Element: perfect happy camper car?

Hi all!

I'm thinking about buying a used E with 40-50,000 miles on it. I heard Honda's are reliable well past even 200,000 miles.

I'm looking for a vehicle powerful enough to tow a small 14' aluminum boat with 10hp outboard engine hatched on it and that has enough room to carry stuff and sleep in it too.

The E seemed perfect with its 170hp/170lbs torque engine and 1500lbs of tow capacity. :naughty:

But I still have some questions though.

Is it really big enough for one person to sleep in? I'm only 5'9".

Is it that hard to accelerate and get on the highway? I heard it's a bit sluggish.

Anyone E owners here that bought the tent option that you can hatch on the back of it? Does that offer more room so 2 person could sleep in the vehicle?

And lastly, any manufacturing year I should avoid?

Thanks!

:iceslolan

i have an 2004 element with 48000 and havent had a single problem. i dont think that it has 170hp, and if it does, it doesnt really feel like it. its peppy around town and accelerates fine, you just cant expect it to be at 60 in 5 seconds. but it should be plenty for what you need. as for interior, its very roomy. the seats fold completely flat so u can sleep. it can fit two people if your both skinny. but if u want a lot of room maybe the tent option would help u out. overall, i love this car, its incredibly durable. and i like the fact that its all wheel drive (although only when the front wheels slip).

Doh! You're right.

It's more like 156hp/160lbs.

I don't think I'll get the AWD version since it adds a 5k $ on it :rolleyes: but I should be OK with the FWD.

Thanks very much for the reply, I think I'll be safe for a while with Honda.

I don't really like the looks of it, but I'm more interested in it's utility potential.

By the way, do you think there is enough room to add removable seats back in there? I remember browsing this manufacturer website where they showed pictures of how they did it in a Ford Explorer (which isn't really bigger than the E)

I need to find that website again...

thats funny, i was unsure about the looks too. but it grows oon you and now i actually kinda like it. as for the seats, there might be room for a small row, but the spare tire is on the floor, so it could be tough to find mounting points. yeah its too bad that theres only 4 seats. also, the 12v plug on the dash is just a hair to small, so cell phone plugs are hard to pull out. just so u know.

Not trying to stir anything up, but you may want to seriously consider the AWD version if you're going to be putting a boat in the water. That might get a little hairy driving up a wet slope after loading the boat because it may lighten the grip of the front wheels. $.02

You're right, but I've seen so many people towing what I'll tow with old Elantras and such that I don't think it'll be a problem. (A 14' foot aluminum boat like this (http://www.boats.com/listing/gallery.jsp?entityid=413080&galleryBack=%2Flisting%2Fboat_details.jsp%3Fentity id%3D413080) can almost be lifted by one man) and the trailer should be an aluminum one as well.

But thanks for the tips.

You're right Interstate, I thought it looked like ass the first time I was considering this vehicle, but now since I've been making financial plans to actually buy it, it started looking not so bad after all :iceslolan

By the way, have you guys ever heard of a lift kit for the E?

If so, how many inches could I get by getting one installed on it? 6.9 inches of ground clearance isn't so bad, but a bit more wouldn't hurt.

Thanks!

ive heard that there is some european company that can make a lift kit for the element. unfortunately, it sounds custom and its probably expensive. if you're serious, i would search the web, cause there's a lot of element specific forums out there that might know.

Just don't go overboard with the weight your towing. It's only rated to tow 1500 pounds.

My dad has a 2006 Element. About the quickness, its quicker than my civic. About color, the only color i like on the E is gunmetal and black. orange and blue, not so much. I don't like how it only has 4 seats, but with two people, there is a lot of room to sleep. If i had the money, i would rock the Element