It’s Elemental

Way back in 2006 I purchased a Honda Element. It was a pretty unique vehicle. 4 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual transmission. I bought it because it was a bike box with an engine. Some people liked the looks (including me) and some people thought it looked quirky or funky. Dog people loved them: lots of space and no carpet. You could even wash out the interior with a hose! When Luke went to the vet we always took the Element.

The rear seats were removable, and when I took them out the Element had an incredible amount of storage space. Want proof?

Two People, 2 1/2 bikes

Here we are in Kalispell at the start of a Cycling Escapes trip through the Canadian Rockies. Besides Stoker and me, we had the CoMotion and the Sampson, luggage for the trip and a small ice chest to keep food cool for on the road lunches. I’m pretty sure there were a few wine bottles in there too. All of that went into the cargo area. Loading it was like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Without a picture to look at.

The Element handled quite well, but of course the ride was somewhat rough compared to cushier SUV’s. And it was a bit noisy too, especially going into a headwind. The high profile kept the mileage down, but also made the cargo area bigger. And the manual transmission was fine on the highway but no fun when stuck in Bay Area traffic on the way to Mount Diablo or Sierra Road. Cycling is hard enough on the legs without an hour of clutch pushing.

The Bike Box got to travel a lot. Montana, Oregon, Colorado, Tucson, Death Valley. Several trips to Agora Hills to ride in the Malibu Mountains (no tandem on those). And regular trips to Ione or Wallace or Plymouth for Stockton Bike Club rides.

I had this SUV (sort of, or not quite, but it isn’t a car) for 19 years and 130,000 miles. The only problem it ever had was that the motor that raised and lowered the driver’s side window quit and had to be replaced. Oh yes, someone stole the catalytic converter, but you can hardly blame Honda quality for that.

But we don’t have the CoMotion anymore, and I finally decided it was time to move on to something more comfortable. My brother bought an Acura ADX, and I decided to look at that along with a Honda HRV. I drove both and opted for the ADX.

I listed the Element on Facebook Marketplace yesterday. I was going to put it on Craig’s list too, but I never got around to it. I could not believe the number of responses I got. Dozens, starting almost as soon as I hit the ‘enter’ key. Some seemed legit, some seemed dicey. When someone texts that they want to buy it today and pay cash without even having seen it, I get suspicious. I asked $6,000, but one guy was so insistent he texted he would pay $7,000.

One of the offers came from Lodi and looked legit. His FB profile included a photo of him and his family. Three cute kids. His posts were all in Spanish but he texted me in English. I took the car into Lodi for him to look at, but he misunderstood that it was an Element with 4 seats, not a 7 passenger vehicle. He didn’t want it.

I also called a couple of neighbors who know me and know how well the Element was maintained and how carefully it was driven. Sure enough, one of them had a friend that was interested, and after a 6 mile test drive he bought it. I gave him a big discount because I was so happy to be able to take down that FB listing and quiet down my phone.

So my Element has a new home, and I have a new vehicle that is like a supercomputer by comparison. More technology to have to learn and get frustrated with. The Element has a lot of miles left in her, and I hope she enjoys them as much as she did being our travelling tandem box.

The Comotion and Sampson are inside!