"Great post.. Originally bought a used 2005 element with 36k...and sold to Carmax with 200k...great car...but like previous person wrote... terrible at loading and unloading at parking lots with the clam shell door design. Rear doors are ok though. ..I did all my repairs and maintenance. ..oil filter doesnt matter too much..as i used ac delco filters but always used synthetic engine oil...i always used dealer transmission fluids. .. try to stick to it...If you start having problems. . It will most likely come from the rear lower mount rubber bushings... $3-5 dollars to fix.. dealer will charge upwards of 100 bucks for 10-15 minute job... Rear differential? I used dealer also .. i did mine at 1st 100k and it was clean. It was very easy car to maintain cuz the engine is very cavernous... replaced strut mount and was easy...finally..i sold it cuz the engine light came on with solenoid issues...replaced it and still had issues...and then the transmission started to slip...if those didn't go bad. ..i would have kept it.... loved it... forgot to mention. .the 200k was mostly city driving with lots of heavy loading for my business.... my business is now sold and i couldn't have done it without the element...hope this suggestion helps. I know own a rav4... i like it much more as the ride is nicer and smoother with age. i can say this with some certainty cuz i drove Hondas for over 30 years... hondas tend to ride a bit rough as you put more milage. ..cheers"