[TaylorSp]

Hi, I'm 16 (as of 1 month ago), and am a Student Pilot (can fly a plane by myself, but cant carry passengers). I have plenty of flying experience (360 hours, my dad is my instructor and have been flying since I was 12), but have to wait until Im 17 to get my real license. I am considering trading my 2003 Chevy Suburban 4x4 (135,000 miles) for a 2006 Ralleye Red Element EX AWD with 104,000 miles. I love Elements and they fit what I do (school, airport, Mt. biking, R/C aircraft flying). I also love the Suburban, just not the gas milage (am getting 10mpg) and the maintenance. My dad has a 2004 Nighthawk Black Pearl Element EX AWD that he loves with about 60,000 miles and hasn't had any problems at all. The one that Im looking at is at CarMax, so it should be all cleaned up and detailed. They say that only 1 in every 13 cars that they get, pass there inspections and actually make it to the lot, so I feel pretty confident about its condition. It is currently being transferred to the local CarMax (Wichita, KS), so I should be able to see it for myself soon enough. Plus my Dad's Element was purchased from CarMax with 22,000 miles and seemed to be in like new condition. They seemed to be very straight forward, caring people. If I get one I plan on doing a lot of the DIYs and mods, to make it MINE, along with becoming an active EOC member.

 

[dammitjim]

Welcome to the forum.

FWIW, you should get that car inspected by a mechanic before buying it so you don't have any surprises. None of the things you mentioned about the dealer are reason enough to not get it looked at first.

At the very least check for vin stickers on all the panels.

This one in particular is a bad assumption:

They say that only 1 in every 13 cars that they get, pass there inspections and actually make it to the lot, so I feel pretty confident about its condition.

 

[TaylorSp]

Yes, I agree. Just stating their "statistics":roll:. It should come in sometime next week.

 

[bigsmokes]

its nice that your dad had a good experience with them,,gives you a little peace of mind,,but as said already get the checked out by a good mechanic.and good luck

 

[ramblerdan]

Welcome, TaylorSp.

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

Check the CarFox...!!! LMELBO...!!! Can't wait to see the results...!

LBD

 

[TaylorSp]

I got it!!!

I got the Element last night, and love it!:grin: Here are a few pics:

Photo I took this morning (not great quality and turned out looking orange, but is proof)-

CarMax Online For-Sale Photo-

Panel Photo that I took this morning-

 

[_jea_]

Congrats on your purchase. RR is a great color!

You are one lucky guy, who has his own great looking car at 16 and is flying planes.

 

[TaylorSp]

Thanks jea!

 

[Dom.five]

Welcome to the club !

Nice looking car you have there! Fog lights and all !

Dom

 

[TaylorSp]

Thanks Dom, and we are a 2 E family as well now.

The only thing that I kind of dislike is that it has sunroof that was tented by the previous owner. It is a blue/purple color, that kind of lights up the interior purple when the sun shines through it. It might be helpful when it sets out in the sun for long periods, but I don't think it is really worth it. It looks like it is professionally tented. I will upload a pic later. Is there any way to remove this tenting?

Here is a photo of the sunroof and a photo of the edge of the tinting (if that helps):

I have already done a few simple mods. I have done the side marker turn signals, and the brighter back up lights mods.

 

[protaganis]

Being as you're in Kansas, you might want to leave the tint on. It should help keep your car cool on sunny days. Barring that, there may be other members in your area that don't have their sunroof tinted that might want to trade straight across for yours. That might be something to consider (Heck, your dad might even want to trade, score some points with your dad).
Either way, looks very sharp ride.

Oh, BTW... Welcome Aboard!

 

[TaylorSp]

Trading Sunroofs is an excellent idea!

 

[TaylorSp]

High Quality Photos

Here are some higher quality photos of my E.

 

[bigsmokes]

the car looks great,,,now you need the side steps,,and the drivers side storage arm rest,,

 

[GUMP08SC]

Removing Tint

That aftermarket tint is just a film. It can be removed with a generous application of an alcohol based window cleaner and the careful use of a razor blade.

The window cleaner will help to loosen the adhesive and the razor blade is to "gather it up" for lack of a better word.

I've tinted and untinted my windows for a long time. It is a bit time consuming, but, not overly difficult. Keep the glass wet and is should not scratch.

 

[TaylorSp]

Success!

I just got done with un-tinting the sunroof (my dad didn't want it), and it turned out great. It looks like new compared to before, because the tinting was pretty scratched up, but the glass underneath was still perfect. I did the heat gun and pull method. This method worked OK, but took an 1.5 hours or so. What you do is heat the film as you peel it off, and then use alcohol to remove any remaining residue. The heat gun didn't seem to help reduce residue (still completely covered the sunroof), but it seemed like the residue was easier to remove later where the heat gun was used.

And about the side steps. I actually have a set of factory side steps available (removed from my dad's E), but I don't really like the look of them. I like the clean look without them. I am curious about storage arm rest. Do they have a factory, interior matching, look or do they look kind of cheap? I think I am more interested in the SC center console conversion. How much does the SC console conversion cost?

 

[TaylorSp]

More Photos

Here is a photo of my E with the Home Depot lower grille guard mod, along with a photo of both of our Es together.

 

[Billboard]

love them; jealous of your fog lights....

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

It's...

OFFICIAL!!!

May she provide you with many years of service and enjoyment...!

CONGRATS TaylorSP (Student Pilot???)!!!

LBD