[Geraldcor]

Hello. I am new to Elements and new to the forum. I have some initial questions to help me become fully entrenched in the forum

I have been looking for an 07 Element EX now for about 3 weeks. It has become extremely frustrating because I have my mind set on a manual transmission. I found one on Autotrader that is in PA and I am in UT which is about a 2,000 mile trip back home. Is this worth it? It is $16,990 (sure I can/will talk them down a bit) 39,000 miles (which is why I will try to talk them down a bit). It is also a color I like. My two top colors are Orange and Black and it is black. What do you all think? Should I bide my time a little longer or go for the 2,000 mile leap?

Thanks

Greg

 

[Dom.five]

Hi Greg ! Welcome to the EOC!

If it's what you want, 2,000 miles is not a bad trip! Standard transmissions are difficult to find. It appears as though, those that have them won't let go.

Dom

 

[spdrcr5]

I would... and did. I found the one I wanted and it was down in Maryland. I flew down and drove it home. On my way home I stopped to visit with several friends and ended up putting on 400+ miles in the first weekend! We will do the same thing when I get my wife her new car in a few months. We will find what she wants for the best price and wherever it ends up being we will either drive or fly to get it.

I was able to save $1,500 when I got mine new the end of 2003.

 

[ProjectMangler]

Why just an 07? Aside from the 5-speed auto tranny, which is obviously not a factor for you, what sets it apart from an 06? As the owner of an 07 I say good choice, but I don't think they changed much.

I bought a 5-speed MT, but I was impressed with how well the auto worked when we were test driving. 5 speeds seem to be fairly rare, so if you're set on those two colors you may have to do some driving.

 

[ORANGEE]

Would make for an awesome 1st road trip...............remember to bring your camera so you can take (ANDPOST) the pictures from this trip

go for it, fly and buy

 

[Geraldcor]

As far as the year is concerned, 06 is fine, but 07 supposedly has slightly higher horsepower. Plus, I wanted to keep mileage sort of low in comparison to what I can afford and 07s just about hit the mark. I just kind of like the idea of having the slightly new revision also. I suppose the 06 would be good too. I'll have to look at that. I can become quite narrow minded sometimes.

A friend of mine also suggested having the car shipped to me. Apparently his Mom does it quite regularly and it costs $500. I am weary of doing this for a used car, but I mean I am willing to pay for a plane ticket for a used car so this may be an option. Anyone had any experience with shipping a car either through a dealer or personally?

Greg

 

[jjthink]

Greg - Is it Honda certified or a private sale? This might be relevant re: whether to buy sight unseen........

(incidentally, the 07EX's I'm seeing at dealerships are usually asking ~$20K so the $16,990 ask you note seems like it might be a private sale?)

 

[Geraldcor]

It is a small family dealership so I don't know if it is certified or not. That is a good point.

 

[Geraldcor]

Sooo.....after an exhausting weekend of dealership wandering, haggling and frustration, I worked the numbers and decided to order in a '10 EX with a manual Transmission . The payments will be a little higher than I was initially planning on, but with a healthy down payment (I have another couple months to save up as it is a special order) it should work out well.

I am Excited to say the least. So, now comes the intense research on what to do next. I appreciate the comments I have received so far and I look forward to many more. Thanks.

Oh, one more question while on this thread. I believe the base EX automatic is something like $23,xxx so with the manual should I be looking at $22,xxx? The salesman, in his perfect salesman way said that we will work out the price when the car arrives. $22,xxx would be just about perfect for me.

Thanks again guys.

Greg

 

[lesdahlen]

Go for it!

If its what you want go for it. I got my 2005 in Calif. from Washington State with 45,000 miles on it and love it and would not have changed a thing.

Hello. I am new to Elements and new to the forum. I have some initial questions to help me become fully entrenched in the forum

I have been looking for an 07 Element EX now for about 3 weeks. It has become extremely frustrating because I have my mind set on a manual transmission. I found one on Autotrader that is in PA and I am in UT which is about a 2,000 mile trip back home. Is this worth it? It is $16,990 (sure I can/will talk them down a bit) 39,000 miles (which is why I will try to talk them down a bit). It is also a color I like. My two top colors are Orange and Black and it is black. What do you all think? Should I bide my time a little longer or go for the 2,000 mile leap?

Thanks

Greg

 

[ORANGEE]

Sooo.....after an exhausting weekend of dealership wandering, haggling and frustration, I worked the numbers and decided to order in a '10 EX with a manual Transmission .

Thanks again guys.

Greg

Congrats, can't wait to see the pictures.............................

 

[spdrcr5]

Greg, if the salesman is telling you he can get you a 2010 with a manual transmission then you need to question him/her again.

As for negotiating a price after the Element arrives? That is not the best way to negotiate I don't think. There is also no such thing as a special order with Honda. The dealers can exchange inventory with another dealer, but Honda will not build anything to order aka special order.

What is so special about what you were looking for and what did the salesman actually tell you? He knows exactly what the costs are of everything for the 2010 model, so there should be no reason to wait. Did you give any sort of deposit so that they will hold the Element that is on "special order" for you with your name on it? If yes, is this a 100% refundable deposit without any funny business?

You need to be careful with what a salesman says to you. Please give us some details on this deal.

 

[Geraldcor]

The only thing special order is the manual transmission. I paid a $500 destination fee and I don't think it is refundable. The salesman said that the manual is not made normally but it can be made if you request it from Honda. So this isn't true? Great.

Greg

 

[spdrcr5]

The only thing special order is the manual transmission. I paid a $500 destination fee and I don't think it is refundable. The salesman said that the manual is not made normally but it can be made if you request it from Honda. So this isn't true? Great.

Greg

it has not been true for the Elements entire 7 yr production run and since there wasn't a manual even offered for 2009 let alone 2010 I can't imagine how any dealer could possibly request for a single Element to be built using a transmission that isn't within 100 miles of the East Liberty factory... Also, Honda doesn't build one off vehicles. They are built in batches of 25-50 (i believe that is the production range). They actually build 25 of the exact same model, color and options at the same time. Then will switch to a different color and built 25, etc.

The salesman lied to you. Hopefully since he lied you can get the money back. I would first contact another 1-5 dealers and ask about a Manual for 2010 and about getting an Element custom ordered... if they are honest they will tell you neither request is possible.

Good luck and please let us know what happens.

 

[Geraldcor]

So I called a couple of the large dealers here and the consensus is that you can get a manual transmission for the SC and 4wd EX models. They say they really only bring in the manual if a customer requests it, which is what I did basically. So I think I am in the clear and everything should work out according to plan. So perhaps I mispoke when I said it was a special order. It is more like I requested a certain vehicle and it will be shipped in. It is all very confusing still, but I think it will work out.

Honda.com lists the 2009 as having a manual transmission option so I am hoping 2010 will start listing it as well as soon as cars start arriving at dealers. But I don't know.

Greg