Wanted Honda Element AWD

[Freestone]

If you want to carry a bunch of stuff and/or sleep comfortably in the back, want AWD, want to be able to drive/park in urban environments without attracting too much attention, don't want a brodozer, and don't need a manual transmission, there's really no finer stealth utility vehicle than an AWD Sienna.

I had a '97 MT Subaru Legacy L wagon for a decade, then a '96 All-Trac Previa LE/SC for ~6 years, and got an '09 Sienna Limited AWD last April. I briefly looked at an Element in between the Suby and the Perv but the cramped living room (even with potential MT) lost out to the radness of the supercharged Space Egg. Once you embrace minivanlife you'll never go back!

I looked at the AWD Sienna in between my ‘96 4x4 Mazda MPV van and my ‘96 Outback. At the time, the AWD Sienna only came with runflat tires. The Sienna had a reputation for eating up those tires quickly. With the mileage was doing and the amount of gravel roads I drive, a couple of tires shops, the Toyota dealer and a friend that had one (and got rid of it) all said it was not a good choice for me. It was then that I decided to get an Element. But I see that the Sienna now comes with regular tires so when my Element dies, which hopefully is not for years, the Sienna would be a good choice. If I won the lottery, I would take it down to GTRV in CA and have them put a pop top on it and build out the interior!

 

[ThomasM]

Late to the thread...

I bought a 2003 Element new and drove it for 10 years. I gave it to my son who drove it for another 5 years or so until he got rear-ended and the insurance company totalled it with a $7K payout. It wasn't that much damage but if I had been able to predict the future, I would have bought it with the salvage title and fixed it. It was a great car and had lots of adventures.

But nothing like one of my close friends and co-workers. She and her husband decided to take a year off work, buy and Element, fit it with an Ursa Minor pop-up and drive it to the end of the earth and back - literally. The did a 31,000 mile round trip to Ushuaia at the tip of South America, living in a Honda Element. And they are still married... LOL

Here's their blog from the trip. Amazing photos.

In Our Element

South of Seattle

southofseattle.wordpress.com

 

[Stonedfish]

We have an 04 Sienna and It's been on some adventures over the years. Ours is a 2WD, though.

It's hard to beat the practicality and room. We've taken several long trips and always run overloaded. We never travel light. Kids, dog, camping gear, coolers, food, more food, beach toys, Yakima car-topper (the really big one), and much more crap. We've also run it at 80MPH through Montana and Wyoming. That was not fun being as overloaded as we were, but the van handled it without a hiccup. My bung hole is still a little puckered, though.

I think an AWD Sienna would be an awesome stealth camping vehicle for all the reasons mentioned in the posts above. My only worry would be the lack of ground clearance. It won't quite go where a Sprinter will.

Plus, it has that uncool "I've pretty much given up on life" vibe, which could let you travel under the radar.

The AWD capabilities is more important to me then the clearance.
I don’t do much of that type of off road fishing any longer.
As I head towards retirement, it would be nice to have a comfortable place to sleep in for multiple trip days. I’ve done it in the Explorer. A 6’3” it is doable but cramped when you include a ice chest, gear etc.
I love the looks of the new Sienna model, but the sticker is ugly. Since it would be a second vehicle I’d buy some used anyway.
SF

 

[NCFLY]

Another vote for the Sienna. I have a 2004 & a 2008 (both 2nd generation). I've turned them both into inexpensive campervans and love them for fly fishing. Having spent many, many nights in them I could not be happier. The side access and overall length is great. There's a ton of ideas on YT for this model.

Newer than 2010 and you gain length, but lose headroom. While the rear seats are removable, the rail sliders are nearly impossible to remove.

Happy to share pictures of my simple build if interested.

 

[Zak]

Another vote for the Sienna. I have a 2004 & a 2008 (both 2nd generation). I've turned them both into inexpensive campervans and love them for fly fishing. Having spent many, many nights in them I could not be happier. The side access and overall length is great. There's a ton of ideas on YT for this model.

Newer than 2010 and you gain length, but lose headroom. While the rear seats are removable, the rail sliders are nearly impossible to remove.

Happy to share pictures of my simple build if interested.

I'd love to see pics of your build! I am looking at a 2006 Sienna AWD with the XLE trim level, 140K miles. They seem to go for substantially less than the Element, too.

 

[Buzzy]

I'd love to see pics of your build! I am looking at a 2006 Sienna AWD with the XLE trim level, 140K miles. They seem to go for substantially less than the Element, too.

I think we're looking at the same Sienna.

 

[Zak]

I think we're looking at the same Sienna.

I won't be mad if you buy it! Hope you feel the same!

 

[Buzzy]

I won't be mad if you buy it! Hope you feel the same!

I wasn't completely serious. I spent some time this afternoon looking at various used AWD Sienna's and found one with 140K miles that seemed just right. I'm not ready to make the deal. Go for it.

 

[Zak]

Well, here's another possibility (six foot flat sleeping platform in a Forester):

 

[clarkman]

We have an 04 Sienna and It's been on some adventures over the years. Ours is a 2WD, though.

It's hard to beat the practicality and room. We've taken several long trips and always run overloaded. We never travel light. Kids, dog, camping gear, coolers, food, more food, beach toys, Yakima car-topper (the really big one), and much more crap. We've also run it at 80MPH through Montana and Wyoming. That was not fun being as overloaded as we were, but the van handled it without a hiccup. My bung hole is still a little puckered, though.

I think an AWD Sienna would be an awesome stealth camping vehicle for all the reasons mentioned in the posts above. My only worry would be the lack of ground clearance. It won't quite go where a Sprinter will.

Plus, it has that uncool "I've pretty much given up on life" vibe, which could let you travel under the radar.

I'd like to see one with a lift kit thrown on it and some BFGs...

 

[adamcu280]

I can't remember what year Sienna got the timing chain vs belt (somewhere halfway through the 2nd gen) but that's worth looking up. My 09 has a chain.

 

[Zak]

I'd like to see one with a lift kit thrown on it and some BFGs...

 

[adamcu280]

I'd like to see one with a lift kit thrown on it and some BFGs...

From the journey offroad website. Wheels are a little much but you get the idea.

 

[adamcu280]

If only the Batmominivan actually existed! I was going to post that but... concept vehicles... I guess we can always dream.

 

[Zak]

I can't remember what year Sienna got the timing chain vs belt (somewhere halfway through the 2nd gen) but that's worth looking up. My 09 has a chain.

Looks like they switched to a chain in 2007.

 

[Florida Man]

I can't remember what year Sienna got the timing chain vs belt (somewhere halfway through the 2nd gen) but that's worth looking up. My 09 has a chain.

2008

 

[John Svahn]

Not quite on topic but my wife and i spent a lot of our 20s and 30s racing bicycles. She raced as a pro which meant lots of long drives and overnights on a budget. We tried all sorts of vehicles but ended up with mini vans as the best. Would have loved an Awd rig but in those times it was dodge caravans for us. The best part for us was not having to get out to go from sleep to driving. That was helpful when we got asked to leave where we were camping if we weren't supposed to be there. Also nice to keep the bikes inside. When those Elements came out i remember drooling over them but were still in the sub 1000$ car budget. It looked like you could hose them out-can you actually hose out the interior if you are careful?

 

[Freestone]

Not quite on topic but my wife and i spent a lot of our 20s and 30s racing bicycles. She raced as a pro which meant lots of long drives and overnights on a budget. We tried all sorts of vehicles but ended up with mini vans as the best. Would have loved an Awd rig but in those times it was dodge caravans for us. The best part for us was not having to get out to go from sleep to driving. That was helpful when we got asked to leave where we were camping if we weren't supposed to be there. Also nice to keep the bikes inside. When those Elements came out i remember drooling over them but were still in the sub 1000$ car budget. It looked like you could hose them out-can you actually hose out the interior if you are careful?

No they cannot be hosed out. But they can be wiped out with a wet rag and/or scrubbed with a wet soapy brush.

 

[NCFLY]

Here's a few pictures of my simple build. It's continually being refined to better suit my needs. The next project will be to remove the rear tote and replace it with a drawer mounted to the bedframe.

I put a floor in my 2004, but not in my 2008 as it gets used more as a people hauler.

For camping, I prefer the LE model with the center table and fold down front seats. The electric seats and (removable) center console on the 2008 XLE are more limiting.

I would echo the recommendation on getting a 2008-2010 model with the timing chain as noted in an earlier post

 

[NCFLY]

I'll include a few more...

Power strip is hidden behind Yeti.

I really like the low lighting provided by the copper LED's tacked around the bedframe.

The turnbuckles do a great job of securing my storage totes while making them quickly removable.

The coffee caddy is incredibly handy.

The Exped mattress is absolutely worth every penny. I tried 2 other brands before settling on the Exped and there's no comparison...warm, comfortable, easily removed.

Mike