I used to own a Honda element and it was a fun car to drive, very high off the ground if you like that kind of stuff, and very maneuverable (sp?). I liked it a lot. Plus you get the reliability of a Honda vehicle. I had a friend who drove the PT cruiser as a rental and he hated it. He said it made him feel less manly, while I gave up the Honda Element because it made me seem manly. So, it depends on you.
Lol thanks for the input! I'm not usually that worried about how manly my ride is, but I am used to sitting up high (always driven some form of truck). Maybe I'll get an Element and paint it pink!
What are you looking for in a car? I used to have an element, but husband currently has a PT cruiser. The element is much better for hauling stuff around. The cruiser is more like a car. The cruiser also has lower clearance (my husband is constantly scraping the curb when he backs up) and has a larger turning radius, which can be annoying. The element has blind spots, but is generally a quieter and more comfortable ride. They are equally handicapped if you have babies or very small kids. The element has more room to haul all the kid stuff, but the stadium seating in the back seat makes putting toddlers into car seats pretty awkward (especially if they are rear facing). Both cars are equally dorky looking. Overall, I like the element better, but my minivan has all the good things the element had (and more) and none of the annoying things ;)
Good questions! I certainly don't need to haul kids or pets, but I do want to be able to haul some stuff around from time to time. Minivans are outside my budget range from what I have seen so far.
If you aren't set on something high/boxy and might be ok with something more car-like but that still hauls a good bit of stuff, I'd also recommend a Toyota Matrix. The front passenger seat has a hinge midway that allows it to fold flat as well, so you get a straight flat hauling area from back to front.
They're also more reasonably priced than the Hondas, I believe, and get terrific gas mileage. We love ours.
I personally love my Honda. I ended up with a Civic because we needed good gas mileage for the amount of driving I did but I also liked the Fit, and the CRV. I say go with Honda. They're really reliable and they driver for pretty much -ever.
I haven't owned either to have a valid opinion but I've borrowed my in-laws Cruiser a few times and hate the layout;it's awkward. However reliability wise they haven't had any problems in the 3 years they've had theirs. Their doors won't open with the remote but I'm sure replacing the battery on their key remote would solve a lot of their issues.
I have an Element, and I'm actually irritated that they discontinued the line, because I want another one. It's very useful for hauling things (people included) and if you do any length of road trip, it's great. If you go for a later version (2006+) make sure you look at the small details. The "urban" version has lower clearance than whatever they're calling the original looking one. The 03's-05's have windshield issues, so definitely ask if you have new glass yet. :) Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
This is a couple days late, but run, far and fast, screaming, from the PT Cruiser. It is one of the bigger pieces of shit that's been foisted on the car buying public in recent memory. It is a turd in almost every way a vehicle can be a turd. Dynamically, it sucks to drive. No power, and feels like you're steering a boat with how much it rolls around on you. The brakes suck. The inside is poorly planned and laid out. They're fugly on the outside. But after all that, at least they're not reliable either. You can pick most anything else out there confident you'll have a better vehicle than the one of these.
When I was car hunting a few months ago, all the dealers had (in my budget range) was used PT Cruisers. It appears people liked getting rid of them is what I took away from that. But I also admit to totally being biased towards them foreign sounding cars, my '88 Accord was the most solid car I've ever owned and the only reason I got rid of it was that the car my sister left behind when she moved had 50k less miles on it (but was a piece of crap Oldsmobile, it turned out). Otherwise I've always owned Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc. because they're so dang reliable.
I have an 05 Cruiser that wasn't my first choice, but my old car died literally days after I had spent a ton of money moving, so I didn't have a lot of options.
I will tell you, really, my only complaint is the gas mileage. This is made worse by the fact I mainly do city driving, but having come from nothing by Acura/Nissan/Toyotas before, it still irks me. I like the interior, as it's roomy and the cargo area (as well as the beams between front and rear doors) have rings you could latch cords onto if you were hauling something that needed to be strapped down. I like my two dogs being pretty easy to put into the back (as well as friends, haha). Someone else mentioned the turning radius being a little bigger than you expect, and that's true. I definitely sit higher than a car (when I take my husband's Celica, I suddenly feel like I can't see anything) but not as high as a truck/SUV. Mine has a factory recall on the sunroof, but no other recalls that I know of. Also, my stock speakers make me pretty happy (I got a new head unit, so I can't comment much on anything other than sound quality) when I'm particularly inclined to rock out.
If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask.
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curious 
February 7 2012, 03:03:51 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 03:10:28 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 03:27:18 UTC 3 months ago
The element is much better for hauling stuff around. The cruiser is more like a car. The cruiser also has lower clearance (my husband is constantly scraping the curb when he backs up) and has a larger turning radius, which can be annoying.
The element has blind spots, but is generally a quieter and more comfortable ride.
They are equally handicapped if you have babies or very small kids. The element has more room to haul all the kid stuff, but the stadium seating in the back seat makes putting toddlers into car seats pretty awkward (especially if they are rear facing).
Both cars are equally dorky looking.
Overall, I like the element better, but my minivan has all the good things the element had (and more) and none of the annoying things ;)
February 7 2012, 03:55:07 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 04:02:00 UTC 3 months ago
February 9 2012, 02:09:51 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 04:09:44 UTC 3 months ago
They're also more reasonably priced than the Hondas, I believe, and get terrific gas mileage. We love ours.
February 7 2012, 05:00:58 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 04:24:03 UTC 3 months ago
February 9 2012, 02:10:17 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 04:35:49 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 05:05:14 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 05:06:18 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 05:19:41 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 14:30:39 UTC 3 months ago
February 10 2012, 01:42:44 UTC 3 months ago
February 7 2012, 21:00:27 UTC 3 months ago
February 8 2012, 01:55:03 UTC 3 months ago
February 8 2012, 03:48:20 UTC 3 months ago
February 9 2012, 17:10:42 UTC 3 months ago
You can pick most anything else out there confident you'll have a better vehicle than the one of these.
February 10 2012, 01:41:31 UTC 3 months ago
February 10 2012, 01:26:07 UTC 3 months ago Edited: February 10 2012, 01:27:05 UTC
February 10 2012, 01:40:54 UTC 3 months ago
February 12 2012, 07:18:10 UTC 3 months ago
I will tell you, really, my only complaint is the gas mileage. This is made worse by the fact I mainly do city driving, but having come from nothing by Acura/Nissan/Toyotas before, it still irks me. I like the interior, as it's roomy and the cargo area (as well as the beams between front and rear doors) have rings you could latch cords onto if you were hauling something that needed to be strapped down. I like my two dogs being pretty easy to put into the back (as well as friends, haha). Someone else mentioned the turning radius being a little bigger than you expect, and that's true. I definitely sit higher than a car (when I take my husband's Celica, I suddenly feel like I can't see anything) but not as high as a truck/SUV. Mine has a factory recall on the sunroof, but no other recalls that I know of. Also, my stock speakers make me pretty happy (I got a new head unit, so I can't comment much on anything other than sound quality) when I'm particularly inclined to rock out.
If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask.