[bkw]

hey all.. have a few questions regarding the element.

i have located an orange ex 4wd (no dealer installed options) for $20772. is this a good deal or should i hold out for a deeper discount? the dealer is very hesitant on dealing on the orange, due to it's difficulty in locating one.

for all of you who have purchased their e's, did you purchase any optional accessories? did you try to work in the accessories into the purchase price? if so, how did you fair out?

any owners in northern jersey/nyc/westchester have any dealers they could recommend?

enough about the cost of the vehicle, time for questions on the car itself.

who's the shortest owner/driver out there? the daily driver of this car will be my fiance, and shes a tad on the petite sidee (5'2"). is she too short for the car :wink: ?

what do you dislike about your element?

any owners find anything defective about their car? it is the first year of the car, are there any kinks that honda need ironing on it?

thanks in advance, and i hope that i can join you as a fellow owner shortly

 

[M Ornett]

I'm 5'6", but I'm driving with the seat all the way back and almost to the top height. I'm long-legged and short torsoed, so this works for me. I would think that your fiance could adjust the seats enough for them to suit her - remember this car was designed by the Japanese who are generally shorter than Americans and Canadians.

My only dislike is the blind spots, but I was used to driving a civic, where I didn't even have to use the side mirrors. I've been able to adjust.

Accessories - we didn't get any, but have since bought carpetted floor mats and bungee cords from Handa, locking gas caps from the dealer, and a back rug from Lowe's. On the gas cap, a word of warning - non OEM ones can cause your engine malfunction light to come on because they don't seem to seal well enough. Handa is good for OEM accessories, plus there's a fair amount showing up on eBay now.

 

[Alien Element]

I would say that the price is in line with what others have been able to deal for. A lot people are still paying more than MSRP, so $500+ off of that at this point seems good. One or two people have gotten as much as $1100 off MSRP. But the orange is rare, so it's good bet you won't get them to come down much more - but you could give it a shot.

A lot of buyers have gotten the dealer to throw in free accessories if they would not come down off MSRP. Commonly thrown-in items have been floor mats, keyless entry, leather steering wheel cover, storage armrest, fog lamps, and one person even got the tow hitch and wiring harness (major labor hit for the dealership).

Problems and/or complaints with the Element include:
(1) windshields that crack for no apparent reason
(2) rear hatch does not close properly
(3) plastic panels scratch too easily
(4) front seats are too loose in their rails
(5) spare tire cover/rear flooring not strong enough - support ribs crack

Keep in mind that not everyone has experienced these problems, but these are the major gripes that have been reported here. Despite this, only one person here has regretted buying his Element, and he backed off that position once someone repeatedly offered to buy it from him sight unseen.

Since I don't own one yet, I can't report from personal experience, but I've been around here long enough to get a good feel from the group. Too bad I don't already have one though, because my mom is 5' 1" and I could give the heads up on the "petite drivability". Why don't you take you fiance down to test drive it before you sign the papers?

Good luck!

 

[bkw]

thank you for your posts. theyre greatly appreciated

we took a black ex4 out for a spin this morning and shes in love with it. the only gripe she has is that with the seat adjusted for her height, she's having problems exiting the vehicle. but im sure that over time she'll learn how to modify her motions to exit the car properly.

we also saw a few of the accessories available from honda. the mat-set looks very good on the vehicle as well as the driving lights and the side steps make the car appear lower. i cant wait until we get ours, then i can use my grubby hands to start modifying her!

thanks again~!

brian

 

[vegasbaby]

Sidesteps do make it look awesome. We got our accesories (keyless, armrest, sidesteps, & foglights) for a jaw gaping $1300.00 installed and all, so it was not cheap. But I did not want the hassle of doing it wrong, plus it is included in my 3/36 warranty. It sure looks good though. My wife is 5'4" and she just moves the seat up and forward no problem. I wish you luck on your purchase (don't let them beat you up on the price) they've got lots of E's on the lots here in Orlando, FL. Shop Around!

 

[RatherBeSkiing]

Couldn't get the dealer to budge on the sticker price of the orange AWD EX I bought. I did get a decent price for my trade, though, and they gave me all my accessories (all season mats, cargo cover, keyless entry) at the same price I found on-line at handa-accessories. Had to give $30 for installation of keyless entry. And the bungies were free (Waa-hoo!).

Probably could have gotten a bit better deal if I'd walked out the door at least once, but I really wanted to drive it home... I'm sure you know the feeling.

Even at full price, my E was (by several thousand dollars) the least expensive car I considered buying, and it was by far my favorite.