2004 Honda Element

I've owned a Honda element now for 5 years, I have over 100,000 miles on it, I've driven it cross country from Virginia to California. I can't be happier with this car. It has never failed me even once.

I had seen a number of them , and a lot of my friends and people I know said they thought they were very boxy, but I love the style. The car has a huge amount of room inside. You can rotate up the seats or turn them down, you can lay them flat, or totally remove them. I've carried everything from brick pavers for a parking space I was building to a full size jet tub that I used in a bathroom remodel, both carried in the back of my Element.

I think it's a very comfortable ride, I'm 6'4" and I love the head room. The seats are firm but well designed and rugged. They recline nicely and the leg room is excellent.

The controls are all excellent, I have the 4WD version, and the gear shift is in the center of the console, that takes a little getting used to, but really now that I am used to it there, I can't imagine going back to anywhere else. Honda has done a great job placing all the basic controls in easy reach. I have cruise control on mine and again ti's worked with out fail for over 100k miles. I also like that it has an auxiliary input for the stereo. I use that with my iPod all the time.

The interior is easy to clean, I use a broom and a vacuum cleaner and take out the back seats and it cleans up like a charm.

The only things I've had to do with it are routine maintenance. Oil and other fluid changes, tire changes, brake replacement. I still haven't had to replace the exhaust system yet. Not one mechanical problem.

The fuel warning light comes on with about 2.5 gallons left, so I've never had a problem running out of gas, the light is visible and noticeable.

I've had as many as four people in it for extended trips and it's worked for that really well. Though the folks in the back seat do have a bit of trouble with the doors, because you can't get out of the back seats with out opening the front doors. It might be a bit difficult if you had a child seat, to get it in and out, but the flip side of that is that there is a lot of room inside the vehicle.

The 4WD is on demand, and you don't have to do anything to get it to work. The problem with this is that it works so well, I wonder sometimes if it's working at all. But I've never gotten stuck with it.

I can't say enough good things about my Element. I don't expect to have to replace it anytime soon, but if I did, I'd probably buy another Element. It's just been a great car for me.