This literally just happened to me...bought a element at 121,000 supposedly and later found out through my insurance app that it was last reported at a shop in Kentucky with 231,000 miles. So messed up what people do.
Considering that a 121k mile car is more likely to save you in an accident than a 231k mile car; it deeply bothers me that there's not some form of enforcement or government oversight over these private car sales. Upon registering the car at 121k miles, the DMV should immediately detect the 110k mile discrepancy and send the purchase information to the police.
I noticed the rpm's was too high on the hwy(5000), whereas I can go 80mph and my rpm's is cruising at or around 2500. I notice how some people will punch the gas upon driving on the hwy, and that's not good for the engine. It doesn't matter the type engine you have, whether high performance etc, (don't) punch the gas pedal. And on top of that, it's a 4 cylinder. Yes, I understand it was for performance purposes in showing the car was in decent shape, but it still wasn't a good idea, just my opinion. I have a Honda Element myself here in Alabama, and I bought mine with 143,000 miles on it, driving all the way to South Carolina, finding it off marketplace, and the guy was fairly honest, although I did have to replace the sway bar links. I drove it all the way back home with no sway bar links, I just happened to discover it didn't have any, but overall the vehicle was a blessing for me, it had no rust, no engine issues, expensive bright headlight bulbs, and the engine was in great condition. He sold it tome for $2500, it was a salvaged title, but he under sold it to me just wanting to get rid of it. I've had it now for almost 4 years, and I keep it tuned up, regular oil changes using Mobile1 oil, and I put seafoam in the gas tank once a month to keep the injectors clean. That's my story.
I have a 2003 Element with a salvaged title as well. A friend of mine blessed me with it 3 years ago. It had about 175,000k on it. It was parked at a train station and a truck illegally parked there side swiped both doors on the passenger side. The insurance company totalled the car and I replaced both doors. The car is ultra reliable and purrs like a kitten.
Wow, thanks for posting this. Great video. Yet another thing to be concerned with when buying used. BTW, loved the image of you cleaning your wheels in the dishwasher. Very resourceful!
If nothing else, you are one helluva story teller my friend. This was one of the most engaging video stories I’ve ever experienced on UA-cam. Bravo and so well done!!
just saw a couple of your very informative videos and you're my new hero. i just bought my first element and it needs some work. thanks to you, now I'm a bit more confident in tacliking the work ahead of me
Seeing the element price gone wild makes me sad, I always wanted to get one in Toronto. Alo feels bad for what you have experienced, that's a total betrayal.
WOW! What a story! A few twist and turns, this could be a movie! I have to say, you did a wonderful job.! What a beautiful Element! I noticed you have a couple more, I love these vehicles, you have a soothing voice and I can’t wait to hear about your next adventure ! ✨😎✨
That’s why it is so important to get a dealer inspection or DMV inspection before selling the car. That inspection will record the mileage and it will show on carfax. Then if someone buys it, in the bill of sale it will show the mileage. In the case someone gets ripped off you have taken steps to protect yourself and others by documenting the mileage
Interesting about the rolling back of the odometer. I thought that the mileage was locked into the PCM and the odometer was just displaying the data. That means that changing the instrument cluster with one from another car with lower mileage would not have the desired effect.
After watching this video, I decided to go and check my Element's carfax and yes it happened, the car has double the miles that I bought it for. 270k miles. I'm so mad but I've put some money on my car and love it so much that I'm just going to embrace the process (suck it up) and keep going cause I love it, I fixed all the rust down under, radiator, brakes, brakes pads, rotors, tires, stereo, back up camera... I was wondering if at this point it was worth all these but I just simply love the car with all those 270k miles.
Wow, what an unscrupulous parasite to do something like that. Thanks for the info on the cluster swap. I have a 2003 Element EX AWD that I bought new in Nov. 2003. I was fortunate to be able to work from home most of the time since I bought it so it has only 60k miles on it and a good chunk of that was three coast to coast trips. Love the car and will never part with it.
I was always curious if you could turn the back seats around. Nice to know that you can. I am going to be in the market for an Element in a few months, any things I should look out for as far as maintenance items when shopping?
See that’s what I like. You buy a $1000 car and don’t end up in peoples court! Any $1000 car needs work! Great job. One way to keep cost of car down, sweat equity !
that's wild! I checked out an element with a shocking 118k miles for $6k, and I checked it out and luckily passed. The guy was sketchy, and the car gave me bad vibes. Think he might have rolled back the mileage
Great video, thank you for pointing out potential issues when purchasing an element. Is there way to contact you relating to information exchange? Thank you!
I always wondered about the rumble strip thing in my pilot with a ton of miles going to get a lot of maintenance I should have prob done on a cheap Honda from stuff you did thanks dude
In November of 2022 i bought a 2006 element with 177,000 miles on it from a used car dealer for $7000 out the door. Nothing but a nightmare. over $12,000 later (Plus the purchase price of $7,000) I hope problems are solved. I feel like I cannot trust this thing. If the Honda dealership had evaluated it correctly when I first took it to them I would have been able to take it back & only lost $500 for restocking fee.
Just stumbled on this vid. Wow just cannot believe you can just take miles off this easily on this van nor boost the price that high. Especially with all the rust etc. Got to admit people just do not check out used cars as much as they should. You should crawl all over a used car and get all the records you can. I not only run a check but also have my mechanic look any car over. Though again I hardly ever buy a used car at most a certified used one that just used for errands or stuff. I collect Porches atm 3 a 993, 997 and new base 992.
Sorry for your experience. I have a 2007 EX that I love with 90K on it......any suggestions on an Element owners forum or site? I have a lead on a 2010 with a blown engine. TIA
Make sure you run a carfax report before buying anything! Then check the odometer history from every service/inspection and make sure everything lines up
Unfortunately the Carfax does not always tell the whole story, not everything that is repaired or replaced on the vehicle goes onto the Carfax. Never depend on the Carfax for all the information
While true, the carfax should be used as a method to verify mileage. Ie: the latest reported mileage shows 150k but is being sold with 120k on the odometer
The trailing arm mounts were super rusty. The car is basically scrap metal. At the time I would have felt way worse selling it to some poor college kid for full price and having the rear wheels fall off days later, being left with a completely useless car
This has got to be one of the best Honda Element videos I’ve seen. I learned. I laughed. I cried. I got angry. It was great.
3:45 - "As God is my witness i thought turkeys could fly" 🤣🤣
This literally just happened to me...bought a element at 121,000 supposedly and later found out through my insurance app that it was last reported at a shop in Kentucky with 231,000 miles. So messed up what people do.
Considering that a 121k mile car is more likely to save you in an accident than a 231k mile car; it deeply bothers me that there's not some form of enforcement or government oversight over these private car sales. Upon registering the car at 121k miles, the DMV should immediately detect the 110k mile discrepancy and send the purchase information to the police.
I noticed the rpm's was too high on the hwy(5000), whereas I can go 80mph and my rpm's is cruising at or around 2500. I notice how some people will punch the gas upon driving on the hwy, and that's not good for the engine. It doesn't matter the type engine you have, whether high performance etc, (don't) punch the gas pedal. And on top of that, it's a 4 cylinder. Yes, I understand it was for performance purposes in showing the car was in decent shape, but it still wasn't a good idea, just my opinion. I have a Honda Element myself here in Alabama, and I bought mine with 143,000 miles on it, driving all the way to South Carolina, finding it off marketplace, and the guy was fairly honest, although I did have to replace the sway bar links. I drove it all the way back home with no sway bar links, I just happened to discover it didn't have any, but overall the vehicle was a blessing for me, it had no rust, no engine issues, expensive bright headlight bulbs, and the engine was in great condition. He sold it tome for $2500, it was a salvaged title, but he under sold it to me just wanting to get rid of it. I've had it now for almost 4 years, and I keep it tuned up, regular oil changes using Mobile1 oil, and I put seafoam in the gas tank once a month to keep the injectors clean. That's my story.
I have a 2003 Element with a salvaged title as well. A friend of mine blessed me with it 3 years ago. It had about 175,000k on it. It was parked at a train station and a truck illegally parked there side swiped both doors on the passenger side. The insurance company totalled the car and I replaced both doors. The car is ultra reliable and purrs like a kitten.
@@joseph9531 Honda Elements are excellent vehicles, it's the best kept secret on the market for a vehicle that's been discontinued.
punching the gas entering a highway does not hurt the car 🤣
Wow, thanks for posting this. Great video. Yet another thing to be concerned with when buying used. BTW, loved the image of you cleaning your wheels in the dishwasher. Very resourceful!
If nothing else, you are one helluva story teller my friend. This was one of the most engaging video stories I’ve ever experienced on UA-cam. Bravo and so well done!!
Dishonesty sucks big bro...I am sad to see folks committing fraud...right before our eyes..
just saw a couple of your very informative videos and you're my new hero. i just bought my first element and it needs some work. thanks to you, now I'm a bit more confident in tacliking the work ahead of me
You just opened up my eyes to new information. I never knew this was possible. I thought after the movie Matilda, no one really did that anymore.
Seeing the element price gone wild makes me sad, I always wanted to get one in Toronto. Alo feels bad for what you have experienced, that's a total betrayal.
oh man, I've just bought my first element, and watching this video was priceless, what a job you did!!!
I paid $1800 for my Honda 2003
element whit 120.000 miles it's been 3 years and I love her
This is the most rare model Honda has ever produced...
WOW! What a story! A few twist and turns, this could be a movie! I have to say, you did a wonderful job.! What a beautiful Element!
I noticed you have a couple more, I love these vehicles, you have a soothing voice and I can’t wait to hear about your next adventure ! ✨😎✨
That’s why it is so important to get a dealer inspection or DMV inspection before selling the car. That inspection will record the mileage and it will show on carfax. Then if someone buys it, in the bill of sale it will show the mileage. In the case someone gets ripped off you have taken steps to protect yourself and others by documenting the mileage
Great story telling and a sincere mind...kudos to you sir, I've had an element since 2009 and i still love it to the heavens.
This is so frustrating. No integrity at all. So sad that 2 people did not care and were so dishonest. 😢
Interesting about the rolling back of the odometer. I thought that the mileage was locked into the PCM and the odometer was just displaying the data. That means that changing the instrument cluster with one from another car with lower mileage would not have the desired effect.
Nope, you can simply put another cluster in with whatever miles you want and it will display the new miles. I see it all the time on elements.
After watching this video, I decided to go and check my Element's carfax and yes it happened, the car has double the miles that I bought it for. 270k miles. I'm so mad but I've put some money on my car and love it so much that I'm just going to embrace the process (suck it up) and keep going cause I love it, I fixed all the rust down under, radiator, brakes, brakes pads, rotors, tires, stereo, back up camera... I was wondering if at this point it was worth all these but I just simply love the car with all those 270k miles.
I mean I heard these bad boys go up to 400,000 miles so maybe you can still your money's worth
Thanks. You're one of the good guys.
Wow, what an unscrupulous parasite to do something like that. Thanks for the info on the cluster swap. I have a 2003 Element EX AWD that I bought new in Nov. 2003. I was fortunate to be able to work from home most of the time since I bought it so it has only 60k miles on it and a good chunk of that was three coast to coast trips. Love the car and will never part with it.
That was an emotional roller coaster, what scumbag that buyer was.
I was always curious if you could turn the back seats around. Nice to know that you can. I am going to be in the market for an Element in a few months, any things I should look out for as far as maintenance items when shopping?
Rust is the main concern
Wow! 😮. That was a very interesting story. I’m so mad though! Thanks for sharing!
Wooo that scam at the end caught me off guard. I never considered you could swap the clusters to fake the mileage.
Just picked on up. 365400 mi. Drove it home.
My adventure begins today.
so the story just keeps getting better towards the end I see. Great video.
See that’s what I like. You buy a $1000 car and don’t end up in peoples court! Any $1000 car needs work! Great job. One way to keep cost of car down, sweat equity !
How did you reverse the rear seats!!!!! Damn Google won’t tell me.
It would be so cool to be able to reverse mount the back seat. Wouldn’t be safe. But I’d like the configuration for tail gating. 😮
great video , but how do you find out which Abs sensor has problem?
😮😮😮😮😮 wow thank you for sharing your story!
that's wild! I checked out an element with a shocking 118k miles for $6k, and I checked it out and luckily passed. The guy was sketchy, and the car gave me bad vibes. Think he might have rolled back the mileage
Oh hell naw, shady car flippers are the worst!
I think you were very generous, especially with all of those people who wanted it, I wouldn’t have dropped your price.
Wow crazy story, thanks for sharing
Great video, thank you for pointing out potential issues when purchasing an element. Is there way to contact you relating to information exchange? Thank you!
WOWWWW.
HECK of (well done) video. HECK of a STORY!
I saw one in Orlando for 3k 77k miles awd. Wish I could have snagged it. I do have a 600$ honda fit 195k miles lol
Sell your converter out of the car and get your 1300 lol
I always wondered about the rumble strip thing in my pilot with a ton of miles going to get a lot of maintenance I should have prob done on a cheap Honda from stuff you did thanks dude
Friend just gifted me his element with 320k miles PLUS the BISHKO service and electronic troubleshooting manuals on a disc.
How do you turn your rear seats around? Are they mounted in the original holes?
Just turn them around and the bottom latches in. I’ll make a video on it soon.
In November of 2022 i bought a 2006 element with 177,000 miles on it from a used car dealer for $7000 out the door. Nothing but a nightmare. over $12,000 later (Plus the purchase price of $7,000) I hope problems are solved. I feel like I cannot trust this thing. If the Honda dealership had evaluated it correctly when I first took it to them I would have been able to take it back & only lost $500 for restocking fee.
Thank you for sharing.
Oh yes, the old "my son" sob story. The same thing happened to me on a land deal.
Just stumbled on this vid. Wow just cannot believe you can just take miles off this easily on this van nor boost the price that high. Especially with all the rust etc. Got to admit people just do not check out used cars as much as they should. You should crawl all over a used car and get all the records you can.
I not only run a check but also have my mechanic look any car over. Though again I hardly ever buy a used car at most a certified used one that just used for errands or stuff. I collect Porches atm 3 a 993, 997 and new base 992.
Sorry for your experience. I have a 2007 EX that I love with 90K on it......any suggestions on an Element owners forum or site? I have a lead on a 2010 with a blown engine. TIA
I just bought a 2003 with 220k! Family friend was the only owner.
holy my goodness with those air filters!!!
Thanks will definitely check that out, I was aware that shit could be done so easy
what about the title it show the mileage?
How do you run a report on the car? I am interested in buying an element myself but now I’m scared to know someone can scam me
Great video, nice job! Wish I would have bought it, you made it so nice. Will you be my Element mechanic? ❤
Alex how does a single woman avoid being scammed from odometer fraud?
Make sure you run a carfax report before buying anything! Then check the odometer history from every service/inspection and make sure everything lines up
ask that rust for the undercarriage didn’t scare ya? how bout the rear trailing arm mount?
I like honda element but sometimes i think i only would be able to afford it when become a mechanic
Can the rear seats be turned around like that with all years?
Yes!
Unfortunately the Carfax does not always tell the whole story, not everything that is repaired or replaced on the vehicle goes onto the Carfax. Never depend on the Carfax for all the information
While true, the carfax should be used as a method to verify mileage. Ie: the latest reported mileage shows 150k but is being sold with 120k on the odometer
It was less rusty than my 05. I live in buffalo and all the cars are rusty after a couple years
Shout out to Les Nessman and the WKRP promotions crew!
Can you post a link to the front axles you used? Thanks!
I Don’t have a link, but they were the new axles from Napa, not the remanufactured ones
@@AlexKolipinski Thank you!
👀 people can be wicked just to have money 💰 but the good news is it will run out😂😂.
Why would ODO fraud come back to you? Bill of sale with VIN, Price, and mileage would cover that.
Solid video, thank you. You really like these cars haha.
What's the pn for the Beetle rear hatch struts?
Strong arm 4351 I think
@@AlexKolipinski thanks!
Oh, the humanity!
Shocking really. Scammers are pure moral less scum.
Odometer fraud = bad karma
what a twisted ending.
more power to you
Am I today years old to learn that you can mount the Element seats facing back!?!? 😂
Scruples? I'll bet the buyer was wearing plaid pants and white loafers.
That is sad.
The older you get the more you realize the world is chock full of assholes.
Wow 😲 shameless people.
I owned a 2004 and 2007. Loved ithem both, especially the 2027. The ending of your story is just terrible.
Wow thats messed up!
i remember your post then was still great steal beat my 1200 08 Sc find
crazy story!
CHRISTMAS DASH LIGHTS MOD
report him to police
I ignore my cat code lol
Good video
Go Bills!
Wow thx for the video !!!
Wow!😳
Beutiful
🚗
AMERICA
The land of opportunity.
And lies.
You overpaid by a $1,000.
lol
Lmao, you got played. Dude shows up with $2500 and you took it like a chump, instead of walking away and selling it for $3500 to the next guy.
The trailing arm mounts were super rusty. The car is basically scrap metal. At the time I would have felt way worse selling it to some poor college kid for full price and having the rear wheels fall off days later, being left with a completely useless car
scammers are every where you are a good man can you advice me 2004 element front shock absorbers after market brand ?
Who else went straight to the ending