I love my E. But the gas mileage sucks! I like the style of the CRV, (and the gas mileage, too) having had a First Gen before the E. Now, the question is, Can I trade in my E for the first year of the second generation CRV and not get in upside down? I own the E outright, so no payments on it. If I got a 2002 CRV, what could I expect for trade in value on my E and extra to pay for a CRV of said description? Yes, I know, I would be trading down, or back, or whatever it is called, but gas mileage SUCKS!!!

Ger

IMHO I wouldn't trade for the 1-2 mpg difference in fuel economy, but if you like it better...

Since you own it outright you can't get upside down, but the trade in will likely be considerably less than if you sell it yourself.

The CRV is basically a boring Element. The motor is a whole lot different in the new CRV's than in what you had before. It's the same engine that's sucking your fuel in the E. Maybe you should trade your Element in for a Segway? I still don't understand your gripe about fuel. The window sticker told me 25 mpg on the highway and that's what I'm getting as an average, so I'm good with that.
I also have a 2wd DX 5spd and don't live in Kaleefornia where you are probably parked at idle with the air on for 4-5 hours a day.

Even our 2wd first gen CR-V with auto gets at best on the highway 26-27, not much better than the E.

Let me make this a little clearer.....my 2001 Two Wheel Drive CR-V with auto got me OVER 23 around town and as much as 26 MPH on the road. I drove like I always drove, with a slightly heavy foot and 80 on the freewayand never had any diff with the a/c being on or off! Now.....Element has 2 wheel drive auto and gets 16 or so around town and barely squeaks out 21 on the road!!! And I have had to change my driving habits to get better mileage. So why are some of you people getting just superb mileage and I get (expletive) mileage. This from someone who got 40 + mpg out of a '80 Dodge Colt with stick shift and a 4 cyl on the freeway and MAYBE 22 mpg around town. Tiny car, of course.

Ger, what does Honda service say? I'm not thrilled with my mileage, but I'm consistently getting 23-24 in mixed driving with air conditioning.

Ger, what does Honda service say? I'm not thrilled with my mileage, but I'm consistently getting 23-24 in mixed driving with air conditioning.

Ger, my driving habits are simular to yours however, I have never gotten below 20.4 nor over 24.1 mpg. I only have 5500 miles on mine. I have noticed that when I fill up at Arco my mileage seems to be less.
Hope you get the problem resolved.

Bill, I use a combo of two gasses, Costco (cheapest) and Arco (many of them, quite cheap. I'll try a diff brand for a couple of tank and see what happens. By the way Bill, do you fill up and stop at the first click, or do you cram in 3 more gallons after the first click?

Ger

Ger, I stop at the first click, and I do know how to calculate gas mileage. I use whatever gas happens to be the cheapest (Exxon, Wilco, Sheetz, whatever). My E has 13K.

What does Honda service say?

Not sure about about the trade-in cost, look it up on Edmunds.com You will take a hit on the E since you bought it new and have now paid for the initial depreciation.

I would not do this soley based on mileage. I have a 1st generation CRV and the mileage is not much different than the E. You would need to save some big dollars on gas to make this trade work financially. Just don't see it happenning.

Only way to not get killed on the deal is to sell the Element privately and get a great price on it. Good luck!