Fustanella,
Yes, I traded in my '00 Ford F-250 V-10 4wd crew cab for an '04 Element
EX 4wd in October, and love it. Going from 12 mpg to 24+ mpg is one
thing; it's also fun to drive, can park it almost anywhere, great sound
system, zippy, with 135 cubic ft of storage it's highly utile. And, as
you point out, it's a Honda so we should expect reliability over long
periods of time, and it should also hold its value reasonably well. My
Ford went from $35K to ~$17K over four years ... I expect better than
that from the Element.

Most people reading this probably have never seen the old Volvo PV544
or the 445 Duett see pics here: http://www.volvoadventures.com and
here: http://www.granfoss.net/arne/k100e/b...s/k1cpvodu.htm)

Although I'm "only" in my 40's I remember these cars were rock solid,
and the subject of some derision because they were funny looking. Hey,
I don't mind that the Element is a bit unusual looking -- if you are
looking for a reliable utility vehicle, I recommend it.

Best,
Steve