With a new baby last year, I decided to pick up car that was more "mommy" friendly. I have an older Pathfinder that I had been thinking of replacing for a while, but I just couldn't get excited about anything. My wife and I stumbled upon the Element and it was just perfect - the compact yet spacious design, hip styling, fold up seats, vinyl floor. Although scarce, I managed to track down a '05 Mag Metallic EX in December for a great deal. Although I have never been a car freak, I discovered the EOC and got really excited about accessorizing the E (my wife calls it an obsession). I added side steps, splash guards, all season mats, window tint, Cloud-rider grille and an aluminum antenna. Even though we had swapped cars and I was now driving my wife's RX-8, I always looked forward to taking the E out. It was just so easy for the family and dogs to jump in the car and GO!

On Monday, my wife was making a left at a lighted intersection and was broadsided by a carload of teenage girls coming the opposite way. They were probably doing at least twice the school zone speed limit and ran the red. Fortunately, mommy and baby were fine. A witness said it looked like the E lifted several feet off the ground and spun around. I am actually quite impressed at how well the E handled the collision.

Now we're waiting for the insurance settlement. I'm a bit disappointed because I probably won't be able to find another Mag Metallic, and I'm not that thrilled with any of the '06 colors. We may have to go with a Black EX-P, but it just doesn't have the same look that drew us to the E in the first place. Life goes on. I'll just drown my sorrow in more accessories.

are all the tenagers ok? I mean before their parents heard the news.

good to hear the E held up (safety wise)

also, aluminum antenna? didn't know the made such a thing, is that for looks, or does it help reception?

I'm sorry to hear about the accident, but glad that your wife and baby were unharmed. I agree with you on the '06 colors as to me they leave a little something to be desired and are not nearly as classy as the Magnesium.

A few weeks ago we were involved in a close call with a wreckless Mass. driver who decided to turn right on a red without regard to oncoming traffic and although incident was avoided it got me thinking about the same situation. What if? After playing the scenario out in my head I decided that it would either be a SSM with the blue panes, or a NBP with the non painted panels (As you can tell I'm not impressed by the EX-P's or new colors)

Once again I'm sorry about your situation, and hope you can figure out a solution to your predicament. Everything happens for a reason right?

Sorry to hear about the E being smashed up, glad your wife and kid made it through just fine though. :) You should be able to find another 05 Mag Met if you ask a Dealer to search and find one for you. Explain the accident and I'm sure they'll be able to track it down for you.

Magnesium Metallic is my second favorite color after SOP. If it was available in 03 I don't know which one I would have gone for.

What's up with the new color selection anyway? The painted panels make sense since a lot of people have been doing this themselves. And I guess there's quite a market for the fun colors like Tangerine and Kiwi. I just don't understand why Honda got rid of the more subdued colors like Magnesium and Khaki. Silver is OK too, but why did they have to add blue plastic panels for 06? Maybe it's the area I'm in (Los Angeles), but I could not find a single Khaki, and only 2 AWD EX Magnesiums back in December. Looks like most 05's are gone by now.

You'll find '05's if you are willing to fly somewhere. Contact some of the Dealers in our Dealer Directory (http://www.elementownersclub.com/dealers.htm) and see what they have in stock.

I can't answer the question regarding the colors, because if I had to get a 2006 E I wouldn't be able to... :( I would wait for an 07 and hope for a better selection of colors.

The aluminum antenna was just for looks, but it didn't really affect the radio reception. I got it off Ebay from a seller called shortantenna.

While looking at the pictures, it looks like most of the force of the impact went under your E, which would explain why the witness saw the E lift in the air. I have seen it before when a low profile car hits a (relatively) high profile car.

When I did the research on my E before I bought it, one of the safety concerns was the lack of protection from side impacts for the rear-seat passengers. Even though it looks like most of the impact went under, then lateral, what kind of passenger compartment intrusion was there? I am guessing the baby was less than a year old, and therefor still in a car seat. Did the car seat get moved much laterally in the seat, or did the tether system hold it in place pretty well?

I am truely glad that your family is OK. Take a lot of pictures of that baby. They don't stay small for very long.

Glad to hear you're ok and it indeed looks like your E absorbed the impact like a champ. Judging by the pictures and the witness account, I'd say the sidesteps probably helped quite a bit, looks like I definitely need to get a set.

I am glad your wife and baby are ok, but sorry about your E. Mine was totaled by a red light runner as well. The worst part is the trauma of being a victim of something you had no control of, and the vehicle you loved has to be replaced.

I had to wait 3 weeks to find out my vehicle was totaled, I hope you do not have to wait that long - unfortunately my own insurance company let me down by dragging their heels, so you might want to work directly with the other persons insurance if you already have the proof of fault established against the red light runners.

The best news about the accident and totaling of my SOP, besides keeping me alive in the accident, was that the E really holds its value well, I had gap insurance (it was a year old), but didn't even need it as the insurance replacement value was more than I owed.


I hope all works out well - I will think positive thoughts for your family and your E!

Glad your family is okay. I have a 2 month old nephew and my sister drives and E (identical to mine) :D

Make sure you contact a lawyer. Make sure you keep everything related to this accident and get the police report. You may also want to file a suit against them just in case.

I know it is sad to say, but when my dad was hit by a red light runner (which is hard to prove who ran the light without witness). The red light runner sued my dad and filed it 1 day before the end of statue of limitation. We were lucky that my sister took a whole bunch of pics showing the state of the two cars, the skidmarks, and how the other driver was completely unscratched.

Anyway, AllState still settled for $3,000.

From one MM owner to another, sorry to hear/see what happened. But, glad to hear your loved ones are ok...they're irreplaceable.

I bought mine about 3 weeks ago, so there are probably still some out there. Good luck!

Very sorry for your E being smashed. :-( Good to know your wife and baby are okay. What a hassle...

Best of luck replacing it. I really like the '06 color palate but would have a hard time choosing between painted and non-painted panels.

:cool:

While looking at the pictures, it looks like most of the force of the impact went under your E, which would explain why the witness saw the E lift in the air. I have seen it before when a low profile car hits a (relatively) high profile car.

When I did the research on my E before I bought it, one of the safety concerns was the lack of protection from side impacts for the rear-seat passengers. Even though it looks like most of the impact went under, then lateral, what kind of passenger compartment intrusion was there? I am guessing the baby was less than a year old, and therefor still in a car seat. Did the car seat get moved much laterally in the seat, or did the tether system hold it in place pretty well?

I am truely glad that your family is OK. Take a lot of pictures of that baby. They don't stay small for very long.

From the interior, I couldn't really see any damage. The passenger seat side airbag did go off. Our baby seat was behind the driver seat, facing backwards, and tethered to the hooks in the seat. There was no movement laterally, but it did look like the whole baby seat had rocked back a bit so that our baby's head was closer to the backrest of the car seat. It was a lucky thing that the car hit us so low, and not on the driver's side.

Looks like the car that hit you was a Monte Carlo? Not a lightweight vehicle, weighs about the same as the E. Looks like the E held up well, but it had to be traumatic. Best to you and your family!

From the interior, I couldn't really see any damage. The passenger seat side airbag did go off. Our baby seat was behind the driver seat, facing backwards, and tethered to the hooks in the seat. There was no movement laterally, but it did look like the whole baby seat had rocked back a bit so that our baby's head was closer to the backrest of the car seat. It was a lucky thing that the car hit us so low, and not on the driver's side.

AMEN! If you had to get hit, opposite and low from where the baby was was the best place. I am glad to see the the tether system worked as advertised.

I'd say the E did it's job, and well. It's a shame it is damaged, but that is the point of the engineering: The baby is safe, adn so are you!

I wonder how something on a ladder-type frame would have fared. I imagine it wouldn't crumple as much and more energy would be transferred to the occupants. Plus they might 'fix' it---I wouldn't want it at that point, though.