Hey guys... first post. Nice community you've built here!

I recently totaled my 2001 Diamante (very minor accident... very expensive parts) and decided it's SUV time. Kids in the near future and lots of camping right now. So our friends recommended the Element (they have a 2003 green EX), and boy I'm glad they did. What a fun ride! Absolutely loving mine.

We went with a CPO 2006 EXP 4WD under 16,000 mi on it with an extended warranty (this will be my first car where my bumper-to-bumper will go longer than my payments!). There were lots of them in my area when I searched, but this was the only one in Tango Red Pearl, and it was 100 miles away in Dover, DE. It had no options list or even a photo! But I was sold on the color, so I made the drive.

I ended up with an E in excellent condition with many bonuses: roof rack, window visors, side steps, sunroof visor, lug locks, and a pinstripe (is that standard? I haven't seen it on any others). The buying experience was absolutely painless (most of it done on the phone so the paperwork was ready), and I got lots of extras from the dealer. I highly recommend Price Honda/Acura in Dover, DE. Even if you have to drive a bit...

Anyway, happy to join the club. I see what all the excitement is about.

Dave

p.s. - these pics were from a quick Arby's picnic right after buying it. Found a dirt road into a field and had a great time!

Hey guys... first post. Nice community you've built here!

I recently totaled my 2001 Diamante (very minor accident... very expensive parts) and decided it's SUV time. Kids in the near future and lots of camping right now. So our friends recommended the Element (they have a 2003 green EX), and boy I'm glad they did. What a fun ride! Absolutely loving mine.

We went with a CPO 2006 EXP with an extended warranty (first time my bumper-to-bumper will go longer than my payments!). There were lots of them in my area when I searched, but this was the only one in Tango Red Pearl, and it was 100 miles away in Dover, DE. It had no options list or even a photo! But I was sold on the color, so I made the drive.

Ended up with an E in excellent condition with many bonuses: roof rack, window visors, side steps, sunroof visor, lug locks, and a pinstripe (is that standard? I haven't seen it on any others). The buying experience was absolutely painless, and I got lots of extras from the dealer. I highly recommend Price Honda/Acura in Dover, DE. Even if you have a drive a bit...

Anyway, happy to join the club. I see what all the excitement is about.

Dave

p.s. - these picks were from a quicky Arby's picnic right after buying it. Found a dirt road into a field and had a great time!



Nice looking E you have there and welcome to the EOC.

The pinstripe would have been a dealer add on. Honda thankfully doesn't stripe that at the factory.....I only say thankfully because pin stripes are not to all tastes.But i will admit it looks sharp on yours.

Nice looking E you have there and welcome to the EOC.

The pinstripe would have been a dealer add on. Honda thankfully doesn't stripe that at the factory.....I only say thankfully because pin stripes are not to all tastes.But i will admit it looks sharp on yours.

Thanks!

Yeah, I certainly wouldn't have ordered one, but I agree. It works somehow...

Thanks!

Yeah, I certainly wouldn't have ordered one, but I agree. It works somehow...

I do have to admit i am a little envious of your colour.....they didn't offer Tango in Canada at the time i bought my 2006.

Nice looking E Dave!!

Welcome to the family.
For the benefit of some of us Canadians, who have no idea where DE is, can you please fill in your info under 'user CP'?

Thanks, and again, welcome!

I do have to admit i am a little envious of your colour.....they didn't offer Tango in Canada at the time i bought my 2006.

Well, I definitely lucked out, because my wife said TRP was the only one she would consider being seen in, maybe black. She's a little judgmental when it comes to car colors, though.

Personally, I think they're all cool looking... I wouldn't have minded an orange one just to turn a few more heads :razz:

Nice looking E Dave!!
For the benefit of some of us Canadians, who have no idea where DE is, can you please fill in your info under 'user CP'?


I'm actually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. DE is Delaware. I'll fill out my profile right now.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone...

Welcome, and that is a beautiful E.

And a beautiful wife! :D
Congrats,Enjoy!

Congrats! Great color choice, looks very familiar...

BTW, the wife and I were thinking right along the sames lines as your wife when it comes to color...

Welcome Improv! Great looking Element! Then again I'm stuck on Tango Red.

Welcome to the club!!!! And you might want to keep an eye on your wife around the crowd!!!!!!

Welcome to the Club, glad to see another local join.:D That is a Gorgeous E, I love the color.

So yeah, we had to try sleeping in the element. It just seemed like too fun a thing to do in a new car.

So we decided to "rough it" in Atlantic City, NJ this weekend. It was gorgeous weather, and our last chance to hit the beach this season. Cheapest hotel on the boardwalk was $250 this Saturday. So we parked at the Bally's garage, taped up some dollar store shower curtains for privacy (we'll do the custom shades later), laid down all the seats and put down an egg crate and a sheet. No need for anything else because it only got down to 72 farenheit with pretty much 100% humidity.

It really wasn't that bad. Padding wise, we were fine. Heat-wise... well, this weekend was a real test. I think we would have slept the night if it wasn't for the oppressive humidity. A battery-powered fan for some circulation would have helped a lot. The temperature actually wasn't that bad. The experience would be better camping in colder weather I would guess, but overall it was a really fun experience. I'm not picky when it comes to sleeping positions/habitat, so I was happy. And very few complaints from Jen... so that's definitely an endorsement.

So yeah, two days in AC for a $10 parking tab. I don't want to be a law-breaker but.... hell, it's just too much fun! Might was well while we're young.... :-D

ok... it's obvious I'm excited about the new ride. So I'll just keep posting pics and useless information in this thread instead of starting new ones.

I just recently realized I got a tango red theme going on in my life. I just need to add some pearl highlights to the vinyl siding of my house now :-D

And you can't see from the picture, but the curtains in the dining room windows right in front of the E are an even closer match... I won't mention the upstairs bathroom...

And the second pic is something that fascinates me. I've removed a spider web in this location (stretching from right under the rear wiper blade to the bottom of the lift gate) about 5 times now and that little bugger keeps rebuilding it! It's amazing. He must live in my element's exterior somewhere (in the wiper assembly most likely?) because I tore it down before my AC trip and it was resurrected in the parking garage after we got there. I got rid of it there, and it's back today! Tenacious little guy. I suppose I'll let him stay if he likes the E that much... can't say I blame him. Besides, it looks cool in the right light!

We do have a lot of spiders here, so it's best to learn to live with them.

Improv;
Congrats and enjoy the ride, soon, your wife will want one for herself, like some of us already have done. Actually, my wife bought the '03 in '03 and I had to get mine, '04 this year. :D

Bob

So Improv, what plans do you have for mods? I have a 2006 too and I cleared the headlights, painted them black like the '07, side steps, spoiler and hood deflector, bumper trim, fogs and many, many more. Just curious what the game plan was. If you need any help, let me know and I'll send you the info on any of the things I've mentioned.

Once you start mod's, you can't stop so preceed with caution. :twisted:

chozn - those lights look great!

I'm too worried that I would trash the whole light to do that though... my luck, the dang light would be a big ole heap of melted plastic... :shock:

Seriously, they look great. Probably wouldn't look as good on an ASM anyway...

So Improv, what plans do you have for mods? I have a 2006 too and I cleared the headlights, painted them black like the '07, side steps, spoiler and hood deflector, bumper trim, fogs and many, many more. Just curious what the game plan was. If you need any help, let me know and I'll send you the info on any of the things I've mentioned.

Once you start mod's, you can't stop so preceed with caution. :twisted:

Those are pretty sweet headlights...

I was pleased with the options that came with mine... really more than I would have added myself. But I do see myself getting sucked into "the culture"... just have to be careful with the finances after such a big purchase. I did order this (http://www.trunkorganizer.com/6-way-trunk-organizer.htm) cargo organizer recommended in another thread. It hasn't arrived yet. I already have a cargo net from a previous vehicle. Reflectix panels for the windows for camping seems like a good idea. And I'm thinking about getting a bluetooth GPS adapter for my mobile to route w/ Google Maps... but other than that, it's save up for a nice aftermarket stereo/speakers somewhere down the line (the stock ones are really great, but I'm a recording engineer so I'm picky)

Welcome to the club!!!! And you might want to keep an eye on your wife around the crowd!!!!!!

yeah lots of harmless dirty ole men here

welcome, you will LOVE your Element, there seems to be a few meet-ups on the East Coast so you can take advantage and meet other EOC'rs

WELCOME to the madness, Improv!! EXCELLENT color choice, too! I have just started my mods, but plan more in the future. :twisted:
We will put ours to the test starting next month when we start our 6300 mile trek back to Alaska (from GA). I will post my Photobucket account as soon as I verify the URL so I don't send people on a wild goose chase. If you would like to trek along with us, look for my post in the next two to three weeks. :???:

Again - WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME!!

bh241, you'd be surprised how good the cleared blacked out lights would look on yours. It wasn't until I saw the lights that sold me on doing it to mine. I went to the dealership and saw the Tango and thought the black contrast was nice. I had already cleared mine last year but took them apart for the second time to black them out. I think the look would be awesome with the ASM. Just my opinion and if I can do the mod being a 50yr old urbanite, anyone can.

After a fresh cleaning/waxing/vinylexing.... I thought I'd take a few more shots of the "Cherry Bomb" (not my name for her... our other "elemental" friends' name for her)

First shot shows the $2.99 grill mod and the $2.99 fake foglight mods. Oooooh!

Second one shows the $22 trunk organizer. Aaaaaah!

Third shows Mp3 hookup in use and bluetooth GPS receiver ($65... I use it with my phone and Google Mobile Maps which is free)....

So yeah, snoozer mods I admit, but I'm still proud of 'em. And I'm still loving my color choice! :)