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Double Bass Honda Element for large DB?

Greg Clinkingbeard

Greg Clinkingbeard

Commercial User
Apr 4, 2005
4,624
2,337
Kansas City area
Disclosures
Black Dog Bass Works
#1
I'm thinking of a never car/SUV to replace my 2000 Cherokee Sport. My bass is a large 7/8 with a length of 74" and a lower bout just over 28". I would like to load it on its side, unsupported by the neck or scroll. The way the Cherokee's rear seat folds down (or doesn't) makes going between the seats problematic and it barely fits on the diagonal.
I'm hoping any Element owners can advise me if my bass would comfortably fit. I could just test drive one, but :rolleyes:.
 
#3
When I bought my current car (a Honda CRV) I brought my bass with me to all the dealerships. It was fun walking in with this big thing and saying "My bass has to fit. Show me what you've got." The best... the look on the face of the salesman at the Toyota dealership when my bass didn't fit real well in a Rav4. He just looked at me and said "Well, I guess we can't do anything for you. Sorry." Classic.

I'd love to hear if the Element works out. I was thinking about one of those for my next car.
 
#4
My wife and I went to look at these today. I think it would work out well as there is a ton of room back there.
Marc, it's funny you mention that. I took a tape measure with me and finally the sales lady asked about my obsession with all the measuring. Turns out her boyfriend is a musician so she totally understood. She told me to go home and grab the bass!
One thing I like is that the center console is only about two inches tall (just enough for cupholders) and the floor is flat from the dash all the way back. The split rear seats swing to the sides and are hung out of the way or easily removed. It looked like the bass would slide right in with the scroll between the seats.

I'm not buying one immediately, but it's fun to do a little planning.
 
#5
Ed Friedland has/had one. When I saw what he had in the back of it I was amazed. Drum set, cabs, basses, URB and a bunch of other stuff. I had looked at them last year when I was shopping but they only had two seats in the back and I've got three kids.
 
#9
I wish that they still made more station wagons! Many of these smaller SUVs actually have less space from behind the front seats to the rear door. I used to have an Accord wagon and by bass fit completely. Now I have a CRV and I have to have the passenger seat-back set forward for the bass to fit. It's really no big deal, and there's more height in the CRV -- I can get plenty of other stuff in along with my bass, but I think wagons are ideal for upright. I hope auto manufacturers bring them back!
 
#12
Jake deVilliers said:
Hey Bobby, you can still get a Jetta, Passat, Volvo, Subaru or Mercedes wagon, at least around here.

I agree with you about the Accord wagon - that was a terrific sized car period.
Click to expand...

Hey Jake!

I know that there still are some available. The VWs get mixed reviews, likewise the newer Volvos (expensive to fix). The 240 and 740 series Volvos were the last good ones IMO. Mercedes? :D Does Subaru still make the Legacy wagon or is it all the Forrester now? I like Subarus, my wife has a Legacy Sedan.

I've had really good luck with Japanese cars and a lot of those wagons are no longer made. The Camry wagon was great for bass. There was a Corolla wagon as well. I had a Nissan Maxima Wagon that went almost 300,000 miles. My son now has my old 96 Accord wagon and that's still going strong at around 180,000 miles. Those are the ones I miss! You can still find them if you look around.
 
#13
I drive a Pontiac Vibe, same car as the Toyota Matrix. It has a Corolla drivetrain . There is much more room than our 89 Corolla wagon had and the gas mileage is about the same. It is a great DB hauler. You can leave one rear seat back up, and the scroll just comes between the front seats.
 
#14
Actually Bobby, I drive two VW Vanagons, one a 7 passenger, one a Westy Weekender with the pop-top but no kitchen.

At Darrington last year during the torrential rains we proved that you could fit a 4 piece bluegrass band in the camper for a picking session. Plenty of height for the bass! :D
 
#15
Regarding the Honda Element...
There are two things I've read/seen that are big detractors for me. First, the cargo weight it can handle is only 650 lbs. Second, it has the same engine and transmission as the Honda Fit! My ladyfriend just bought a Honda Fit and I'm honestly very impressed with it. I can fit my upright, electric, amp and 4x10 cabinet in there if I don't have any passengers in the car.
When I'm not hauling gear and just driving around town, the Fit gets far superior gas milage than the Element. I have no idea why Honda puts the same engine in the Element and the Fit, but something doesn't add up there. If I purchase a new car, it will be a Fit. She's had it for about 6 months now and it's the most practical car I've ever been in... and gas prices aren't going down any time soon.
 
#18
"he's had some trouble with it."

I wasn't recommending the Passat, just pointing out the Wagon models! :)
The Passat seems to be the demon spawn of VWs - electrical gremlins galore in all versions.

On the other hand, my neighbour has a TDI Jetta Wagon and couldn't be happier with it. Starts every time and gets killer mileage while being able to smoke the front tires at will - gotta like that. :)

We have the 2 Vanagons, '84 & '86, my wife's '90 Golf, my older son has an '87 Jetta and my younger one just bought a '90 Fox.

The Golf will fit two DBs in the back with the seat folded down but the scrolls come up between the front seats. :D

Not sure how many DBs I can get in the Vanagon, but maybe I'll make some time to try this summer - I'll post a photo. I'm thinking 4 or 5 easily with the top down, maybe 6 or 7 with the top popped!
 
#20
Pat Harris said:
Second, it has the same engine and transmission as the Honda Fit!
Click to expand...


Are you sure? From what I've read, the Element uses a 2.4L engine while the Fit uses a 1.5L.

The Fit is a great looking little car, but I have an aversion to driving anything that small on the off chance of dying in one. Maybe it's just me.:rollno:
Although relatively small, the E has a good safety record from what I've seen.
 

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