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Looking to buy an 04 Advice or Comments??

1814 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Hab Mobile
Greetings to all from the hot and sunny Okanagan...38C today. Looking at a 04 E auto awd Y pkg. The car was bought in Hawaii by a BC couple with vacation property so has low kms (37400) and is very good condition. Any comments
or feedback would be appreciated, wondering how the 4 speed auto works with that engine and any other issues that others have experienced. Buying from a dealer so of course they are asking too much!! This a great forum for all those with a passion for this vechicle, glad I found it.

Bill
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have you bought it already? how much are they asking for anyways?
Haven't bought it yet, dealer is asking $17,900
I have an '04 with 37,900 kms. on it. I bought it new in March 04. I'm retired and walk and bike alot so don't rack up the mileage. I've had zero issues with mine and love it. The only extra preventive maintenance I do is to have the brakes cleaned and lubed every fall when I get the snows put on. The winter salt on the roads on Ontario is a killer on the brakes particularly in my case because the vehicle may only be used once or twice a week and brake parts can seize with corrosion.
if its from a dealer, better confirm their certified pre owned inspection and other stuff was done. i don't know about getting another extended warranty on it as i haven't bought a second hand car (yet) (see other thread on warranty issues also), but think about it, just to be sure just incase something happens on it anytime (which i think is very rare).
Limited km's does not mean it's a plus as it depends on, for example, what's the frequency of its use (6mos driven, then 6 mos parked?) as having it parked for a long period of time requires a special ritual before putting it into a storage or garage. my concern is that that E you're looking at may be parked for a period of time sometimes or once in a while that proper storing mantenance may not be applied, as you've mentioned that the previous owners were probably snowbirds and use the E occasionally. that's the reason why i'm insisting that the 'certified pre owned' or proper inspection be conditional prior to sale.
our situation differ as our work was within a 7km radius that's why we just have 35k on our E despite being 3 years old already so the daily usage is there. you can read quiksilver's reply to your thread about using the car sparingly.

regarding the issue of 4WD and auto trans, i guess there's a (neverending) thread about those issues. i'll just skirt that as we just have FWD manual and finding no issues with it.

the price is a bit high for that age, i've seen lower E prices here in our area for that age, but as mentioned, the low kms is the dealer's ace.

in summary, if you're really into the E, go for it. :)

i can offer you mine, but i don't know if you'll like manual!:D
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Thanks for the comments!!
$17.900 for an 04 used.... i bought a brand new 08 EX AWD for $25,500 on the road inclusive of GST/PST! Lots of colorful language is coming through my mind now!
Yeah, I hear you. I laughed and walked away and told the manager to call me at end of the month when he really wants to sell it. Car dealers.............
$17.900 for an 04 used.... i bought a brand new 08 EX AWD for $25,500 on the road inclusive of GST/PST! Lots of colorful language is coming through my mind now!

In fairness you did buy at a time when Honda was giving big discounts on remaining 2008's.
My SOP '04 4WD EX has 65K on it, and I've never had a problem with it...minus a cracked windshield, which was covered...

That includes driving from Maryland to Montreal, MD to Outerbanks, and many other big road trips...It's by far the best road-trip vehicle I've ever owned.

The engine is a bit under-powered but very dependable and the ride is pretty smooth... there is a ton of space in the back and in the cab for your gear.

Buying my Element was the best purchase I've made... hope this helps.
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