Honda Element

[TomW]

Can anyone tell me why an Element would be a poor choice for a fishing vehicle. Poor clearence, poor stability, poor visibility ect.
I know it is not the most beautiful design but......
What would be a good alternative?? I have to do something about my 15 year old, 9 MPG truck.

Thanks
Tom

[flyfishfairwx]

I have a 13year old Jeep Cherokee ,and a 2006 Toyota Tundra, the jeep is my fishing veh, lots of km's on it and still going strong.

I suggest gettingsomething between the Jeep and the Toyota, which is for sale BTW, It is too big for Ann and I. we bought a house instead of a Travel trailer, and the boys have their own veh, or don't want to travel with us now...

[92Esquire]

Last winter I bought a Toyota FJ cruiser specifically as a dog/fishing/hunting truck. It's been fantastic. Plenty of room, rubber/plastic/neoprene interior that cleans well and doesn't hold water. The interior is long enough to hold a strung-up 9' fly rod with no problems.

I love the fact that I can get out of the river, dump my nasty wading boots and waders in the back, and wipe it out when I get home with no ill effects.

I looked at the element, but wanted a "real" 4wd truck. Plus my wife has a 4Runner that we love, and the FJ shares much of the frame and powertrain with that vehicle.

I get 20MPG with primarily highway driving. Know in advance that you have to burn premium to get decent mileage.

Plus, Filson the WonderDog loves it to death:

[mcsteff]

fly
My son has an Element and he told me this.
The ammount of crap you can fit in the back is really quite impressive. Especially when you take out the rear seats (which isn't that hard at all). One of the best things about the cargo space is that it is flat. No tunnel bumps.
You aren't going to take it off roading. But, with 4 wheel drive, getting to most normal fishing locations shouldn't be an issue.
He didn't like the tires that it had when he got it used. He put on a wider, lower profile Continental Conti Pro Contact (European touring sedan tire) which lowered the ride height about an inch and helped the handling. It is by no means a sports car, but it does just fine for him.
Now that he keeps the tire pressure to 36 cold, he gets almost 24 mpg on the freeway and around 21 or so around town. His is a 5 speed manual. It takes some getting used to as the shifter is in a strange location, but after a while, it feels totally natural.
There is a large following of people. Before he purchased his 2003 EX Manual, he thought they were a bit ugly and would never buy one. Now, he loves it and uses it for trips to Home Depot and for moving his two dogs around.
It doesn't tow a whole lot (2100 pounds) but the general consesus is that it can tow more with its 2.4 liter, 160 hp iVtec engine. So, for moving smallish trailors around, it is more than adequate.
Any more questions, just let me know and I will ask him.

[TxEngr]

Don't personally know much about the Element but have looked at them. Seems like it would be a pretty good fishing vehicle and I knew one fly fisherman who had one and liked it. The mileage is OK but you'd think it would be better given the size.

I bought a Mazda Tribute specifically for fishing/camping. Key items were the ability to pull a trailer of 3500 lb if needed (still looking at pop up campers), decent size inside with fold down seats, and somewhat reasonable mileage (I get 23 mixed driving - can get 25-26 if I slow down and don't use the AC). I bought leather seats and was a little worried about that, but they've held up better than cloth to my fishing. I throw a tarp on the floor when I get in with my waders when chaning locations and have had no problem.

Sorry for the rambling...hope this helps.

TxEngr

[Gramps]

I have a Jeep Wrangler setup for off road. Any less wouldn't get me to where I fish, and as winter comes i'm wondering if it will. I use the cheapest 85 octane gas and get 18 mpg. I can live with that.

[ducksterman]

Haven't heard anyone mention clearance????

[Gramps]

Haven't heard anyone mention clearance????

The more the better.

[mcsteff]

I always buy my fish truck before they go on clearance...better selection.

[Silverexpress]

Here is the yahoo group for the Honda Element if you don't belong to it already, I'm sure you'll get more answers pertaining to it:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/HondaElement/

Edit: I think this is more relevant - than my long winded ancedote.