This makes me almost regret selling my identical (but better color) Element back in 2012. I just don't get it. These boxes are fine I suppose, but 30 large?
For that price I'd expect it to have at the very least an Ursa Minor conversion and full Fifth Element camping kit.
I love these things and I want one, but this is stupid.
In reply to Erich :
There's one of those Ursa Minor E-Campers in my neighborhood. It's super nice.
Fun fact. The sunroof placement was so that you could change wetsuits while standing up.
Wow... What can happen when two people with money decide they REALLY want something...
Also a reminder of what AWD and a manual transmission can do for the value of a vehicle.
But really... wow.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I love these things and I want one, but this is stupid.
I wanted one for a while but even with 190k miles people wanted $9k. So I bought a Baja instead, which was a much worse vehicle
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:Wow... What can happen when two people with money decide they REALLY want something...
Also a reminder of what AWD and a manual transmission can do for the value of a vehicle.
But really... wow.
Given an Element's attributes, what other options are there even at that price point? A good friend is an Element aficionado and it's really difficult to find a legit replacement for one. Also, they get used a lot so low mileage units are thin on the ground.
If you can't buy a new Element, then this is the next best thing.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
On the one hand I get it, they've got a lot of character compared to new cars.
But in real world use, I didn't love mine. I replaced it with a Mazda5 and was much happier with it. I had high hopes for my Element to be an up-north camping machine, but the AWD system functioned poorly, and the ground clearance was worse than my wife's Fit, with the plastic gas tank the lowest point. I couldn't make it work on the two-tracks I needed to.
There are a ton of vanlets new and used now that do everything the Element did, but better - I'd probably go with a Transit Connect instead.
The Connect is probably as close as you can get. Eric doesn't (didn't) use his as an off-roader, it was a dog and people hauler that was very compact. They have a surprisingly small footprint and in some areas that is important.
I saw that one Friday afternoon. Jeepers, 30 fargin’ grand?!? Silly.
Money laundering? That is the only thing I can think off. That is 22K less then a fully built 2008 ACR sold for about a week ago.
Element people love their elements. My sister is on her third and has great hopes that a new version is on the horizon.
We looked at a few a couple yr ago. For 3 to 5 thousand. Average miles, but not trashed. Yea, that's a bit nicer... but not by a decimal point!
No 6 speed conversion with that price either..oooff 
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
I love those ECampers, that's the plan when I'm done with the project this spring.
Wut...? I was expecting one of those “Preserved like new with only 10 miles on it” situations.
It’s not even super low miles or a one owner car.
Huh.
This is 100% money laundering...
There is one for sale locally (manual, 70K, one owner) for $8000 cad. Which is already a lot more than most others that are slightly more high miles.
If the money laundering aspect is real, how exactly does that work? Is the seller in on the gig, or somehow just the buyer? Just morbid curiousity here ... no intent in applying what I might learn. Honest !
In reply to nutherjrfan :
"...WAS A NICE CAR UNTIL MY SON GOT INTO SEVERAL ACCIDENTS..."
lol.
Did it smell heavily of dog?
I haven't yet seen an Element that wasn't thoroughly full of dog fur.
What I don't get is, I know lots of people with dogs, and their houses/cars don't smell like the inside of a hound's lungs. But Elements almost always have that certain je ne sais quois.
BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to nutherjrfan :
"...WAS A NICE CAR UNTIL MY SON GOT INTO SEVERAL ACCIDENTS..."
lol.
It was such a Brave Little Toaster! Lol.
These days I'm sure it sells for more since everyone and their uncle is living in a trailer/RV/van/Honda Element because rent is dumb, home ownership is nay impossible, and the cops will let you take over a city street with your new "I can't afford anything" lifestyle.
I would rant on, but it'll only Lead to the thread taking off politically and getting shut down.
Yes, as Keith said I have owned a couple of Elements and I would own one right now if I had found the right one when shopping for the last daily driver.
So there that three pieces of magic that makes the Element so special (for me at least): First is that its less than 170" in length so I can use it effectively in my very urban environment and can easily parallel park it (more so than the Grand Marquis or Tahoe I have owned since). The second is the split tailgate with completely flat floor that means it can haul sofas, dogs or just about anything even it is sticks out on the tailgate. Lastly the very boxy function-over-form shape maximises the interior capacity, no slanting rear hatch and/or tapered sides. As a bonus the unpainted plastic panels were another much over-looked idea that is well suited to the urban environment where bumps and scapes never require any paint/repair.
Add in that it is/was affordable (well before BaT anyhow), very reliable, low maintenance/running cost and you have a vehicle that just doesn't have any real competitors in North America. Mine were both FWD since the AWD was weak and really good season-specific tires meant I never had any issues that AWD would have been needed for. The clamshell doors were more of a hassle, needing extra space on the sides or they were difficult to open. Also it only sat four people, not five, but that was never an issue for me.
Pete. (l33t FS) Let me explain the dog smell: The Element is used to go to/from the dog park where the pack will get into mud/crud/whatever and then get back in the car all panting and dripping dog water from a gulpy. Its like the gym/hockey bag thing.
While I don't get this Element, obviously there were 2 guys that wanted it. Who knows why, maybe it was their first car, maybe the ex took it in the divorce, but they wanted this spec for some reason.
Currently there is a 100 mile 1988 Fiero GT running, it's at $25k. My first new car was this exact spec, except it was a manual. If this was a manual, you'd be surprised how much I would go to get it, and I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't get it.
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