Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra

elantra00 · January 2001

On behalf of hyundai owners in this forum, I'd like to welcome you back to the Elantra vs. Civic forum. Long time no see

darpin1 · January 2001

These guys at Jiffy Lube don't seem to care so I'd be careful of them in the future...!/2 inch yiks! that is way too much...Check the owners manual I doubt they recommend it...What I've been told is that it is better to ave less oil than too much...Everything is so tight in these engines especially when they are new...get them to reduce it (and should be for free) otherwise you maybe replacing gaskets and seals on a regular basis if you listen to these Jiffy Lube guys.

A note about the Civic 2001...We have a show up here in the Great White North (Canada) called Auto-Stop (it's in french) and they reviewed the Civic and found it to be a step backward...They review the car top to bottom...When on the hoist they showed us viewers what Honda has done underneath the Civic...Very little protection for the engine compartment brake lines and of course suspension....They didn't understand why Honda went to such a cheap suspension system in the back dropping the double wishbone suspension that many Honda purists have screamed "stupid". Probably to lose weight to get better gas mileage. I think making comparison engineering wise should include examining the underside of a car too. Take a look at how well protected an Elantra vs. Honda and you'll be surprised...Honda's seem to heading to "Less for more $".

justin · January 2001

Congrats on your pick! In four door land, the Protege is arguably the best looking four door economy car out there! Classy and sporty at the same time! I understand the 2001's are even better. If only Mazda could get on the ball with MPG's they would have an all around BEST CAR in my opinion, four door wise.

kymcamp · January 2001

It wasn't an easy decision, since I really liked all three cars, and even now I'm still wavering a little. Now I just have to finish my job search so I can pay for the thing

!

kevperro1 · January 2001

Yesterday I drove the Honda Civic 4 door LX 01 with side-air bags as the only option. Really tight, typical Honda build quality. My family has several Honda's so I know how they age and their manufacturing skills seem to be unmatched. I like the looks of the car better than the Elantra and it is put together really tight (am I repeating myself?). I didn't like the ride quality and noise. At 65-75mph on the highway it is doing over 3000rpm and it is noisy compared to the Elantra. Also the steering is twitchy making it harder to doze during my long highway jaunts.

I really like driving the Elantra more than the Civic. Of couse the Civic has the better ergonomics and the interior looks like a swiss watch. But the Elantra is so smooth and the engine is wonderful when compared to the buzzy Honda engine. My bottom line though really...I could live with either one. So I look at safty. The Elantra looks like it will hold the edge ever so slightly (assuming the 01 front crash scores come in at least as good as last year). Cost of ownership... I've run the numbers. Looking at up front cost, insurance, fuel cost and financing the Civic will cost me $40 more per month for 48 months in payments. Over four years that comes to about $2000.00 more. I'm not considering maintenance. I don't have a crystal ball but the I would bet on the Honda being cheaper but the Elantra warranty goes a long way to erase that factor. I drive about 20,000 mi/yr and I calculated the gas cost at $1.60/gallon. Called my insurance company to check differences in insurance (The Elantra is cheaper). If you consider that the resale value, the Civic just smokes the Elantra, the Civic is the cheaper car to drive when taking everything into consideration. I reached this conclusion without any joy since I do like the Elantra better in many ways. Anyway, thought I would air my thoughts. Let me know if I'm missing anything.

isellhondas · January 2001

Well the results for the Civic are in.

It's five stars front and rear, and four stars for the side, five stars for the coupes.

And that's without the side air bags.

Hard to do much better than that!

sobers · January 2001

Given Civic's mpg in City more than elantra by 8mpg. which means for 20000 miles Civic gas 20000/32(epa city) = 625 * 1.6 = $1000
Elantra assuming 24 is $1333. So the actual diff is $2000-333 = around 1670$. Yes Elantra has more power due to large engine which may miss. We are not yet talking about resale here. So overall cost of ownership is better for Civic if u take resale into account. Now decide for urself whether u want Honda or Hyundai. oNe is established & other trying very hard to establish itself with very good products everyday.
You can save 800 bucks by optinf manual in Civic.
As such you drive on freeway u won't need to play with manual too often. Just a suggestion.

sobers · January 2001

I guess, getting Civic Lx in manual transmission would be a very good decision if u travel more on freeways & u will be able to have fun/more control & better usage of engine power.

Think over it.

justin · January 2001

get the EX Civic automatic, and don't look back. It is not buzzy. Quite the opposite - my 2000 Elantra was the king of loud and buzzy. I guess they have improved it this year. The Civics have always been smooth, but pretty gutless unless you have the VTEC.

This year the HP is the same, but the torque is increased, and it is geared to be more punchy at the lower end. I LOVE that the coupe has five starts front and side. That is great!

liufei · January 2001

Sobers, some correction is due on your post.
First of all, you're comparing a manual civic vs an auto elantra. Auto Civic vs Auto Elantra the difference
is 7mpg.
We also need to straighten your math:
civic number: 20000/32 * 1.6 = $1000
elantra number: 20000/24 * 1.6 = $1333
$1333-$1000 = $333 NOT $1670

Considering that average drivers drove around 12-15K miles/year, the above difference will be even lower (in the range of 250).
Not to mention that the combination of highway driving (where civic's mpg advantage is reduced to 5mpg), the difference will drop down to around $180-200 per year ($15/month).

Yeah, you can save $800 by opting for a manual in Civic, same case with the Elantra as well.

liufei · January 2001

Actually, the 4dr Elantra has an even better (5&5 star) side crash score as opposed to the 4dr Civic (5&4star).
It will be interesting to see Elantra's score for the frontal crash test.

sobers · January 2001

Ofcourse the diff is 333. If u read my response carefully: is $2000-333 = 1670 means that the guy who says Civic is costlier than 2000, is is actually 1670 considering the mileage cost per year. This cash will be more than enough returned after 3-4 years in resale.

Getting manual for mostly highway driving makes sense to me as initial $$ saved & fun factor/control it gives.

hkchan · January 2001

"Looking at up front cost, insurance, fuel cost and financing the Civic will cost me $40 more per month for 48 months in payments. Over four years that comes to about $2000.00 more."
"I drive about 20,000 mi/yr and I calculated the gas cost at $1.60/gallon."
That's what kevperro1 said. Not 100% sure, but I take it that he took into account the fuel savings on the Civic already. Even if he did not, sobers, why would you take into account the fuel savings in just one year?

liufei · January 2001

Ok, I didn't realize that your reply is specific to kevperro1's case. My bad.

Lets dissect the number specific to kevperro's case then.
Invoice price
Civic LX(auto):$14,959 (option=side airbag)
Elantra GLS(auto):$12,671-$500rebate=$12,171
Main difference=lack of cruise control in Elantra and Civic's 14' wheel compared to 15' wheel.

For Sales Tax @5% difference = (2288*0.05)=$114

Consider $2000 downpayment & finance over 48 month @ 6.9%APR:
Civic LX: $364.49/month
Elantra GLS: approx $296.56/month

Fuel cost for combined city & highway @20000 miles/year:
Civic LX:(20000/12)/34 * 1.6= $78/month
Elantra GLS:(20000/12)/28 *1.6=$95/month

Insurance difference=$60/year more for Civic(approximately,I'm comparing the rate for my 99 corolla and 2000 Hyundai. kevperros's number maybe greater or less).

Approx difference per monthly cost=$55.
Invested @$55/month for 4 years APY of 7%=$3036.51(approx)
Total saving after 4 years = $3036.51+ $114
= $3150.51 for Elantra.

Not taken into consideration:
-Difference on annual property tax(more for civic)
-Civic will be out of warranty after 2 yr.Elantra
bumper-to-bumper is covered for 3 year and power
train still in effect after 4 years. So any
repair damage in last 2 years means more cost
for the Civic.
Of course we can add a 7yr/100K warranty which
going to cost around $600-$700 more to the Civic
total cost.

For comparison, based on KBB data:
1998 Civic LX(auto) retail @:$11,210 (80K miles)
1998 Elantra GLS(auto) retail @:$7,815(80K miles)
Difference = $3,395 after 4 years.

Pretty much a wash if you ask me. If Elantra resale value increase then we may see more advantage to Elantra. If kevperro's can get a better loan rate, advantage more to the Civic.
What do you think about the total cost calculation?

justin · January 2001

anyone is buying either car. I don't see any new Elantra or new Civics on the road. I think, seriously, I have seen one of each. What's up with that? Perhaps consumers are sick of Honda and Hyundai and are buying up the Protege and Focus...

liufei · January 2001

Seen about 4 new civic and 3 new elantra regularly at work and around where I lived.

Civic 2000 sales = 324,518 (up 19% from 1999)
Elantra 2000 sales= 104,099 (up 25% from 1999)

and here I'm thinking the economy is slowing....

sobers · January 2001

Approx difference per monthly cost=$55.
Invested @$55/month for 4 years APY of 7%=$3036.51(approx)
Total saving after 4 years = $3036.51+ $114
= $3150.51 for Elantra.

I don't know whether anybody is giving you 7% if you deposit $55 per month !! You need to keep bigger amount in deposit to get such rates I guess. so It is more if saving of 2640 oevr 4 years. Also u seem to take Rabate into account.
I won't count that in. That is one reason who didn't get that rebate is already at disadvantage!

hkchan · January 2001

We can nitpick this to death. There're so many variables. Why don't we take into account the income tax on that 7%? Your tax bracket is different from mine. Your state income tax rate is different from mine. Some states have annual property tax. We can go on and on. You drive 12,000 miles a year? I drive 40,000 miles a year. Some people pay 12% on a car loan. Some people take money from their 4% savings accounts to buy a car. The bottom line is the '01 Elantra is a viable alternative to the Civic to a lot of people. The big question to me is reliability.

bluewinds · January 2001

Hyundai has already shipped to E.U market.

These are the photos.

It has 2.0 Turbo diesel Intercooler Engine which has higher torque than Santa Fe's 2.7 V6.

However, I have no idea where Hyundai engineers hide its intercooler.

(In Korea, Hyudai has already launched Disel Santa Fe, Elantra's diesel engine is as same as Santa Fe's diesel one.)

Enjoy photos!!!!

http://bbs1.adwars.com/read.php?table=mildbreeze&no=8

http://bbs1.adwars.com/read.php?table=mildbreeze&no=9

http://bbs1.adwars.com/read.php?table=mildbreeze&no=10

http://bbs1.adwars.com/read.php?table=mildbreeze&no=11

Have a safe driving!!!!

sobers · January 2001

there are many factors. Elantra IS a good choice right now is it is very cheap to buy.

Also, I have developed great respect for Hyundai the way they entered the market in India(Asia)
Santro & Accent are their current offerings which are very good cars & are MUCH better than Suzuki(GM)

kymcamp · January 2001

Hmm... I can't see the photos you mentioned bluewinds. Maybe the problem is on my end. Still, the turbodiesel probably doesn't look any different from a regular Elantra. Does anyone know the specs on the diesel engine?

I've seen lots of new Civics around, but only a few Elantras. It isn't that the Elantra isn't selling well, the dealers can't keep up with the demand. But even at the breakneck pace they're going at they just can't match the Civic. Including the previous generations, there seems to be a Civic on every street corner. Of course, there seems to be just as many Sunfires. Maybe my (still wavering) decision to go with Mazda was based on the fact that I won't see myself coming and going at every traffic light. I might still decide at the last minute to go with the Elantra though. I wish someone would hurry up and hire me. I'm beginning to get lots of interviews, but no offers yet. But I haven't recieved any rejection letters either, which is a good thing

.

backy · January 2001

This is a tough choice, two excellent cars. But let's forget the money for a minute, since you said the Civic is only $40 a month more, so with its higher resale value money will be pretty much a wash. The main thing is, you have to drive the car every day for the next few years. Which car do you believe will give you greater pleasure driving every day? You said you liked the way the Elantra drove. If that is your main consideration, the Elantra looks like the obvious choice. But if you will lay awake at night wondering about reliability or how much gas is costing you, the Civic makes more sense. And I agree that you should check out the 5spd, if you don't mind driving a stick. To me, a 5spd is the only way to go with a small car, unless you drive in rush-hour traffic a lot. Especially with the Civic LX, you'll get better performance and the Civic has one of the smoothest sticks around. And you can knock about $800 off the price with a stick. One problem though: resale. I've found in recent years that a 5spd is much harder to resell than an automatic. I also see many advertised sales by local Honda dealers on just their 5spd Civics, "we're overstocked!!", because they don't sell as well as automatics. Maybe isellhondas can confirm this trend?

P.S. On the crash test scores, unless isellhondas has inside information that the NHTSA has not yet posted on its Web site, the scores for the 4dr Civic with side air bags still fall a little short of the Elantra, since the Elantra got 5 stars in the side-front and Civic got 4. And the scores for the Civic w/o side air bags haven't been posted yet, and neither have the Elantra's frontal crash scores. What's really strange about the scores to me is that the Civic 2dr got better side-rear scores than the 4dr, which is too bad, because which car is more likely to have rear passengers? The 4dr. So if those of you with 2dr Civics get complaints from rear seat riders, just remind them of how safe they are!

kevperro1 · January 2001

I bought the Elantra today. Midnight gray 5 spd with no options except floor mats. I paid $11,938.12 without tax, title. I had a trade that they were very generous with. Mercury Tracer 1995 5 spd with power everything, alloy wheels, air and a bad transmission and clutch throw-out bearing. Also front windshield was badly cracked across the entire front and the windows on the right side would not work. The engine has also been bucking and the throttle sticking (at about 4500 rmp!!). Also has a salvage title since I bought it from a body shop after being totaled. I've gotten 87,000 miles out of the car and bought it cheap so it has served it's purpose. It has 107,000 miles and I've been driving it without 5th gear for the last 7,000 miles. I'm really happy I could just get it to the dealer.

They gave me $500.00 for it and I was happy that I wouldn't have to sell it since I would have had a hard time doing so... in good faith. If it had a good title and was working it would have had a trade-in value of about $1200.00 (according to Edmunds). With my trade-in I walked out the door (taxes, title, etc...) for $12082.48 which I am happy with. I got financed for 7.35 via on-line banks and got $100.00 deposited to my credit card for taking the loan. If I adjust the loan for this amount it brings my APR to 6.73 for a 36 month loan.

I'm very happy with the car with the exception of the famous smell... It stinks according to my wife. She suggested I drive around with the garbage that I forgot to set out this week to make it smell better (she has a memory like an elephant). It really is amazing how much you can get for under $12,000 smackers. I have reservations about resale but I drive cars until they die. I think the Honda is a nice car but I really like the Elantra better. I drove both several times at several different dealers. After running all those numbers I think that either car is right in the same neighborhood as far as price goes. I bought the car that I liked better and it just happened to be the cheaper car (up front).

backy · January 2001

kevperro1 on your new car! Sounds like you got a decent deal, considering your trade-in situation. The trademark "Hyundai aroma" will disappear after a few weeks and then it will smell like any other new car--unless your wife makes you drive around with trash in it!

kevperro1 · January 2001

A good friend of mine who builds Top Fuel Drag Racing cars brought up a good point the other day. He said he would avoid first generation Diesels coming from any company. He is a Voltswagon buff and he said it took VW over a decade to build a good Diesel engine. Maybe Hyundai has some experience with Diesels through another division that they are bringing to the car market. I'm not sure but the mileage numbers for the VW are really incredible if only the car was priced right.

mrpnbofnjusa · January 2001

Hmm. I also bought an Elantra on 1/20 but I haven't noticed any weird smell.

But perhaps I'll hang one of those pine-cone air fresheners just to be sure.

sobers · January 2001

it is just irresistable not to buy Elantra !!
I guess that is the reason why they sold 100K last year. I think the trend will continue this year with new model. They will cross 125K this year even the market is slowing down. I have seen may guys getting it in favor of other econocars like Focus(due to recalls & warranty being only 3 years). I guess they are preferring Elantra woth 5 year 60K against cars like focus/neon. I haven't seen much of cross-shopping between Elantra/new Civic. Yes there is some cross-shoping by used Civic market. If Hyundai keeps this trend for another 2/3 years I guess either Hyundai prices will increase or Honda/Toyota will need to check prices.

sobers · January 2001

Elantra is introduced in India soon. (After April 2001 when Quantitative restrictions are lifted & import of new car would be allowed). Accent was an immediate hit so would be Elantra. Civic is available there are CITY but is costlier.

liufei · January 2001

Hope you will enjoy long lasting service from your Elantra.

Although I truely hopes that Hyundai will keep their price low, I doubt that will happen. For one thing, Toyota & Honda seemed undisturbed by the fact the Korean Car maker is pricing their car way more competitively that them. Another thing I notice is the price of the Korean's car is slowly but steadily climbing up.
I also heard that the American Car maker is really not making any money (maybe losing money) on their small car lineup. So Hyundai will probably have to increase their price to boost their profit, protecting against slow down on demand.

hkchan · January 2001

American brands not making money on small cars means Hyundai will have to raise prices? They raise prices to protect against slow down on demand? So when you expect demand to decrease, you raise prices to make up the difference?

liufei · January 2001

heh, my original post doesnt seems to come out like I wanted to be.

Once Hyundai able to rebuilt their image, their value will increase and will give them the opportunity to raise their prices (no more shaky history to dealt with). Higher prices translates to higher profit that would enable them to withstand the slowdown on demand better. It would be foolish for the Hyundai management not to try to make profit out of it.
Just look at the Japanese brand. They originally come out cheaper than the American, but after estabilishing their reputation, the prices kept going up & up.

Also, if they did raise the prices in the future, when slowdown on demand does arrives, they can put out rebates/incentives to pull the price back to the one before the increase and in the same time serves as good advertising tools to draw buyers in. Protecting their profit margin to a degree.

isellhondas · January 2001

Awhile back, you crunched some numbers comparing long term cost of ownership. Civic vs. Huyndai.

One thing you may not realize...

At trade in time, some cars will bring either more or less than "book" values. The books are simply guides. Hondas have always brought book value or more. On older models we pay way over book for nice ones that we know will get snapped up quickly.

Hyundais have been notorious for being a hard sell in the used market. When we take one in, we will wholesale it because we know it'll rot on our lot.

When we call the Hyundai dealers for a bid, they will hit us well below book prices.

Kias are even worse.

Please understand this isn't a slam. It is just reality. Anyone in the business will back this up.

Now, of course, this situation could well change in the future! who knows?

hkchan · January 2001

Hello. On the Real-World Trade-In Values thread, I asked about the trade-in value on a '99 Civic EX 4-dr with a 5-sp and ~75,000 miles. You commented that the Civic is a "book" car. brentwoodvolvo thought it's around $6,500-$7,000. According the Edmunds, it's $9,781 "Clean" or $10,435 "Outstanding". According to KBB, it's $8,445 "Clean" or $9,245 "Excellent". I haven't checked NADA's. Do you have any comments?

justin · January 2001

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/01/30/bumper.tests/index.html

Hyundai Elantra does best in bumper crash tests

January 30, 2001

Web posted at: 11:56 AM EST (1656 GMT)

By Julie Vallese

CNN Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In 5-mph crash tests, the Hyundai Elantra performed best -- sustaining very little damage -- while the Dodge Grand Caravan and the 2001 Mercedes C 320 required the most expensive repairs, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported Tuesday.

bri70 · January 2001

First- welcome back.

Start sweating. Consumer Reports had a nice write-up on the Elantra. Also the car is getting good press with regard to bumper tests.

More and more potential Civic buyers will be trying out the Elantra and end up buying it!

sobers · January 2001

Most of the time I see Civic been sold privatly which gets above book value (close/above to Edmunds' market value)

Regarding '99 Civic EX 4-dr with a 5-sp and ~75,000

First of all, It is a 5 speed which is very difficult to get rid of AND it has 75K miles !!
It will be very hard to sell for the book price. I can understand 15-16 miles a year but this is around 25K ?? Resale also depends on the DEMAND. In your case how do you see demand for 75k miles car which by average standards is put in around 6 years is been put 2-3 years & it has a stick !!

Hyundai's CURRENTLY are very difficult to get rid of in used car market just because nobody wants it. The situation might change 3-4 years down the road...who knows ? Also if some unfortunate incident occurs your insurance company will srew you on the total of your Hyundai.

hkchan · January 2001

I guess the confusion is the mileage adjustment. For example, I punched in 24,000 miles, the color, my zip code and "Outstanding" for condition at Edmunds' site and it came up with $12,061 as the trade-in value. Next I changed to 75,000 miles and it came up with $10,351.
My question is when someone appraises the two cars (one with 24,000 miles and one with 75,000 miles), without knowing the mileage his accessment is that the two are equal in condition. Will he value them as approximately $12,000 and $10,000 respectively? Or will he say, "It doesn't matter they look and run the same. A car with 75,000 miles in two years can not be in "Outstanding" condition. There will be an addition $3000 penalty. So the appraised values are $12,000 and $7,000 respectively.

sobers · February 2001

75000 with manual, dealer will have hard time to get rid of it. That is the main reason why they are offering less to you. They want you to sell it privatly I guess. You can do atleast 1000-1500$ better than what dealer is giving

tazereli · February 2001

After having about half of these posts I had to say something. My wife and I looked at every concieveable compact import when looking for our first new car. Everything for japanese to german to Korean was tested and some were tested again. Everything was thorugthly researched and cross-referenced. i cant tell you how many hours were spent online at the edmunds site and other carsites. I poured over dozens of magazines. Having been a part-time mechanic during college also helped greatly in basing our decision. Since this was to be my wifes car I wanted her to have something that would last for years and years and not leave her stranded. Something kept us coming back to Honda's Civic EX.
Just for fun we tested the Kia sephia and the hyundai Elantra. Other than price I cant tell you one thing that would make us want buy one. Kia Was too new to the US market for us and hyundai had a reputaion for making horrendous cars. I can say that being a mechanic I see how some cars are worse than others. Korean makes can't hold a candle in reliability (or resale) to the japanese. I thnk that tradition continues somewaht today. MAnufacturers dont offer a warrenty like kia's and hyundais for nothing. They jsut want people to caome back to them. I mean who wants to pay horrible repair bills after the warrenty expires? Which is waht will happen on a more frequent basis with Hyundai than on a Honda.
Our Honda jsut turned 40K and it has only seen the garage for maintenance work and a new set of tires.
I believe buying a car based on price only is a poor way to make a choice. Spend a few more bucks a month for the obvously better car. Oh yeah mines a 5 speed and I know I will have absolutely no problem selling it with the import aftermarket being what it is. Ive seen plenty of modded hondas. Where are all the hopped up elantras?
One more thing I jsut checked the Civic EX vs the Elantra GLS and the hunday was barely worth more than half in resale value. now that just sucks. Im sorry for all of you people that bought hundays in '98. Enjoy your cars, whatever you drive(hopefully the honda)!!!

isellhondas · February 2001

Well, my reply will be the same here as in the other forum you mentioned.

Your Civic is a "book" car, at least in my area.

Now, let's talk about books. The ONLY respected book is the one that is used in your neck of the woods. Around here, we use NADA. In California, it's KBB I believe and back east they use something called a Black Book...I've never seen one.

I'll try not to incur the wrath of the hosts here, so let me pick my words carefully....The "values" listed "on line" are used by nobody. These numbers tend to literally be all over the board. Interesting to look at, I guess, but of little real value.

Your Civic has two strikes against it.

First...The biggie..it has 75,000 miles !!

Second...It's a five speed.

The trouble is this...even after the dealer deducts say, 2000.00 for the high miles, and another 500.00 for the five speed, he still knows he will have a hard unit to move.

Most buyers (not all) would rather pay more and get one with lower miles.

In your favor ...It's a Honda!

Can you imagine trying to unload a domestic or *name witheld* with those miles and a five speed?

isellhondas · February 2001

First of all thanks for the welcome back.

Since this forum is entitled Elantra VS Civic, I think some balance is important.

You could be right, only time will tell I guess.

I know where I would place my bet though...:)

elantra00 · February 2001

I guess all mechanics have their own experiences with cars. I asked around and mechanics told me the excel was a piece of junk and unreliable, yet some last. But for the most part sucked. However, when I asked him about the Elantra, he said that it was a reliable and cheap car to buy and to take advantage of the low resale. They are only getting better in quality. I mean, look at the 2001 elantra. Absolutely gorgeous interior. (I prefer the exterior of the 2000 elantra, (my car). but the interior is quite an improvement.

Anywho, I don't appreciate your comment about that the only thing that would make you look at a hyundai is price. Well, that is a great part of it. But you have a bigger engine, more standard features, a great warranty and more comfortable (having driven both cars). But if you plan to trade it in within a couple of years, then perhaps the civic is a better choice for resale value. But if you are like me and keep cars till the end and just buy another, then the elantra is a better choice because resale don't matter. But if you had the money, being a civic EX costs around 17,000 vs. my car costed me $10,900 similarly equipped. I wouldnt expect any problems with it at 40k miles, especially if you are the original owner. I have 10k with no problems as I am the original owner. May not be a lot so far, but runs as great as the day i got it.

But if you are happy even paid a considerable amount more, then kudos to you

If I had that much more money, I wouldnt be driving a Hyundai. I'd be driving a turbo charged VW golf. Now thats a Car

But for what I paid, I got MORE then my moneys worth!

backy · February 2001

Sales figures for January:

Kia +53%
Hyundai +50
Mazda +33
Mitsu. +15
Honda +11
BMW +10
GM - 5
Nissan - 6.6
Mercedes - 7
Ford -11
Toyota -11
Chrysler -16

Although it's easier for Kia and Hyundai to increase sales 50%+ than larger-volume brands like Honda, it does show that the Koreans are increasing their market share, no doubt due to their low prices and improving products.

darpin1 · February 2001

http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/01elantra.htm

It's an understated type but a good review...We Canadians try not to get to exited about cars.

The radio he refers to is a Clarion thats what we have here in Canada as the standard radio.

Thought you guys might like to read it.

kymcamp · February 2001

I have to say Hyundai owners seem awfully defensive and jump on anyone who claims they like the Civic more. But of course, that's understandable since you still get bozos going "Hyundai's are f****ing crap" on various message boards all over. In the U.S. especially, you often get the "you bought a *Hyundai*!" reaction from your neighbors. It's all so childish.

Also notice that people go "well my Toyota/Honda has much higher resale blah blah blah" a lot? I mean people talk about Hyundai resale as some horrible thing, yet it's as good as or better than your average American car, but nobody says "well your Sunfire/Cavalier will have horrible resale". People won't look down on you for buying an American car, yet they will for a Hyundai which is generally ranked well above the GM/Ford/Chrysler competitors. The logic doesn't make sense here.

isellhondas · February 2001

Try unloading a used Neon or Cavalier and you'll find out what the term "back of book" really means!

interluk · February 2001

Thought it was time to throw in enter my two cents.
I bought the 01 Elantra three weeks ago. And just for the record, I have no affiliation with any auto maker.
Like many others, I never thought Id go Korean, never thought Id leave Honda.
But the rising tide of competitive quality and many favorable reviews put Hyundai on my list
Actually, until last year, Huyndai has been a car-company wannabee.
But now, today, compared to Civic LX, the Elantra handles as well, if not better, (has 15" wheels) the ride is quieter, and unless you get the Civic EX(which one cannot compare because of the vast price differential) the Elantra has palpably more power.
Every year I have watched Honda increase the hp of their base Civic engines a miserly 2 or 3hp.
That always irritated me as theyve been historically under powered. Is it that they could not manage 15 more horses out of that engine or increase its size?
Of course not. It is simply that they know you will buy a Honda because its a Honda and that, until recently, you didnt get much more in other competing models and/or the quality was inferior.

Well, folks, the ante has been raised and Honda is getting really nervous.
Now you get a car MUCH closer in quality, with MUCH more, for much less.

In Honda you overpay for a name and continue to overpay for the Madison Avenue concocted image.

Sure the Civic is a good car. I love my 96 Hatchback. But look around and you will suddenly see that the competition is producing equally good cars. And, in the Elantras case, at a substantially lower price.

There is no doubt that in 3 to 5 years the quality of all cars will be remarkably similar--excellent. Some manufacturers will be out of business. Theres going to be a continuing shakedown in the industry for there are not enough buyers and too many manufacturers.

But it is flatly undeniable that the extra cost of the Civic, and the lack of standard features, makes it a poor value, indeed, in a time when real alternatives are available.

Most irritating is the automatic Civic with its frequent and irritating downshifting due the engines lack of power. Each time one is met with a loud engine whine as it downshifts.
After a test drive I knew I did not want to listen to that sound for the next 10 years.

Why is it so loud? Can they not utilize more sound deadening materials? Honda hands out its luxuries like Scrooge and prices them like Gucci. Its all in their plan of image, image, image. Profit, profit, profit.

OK, so you say Hyundai has a poor track record. WRONG! It has an abysmal track record!
But I guarantee you Honda Fat Cats are furiously fumbling their prayer beads in fervent hope the Elantra, as well as the others, in time fall on their faces.

Still, every article I had seen on the new Elantra had nothing but positive things to say. And all the hype and rhetoric would ring hollow if the test drive had disappointed.
But driving this car is a pleasure. The power, the handling, the features, its different look. Oh yes, that warranty is kind of nice.

Until this car begins to get recalled or begins to widely disappoint, Hondall be sweatin bullets.

The downside is that if the car holds up, Hyundai will positively capture a chunk of market share and thenas Honda didtheir prices will steadily rise.

If they hadnt this warranty I would not have risked it. If the car hadnt the feel of a solid quasi-luxury car and driven the way it did I would have headed for Honda.

So, well wait and see. And in the meantime Ill enjoy my new car.

Thanks

isellhondas · February 2001

Well...good luck!

Who knows what the future will bring?

I hope you are, indeed, truly happy with your purchase and simply not trying to justify it to yourself. Being happy is what matters.

And...I'm not really fat nor am I Catholic if you were talking to me...:)

backy · February 2001

As a former owner of two Civics and a current '01 Elantra owner, I have to agree with almost everything interluk said. One point I disagree on is the reason Honda doesn't put more power into their Civics. We know they can do it when they want to, as proven by the late Civic Si and, a more recent example, the S2000. They can squeeze more hp out of a cc than anyone. My belief is that Honda has decided to optimize fuel economy and low emissions on the Civic vs. power. It's hard to do all three things well, at a low cost anyway. I can't argue with that strategy, if it in fact is their strategy, as many people like high mpg over power and everyone wants to help the environment (at least I'd like to think so). And the strategy has been successful: last year, again, Civic was the #1 selling small car.

That being said, I bought an Elantra this time instead of a Civic (or Sentra or Protege or...) for many of the same reasons interluk did. Looks like many other people are making the same decision: last month, Hyundai sales up 50%, Honda up 11% means Hyundai is taking market share away from Honda.

isellhondas · February 2001

Yes, you are correct. It's all a balance. I don't think Civics are underpowered in the least however. Honda has always been very concerned about emissions and does a great job along with fuel economy.

In 2001, they increased power, lowered emissions and imporved fuel economy all at the same time!

I'm not sure about losing market share. I don't ever recall losing a sale to a Hyundai although it's possible.

And, assuming your numbers are correct...a 50% increase is commendable but given their low number of sales it isn't stellar.

Still, a step in the right direction.

I do hope you REMAIN happy and don't get killed on resale down the road thus negating your savings.

Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra

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