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Comments
Be very careful with this. Essentially your car is worth X dollars used. If you owe more than X dollars, the amount you owe over that (Y dollars) will be rolled into your next loan as negative equity. So your cost for the new car will by Z + Y.
But I can't be like him so hes going with me.
Just because they say they will pay the old car off, they aren't obligated to pay them on time- and you can be left with late fees and even collections.
Also, everything dealships use in trade and financing you HAVE to read fine print. They work fast and smooth. They like to play with your interest+length of time and get as much as an extra $3000 over the course of the loan.
Extras: I had my dealer include my current ones in my flat rate price offer.
I've been looking online and there are a few sites that sell " genuine honda parts and accessories" but what can you believe over the internet?
Use your instincts. I can't post the ones I've found here or they can be removed by the hosts.
WHAT I HAVE FOUND THAT I WANT is not offered BY honda. They have one on site a sunroof deflector for the air resistence. I've ridden in the back of my car with the sunroof off and there is a considerable amount of noise where the drive could hear us but we couldn't hear him at all...and I've noticed most cars with a sun/moof roof have a deflector already.
I need that.
2. 2WD vs 4WD/AWD. I think people need to understand something about this system. It's not an either/or situation. The "AWD", or "real time 4WD" or whatever catch phrase you want to call it, is NOT FULL TIME. The vehicle is Front Wheel Drive ALL THE TIME. ONLY when it senses the front tires slipping, will it throw power to the back wheels. So, you would never really be driving with 4WD for any extended period of time. It shuts off as soon as it senses no more "slippage" in the front. So technically you're only talking about maybe a few hundred feet (if that), depending on where you're driving. So there should really be NO significant effect on gas mileage.
Steve, Host
For instance: when my uncle traded in his beamer for that new caddy suv (I forget the name) he had them pay for everything, (tax & Tags, the 10k he had left on the beamer) and he even managed to get them to sell under the price they were offering (although it was not by much). But the fact that he is able to do that just astounds me.
Well I'll definitely be taking a test drive this weekend. I have driven an Element before and really liked it but it was not an extensive enough drive to get a good feel for it. I live in the metro dc area so I really don't need the all wheel drive version.
My current car (and I love it very much) is a 99 Infiniti G20 that I bought 3 years ago. I now want the Element for its fun factor and versatility. Don't get me wrong my G20 is a great car but I always feel like im afraid to park it on the city fearing (bumper car parking) and door dingers. This is partially why I like the plastic panneling on the Element. Its very city friendly.
I was a little worried about trying to squeeze something out of the Honda dealer but uncle Ted says not to worry "just let him do all the talkin" and thats exactly what I plan to do. He loves this stuff. And he almost gets offended to find out that a family member buys a care without consulting him. It's kind of a family joke with everyone (except my know it all sister).
Anywho, I don't know if I'll definitely buy the Element but I'm certaily leaning towards it.
We have two kids, both under the age of 2. They're in carseats that take up a lot of room, in part because they're still rear-facing. And along with the kids comes a lot of junkand mess. The adults in the equation are above-average height, meaning 6' and 6"2. I need a car that gets good gas mileage for my long commute but is also safe safe safe and roomy enough to haul the kids when needed, which is often.
So the Element seems like a good choice.
Or is it?
Any parents with small kids want to chime in here?
My wife sort of put a wrench in the works this weekend when she commented on the styling and said something to the effect: "You know, we're going to have this car for five years or more. Do you really want to be getting out of an Element when you're 40?" She's got a point.
The seats will be front facing sooner than you think. They'll be 7 and long out of car seats after 5 yeaers.
Thers is LOTS and LOTS of room for stuff and the urethane floor is kid proof.
There's lots of room for tall parents.
The E will remain cooly funky for as long as you own it, while mini-vans and big SUVs will look more and more the same.
You can always lease it for 3 years and make a buy decision later before you are 40.
Good shopping.
Lots of leg room, head room, and great for ease of entry/exit. xB styling is love it or hate it, though. I would still encourage you to check it out in person and test drive it before making a decision.
Passenger Volume
86 cu.ft.
Interior Cargo Volume
11.7 cu.ft.
Interior Cargo Volume w/Seats Folded
32.8 cu.ft
Here's Element specs:
Cargo Volume (cu. ft., behind 2nd-row; 2WD/4WD)
25.1
Cargo Volume (cu. ft., maximum; 2WD/4WD)
74.6
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.; 2WD/4WD)
103.6
I think you could probably fold up the seats in the E and put an xB in the cargo area. ;=)
Consumer Reports magazine says that the xB has "enormous interior room", and the high gas mileage and low price are added bonuses. For my needs, the xB was a no-brainer, the Element was a big hassle with its suicide doors - my kids wanted nothing to do with it. It comes down to a matter of personal preference. I think anyone who is considering an Element should check out the xB for its huge, comfortable interior.
Plus I can't stand center guages.
Anywho, I still did the test drive of the Element and absolutely loved it but i'm holding off on makind a decision because I wanna check out the Equinox. If I go back to the Element I'll let you guys know.
My kids absolutely love the Element, though.
These are distinctively styled, boxy, practical vehicles and IMHO both are a good value. Each offers unique advantages, too.
Element has more torque and the option of AWD. The catch, IMO, for a family, is that you have to remove the front seat belt to let out someone in the rear seats.
npgmbr: someone like you, sans uncle, would be better off at a no-haggle dealer. Those are low pressure and you can relax.
-juice
and if so there is a big difference in hp, we all know that with the diff, in hp come the diff, on mpg. i do like the look of the xb but not as much as to buy one. and of course we are here to share opinions the xb look too fragile and toyish.
good day
fig.
I do find that the FWD E can really break it's front wheels loose on even slightly damp pavement when accelerating from a stop.
A Limited Slip Differential would have been nice. Maybe this isn't a problem for the AWD E, in which case, I'd recommend strongly that anyone contemplating buying an E stay away from the FWD only version.
A LSD would be good, or just add VSA. The CR-V might get that for 2005, so maybe the Element will also?
Traction control effectively can manage a differential, so FWD+VSA would send power to at least two wheels.
-juice
There is nothing worse than buying something an find it is missing something of importance.
-juice
Check out these areas for all the info you'd ever need (and more) on detailing products:
"Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts)" May 4, 2004 12:04pm
"Zaino Car Polishes/Products--Your Experiences (Part 2)" Apr 28, 2004 2:18pm
It's a baby kind of thing really.
:-\
Creamy Jiff works wonders. ;-)
-juice
I am thinking of purchasing an Element of my own, and trying to find out info regarding demand in the SLC, UT area so that I will have a better idea of how hard I can push the dealers.
Thanks.
Some predict it will be like the PT cruiser and the new beetle- initial demand then fade out.
i like them and want to know
-juice
shows Honda sales by model for April and YTD.
I think it's still so new that right now it's a seller's market.
Element has been a hit for Honda so far. We'll see if it can sustain the good sales, but it's nearly double the projections.
xB just started selling nationwide so we'll have to wait and see on that one.
-juice
Element * 5,128 6,480 -20.9% 20,047 21,949 -9.6%
Hopefully Honda won't bail on the Element as I think it has a niche market.
My SO wants an Element. We are watching and trying to stretch one more year out of her current GM minivan. Hopefully by this time next year I'll never have to deal with that GM POS again.
Sales in the first year were way above Honda's expectations. They originally planned to sell about 40K units, then expanded it to 50K units. In reality, they sold something like 67 or 69K units.
Here we are in the first 1/3rd of the year, and they have already sold 20K units. They're on track to sell about 60K for the year. That's still 10K units above their revised expectations and 20K above their original goal.
I think that sales are down because the newness has worn off and the incentives on other vehicles are making them more appealing. I also suspect that the Element was selling as the less expensive version of the CR-V. Now that the CR-V is selling below MSRP, some buyers may be choosing the CR-V.