use to argue.
I got the Element home uneventfully and further assessed it. The memory foam was torn and missing chunks in a few areas and was, on the whole, smelly and disgusting; into the dumpster it went. I scrubbed the heck out of the seats and the headliner with a Rug Doctor, but I couldn’t get the cigarette funk out; only time would do that. The solar generator needed a new battery, so one was promptly ordered online.
In addition to cleaning the car up, I ordered and programmed two new keyless remote fobs. Next, I turned my attention to the nonfunctioning radio. Tinkering revealed that the antenna worked and everything in back was hooked up properly. After pulling a good deal of the inside paneling and dashboard apart, I finally found the problem: the wiring had separated from an extension harness plug way up in an inaccessible spot between the nether regions of the glove box and underneath the dashboard. Because I couldn’t reach the frayed connection, I opted to bypass the factory antenna and solder in a new windshield mounted one.
Next, taking the wheels off the car revealed that the rear brake pads were rather low. The rotors had been resurfaced several times and were likely original to the car, so I ordered pads and rotors and did that job myself one hot afternoon, celebrating with a beer. Finally, after changing most of the major fluids, I declared that the Element was ready to go!
Busting the caliper bracket loose
A buddy of mine was selling his home in Boise, Idaho, and I decided to come pay a visit before he moved away. Taking off from the Bay Area in CA, I drove through Winnemucca and the Nevada desert along I-80. It was a punishing drive: hours and hours of absolutely nothing led to hazy mirages and road fatigue. On my way out to a BLM campsite in Nevada, along an unpaved road, my dashboard temperature gauge showed the engine temperature starting to climb past the point of comfort. It never hit the red, and I don’t think I was in any real danger of overheating, but I decided not to push it, and instead rented a room in a fleabag motel in town. I could have stealth camped in the Element, but it was almost 100 degrees that night.
The next day, I drove through the smoky detritus of what would be, sadly, the first of several fires in the Pacific Northwest this summer. I made Boise by early afternoon and spent the next few days biking, drinking good Idahoan microbrews, and roaming around downtown Boise.
It’s a rapidly expanding city, and it has an interesting mix of rustic cowboy roots and cosmopolitan chic. You could see a stark contrast in the buildings that were two hundred years old standing right next to newer and taller contemporary structures.
I was amused by all the California expats there; my California plates barely seemed exotic at all in Boise.
On the way back home, this time, I drove through Oregon, and while it took me twice as long, the scenery (any scenery!) made it much more tolerable. In one incredibly long day of driving, I got all the way from Boise to the north shore of Tahoe. I pulled up in front of the (unoccupied) former home of a friend that has since become a rental, blew up my inflatable mattress, and at 5’10”, with the rear seats removed, had just enough room to sleep comfortably in the back of the Element.
Stealthed out
I returned home the next day and scarcely had time to clean all the crud off of the car before it was time to hit the road again, this time with my wife and our Labrador retriever. Our itinerary was to get up the Oregon coast and then out to Eugene and Bend. We spent some nights tent camping and others in hotels or AirBnBs.
In the pastel town of Mendocino, we sipped wine by the campfire, and we weaved in and out of the coastal blanket of fog the next day as the Element ate up the miles into Humboldt without complaint. Along the picturesque Avenue of the Giants, I pulled the car into a turnout, and we cooled off by splashing around with the dog in a rocky creek.
We camped out north of Gold Beach along the Oregon coast and enjoyed some hiking along with the company of my friend who drove out to meet us. The next night, we stayed at a lovely hotel in Newport. It was around this time that I started to notice how many Honda Elements are plying the streets of Oregon. There are plenty in California too, which is interesting, considering that the Element has been defunct for seven years, with the oldest models being 15 years old, but along with the ever-present Subaru, it’s a real popular choice in Oregon.
We headed inland after Newport and up to the storied Timberline Lodge near Mount Hood.
You may recognize the lodge, as its exterior was immortalized in The Shining. The interior is a beautiful mélange of woodsy chateau, Indian art, and Paul Bunyan murals. I parked the E next to a beat, 1970 silver VW hightop bus, wondering how the hell the old VW made it to 6,000 feet without overheating. I guess old air-cooleds are a completely different animal than the Eurovan I gave up on.
From Mount Hood, we headed back down and paid a visit to the Curbside Capital: Eugene.
Charley getting into it at Washburne Park
We stayed near to downtown in a very cute AirBnB that, unfortunately, didn’t have an adequate A/C system. Poor Charley was panting on the hardwood floor, and I’m sure he was glad to get back into the air-conditioned cocoon of the Element the next morning. After breakfast, and on our way out of town, we took him up to Skinner Butte. Would there be any Curbside Classics hanging out at the top as there always seem to be whenever Paul goes there?
Sort of, if you count these first generations of the Frontier and Prius. Suddenly it’s…2008? Hahaha!
If Elements are common in Eugene, they have to be the official vehicle of Bend. I guess the 4×4 is a huge boon if you’re going to drive in the snow.
The Deschutes looking lazy and inviting
Just outside of Sisters, a pickup in front of me sent a small rock hurtling into the windshield, leaving me with a spiderweb crack to match one that was already in there on the left side. Oh well – in 5,000 miles that was the only damage I incurred. From Bend back to the Bay, just as it had done for the entire trip, the only thing the Element demanded was gas.
When I sold my VW van, I did so with a heavy heart. But, upon my return home, after vacuuming out all the dog hairs and washing 5,000 miles of crud off of the car, I knew in my heart of hearts that moving on to the Element was the right choice. This extremely versatile vehicle had driven me though four states, serving at times as my transport, hotel, dressing room, kitchen and more. I recall that when I sat down in the Element for the test drive, the previous owner had said to me, “once you drive this, you’ll forever see ordinary cars as a waste”. I know now that he was right. Summer 2018 is almost in the books, but I can’t wait to hit the road again.
I’ve always considered the Element a fantastic City car, but between the bluff body, and the lack of sound deadening, it can be painful on the highway.
I also agree with you regarding the sight lines- Between the a-pillar with and the large c-pillars, it requires an attentive driver.
But between the compact footprint, and the huge interior with fantastic Headroom, it’s a great rig to use in town.
Excellent story, I always wondered how these were on long drives. I’ve done and been to most of the areas you mentioned myself over the years and having a vehicle that can be relied on is of paramount importance as there isn’t always much in between locales. The West is vast…
I don’t think the Element has aged much at all, mainly as there isn’t anything that pre-or supercedes it and it was so different that the shape could be introduced tomorrow and would still be perceived as current.
It’s basically the Accord powertrain, is that right? For some reason I had always assumed they only had the 1.8, not the 2.4.
Oh my, these would really be underpowered by the 1.8. As it is, the 4×4 with automatic is not exactly sprightly due to the considerable weight. It’s essentially a CRV with a big boxy body; kind of like the gen1 xB is a Yaris with a big boxy body.
And extra weight was added around the side door opening to maintain crash safety with the double doors.
“Could a used Honda Element with 125k miles on the clock handle a 5,000-mile road trip right out of the gate?”
I’m not at all surprised it did, and it will for years to come. We just took our 2005 Odyssey with 170k+ miles on a trip out west. Drove 4000 miles in 9 days and it never missed a beat.
We just did the same-2007 Oddy, 217k when we departed and a hair over 222k when we returned. Other than an oil change in Denver and a bottle of Rain-X in Cleveland, zero maintenance and repair expenses.
I forgot to get the oil changed before we left, and still haven’t gotten around to it (hoping to do it today), so we’re at 8000 miles on the same oil. Hasn’t lost a drop and I haven’t had to add any, and it’s not even looking all that dirty yet…
Looks like some familiar territory there, including Skinner Butte.
Stephanie and I have always had a bit of a thing for these, but it never seemed to come together. They are quite popular here, for obvious reasons. A great all-purpose vehicle.
Two great trips in a vehicle ideally suited for doing the kind of traveling you do. I’ve been harboring a secret thing for Elements for a while and am glad you got a good one. It’s also the definitive color for them.
Kudos to Honda for producing and marketing unique niche-y products. From what I understand, Element is most cherished by dog lovers…the washable floor and wide rear hatch is ideal for dog hauling…
Or perhaps any Element is THE Anti-Neitzche: “Dog is Alive”.
Great post! Using the Element as an adventure transport makes a lot of sense. It is much smaller and easier to drive than a truck/ camper rig, besides returning much better fuel economy. You have the option of different camping styles as well as an occasional night at a motel or inn. I did a lot of traveling by motorcycle in my youth but now at my age I prefer sleeping in a real bed every night. However the freedom to roam around the country is still appealing. My Wife and I have gone up the California and Oregon coast for several summers and find it to be beautiful country. Though not on a motorcycle!
Honda built their reputation on quality products, I’m glad to see that it’s still true. I rode all the way through British Columbia on this adventure rig back in 1975.
Sweet pic! I’ll bet that trip to the BC was a blast. Jose, seek out my friend and travel author Meade Fischer’s book, “Cosmic Coastal Chronicles”. He, too, travelled by motorcycle from CA to BC in the same era as you, and documented the physical, spiritual, and geographical components of the journey in a most beautiful way. Vancouver by way of the coast is definitely on my short list.
Elements were considered for my last 2 new car purchases, but were ultimately done in by that rear seat design that has only 2 seat belts. Now that the Mrs and I are pretty much past the “family of 5” stage one of these would be tempting.
I am with you on the plastic fenders – I just don’t like the look. Your orange one looks just like the one we test drove in 2007. A stick shift would seal the deal for me.
My sister has ordered a new Jeep Wrangler and has her heart set on one of those pop-top camper roofs being made for them.
Nice post. As many said, some familiar territory there. I love Boise- it is was Portland was 40+ years ago.
When I saw the title I thought maybe you lived in the PNW and had bought my sister’s orange Element, which she sold recently in Oregon. She had about 300K troublefree miles from new (AWD, automatic) and only sold it because she absolutely needs a reliable car, and figured she was probably living on borrowed time and should get something newer. Otherwise she absolutely loved it … I was waiting to hear that her transmission had gone out, but no problems ever. They are very common where I live, even a few E-Campers in town, and I’ve seen Elements in Baja and Ecuador. BTW, even at 300K my sister sold it instantly to the first person who answered her CL ad.
Good job! Great story, pictures and scenery.
The Honda seems to be a prime example of an LAV. That’s right, a Leisure Activity Vehicle (I just learned about them). Some others are the Renault Kangoo, Peugeot Partner (currently called Rifter), Citroën Berlingo and VW Caddy. Typically all of them are also available as a commercial vehicle/panel van with only 2 seats.
I had a 2004 Element, and I have to agree those huge door pillars create some enormous blind spots; and the noise on the highway is terrible-apparently Honda did not include any sound proofing in the Element. Unfortunately, that near vertical front window acted like a magnet for every stone thrown by passing vehicles; I think I replaced four or five windshields.
Hi Scottn59c,
Great write up on a vehicle I wish was still available new.
GF Debbie has a 2005 (silver w/blue plastic fenders) and she dreads the time when she may have to replace it. The 2005 has a four speed automatic (yours has a 5 speed) and she got it used for a good price at a Honda dealer before they became rare and [more] valuable. For years Honda dealers would ask her to let them know if she ever wanted to let it go before just selling it herself, but now its age has resulted in diminishing interest from dealers.
Elements also had a 5 speed manual option.
The interior is kind of washable, but not with a hose. The plastic floor can be scrubbed with a soapy brush, rinsed with a sponge, and armor all’d to a like new condition, but never run a hose in it. There are electrical connections and padding under the floor that do not like water, especially water that may not dry up quickly. The Element is basically a low and un-fancy CRV with incredible headroom and unlimited rear seat legroom. And while the author is right about the A, B, and C pillar limiting views to the outside, if you hang up both rear seats, you are basically driving a windowless van.
When I wash it, I armor all the blue plastic fenders and that has forestalled the fading issue. (Not sure if that works on the grey plastic fenders.)
It would be better if the driver’s seat went up (as the author notes) and if the lumbar support was better, but it is handy and reliable.
Four seat belts does limit its appeal to families, but Debbie only has two adult kids, who have their own Hondas (a Civic sedan and new hatchback). After owning many American vehicles, Debbie is pretty much limiting herself to Hondas, or maybe (gasp) a Toyota. Listening to her stories of her past automotive experiences, I don’t blame her.
One diff between a CRV and an Element is that the E has 5-lug wheels. My spare is from an Odyssey. So a higher-spec drivetrain.
And the interior is far more practical with those shelves along the dash. The same year CRV was like grandma’s car by comparison, not for practical people. I sat in one for like 5 seconds before getting back out.
Good point about the number of seatbelts. I had totally forgotten that’s why it got crossed off the list when we were shopping for a 4 cylinder AWD vehicle in 2004. With two kids it always seemed like we’d have at least one friend or in-law along for the ride, and coming from a 2wd wagon with 5 belts and an SUV with 8, 4 seemed like a non-starter.
Nice lookin’ E. I’d like to try a newer one some day, just to see what changed.
My driver’s seat raises with a knob on the left side of the base. Sounds like they decontented them beyond losing the rear moonroof which is so nice to sleep under. Many memories of seeing the milky way above the pines or bluffs or cacti with my head back there.
My 2004 has nearly 250k and just got a second set of front pads, not needed yet but I couldn’t take it any more with over 150k on them. Original brake hardware all around, I change the fluid regularly, everything works like new. Suggest OEM pads, they last longer and don’t wear out rotors. They come with all new parts and the noise goop.
My recommendation is change all the fluids reasonably often, the OEM fluids are cheap compared to new parts that they protect. Includes brake/clutch, power steering, coolant, dual-pump if you have 4WD, and the trans. Regardless of what Honda says, none of them are lifetime, all are easy to change, ironically the crankcase oil is one of the more difficult. Zap the brake bleeders with PBlaster (or whatever you use) a few times in the weeks ahead of bleeding and they’ll come loose very nicely when you’re ready. A veterinary syringe works well for bleeding. I like firm pedals.
If you decide to keep it and do a clutch job someday, a 6th gear will fit, it’s an Acura part #, don’t have it handy but can be found on the Element forum. Otherwise the 5-speed is geared low, 4k @ 80mph.
I run 225/70 instead of the stock 215’s and the speedo is within 1 mph. Been running Hercules instead of the early-wearing Michelins I had always bought, so far they’re holding up nicely and are great on two-tracks. I keep a full-size spare, had one incident where a mesquite stump put a hand-sized hole in the tread while turning around, miles from cell coverage and across a mud bog from the nearest road. I keep it in the emergency spot in the back or on the roof rack if I need interior space, the Honda wing-bolt works either place.
In my case I gave up a 240 wagon which I loved but worked on and re-engineered pretty regularly. I miss things about it, but the E has taken me all over the US in every kind of weather, has towed many miles for moving house and buying motorcycles, spent many nights in national forests and dicey parts of cities working, and always works. I didn’t even replace any light bulbs for the first 6 years.
It’s hauled railroad gear, construction stuff, parts for projects, lumber, etc. I use it like a truck/van, took the rear seats out right away and kept them out, they just unclip with one lever and the little side covers are great place to keep spare stuff like light bulbs, which are typically only needed when it’s fully-packed. In my view it’s like a reliable economical mini-70’s Econoline, hood even looks like it from the driver’s seat.
The only things I’ve dealt with are a new clutch when one of the famous plate springs sprung out at about 240k and I installed a new AC system when the compressor finally died after running all day at idle during summer projects in FL, these take more compressor oil than any other Honda, around 9 ounces, so they knew the location would present heat transfer issues. Even so, it only takes a day to replace the system.
A 34 battery will just fit, the cables will need a little rerouting, that will resolve cranking issues nicely. I always put the most powerful battery in a car that will fit, because ya never know. Mine came with a glorified motorcycle battery which almost didn’t crank over after being left a few weeks at a cold airport, replaced it on the way home with something the NAPA guy definitely did not recommend.
The textured plastic panels are often covered with mud or dust, and they are easy to scrub off without having to worry about finish. If I was a suburbanite and still trying to procreate with another one I guess they could be frustrating. But the kind of person I’d be interested in would see the dirt and the tire on the roof and be attracted to it as a practical magic carpet to backwoods places.
It has happened. Some folks have even bought one after riding in mine. A couple I met with an identical one had just driven all through Central America in theirs, we became instant friends.
“I ordered pads and rotors and did that job…”
Probably a good thing. My elderly father and stepmother had an Element for several years – they liked it a lot, but when a rear disk rotor came apart right after a long freeway drive, they decided it was old enough and traded it in on a CR-V.
Number Two Son and his wife just bought a used (later) Element. I considered one for a replacement for our ’06 Grand Caravan that got totaled by a lightning strike, but couldn’t make the numbers work close enough to the insurance payout.
I have a 2003 with 265 thousand miles. Runs like a charm. I take it from Michigan to Mississippi for vacations at least 3 times a year
A good Facebook friend of ours has an Element in the same color, and loves it.
I looked for one when I needed another car. I settled for an ’08 HHR in the same color instead.
Good trip from the look of it, I just did a similar thing my daughter reached driving age so has inherited my Citroen Xsara for a planned south island excursion I needed something suitable and decided on updating rather than changing brands and eventually found a good manual C5 hatch with turbo diesel engine automatics are common but I prefer three pedal, 8000kms around our southern island didnt ever faze it its now done 21,000 kms on top of the 264000 already recorded since January when I bought it the only fault thats reared its head is the drivers window master control a new one will be ordered from Ebay shortly.
We left Arkansas over 18 months ago in a 2011 Element, we are on the beach in Ecuador now and have had no issues. We camp in it a lot.
Hmm, maybe it was you I saw in Ecuador in May. I remember it was gray or silver. It was either in Cuenca or Quito, I think the former.
Thank you for not staying in Boise any longer than necessary. The so-called expats are ruining this place. No, I’m not a native but at least where I come from, the mentality is similar to what Idaho is and should be about.
So who’s the arbiter of “what Idaho is and should be about”? You?
I’m sure you realize your comment is exclusionary, condescending, and dripping with socio-political substance and judgement. Meaning, it’s not welcome here.
Thanks – I was going to point out the xenophobia of the comment and how distasteful it is, but you beat me to it and put it more succinctly than I would have. Let’s get the conversation back to where it belongs.
It was distasteful, my apologies. On the other hand, it is extremely frustrating to see Boise being considered as a Southern California suburb. I’ve lived in Southern California, it is hell.
Unfortunately, most of the issues on the road or local businesses/gov offices are being caused by recent transplants. I hear it, and see if, everyday. I don’t care about someone’s race or ethnic background, xenophobia is not the root of my comment. It’s the idea that people move to an area and then want to change it to suit their needs or desires. Or they have a complete lack of respect for the history of the area.
I guess that’s been going on everywhere in the Pacific Northwest or Mountain West, Portland used to be an enjoyable city to visit.
Back to the conversation, I think the Elementd are great vehicles. I found it very interesting the previous owner was not willing to share the previous maintenance and repair records. I have always felt that is important information you would want to share with the buyer, giving them a level of comfort that the vehicle has been well cared for and making the sale easier.
Friend has had a ’04 Element since new, 2wd 5 speed MT. Been trouble free, roomy, as long as you only need seating for 4 they really are good vehicles. Only thing she wishes for is a little better MPG, it will get about 30 on the highway, it has decent power for what it is.
always liked these. had i known about the ecamper roof tent, i might have got one instead of my eurovan. 🙂
one thing that bothers me though is the design of the rear suspension. the suspension arms come down at an angle and meet the wheel fairly close to the ground. i would imagine that the arm is prone to snagging underbrush, if you were to take it off road.
http://automotivefree.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2017-Honda-Element-rear-view.jpg
Please tell me that someone, somewhere, has equipped their Element with the appropriate license plate: PRDC TBL.
Great story, and it seems like you found a great vehicle as well. I especially like the paint.
I have never needed a SUV, so have never actually been in an Element. But if I were shopping for such a vehicle, It would be among the first to look at. I did own an Accord with the same engine, and know several other owners of the contemporary 2.4 — all experiences indicate the motor is bulletproof. I can also cite a few problems with brakes, so ein mist. At least you know what you’re getting into.
I think the biggest obstacle would be finding an Element at a reasonable price, as evidenced in your article. It seems many believe Toyota and Honda are the only safe bets on used cars out there.
I bought an 08 Element almost 2 years ago.
For noise issues- quiet riding tires really make a difference with Es.
Michelin Premier LTX are a great summer/all season tire on an E. Very quiet with very nice ride feel and best in class wet handling.
If you have real seasons, Michelin x-ice winter tires are also very quiet riding and good in the snow. Ours came with some Cooper all season M&S rubber. they were noisy and uninspiring in light snow. quickly ditched em for the Michelins.
Further, I have a folded wool fire blanket folded to cover the rear cargo area. this helps keep the back area quiet and keeps stuff from sliding around there.
if this COAL tempts you to look into these rides, consider the sweet spot in their production history: 07 & 08 models.
06 and earlier have front passenger seatbelts affixed to the rear wing doors. this is annoying if anyone needs to get in or out of back seats with a front seat occupied.
09 & forward models, the rear skylight is not available. in all pre-09 models, it was included in 4wd versions. Who cares about a sunroof for the cargo area? well, it does 1 great thing. in vent position, it is nearly silent at highway speed and really does a great job of pulling the AC (or heat) to the back passengers. And many of those rooftop popup tent options will want the porthole for upper level access.
Our reason for purchase: the E is one of the few vehicles that can fit a tandem bicycle inside without significant disassembly of bike – that amazing headroom. All other vehicle options that could swallow a tandem bike would be 2+ feet longer. the new Ford transit and Dodge (fiat) vans available now might compete, but at new car pricing.
If you do any biking, the E will quickly become your best friend. it is easy to load 2 or 3 single bikes inside the car with minimal disassembly.
same goes for pet owners. no carpets. water repellent seat fabric. great animal transport.
light construction? same thing. cinder blocks, concrete sacks, C&D debris dump runs. this is one versatile ride and easy to get back in shape for date night.
As for long rides, I find the E is surprisingly comfortable and easy to drive. I loaded our tandem and a single bike in with 1 of the rear seats removed . filled the rest of the space with a weeks worth of vacation gear and made a 1300 mile round trip drive to the Outer Banks. Yeah, my MINI has better seating, but there was no chance of getting 1/4 the stuff the E could carry into it.
our E is all black. only had 70K on it when we got it. The plastic fenders & panels are not faded and in fine shape. was probably stored indoors before us. Garaged now, too With auto market plastic protectant applied, those panels make a very uniform look with the black paint. Every other color E still has the contrasting black trim panels above the rear windows and over the doors.
I had an 03 Element that I traded in on my wife’s 2005 Pilot and now regret terribly. Great cargo space, we fit an entire patio set (in the box) from Sam’s Club in it. One of my favorite cars that I’ve owned. We called it the Box That Rocks. Agree with the noisy on the highway part. I drove a lot for my job and it got to be a bit annoying. Wish I could find a reasonably priced one now that isn’t beaten to death.