HA! One of my early Civics was a guaranteed death trap. Not because of any damage. It was a Honda '81 Civic. If you were hit by anything larger than a bicycle (okay, how about a 50cc Moped), I think death was certain.:lol: I called it my tuna can on wheels as it had about the same protection as the metal used in canning tuna.:grin I still shudder today when I think what an accident in that car would have been like.
I agree with everyone about the concerns over this Element. I bought it for $6600 and just drove it back home the past 2 days. The drive home was 1,249 miles which gave me, as the father, an opportunity to really test it out on the open road with nobody to blame but myself. I encountered rain, wind, deeply grooved pavement from the heat and what 18 wheels can do to an interstate in the south, gravel (detour due to flooding), nice climbs and descents between Asheville and Knoxville and rough, nasty roads in need of repair in and around St. Louis on my journey.
The car drove like a champ. Although I didn't open it up above 85 mph, I did run it at 80-82 mph for quite a few hundred miles. I had it checked for frame alignment and it passed with flying colors. No flood damage and the car does not leak (car wash and multiple rain storms I drove through). It tracks straight, but the new Sigma Wild Spirit tires he put on the front are a very open tread and it they are loud as heck (especially without any floor mats in the Element). I'll order some today. The tires will be perfect for the snow here where we live this winter, but the noise reminds me of the stock Wranglers that came on my 2005 E. You have to talk like an opera singer to be heard in the cab.
The man who did the repairs appears to have done an excellent job in his shop. In talking with him, he has done quite a few vehicles over the years. I am taking it to my local mechanic today for a once over, new spark plugs and oil change. Differential oil was changed recently - so that's good to go.
The cheap and illusive cage that covers/protects the fuel tank below was not replaced and got a little bent at the front section of it in the accident. I'll have to figure out if that's worth messing with or not. It might be easy to bend it back into shape. The only thing it would protect the fuel tank from in the situations it will be driven in here would be snow, so it might be worth getting a new one once the deep stuff hits in a few months.
The one issue that cropped up was the dreaded "Driver's Side Rocking Seat" which is covered on various threads here at elementownersclub.com. The DIY fix is $39 for the kit and about an hour or two of my time to fix it according to TSB. It only rocks when the adjustment knob has the seat all the way at the highest point. Other than that - everything seems to be top notch with this Element. It needs a couple of drops of touch up paint on some rock chips on the hood, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Again - there are always several rebuilt Elements for sale and one has to make the decision if the cost savings of a salvage is worth the risk. In this toilet of an economy, I may have been able to pull of a purchase on a similar year Element (but with higher mileage) without any accident history for about $1500 more (according to recent eBay auctions I have followed), so I can't say it was a "deal of the century" or anything. I had a budget to work with that included taxes, title, and delivery or travel expenses for the trip to pick up the car. $6600 for the car. $621 for tax, title, and the 13 month registration. $190 for the flight. Two nights in a motel. 4 tanks of gas and 4 meals. I don't think I could have had the Element delivered 1,249 miles for much less than my trip cost (about $600 total for flight, gas, motel, food).
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