First of all. I have no brand loyalty. My pick of vehicles are either economic or emotional. I have bought cars and motorcycles just by looking at them. I own a '96 Yukon for serious transportation. I have a 2K Beemer LT for the same reason. I went to the Honda dealership because Sadaam scared the bejabbers out of me and I thought that I would have to sell one of my other toys to keep the Yukon on the road (gas). I was looking for the Pilot, but the price had me figuring that I would still be ahead by keeping the Yukon. I saw an Element in the corner of the dealership and said to the salesman "that thing is so ugly that it's absolutely beautiful". I became a sponge, absorbing any info I could find about this vehicle (what is it? car /truck or just UV?). I found this site by accident, but I lurked for a while until I couldn't stand it anymore and just joined. This was after my deal for the Element (Hurtle) was written in stone. Great info comes from this site. I'm trying to wean myself from a lot of power and towing ability (which I didn't utilize as much as I thought I would) to a new kind of driving (less agressive). The only Hondas I owned were the 2 wheel types starting from '75. Honda makes a pretty good product, and I figure I'm in this for the long haul.
2Bcontinued////////////////////

Babble on! It's fun to hear about people's thinking on cars, and how they fit into their lives.

The deciding factor in buying the Element was that there are sooo.. many aftermarket items already tested for this vehicle (UV?). Not so much for the Element, but for the parts that comprise the E. When I ordered my "Hurtle", I was sales resistant and just ordered the EX 4WD in anticipation of making it an individual undertaking. There are not many sightings in my neck of the woods yet, but I'm sure there will be in the not so distant future. This contributors to this site give off plenty of useful ideas to implement without having your vehicle look like a K-Mart Special. I resisted the Hula girl, opting instead for Betty Boop on a motorcycle, and a Hulk Bobblehead for my Hulkish turtle (Hurtle). I used the fake fogs, the skid proof door sill, cargo holder, door edge guards and Vent Shade.Oh yeah, I got 20 ' of bungee cord today, but I had to dye it black.Durn it, should have dyed it green. I still need 17 or 18" wheels (still haven't finished my research) and tires. The sunroof begs for more tint, and some sort of anti-bug barrier (workin' on it). When I get my Element hat & shirt y'all ain't gonna be able to stand me! I'm not going to post my E until I get the wheels...
Later,
BW