2009 Honda Element

We have sold our 2003 Honda Element. Best car I've ever owned and that
includes some Cadillacs and Buicks. We want a 2009 Element EX but we
can't find any local (Houston, Texas) dealers that have any. Are they
selling that good?

 

Nope, Element sales are way down. Only 1152 were sold in the USA
during Jan 2009 (about half the number of Jan 2008) according to Honda
sales figures posted at www.vtec.net

Unless you need the ability to hose-down your vehicle's interior (big
dog owners love the Element), perhaps you might consider either a
Civic or Accord. The Toyota/Scion xB could be an Element alternative
(but no hosing it out).

 

Nope, Element sales are way down. Only 1152 were sold in the USA
during Jan 2009 (about half the number of Jan 2008) according to Honda
sales figures posted at www.vtec.net

Unless you need the ability to hose-down your vehicle's interior (big
dog owners love the Element), perhaps you might consider either a
Civic or Accord. The Toyota/Scion xB could be an Element alternative
(but no hosing it out).

Nope, we're in our late 60s and the Element is a perfect vehicle for
us old farts.

 

Funny that you say that, as the Element was explicitely designed to
attract young buyers. Another triumph of marketing.

 

Funny that you say that, as the Element was explicitely designed to
attract young buyers. Another triumph of marketing.

I remember right after we bought it, I emailed the manufacturer and
told them they were missing the mark by a long shot. This vehicle is
so easy to load groceries and things in and out of that it is a dream.
We folded up the back seats and I don't think they have been let down
since. I travel around to some nursing homes and do a little pickin
and singin for the inmates and my amplifier, guitar, mic, music stand
and gig bag fit perfectly. We also have a couple of pickup trucks, one
for the farm and one just to run around in but "Mutt", the wife's name
for the Element, gets the most use. And, the resale value is pretty
hard to beat around these parts.

So, why don't any of the Honda dealers up in Houston, Texas have any
new ones? There are 4 very large stores and the most any of them have
is 2, none of which is the color or trim level we want.

 

What would you like any of us in this newsgroup to do about it?

Go whine to the dealerships.

The real answer as to why they don't have any of them, is that there is
near ZERO demand for that piece of shit. They don't stock what they
can't sell. Quite a simple business model, isn't it?

 

not quite that simple. honda usa has resisted selling civic hatchbacks
because they're seen as low margin. despite the fact that they're highly
popular, have huge loyalty and sell well. another example is that honda
usa rejected the fit [jazz] for years - now one of their strongest models.

bottom line - the element doesn't command the price and thus the margin of
other models like the crv, odyssey and pilot, thus if they don't put it on
the sales lot, they're not going to sell!

 

When Honda came out with the CRV, American Honda rejected it--"too
small," they said. "Americans wouldn't want to buy anything like that,"
they said.

So Honda designed the CRV without much thought given to what the
American market would need as far as engineering.

Then at the last minute American Honda changed their mind--but by then,
it was too late to incorporate the needed changes into the basic
structure of the model.

It took awhile, but Honda made the CRV suitable to pass US laws, but
overall it wasn't the car it should have been for the US market.

Stupid American Honda. They really don't have a clue sometimes.

 

"sometimes"??? the marketing geniuses that gave us the ridgeline??? that
killed the prelude??? won't bring back the crx??? no hatchback civic???

personally, i think those guys are "double agents" on the payroll of
detroit - why else would they so consistently and tirelessly attempt to
sabotage what has otherwise proven to be a highly successful formula -
smaller, practical, reliable, functional and fun?

 

No sir. I think you would represent yourself well, especially you, by
simply continuing on with your arrogance.

 

I guess maybe English isn't your first language... the above really makes
very little sense. Really, it doesn't.

The point is that nobody in this fucking newsgroup can tell you why
dealers in Houston-fucking-Texas don't have a particular vehicle. If you
*really* want the answer to that question (instead of just hearing
yourself whine in public), you'll have to go ask a fucking dealer in
fucking Houston. You didn't think of that? You didn't think that they
might be the ones who would know?

Were you born stupid, or just gotten that way over time?

 

dan the man, have you got any pitch control on that there chopper blade?

 

Yes.

You don't think my statements above are correct? You would like to agree
with them, but don't want to here in public?

That's OK. You know I'm right, and that's what matters.

 

Young fellow, I don't know what has gone so wrong in your life that
leads you to be such a miserable person and strike out at the most
minute thing that irritates you, and normally I just ignore people
like you. But this time, I feel compelled to at least answer your
question.

The reason I ask this newsgroup is because I thought they might be
intelligent and mature enough to offer a few comments based on their
experience. Why go to the ng first? Simple. Like I said, we're pushing
70 years of age and we have found that in most cases we can save
ourselves a lot of time by searching on the internet first. That's
what we did, and we did not find, at first, but one Element and that
was a 2008. So, the logical next step, before going to Houston, 80
miles away, and looking around, I decided to check in here to inquire
if anyone was having better luck or might know why there were so few
on dealer lots. Granted, I suppose we could have started calling, but
when you're old and getting a little short on hearing ability, that's
not always the best solution.

So young man, I'm sorry if I offended you. I don't know what I can do
to alleviate your angst other than to say, when you see my name on a
post, just ignore it. That's what I intend to do about you from now
on.

PLONK

 

Well said.

 

OK, so you *were* born stupid. Got it.

Get a fucking hearing aid if you can't hear the phone. Once you've got
that working, call the fucking dealership in Houston, and get the answer
to your question. Wouldn't it have just been easier to do that in the
first place? Damn.

 

Well, for what it's worth (and I know exactly what it is worth, by the
way), I'd like to add a hearty **** You, Dan. What an asshole you are.
If your dog took a shit in your ear, your IQ would go up thirty points.

Jesus. Get out of your parents' basement and get laid, boy, or do what
ever it takes to get some sort of grip.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Same to ya, wankstain.

You really think so? You don't think I have a point in what I've said
here? Really?

OK, so I'm an "asshole" for insulting someone else, but it's perfectly
fine for you to do it, eh?

HAR! You're so far off, it's not even funny.

Run along, Junior, and go play in traffic.

 

No. But if you had a point, you failed to make it effectively.

In this case, the invective *is* the point. That's just how your
message came off. And that's the point.

That's too bad; it's the only excuse for your behavior and attitude that
might have had some small value. You're telling me now you're a
complete sphincter as an adult, and by choice. What a tool.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

OK, just so we're clear on this... You think the original poster made the
right choice by asking here in this newsgroup, instead of calling his
local dealer, as to why a particular vehicle is not in stock at a
particular location (Houston)? Is that what you're saying? You're
saying I was wrong for pointing that out to him?

Are you a politician? You didn't really answer my question.

It's my "only excuse", huh? I got news for ya, dickwad: I don't need
any excuses, nor do I need your "approval".

You know what you can do now, without me needing to say it, right?