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August 2011 Moms
JaysonandKristin
member
* StefandTodd *
JaysonandKristin
member
You have an Element?
We are interested in buying one in August. Is it as easy to clean the inside as it seems it should be?
Is it really as difficult to strap the kids into the carseats as you alluded to in the convertible carseat post below? That concerns me. Is it the suicide doors?
What do you think about it long-term? As in, we have 2 boys... do you think it'd be an OK car to have through their elementary school days? Baseball gear and golf gear and camping crap and stroller and groceries? In other words, how's the storage capacity when it's at full passenger capacity?
Thanks!! 
Prudence
Otis
Hank
This discussion has been closed.
Re: * StefandTodd *
Hey there
We LOVE our Element. Love love love it.
That said, it is so not practical for us to keep with 2 kids
...we are definitely going to be trading it in probably within the next year to 18 months for a minivan (woot! lol).
Yes, the suicide doors make it really hard (impossible almost, especially with 2) to get a kiddo into their carseat RFing. Or maybe not the doors exactly, but the fact the rear seats are BEHIND the rear doors. FFing, it's AWESOME b/c there is toooons of room between the front and back seats. There can't possibly be a carseat available that wouldn't fit. Here is a photo of a RFing infant seat in an Element. See how you'd either have to get IN the car to put a kid in (or be able to easily pull the seat in/out and/or swivel it) to buckle them in?
It is fantastically easy to clean. We have a dog, and it has been a great dog car! But, the back area behind the rear seats is not super big. Our 75 lb dog's bed fits back there and he can lay down, but just barely. When we travel (like to my IL's) with the dog, and the three of us, we have to put our bags, etc in one of the two leftover seats (next to C or passenger front). It's a total PITA. More than once, I've climbed in the back and had to sit ON our duffel bag b/c we put stuff next to his seat, and then he needed me back there. When we have two car seats in the back, and our dog with us, we'll have to use our roof rack just for our overnight duffel bags. So, IMHO it's totally impractical for a family of 4. It also only has 4 seats.
We have loved that car. I will be sad to give it up. We've even talked about keeping it and trading in our Civic for the van, but I think it's the most practical choice to have one big, one small car.
We have taken it to the snow though - loved that. The AWD works great, no need for chains. When it was just the two of us, we'd sleep in it for camping and it was so awesome. Futon mattress on top of the seats folded down. So cool. There's even a neat $5k camper conversion to add a "tent" feature to the top that we considered...so so cool. It's a really neat car.
Maybe without a dog you'd have enough space in the back? ...but it's really not much space at all. Like I mentioned, we have the roof rack, which definitely helps. But, we found we needed that for camping when it was just me, H, and a dog...so still, really not a lot of space.
This all may also be one of the reasons I have never used a stroller. Literally nowhere in my car that I could put a stroller, unless it was on top of the dog bed, so I'd be pulling it in and out every time we were with/without the dog.
Long winded response
But those are all my thoughts 
THANK YOU for that thorough response. DH was really happy with the information you provided. While the Element was the top contender for us, it just doesn't seem to fit the bill in terms of size.
Next on the list is the Tribeca, but I have a feeling it may be too small as well. I HATE compromising fuel economy in the name of size. I have to find something. And, I REALLY like the idea of a quirky/unique car like the Element.
Thanks again!! You are totally awesome!!
H & I both have Honda Pilots, which are bigger than the Element (which they are not making anymore, BTW). We LOVE our Pilots. We have a 2006 and a 2011, which is a little bigger. We have a RF convertible seat in the middle spot in the 2011, and a RF convertible seat in the rear passenger in the 2006 (no middle latch). They are both very roomy and easy to drive. We made a trip to and from Chicago from MA at Christmastime (with two cats along for part of the trip) with plenty of room for luggage, stroller, PnP and assorted baby gear.
HTH!
I know you probably intended your post towards J&K, but for our lifestyle, the Odyssey is much more practical. The Pilot is a gorgeous vehicle, but not even an option we'll consider. And we're hopelessly devoted to Honda...so Odyssey it is. The CR-V is, like the Element, too small.
Pilot's too common for my taste (I mean, 4 of my 5 immediate neighbors drive one). Trust me, we've considered it. We aren't going minivan, and we're not going Pilot, Sequoia, etc.
We have a Subaru Legacy... We had a Honda Ridgeline. I like "different" cars. We loved the Ridgy, but it still only seats 5. We will figure this out. I am just sad to see the Element is not practical for us.
DH is VERY particular about vehicles. There are complete makes of cars that are off limits. After that, there are only a handful of cars that meet his reliability, AWD and fuel economy standards. Add to that my need to have a quirky car, and we're only left with a small number of cars.