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Hyundai Elantra Owners: Meet the Members
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I post this message with joy and guilt at the same time. My wife and I just purchased a jet black 2002 Elantra GLS loaded to the 9's for about $12,700. The only options that we didn't get were the spoiler and ABS. Beyond that it's got every toy and creature comfort you could want (AT, Keyless entry/alarm, AC, all power, moonroof, CD 6 speaker stereo, etc).
This purchase started out as nothing more than a car "shopping" expedition where we would be comparing/test driving similar "economy" compacts for my son to have when he gets his license this fall. Our field was narrowed down to three, the Mazda Protege (which we did test drive), the Honda Civic and of course the Elantra.
As mentioned we did test drive the Mazda and while it was pretty good, I didn't care for the stiff ride and even stiffer price. After our test drive in the Elantra however, we were both so impressed with it that the Honda got nothing more than a look at the sticker. That alone was enough for us to realize that we'd be wasting our time taking it out. Keep in mind too, that the Honda was even on the same lot as the Hyundai!
I should take a step back and note that our other car is a 98 Chrysler Intrepid (Canadian car). We have always loved this car for it's ride and roominess and frankly never believed that we'd ever consider riding in something small again. What an utter shock we had when we took our "no-salesman present" test drive!
I was so impressed with our drive, that not only did we decide to buy the Elantra right there and then, but further we decided that we would keep the Elantra as our car and give our 98 Intrepid to our son! Beyond the bargain basement price of this car with options in, I was FLOORED by the quality of the ride and handling!
I didn't think it was possible that a compact car could have such a ride. We've had compact rentals recently while the Intrepid had been in for service (Saturn and Ford Focus to name two) and both had left shivers up my spine. If this little car can maintain it's reliability over the long term, I will truly become a Hyundai advocate. So now it's up to Hyundai to prove if they truly are a better company than they were in days gone by.
I will post my own long term roadtest articles as time (and mileage go by). To start though I can tell you since I purchase my little E car last Thursday, I have put 400 miles on it. We took a trip from Bedford, NH to the White Mountain Region this past Saturday. The sun was out, the car drove, handled and road like a dream. Absoultely NO driver fatigue whatsoever on almost a 300 mile trip. I might add that I'm 6'1". That's all for now. I'm happy to join the club of the proud owners of a Hyundai Elantra.
Oh yes...my son...well, he's started talking to me again and the reality that he'll have a nice car waiting for him has started to settle in. He's really happy about the $3000 stereo system I put in to it. He's still a little miffed about not having a new car. Geesh, spoiled kid! lol
There is nothing else this luxurious under 15K or 20K for that matter.
GET ONE!!!!!!!!!
Still a little tentative in the turns.
Mostly quiet motor with grunt in second and third.
takes some getting used to...
Got a 1994 Excel Hatchback semi-new...It was in late 1994 that I bought it, and was a dealership demo car...A base model 5 speed that never gave me a single problem...I truly loved that car, and I regret trading it in two months ago, it still ran perfectly!!!
I currently own a Carbon Blue Elantra GT with all the goodies...I'm having some early problems with it...Mostly the narl and rubber feeling when shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear, and the high rpm's...Other than that and the fact that a dark blue car is impossible to keep clean, I love the overall drive of it...I want to upgrade to a Tiburon really quick though, I love the new body on the 03's
HAPPY DRIVING!!!
DAN
to 17-18 overall.
no inner city or heavy stop and go driving.
mostly errands in suburban malls or occasional
trips to visit friends-mostly using highways.
service manager claims "nothing shows up on the
OBD scans to indicate any engine diagnostic
problem".In other words,this is the way it is
and the Hyundai manufacturer is under no
warranty obligation to go any further in terms
of addressing poor gas mileage problems with
the GT 2002.!Does any one have this problem too!
But every time I'd see an Elantra GT (which wasn't very often; they're still rare), my heart would skip a beat! So, after we refinanced our home, and my wife got her 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE, I came home with a much more "SENSIBLE" pewter/silver 2003 Elantra GT 5-speed/no options. At first I wanted the Cobalt Blue or Chianti Red, but the Silver has really grown on me; I've decided it's the most "traditionally sporty" color for this model (and who wants to try to keep those darker colors clean?!)
Now I'm the one turning heads...
I've put 1,700 miles on it, and so far not one single problem other than an occasional "quiet rattle" somewhere in back (hatchbacks, right?). Meanwhile, our $33,000 Sienna with 3,500 miles on it has had what Consumer Reports would call "6 sample defects, all minor," but all very irritating from a company that's supposed to be so great! One of those defects ~ a horn that wasn't working (fuse wasn't installed by dealer) could've been very dangerous. We had it in the dealership for it's first oil change this week, and they've started to address those problems, but one that they "fixed" (a rubbing/rattling sliding door) starting doing the same thing the next day...
Hyundai is coming up in the world, and I'm glad to be part of "the flock."
I have the carbon blue and boy its gonna be tough to keep it looking good. Good luck to me on that!
The only thing bothering me a little is the shifting that occurs in 3rd and 4th like there is another half gear in between them.
How much does Wal-mart charge for an oil change? Are you sure the filters they use meet Hyundai's warranty requirements? What if they don't, and you have an engine warranty claim down the road, and Hyundai doesn't honor it because you didn't use Hyundai-spec filters (worst case, yes, but it can happen)? What if someone at Wal-mart strips the oil pan threads (easy to do on the Elantra) so you need a new oil pan--but they don't tell you and you find out about it later? Will Wal-mart buy you a new oil pan?
Personally, I'm a believer in minimizing risk and hassle if it is easy and cheap to do so. So that's why I always have a Hyundai dealer, the same dealer whenever possible, do oil changes and other mechanical service on my Elantra. I know then that there will never be any problem with Hyundai honoring its warranty, and if there is a problem like stripped threads, I know--and Hyundai knows--who is at fault. I pay a few bucks more per year, but I see it as a kind of insurance policy. IMHO.
ElantraStan
http://www.stanarseneaux.com/elantra/
Stripping the oil pan might still be a problem as I have read before hear. I bought the Fumuto oil drain valve which makes it easy to drain the oil without worrying about stripped threads.
Aside, from that, I don't think there is anything wrong with having someone other than the dealer do oil changes. The filters used and oil (hopefully both brand names) should not be an issue. Of course there are brands better than others. Even dealership folks can mess up your car.
Tires have been good. I hear they don't last long and are very expensive to replace. I'm considering Falken Ziex for replacements, which is at least 30,000 miles away for me.
just wanted to give a report, I purchased my 02 Gt in February from corp. Hyundai direct. Man I got a killer deal on a vehicle with 5k on it. I won't mention the price, I don't want to upset anyone. I was so worried about buying Korean, but did the research on groups like this and felt pretty good. Well better part of 8 months has gone by and I still love my car!! I definately will look at Hyundai before others now. I grew up in a Ford family, but will never won one again!
anybody know what kind of light modifications that you can do that will not effect the warranty??
thanks
G
Any idea if either of the four cylinder engines is rated better than the other?
Also, what car wax do any of you recommend? I'm thinking on using just plain old super hard Turtle Wax.
Let me know your thoughts.
I used to have a 95 Galant with a 2.4L engine before and wondered myself if I took a step down performance wise wince the 2003 GLS I have has a 2.0L from what the manual says.
Any idea if either of the four cylinder engines is rated better than the other?
Also, what car wax do any of you recommend? I'm thinking on using just plain old super hard Turtle Wax.
Let me know your thoughts.
I use Zymol cleaner wax (available at Target, $12.99) on my '01 GLS, Champagne. I get very good results -- it even removed some light scratches resulting from a leaping dog. It is a light blue liquid. I extend the life of my wax between waxings by rinsing off dirt (no soap) at the local $2 manual spray wash.
I envy you -- I miss having a black car. I chose Champagne because I wanted the lighter interior color. For '04 the grey is lighter.
Thought I saw in the owners manual something about two different engines in the '03's. I'll have to double check.
So far, we love it! First "foreign" car we've owned, other than the beat up '88 Honda Accord I had a few years ago as a work car. It finally gave up the ghost after I sold it to my son's girlfriend. Think it had 230,000 miles on by then! Alot of car for not too much money!!
Manual sez to avoid gas with ethanol. Anymore that's tough to do. There are a chain of stations around here called Speedway that people seem to think gives better gas mileage and it's gas doesn't have ethanol. Shell's supposed to be good, too. For as long as I've been driving and that's a long time I've used BP. Now people are telling me it's junk gas and I noticed it had ethanol in it, too! Aiyiyi! Anyone any thoughts on the gas situation?!
By the way, waxed mine with the Turtle wax yesterday. Shines nice. Might just try the Zymol next time, tho. Very satisfied with the Turtle wax, tho.
# Base Number of Cylinders: 4
# Base Engine Size: 2.4 liters
# Base Engine Type: Inline 4
# Horsepower: 141 hp
# Max Horsepower: 5500 rpm
# Torque: 148 ft-lbs.
# Max Torque: 3000 rpm
# Drive Type: FWD
I do remember that when driving the Galants engine seemed a lot quieter than the Elantra.
However, if you insist on comparing performance of the two cars, you need to use figures such as power-to-weight ratio that equalize the differences between the two cars.
http://webhome.idirect.com/~trini/car/freehp.html
What kind of gas mileage are all of you getting? The last I checked it was 30 mpg, combined city and highway. Since then I've switched from BP to Speedway(which might be owned by Marathon). I'll let you all know soon if it seems to have made a difference.
Have noticed as a fellow worker who owns an '01 Elantra GT, the heater will cook you it's so warm, and the AC will freeze you it's so cold. I like both of those very much!!
After one month's ownweship, I don't have a single complaint.