Hyundai Elantra 5-door

cjaccetta

I just got back from a test-drive of a Cardinal Red GT with auto tranny and package 1 (moonroof). I won't get into the minutia of the drive, but here are some impressions:

Positives:

-- acceleration was decent; I got up to 60 mph very quickly, but going up a grade at that speed caused the tranny to downshift noticeably when I wanted more power. There was enjoyable minor engine grumble .

-- braking was very good; the car (w/out ABS) decelrated quickly and with no surprises. The discs are an improvement. Handling was also excellent (I guess due to the suspension upgrade)

-- leather interior was nicely finished and the seats were comfy. Also, the interior was very quiet with the windows raised. Visibility was top-notch (except to the rear). Mirrors are high and beltline is low (a la Honda).

Negatives:

-- the power steering felt under-boosted, both in the parking lot and on the road. The wheel was perfectly sized but required some effort to turn. Steering response was good while underway, though. I felt like I was driving a Buick PArk Avenue!

-- there is no interior mechanical release for the hatch lid and no interior door lock button. Both functions seem to be controlled only by the key fob. I consider this an oversight.

- view out the rear window was constricted by the backseat headrests and the narrow window. The C-pillars add to this effect. This could just be because my current hatchback is a smaller car, however.

Overall I was highly impressed with the car. It's a real looker, with nice alloys and an up-market feel. My wife and I have an appointment to go back to the dealer on Tuesday so she can test drive it. The dealer was willing to consider a tentative price of $14,000 for a base GT with automatic and no moonroof/ABS. The equates to $799 under MSRP. I consider this a fair deal for such an in-demand model.

Two more things: the previously-mentioned $100 California emissions option appeard on the window sticker (I live in NJ/NYC area) and the dealer indicated that Hyundai is offering the $500 GLS rebate on the GT.

If the wife agrees on the car, I will try to purchase this week. The entire package is very appealing and tough to beat on the Honda, Mazda or Nissan lots. Will post again if the deal goes down. Happy motoring!

CJA

lngtonge18

The lack of an interior power door lock button is annoying, but it does have a central locking feature. This means that if you manually push the driver's lock, all other locks will lock (including the hatch) and vice versa. I believe it works on the passenger side as well. I wasn't sure if you tried that or were aware of it. Maybe it won't bother you as much now As far as the rear window, is it mounted higher than in sedans? The one drawback to my current 00 Accent is its high mounted rear window makes it difficult to see behind you in parallel parking manuevers. I have already bumped a car once and have to rely on my side mirrors or open the door for best visibility. It makes parking a chore for such a small car. If the window had been mounted 3-5 inches lower, it would have improved the view out dramatically. I guess visibility suffers when the high wedge shape of a car is designed more for aerodynamics. Did you compare the all discs of the GT to the disc/drum setup in the GLS? The brakes on the GLS did not impress me and felt weaker than my Accent. I'm hoping the GT has much better brakes.

cjaccetta

lngtonge18:

I didn't try the central locking feature. I will make sure to do that on Tuesday. Thanks for the tip.

Now, about that rear window...it didn't appear to be mounted too high; I think the problem is that the glass is pretty far from the driver. Add in the large rear headrests and the wedge shape of the car and it equals marginal rear visibility. The model I drove also had the window sticker and a buch of greasepaint ("easy terms!") on the windshield, so please take all my visibility comments with the appropriate amount of salt. The side mirrors are absolutely huge, though, and are a great benefit on crowded NJ roads.

I haven't driven a 2001 GLS yet, so I can't compare the brakes. I will re-state that the GT stopped very nicely. It feels in many respects like a much larger vehicle than it actually is.

I showed the GT brochure to my wife and....she likes it better than the Sonata! Now we will only have to argue about the color "we" like.

Will report back after the Tuesday meeting. Wish me luck!

CJA

gsogymrat

I have not seen a Elantra GT except for a few photos. The photos make it look like there is not a lot of height to the cargo area. I have a large dog and want a vehicle with a cargo area where he can fit. Anyone know about putting a dog about the size of a German Shepherd in the Elantra GT?

cafbankr

Does anyone have specific confirmation that the $500 Elantra rebate applies to the GT? I just bought a Cardinal Red GT with ABS and was told that the rebate specifically DID NOT apply to the GT. I was even showed a Hyundai memo that stated this. If anyone else can confirm it does apply, please post. I'll at least try to go back and get a nose-bra or something out of the dealer.

In regard to the height of the cargo area. I think you would have enough room for a good sized dog in back with the seats down.

pedennison

I did not get the rebate either. I was told up until the deal was almost closed that the rebate did apply, but then the dealer produced a fax from Hyundai that said the rebate was only on the GLS and not on the GT. cjaccetta, I would not count on getting the rebate, but if you do, please let us know.

krafter324

I called the Hyundai Customer Service number located on www.hyundaiusa.com and was told that the rebate does NOT apply to the GT.

cjaccetta

Thanks to the other posters for the update on the Hyundai $500 rebate. I'll be sure to get it straight with the dealer before we sign anything. (We're also interested in the GLS, but not so much that we'd skip the GT over a $500 bump in price.)

To those who have purchased a GT -- how are the cars doing so far? Any glitches? Any pleasant surprises?

Thanks again.

CJA

sergprofan

I bought my GT here in Illinois on May 31st.
Dealer had one black and one silver, both automatics. I chose the silver because it had a sunroof, plus all of the black moldings stood out really nice. I know it's only been a little over a week, but I love this car!!. It idles as smooth as a Honda or a Toyota. Very quiet cabin. Purple lighting on instrument panel is cool. The storage compartments in this car are awesome. And of course, thanks to it being a Hatchback, it is so versatile!
I never thought that I would end up buying a Hyundai after shopping for a car since January. I still feel that I'm taking a little bit of a gamble considering Hyundai's past history with their cars.
But every time I read a review from some car experts, they have nothing but good things to say about this car. So I hope that down the road, I will be just as happy with my Elantra GT as I am now. I ended up getting mine for about $200 under invoice ($16,000 out the door). I also got the dealer to throw in mud guards and a sunroof wind deflector as part of the deal. So I'm very happy overall.

bpb30

Which dealer in Illinois did you get your Elantra GT from? Thanks in Advance

kchandydog

I do not believe that in the GT there would be enough height behind the rear seats for a German Shepard. The cargo area has a pretty good floor area (when compared to something like a Mazda Protege 5) but it has a fast back type of design with the back window sloping from the roof to the back. I don't think that there would be enough space for a German Shepard to be able to stand up and get comfortable. I have a greyhound (close in height and length to a Great Dane) and I know he isn't going to fit back there.

Has anyone seen in GTs with manuals? Seems like the few out there are all automatics.

pedennison

Glitches: The previously mentioned engine light, CD player, and missing fuel door paint (post 277). The other problems mentioned in this post turned out to be features (the vents) or problems with the owner (the rear seats).
Pleasant surprises:
1. This car is beautiful at night. The purple gauges and round tail lamps give the car a very nice appearance at night. The head and fog lamps give great, even illumination of the road ahead.
2. The seat buckle clips on the rear seats are a nice trick.
3. The trip computer calculates MPG and distance to empty, which keeps me from having to break out the old calculator every time I fill up. My gas mileage has been right on target, contrary to what I expected based on some of the posts to the Elantra sedan forum. I've put 600 miles on my car since May 31 and I have averaged 24 in the city and 30 on the highway.
4. The back has much more room than I expected. I filled it up with boxes once this past week, and I was really surprised by how much I could put in.

cjaccetta

Just got back from our second test drive of the E/GT. This time the wife gave it a spin while I rode in back. I'll repeat my sentiments from my earlier post and add the following:

-- the silver color car looks really upscale, more so than the red or cranberry.
-- the purple interior lighting is neat!
-- the rear seat is extremely roomy, especially when my 5'2" wife was driving.
-- the Auto Tranny hesitates slightly when urgent power is needed (could be the logic program?).
-- air conditioning could freeze a side of beef!
-- the stock CD player had excellent sound.
-- overall fit, finish and build quality was top notch.

My wife and I have settled on the Pewter GT base package. The sticker was $15,347 and we're still exploring financing options so we haven't hammered out a final price yet. Expect to purchase within the next 10 days. Dealer has been accomodating.

The GT so impressed us that we are no longer considering the Protege5. For the price, the content and quality of the E/GT is just unbeatable!

BY the way, the information presented in this forum has really helped with my research and early negotiations. A big thumps up to Edmunds and all the posters in the Hyundai Elantra 5-Door topic!

CJA

krafter324

I went in to today to try and get some price figures with 1 of 3 local Hyundai dealers ( Crown Hyundai St. Pete Florida). They were waiting outside like a bunch of hungry vultures! When I said I was interested in the GT they tried to tell me that the price was not really negotionable and that is was a "Limited" car where Hyundai selects what colors and how many they will receive. I point blank told the sales person I was not interested in the red one on the lot that did not have anti-lock brakes. I want a black one because I don't care for the black moldings. He said they are unable to order them and can only sell what they have now and don't know when they will receive more. Needless to say I thanked him for his time and left the lot within 4 minutes! I have been pre-approved for a loan and am ready to sign, but I refuse to pay sticker price and especially don't want to be told what color and options I can get. Is this really how Hyundai is marketing the vehicle????????? or does this particular dealer suck!!! when you get in the high 16K range you have alot of options as far as car choices and might have to reconsider if the next two dealers I contact are as un helpful as this one.

Rick

The Hyundai excitement is fading

genex

I live in Australia and have owned a 2001 Elantra GLS Hatch since November 2000. Have completed 12,000 alms without a hitch. Went in for it's first service and noticed a grease stain on the inside of right hand rear wheel. Dealer replaced bearing assembly instantly, even though it didn't appear to be weeping. We have had the hatch since the model was released in November. Australian speced cars (GLS) have more standard features than in the States. Fuel economy has improved only in the last 2000 klms to nearly 29 mpg city driving with air conditioning on most of the time.

re the dog issue: I have a Golden Retriever and yes he fits in the back, however the heat through the rear glass and lack of air flow means he rides in the rear seat.

The purple dash was to be a standard feature in Australia on the GLS , however they didn't arrive with them fitted. Have been told only States will get purple dashboard.

liljonson

i was having trouble with the hyundai dealership too. they are real bad but i found ONE dealer that actually knew more than i think all of us. this guy was hyundai crazy and answered all my questions. he also loves speed so i got me an inside guy who wont cry about warranty aspects of performance mods. this dealer, Rudy would like to see how fast a hyundai can go with mods. i think i made a new best friend.

cjaccetta

Sounds like you went to a lousy dealer. I have found one dealer here in NJ to be flexible when it comes to the GT. Sure, I got the same initial song-and-dance about how they don't have a lot of room to negotiate, supply is limited, etc., but when it came down to brass tacks the dealer expressed an interest in locating a particular color/model for us and seems willing to let the GT go for a few hundred over invoice (I know, not a super deal but not too bad, either, when you consider the smaller number of vehicles).

Now, all of this *could* change and I will be sure to let everyone know if the buyng experience goes south.

Krafter, I'd look to other dealers before you give up on the Hyundai line. We're poised to purchase a silver GT base with A/T for around $14,000 or so.

bri70

Carsdirect.com finally has the GT on its website. With package 6 and an automatic the price comes out to $15,860. Just a couple hundred under MSRP.

Ouch! I'll be waiting until there is more availability.

sergprofan

I bought my silver GT At a Hyundai dealer in Elgin, Illinois. The sales guy came back from seeing the manager and told me that they were looking to get sticker for this car because they only had two of them, plus being a brand new model,etc,etc,etc.
I told them that since Hyundais lose their resale values very quickly, I was not going to pay more than around $100 over invoice. He let me walk without giving the sales manager a chance to meet me. When I got home, the sales manager called and spent (I'm not kidding) around 15 or 20 minutes apologizing about the way I was treated. I didn't think that it was that bad, but he asked what it would take to give his dealership another chance to earn my business, and I said, Invoice price, plus they throw in mud guards and wind delector (installed) and I might come back. He called the next day and said, "come and get your car".
So far I will say that the Sales Mgr. Parts Mgr. and Service Mgr.(I always make sure to talk to all these people before I buy anything) have been great to me. So far, my first experience with a Hyundai dealer has been great, although it has only been 2 weeks.

liljonson

yea i know a couple of people who got great service at their dealers but non of them are close to me =(. but that doesn't matter since i found one dealer who is actually cool about the stuff i want.

barondes

Anybody else got the new Elantra with Leather. Just bought one for my wife, it is nice. Hard to get the dealer to part with it, had to drive it off the showroom floor

pearlbluesoul

Does anyone know of a good site with pictures of the new GT in its various colors?

This is one of the cars I'm considering purchasing but three things worry me: 1) high rate of depreciation, 2) look of the body side mouldings, 3) lack of heated leather seats. On the plus side, the reviews from the users here have been very encouraging.

cheverly

I just bought a silver 5 speed GT with moonroof and ABS (hard to find combo, I think), for nearly $1400 under MSRP (under factory invoice as well), with absolutely no bargaining necessary from Fitzgerald Auto Malls in Gaithersburg (www.fitzmall.com). At that price, heated seats would be too good to be true. And as for colors, the sales manager at Fitzgerald (Kenneth Cherry) showed me a memo from Hyundai saying that the cobalt blues wouldn't be out for a couple months yet, since they were still test marketing that particular color. He had 2 in, 3 more to come, mostly silver and red, mostly automatic, I think.

bpb30

What zip are you using to get the GT info at carsdirect.com? Using my zip (Chicago) I only get the GLS.

bpb30

Has anybody who bought/test drove a GT compared it to a Focus Wagon? I would like the extra space of the Focus Wagon but it is more money and it seems almost everyone in the Ford Focus group has problems with their car. C'mon hyundai bring back the elantra wagon.

kchandydog

I also do not get the GT at Carsdirect.com in my zip code (Kansas City), but plugged in 90008 (have no idea where that is, somewhere in Calif. I am guessing), and a base GT came up for just over $13,000 delivered (which is under invoice I believe). Either something was messed up at Carsdirect.com, or you should be able to get the car at a good price in the near future as they make their way across the country.

The dealers in town don't have a lot of them, and they all claim that they don't know when or how many more they will get and that they cannot order them. (This makes no sense, I have never heard of not being able to order a car). Anyway, I figure I'll wait a while and if nothing comes up I'll think about the Mazda Protege 5 or Subaru Impreza Wagon.

lngtonge18

I find it so odd that a lot of people are having trouble locating 5 speed GTs. I watched the marketing video for the GT months ago and in it Hyundai claimed they were targeting the performance driver and therefore figured more people would choose the 5 speed (about a 50/50 split which is much higher than in most cars). If their intention was to offer more 5 speeds, than why the heck is every dealer only carrying the automatic?? It seems completely against their marketing plan. I hope it's just a case of low availability and not Hyundai going against their original plan. I find it infuriating enough that my dealer only carries one 5 speed GLS at a time and it is always the one with no options. I want something with cruise and keyless entry for heaven's sake! Why is it the dealer always assumes people who buy a stick want the base version? Drives me crazy! Anyone else feel the same way?

uryourword

We recently purchased a GT with package 6 for $15,400, which is $644 under sticker price. Can anyone tell me if this seems to be a competitive price? In any event, we pick up the car tomorrow. We were really impressed with all of the features that come standard. In fact, after signing the papers, we went to the nearest Honda dealer to re-check the prices. There was a model with cd, cruise, sunroof, AT, AC, PW, PL, cloth, for $18,000. I wondered what it would cost with leather interior, alum wheels, 15 in tires, fog lamps, and four wheel disc brakes. Probably around $21,000. For this reason, we feel that the higher resale value of Honda or Toyota versus Hyundai is a wash at best, since you are paying about $5-6000 more for the car overall. Add the interest on that difference in price and it becomes a no brainer. For the money, the Elantra 5 door GT is more car for the money than anything else out there, witha warranty that makes it easy to sleep at night. Any thoughts appreciated.
Regards.

judgee

I am currently negotiating with my local Hyundai dealer for a GT. He agrees to 1% over invoice but insists that a regional advertising cost of $390 is part of his invoice cost. In my experience buying a number of cars over the past few years, I have found that this is true for some but not necessarily all cars/dealers. Does anyone have any experience with this in buying a GT in one of the western states? This cost is not listed on any of the several internet auto sites I have researched for the GT.

Thanks for any responses.

coupe2001

Oh my god, don't pay that crap! i sold cars before they will say anything to convince you to pay more. dude, just play the game. they lie. just lie with them. say "hey i talked to my brother in law who sold Hyundai's last year and he never heard of that" then he will say it's a new fee. then you say "i don't care I ain't gonna pay it, do you still wanna sell a car?" " if not, let me speak to the manager", don't be gulible, fight back!

bluewinds

It's an all new Hyundai's 2door coupe.

V6 2.7 6-speed manual and 5-speed A/T is avalilable.

It will be introduced on July.

Click and find "2001 New Car (photo)"

http://myhome.naver.com/mildbreeze/menu2.html

skyart

Isn't that the new Tiburan?

perry40

It's great to see wagons and hatches making a comeback in North America ... haven't seen the new Elantra 5-door around here (Eastern Canada) yet ... but think Hyundai shouldn't have done away with the wagon ... the new look of the 01's would look particularly good in the wagon format! Mother-in-law traded a perfectly good 99 Elantra wagon on a 00 Focus wagon a year ago (her boyfriend talked her into it) ... she's had a lot of trouble (recalls, brakes, etc.) with the Focus, plus it gets crappier gas milage ... go figure ...

cjaccetta

After calling five Hyundai dealers in three New Jersey counties to find the Elantra GT we wanted (Pewter, automatic, no options) I finally struck paydirt at 3:30 Friday afternoon. Drove to the dealer after work, offered them Edmund's TMV for the car and drove out with it three hours later. The sticker was $15, 394 (I got it for about $900 under that, or about $14,500). I consider it a fair deal, given the hard-to-find nature of the vehicle.

After all the various administrative fees, state taxes, plates, etc., the price was still less than a Honda Civic LX. Plus, the dealer beat our bank's finance rate by 0.5%. All in all, I have no complaints whatsoever about my buying experience.

To post #334, the price you paid is not out of line, but seems high by maybe a couple of hundred bucks. You didn't mention what state you live in; you may have been able to get the car for close to $1,000 under sticker. But if you're happy with the car and the deal and there are so few GTs to choose from where you live, then you did okay. Even at sticker price the cars seem competitve.

I can't wait to start driving our new ride. I'll try to post any noteworthy experiences for other owners and potential owners. One thing to note: get used to people staring at your car. We seem to be the first people in our town to be driving a GT and we are getting looks already (one guy asked me if it was a Nissan!). One thing is for sure, though...when we tell people it's a Hyundai no one chuckles anymore. This car impresses!

Happy Motoring!
CJA

cheverly

The sales manager where I bought my GT (see post #329) gave me the same explanation about a $390 cost added to his invoice because of advertising, and I tend to think it's true in this case. After all, this is the guy who sold me the car for $1400 under MSRP, and I don't think he lied about how much the car was costing him. Hard to imagine a conspiracy across the country where Hyundai dealers all agree to invent a figure of $390 simply to inflate their profits.
And as for automatic transmissions vs. 5 speeds, my sense after visiting/calling 7 dealers in my area (East Coast) is that the initial shipments, designed for showrooms and test cars, were almost all AT, but that 5 speeds will start to come in more frequently in the weeks to come, including those with moonroofs and ABS (as I was able to buy already).

pedennison

I had to buy some lumber today, and I was curious how long a board would fit in the GT. Here are the results: a 10 foot board is about 3 inches too long to fit from the corner of the passenger side dash to the opposite corner of the hatch. Not too shabby.
uryourword, the price I got was about $700 under MSRP (Los Angeles area) for a GT with package 7. I probably could have done better had I waited several weeks, but I had been without a car for 2 weeks already, and couldn't wait any longer. A car in hand is worth two on the lot, or something like that.

backy

Not all Hyundai dealers charge the advertising fee. The dealers I negotiated with in the Twin Cities (MN) before buying a GLS last fall mentioned nothing about an advertising fee. The response I would give if a dealer tried to stick this fee onto the deal is, "Advertising is part of your COS (Cost of Sales). I would like your best price, which is inclusive of all of your costs." Then the dealer can decide whether to add the advertising fee to the deal, or leave it off. Another way to help get the best deal is to buy a car that just arrived at the dealer or is in transit. That kind of car will provide the dealer with the maximum dealer holdback, giving them more room to deal.

krafter324

Well... after two bad dealerships I went to the one located closest to my house ( I wanted to check with all of them in the area). The Sales Person Frankie D was great... No pressure sales..Knew what he was talking about and sold me the car just $300.00 over invoice. So If anyone in the clearwater area is shopping for an elantra GT go to Fitzgerald Hyundai and ask for Frankie Dawson ( Oh and tell him I sent you, cuz he'll give me $50.00). I bought a Black Auto with PKG 6 and love it

Rick Scinta

uryourword

pedennison, We went to pick up our car today and I had this sick feeling of impending doom. The dealer I am buying from is by far, the most unprofessional business I have ever dealt with. Here's a list of things that they screwed up:

1. Salesman #1 told me 5 times that there was a $500 rebate. I learned from this board that this was not true for the GT. The salesman learned it from me, which is pathetic.

2. The salesman agreed to an appt with me that evening to test drive the GT. He was a no show, which is totally unacceptable. Salesman # 2 had to help me, an 18 year old girl.

3. When we went in to make the offer and place a deposit, we were helped by salesman #3, who had an iq of about 45. He wrote the wrong address on the purchase offer. Instead of just crossing off the wrong address and writing the new address in, he re-wrote the whole form, which was a waste of about 5 minutes. Duh! He then misplaced our deposit check, which I found on another desk.

4. The finiance manager today has no forms ready for us to sign, and has to print each and every one of them while we waited. In addition, the odometer reading on the disclosure was from the wrong car, but somehow the VIN was correct. We caught this and had it corrected.

5. We were assured that they would take care of everything, from registration to insurance to prep etc. We come to find out that they think that the car I am swapping plates with, an old Audi, has collision ins, and that it automatically covers the new car when the plates are transferred. Needless to say, they never called my agent, which they promised to do. By this time, Metlife customer service was closed.

Guess what? We left without the car, since we can't get an ins binder until Monday. Furthermore, we learn that the tags of a car that is NOT being traded in cannot be transferred to a new car. (We decided to sell the Audi ourselves, in lieu of trading it in.)

This dealership is a totally amateur operation, but part of a very large auto group. Incompetence reigns supreme. We are now considering backing out of the deal in favor of buying from a different Hyundai dealer. We're just afraid that we will be faced with more of the same stupidity. I am not sure what recourse I have, but if this is any indication of service in the future, should the car need service, our nerves are very rattled about this dealer. I hope that Hyundai will one day hold their dealers to a higher standard of customer service to qualify as Hyundai dealers. Wish us luck. Any thoughts appreciated.

We still love the five door GT, the car sold itself, the dealer is more of an impediment than anything else. To anyone interested in this car, remember that the dealers are anxious to get some of these on the road as fast as possible, and they are willing to sacrifice margin to get it out there. Should I just close this deal on Monday and pick up the car, or should I try to make a deal elsewhere?

-uryourword@aol.com

cjaccetta

uryourword...I think you said it yourself. If the dealer service is that bad during the purchase, imagine what it will be like to bring your vehicle there for service. Go with your instincts.

Here's some food for thought: I bought my GT from a large dealer group which is currently being investigated by our state attorney general for allegedly defrauding consumers. After some initial problems with our first salesperson (he evidently went home one day and never returned to his job), I thought about backing out and going with another dealer. However, the sales manager called me, set me up with another salesperson and the buying process was smooth thereafter. I only noticed two minor paperwork errors throughout the entire transaction. The point I am trying to make is that what you hear or read about a particular dealer can mean very little...the service you get on the lot is probably a better indicator to help you decide whether to make a purchase there.

After one day of ownership our Pewter GT is running fine. I put about 80 miles of mixed city/freeway drivng on it so far and the only complaint I have is that it appears the front wheels are slightly out of balance. I get a detectable shimmy in the steering wheel between 64-68 MPH. Anyone else experience this?

cjaccetta

Any Elantra GT owners out there interested in forming an Owners Club board here in Edmund's Town Hall? If so, I'll be happy to volunteer my services one of the board spokespersons. We need to nominate two persons for this duty, so at least one more person should volunteer or be nominated. Once we have two persons we can contact the Community Manager and get started.

There is already a Hyundai Owners Club topic so I thought building our own little GT clubhouse would give owners a great place to swap information and stories about our favorite do-it-all car!

CJA
accetta@concentric.net

mpgman

Drove both an auto and a manual. The 5 speed really impressed.

Anyone out there have any early real world mpg figures for the stick and the auto? Same as the sedan?

I see the car is advertised as a 2001.5 model. Anyone know when the 02s will be out? Also, if the Tuscany gets the 6 speed manual or 5 speed auto, will the GT get it in 02 or will it be reserved for the higher cost models?

SIDE TRIM---Don't complain about the black side and bumper trim. The first time some inconsiderate driver opens a door too wide or scrapes your bumper, you'll be thankful you have it instead of the dumb matching paint that looks great until you drive it off the lot.

carchatter

Enough with the buying! How does the Hyundai GT drive compared to a Protoge5 or Civic EX?

bluewinds

carchatter

The dealer tells us that the Hyundai rust 5 yr/100,000 mile warranty requires that, because
we live in a state (New York) that salts the road in the winter we have to get at least the
minimum rust package (399.00). Since this is required I don't consider it an option. Has anyone else heard of this requirement?

dplatnyc

Does anyone know when the Tuscany and the new Sonata are due for release? I am hoping this will put downard pressure on the GT's prices.

lngtonge18

The dealer is scamming you. Hyundai supplies that rust warranty regardless of where you live and with no added products. He is just trying to make more money off of you. However, the rust warranty only pertains to rust from the inside out. So, the rust package may supply a little added protection against rust from the outside.

kchandydog

Not only is a post-manufacture rust proofing treatment not necessary for the rust warranty to be applicable, but such treatments often do more harm than good. The rust proofing treatments applied in the manufacture of todays cars are pretty good and should keep a car relatively rust free for ten years or so. Further, because many post manufacture rust proofing applications require drilling holes (which then allow in salt and water) these applications actually promote rather than inhibit rust.

I would not buy a car from that Hyundai dealer, if there are other options. I would also inform Hyundai USA and your state's attorney general of the dealer's conduct. It is one thing strike a hard bargain, it is another thing to lie and commit fraud.

mpgman

Best as I can determine, the GT is a 2001 model, even though the brochure calls it a 2001.5. Contrast this with the same time introduction of the Mazda Pro-5, which is an 02. If Hyundai brings out a 2002 GT in the fall, which the 1-800 number people told me they would, that means that if we buy the 01, we have a 4 month model year, at best. Personally, I think this stinks. It means that in addition to the hit in market value driving it off the lot, you take another hit in a few months when the 02s come out. Got any opinions on the accuracy of this? Like to hear them. I am tempted to wait for the fall when supply should be more plentiful and discounting not so hard to come by.

coupe2001

i took a peak at my local dealers Elantra GT's, and guess what?

Out of 5 GT's only 1 had the GT emblem mounted straight. They must not have child labor laws in Korea when it comes to building cars either. I would have to debadge the thing to spare the embarrassment.