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My taste in cars is way different now from when I first started driving. I’ve gone through phases: a truck phase, a Volkswagen phase, and back to the first one in recent years. I still love trucks, to be clear, but nowadays, I just want something that works. I thought that’s what I was getting with my second-gen Prius when I bought it last year, but that silly thing hasn’t moved for months thanks to various hybrid battery gremlins. I’m looking to replace it with something simpler, and in my search, I stumbled across a 2003 Honda Element that I’m pretty sure I’ll be driving home tonight.
Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 19: This story was originally published with a headline that read, “I’m Looking at a Honda Element Tonight, and Good Luck Talking Me Out of It.” Well, congratulations, readers. You did it! After hearing about SantaBarbarian‘s friend whose family was hospitalized after a low-speed impact in a nearly identical car, and watching the crash test comparisons between first- and second-gen Elements, I decided to call off the test drive. Thanks, you guys! I owe you a cold glass of milk.
Suffice to say, I’m stoked about it. My sister drove an Element back in high school, and I remember it being extremely roomy. There are only four seats, which isn’t ideal since we’re a family of five, but we can all fit in my wife’s Expedition. Plus, the Element’s rear seats not only fold flat, but they fold up onto the sides?! How did I not know that?
Via Facebook Marketplace
The seller has supposedly owned this car for the past 16 years, which seems like a good sign. Mileage is pretty high at 268,000 or so, but I’m less concerned by that; I’d be more worried if the car had sat for most of its life. And its maintenance record seems clean, as they mention new struts, ball joints, axle seals, and headlights in the last year. One thing I plan to ask more about is the K24’s cylinder head replacement they had done “recently” after learning it needed a new head gasket. Was that a preventative or a reactive job? Who did the work? Is it a sign of something more?
It also looks super clean in the photos. I don’t see a dent or a scuff in the listing’s 18 photos, and amazingly, the interior looks just as well-kept. Take a peek at the skylight above the backseats.
Via Facebook Marketplace
It has a few aftermarket upgrades, but nothing too crazy. The stock head unit has been replaced with a larger one that displays a backup camera feed. They added a remote start system, and it comes with two keys. All simple stuff.
I really want this one to be a winner because every vehicle I buy breaks. I’ve written about this before, back when I had a small fleet of dump trucks that caused me fits every time I started them up. Now, I have a 1996 Ford F-350 and the aforementioned Prius that don’t like to move. It’s getting old, and having dealt with diesel and hybrid headaches for the past couple of years, it’s time to buy something clean and simple. That’s what I’m hoping to get with the Element, which will hopefully be a better blend of reliability and niftiness.
Via Facebook Marketplace
In the end, I don’t care what “cool” mods are out there for this car because I want to keep it simple, stupid. (I’m talking to myself there, to be clear.) So what if you can get custom cabinetry to go in the back for camping? And who cares that you can buy a swivel mount so the front seats swing around to create a cool conversation space? OK, those are both super cool, but I’m not touching the engine, suspension, or drivetrain unless strictly for maintenance. I’ve had enough of that in my life.
Ed. Note: The search continues. I’m open to suggestions! Hit my line with ’em: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
