47 Honda Element results
2005 Honda Element OWNER RATINGS & REVIEWS
Lauren
Titusville, Florida
A practical and reliable car
The Honda Element is an extremely versatile car. It can easily sit five people, but you can also take the seats out and have room for basically anything in the back of your car. When looking at the Element, some think that it's a car on the smaller side. However, I can fit my large kayak inside of it. Plus, whenever I want to go bike riding, I can just slide the bikes into the back of the car without using a bike rack. It's also a very comfortable car - I have done several road trips in this car that have spanned over a few days and it was fine. It's not an overly stylish car to some, but it is practical. While some may prefer a car with leather seats and other additions, they must also worry about keeping that car clean and making sure the leather doesn't tear. With my Element, my four dogs can easily fit in it and I don't worry about them messing up the car. If they do track mud in, the car is easily cleanable. Furthermore, I bought my Element used with 100,000 miles on it already and I have had no problems with it whatsoever. I've had it for almost four years now and the only time I've taken it into the shop is to get the oil changed and the tires rotated. It also has good fuel economy - not the best, but not the worst either. One thing to consider about this car is that the back windows don't open all the way. This can be good for people with pets or kids, but it may also be inconvenient to some.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Modified toaster.
In 2005, we purchased a Honda Element so it could be modified to accommodate a wheelchair user. A company in Michigan had developed an accessible solution with the Element that works very well. The base car cost about $20k and the modifications added a whopping $17k on to the total cost. The Element is like a big box (we call it our "toaster") and it has suicide doors (the back doors open backwards). The two doors opening wide gives room for a ramp that the wheelchair user can ride up to get inside the car. Also, the floor is lowered so the wheelchair rider looks out the windshield, rather than sitting up high, unable to see out. We have found the Element to be incredibly reliable. It's got about 130,000 miles on it and has had 2 things go wrong with it. The cable from the gear shifter to the transmission snapped and the cruise control broke. The gear shift problem was probably due to the design of the accessibility modifications, as they ran the shift through an opening that had some friction which wore it down. Most people wouldn't care about the cruise control, but I use it all the time, so I shelled out almost $500 to have it fixed. Reliability is great. The thing does drive like a truck and has fairly unpeppy acceleration. But, our toaster gave my wife easy access to the world, and that's something money can't buy.
Maryville, Tennessee
My favorite car.
This car is amazing! Essentially, it is discontinued at this point, but this car is exceedingly versatile. It has the option to upgrade to a roof rack. You can attach a hitch to it. You can turn the trunk into a cage for a large pet on trips. They make an attachment for that! Aside from these, the cabin is quite spacious, the shifter is mounted onto the console and not in the floor, like most models. The car has great maneuverability. The engine is responsive, and you can easily drive these cars to 300,000 miles.
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