Keep the Element! Many people are looking for used ones; they are a very practical car.
And wasn’t there a Mitsubishi Proton?
Ah, yes, the VW Quantum. That’s the one I was thinking of.
@texases There was a Mitsubishi Proton, but it was made in Malaysia. Proton is their national car company and all the early models were based on the Mitsubishi Lancer.
Mine was a 2000 model which was based on an earlier model; the same car that was sold as the Dodge 2000 in the USA and Canada. Mine had a 1.5 liter engine and a 3 speed automatic. This car was exported to an number of countries including England, but it did not sell well. In Malaysia it sold for 50,000 Malaysian dollars or about $20,000 US. An imported Civic or Corolla sold for twice that much, due to the very steep import duties.
A $40k Corolla? Yikes!
@
The cheapest car in Malaysia was a Daihatsu Charade, locally built; it sold for $12,000 US. Import duties are based on foreign content and engine size. So a Mercedes E class (100% foreign content) with the V6 engine sells there for 428,000 Malaysian dollars or $171,000 US due to the 200% import levy. My 1400 square foot luxury apartment was sold for the same amount just before I left.
Thanks for all of your comments. You’ve convinced me to keep my Element. I really do love it and have kept it in mint condition. It’s simple, yet functionally perfect for my current needs. I can splurge on my next car.
Why did they drop the Element? My Wife finally bought one in excellent shape(AWD) everybody I talk to about them love em-Kevin
I don’t know why they stopped making them. I thought it was a great vehicle and thought it would have a long production life.
"Why did they drop the Element ?"
While “everyone” likes the looks, the practicality, reliability etc., they did not buy enough of them. When it comes down to planting our fat astoroids on seats in quite environments, practicality looses. The CRV just got bigger, so big, it negated the advantages in a lot of people’s minds enough to buy a dedicated vehicle. I tried to buy one when they were selling well and the dealers were jerks. “we don’t have to negotiate” was their mantra in our area. “I hope you choke on your Element. I’ll just keep my truck” was my thought when I walked out of their salesroom . Enough felt the same. There are just so many dog owners who buy cars specifically for their dogs. Essentially, it’s a big, noisy van. Why not just get a quiet one ?
While Honda sold enough Elements to keep it around at first the demand dropped below what they must have felt was worth it. It stayed on the 2nd Gen CRV platform even after the redesign of the CRV for '07. Honda could have introduced a new version but chose not to. It’s not to everyone’s tastes but if you don’t like the element you can have a CRV which has been selling very well. From what I’ve been able to find they sold 84,000 Honda Elements in 2003 which fell to roughly 14,000 in the final year. This is compared to 150,000-200,000+ CRV’s sold every year since 2003
Titanium is the top trim level for many Fords.
I want to see subatomic particles. I’d buy a blue lepton or a charmed quark. Maybe not a Higgs boson. It imparts mass so the gas mileage might lag the massless particles.
A few years back the used CRVs were going for almost new prices,I didnt appreciate that and told the saleslady as much-Kevin
@kmccune I’ve noticed the trend with various honda’s, 3yr old ones are at close to what they sold for new (at least on the Honda dealer’s lot)
Unfortunately, there has been a shortage of newish used cars. With new car sales so poor a few years ago values have stayed high, especially for the most desirable models. Some of the best values are probably basically good cars from brands that have little cachet. Alas, for SUVs popularity and quality match pretty well. So you have to settle for a fairly reliable model like a Rogue, Tuscon, or Escape that isn’t very nice, or take your chances with a less reliable model like an Equinox or Terrain. Or even give up on the idea that you need a true SUV and get a Soul, xB, or Vibe. Or any of a number of other practical hatchbacks/small wagons.
@MarkM
One reason smaller SUVs are popular is that they tend to be easier to get in and out of. If one has mobility issues, such as bad knees or hips, something that lets them slide into and out of is a lot more desirable that falling into and climbing out of a Civic or Corolla. This is why my mom is considering one for her next purchase when her Cobalt bites the dust.
Also, I believe it stems from the cash for clunkers that has caused the holes in the used car market that hasn’t really been filled in since. They took in perfectly good vehicles that could have been resold, but they had to destroy them because big brother said their 25MPG wasn’t good enough for consumers. This hole caused used cars, especially those with high MPG to skyrocket in price(I heard of someone paying $3000 for an old 3cyl Geo Metro at a dealership here in Ohio)
Those that traded in got new cars, but they’ve kept them longer than they normally would have.
Buying a used CRV is usually not a good deal as mentioned here. My own example, could not find a used one with decent pricing in 2011, so bought a brand new 2011. Kept it for 18 months and around 10K miles and sold for $600 less than purchase price minus tax/lic, overall cost to me was $3K due to high CA taxes. It is still $167 per month with no repair or maintenance cost whatsoever. The buyer was actually happy on getting a good deal on clean used Honda.
If I liked the CRV, I guess the best plan would be to buy a new one every 2 years and then sell it.
I don’t know the numbers, but constantly remaining in the higher brackets for excise taxes, insurance , and initial sales tax always makes me look for used cars in good shape and keep them for about ten years. Buying a new one every two years would “drive me crazy”. MSRP of a 2014 base Venza was $28k plus, not including tax, title. I just bought a one year old 2013 awd Venza for $22.6 k tax and title included (it also included dealer installed bug shield, 4 winter rims and trailer hitch, just to seal the deal per my request) Maybe it is better to buy a CRV new…but not a lot of competitive other cars.
@dagosa;
The problem is you are comparing the MSRP of new to the used price. MSRP means nothing. In December I bought a new Ford Focus Hatchback, the MSRP was $20400, my purchase price was $15500+ tax/fees. Currently this car’s private party value on KBB or edmunds comes to $17K+ with 5K miles on it. That is because the used price is deducted from MSRP, but if you are buying new, you can do so much better than MSRP in most cases. I checked truecar.com and I can get a FWD LE Venza for $24800, the MSRP is $28800.
@galant
There is a general consensus it seems here that used vehicles are more expensive then they are worth compared to new cars. I have never found it true for the smart shopper. I have never found it true either when you consider extraneous expenses dependent upon age including local taxes and insurance. If CRVs are one notable exception, it would be in an area with absolutly no competition. That is not in most places. The sale of a used car is based upon the money the dealership has invested in the car which is directly related to the trade in value or the price paid at auction, the prep prices (tires, damage repair etc.) and the local pressures to be competitive. Have you seen those prices ? I haven’t. They will never tell you but you can find it indirectly through negotiations. Plenty of wiggle room there too. It doesn’t exist only with new cars alone. Please include the hundreds of dollars in options too that I negotiated into my price on a used car which can be done on any car, new or used and the fact my price includes taxes and fees. You can use their ability to get wholesale prices on options for your retail purchase.
Buying a new car every two years as a way of paying less, only exists in the minds of those who accept a monthly payment for a car the rest of their car owning lives along with paying maximum insurance and exise tax payments. Some of us don’t fall into that trap.