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Hyundai Elantra 2001-2006

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Comments

  • desgdesg Member Posts: 52
    I think it is highly unlikely that bird dropping would cause chips.

    I've had paint that was affected by droppings and the usual result is that the paint finish effectively becomes etched by the droppings i.e. it eats through paint.

    No automotive finish available today will resist droppings if left on for any length of time, I'm not talking about weeks either a couple of days can often be sufficient to cause the damage. The best thing to do it to remove them as soon as you see them and keep the wax up to the car.

    Chips are more likely to be the product of stones, careless people opening doors and with things like shopping trolleys, no paint finish can resist these things either.

    Darker colours do tend to show up chips and marks more than lighter colours.

    I've been polishing mine this weekend and noticed some chips on it - clearly the product of stones (and one that was obviously caused by someone opening a door onto me). Unfortunately with consumers liking things like painted bumpers chips are unavoidable.
  • banddexpressbanddexpress Member Posts: 63
    Hey everyone been thinking about getting an elantra for work car. Just need something to get back and fourth in. I could get a echo for the same price but the elantra looks alot better and comes with more equipment. I was just wondering how people liked theirs? I did notice the echo is a lot better in gas mileage but it sure is ugly. I can get right at 12k elatra with full power everything cc rear spoiler and wheels auto for this price.
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    Read through these threads to find out how we like our cars -- not very many serious complaints. My 2001 GLS 5-speed has 20K miles in just under 15 months, with no problems. I love it. Also, pick up the November issue of Car and Driver for a nice surprise.
  • brentcadlebrentcadle Member Posts: 14
    2001 Elantra GLS 62,000 miles. Great car for the money! Gas mileage around 28 in mix of city and highway, definetly worth it for the power this thing has. Battery replaced last month(under warranty) Was in a 4 car pile up last month, held up amazingly well, other cars were totaled, mine mostly just scratched. Nothing personal but please don't buy an Echo!
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    Why discourage someone from buying a Toyota Echo? My 2001 has already 60K miles on it. Average MPG= 41.7 (US gallons). No mechanical problems whatsoever. Went on a 8k mile trip to Texas (I'm in Vancouver, Canada). Got 43-48 MPG on the trip. AC is great. What's there not to like? It is not the smashing got looks (:-)) of the car that made me buy it, it is the whole package, the top quality of the car.
    By the way, the Elantra is a great car and the November issue of Car and Driver confirms it. They even preferred it over the Toyota Corolla and that means a lot.

    Please drive both and decide later.
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    "Why discourage someone from buying a Toyota Echo?"....because this is a Hyundai Elantra board! If someone wants encouragement in buying a Toyota Echo, they surely can get it by visiting that board...

    I agree with desg. You will not get paint chips from bird droppings....but you will get paint blemishes. Every vehicle with clear coated paint is susceptible to this problem. And in the hot sun, the damage can be done in just a few hours. The only way to combat it is to carry a cloth in your car, wet it well and carefully remove the droppings. Don't rub them because they will scratch the finish.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I always go over the car in the morning before I leave for work, or try to. If there are any bird droppings from the night before (I have to park on the street at home), I take a wet paper towel and wipe them right off. The acid in the bird droppings will eat through the clearcoat in no time flat, from what I have heard.
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    I accept your opinion. By the way I like the Elantra a lot.
    I was just posing a question. The fact that Elantra owners report their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their Elantra does not mean having a negative opinion about other cars and brands, just the fact that they decided the Elantra was better for them.
    In fact, my wife owns a beatiful 2002 Elantra and could not be happier!
    Since the Elantra was in my shopping list when I bought my Echo is proof that I seriously considered it.
    The only reason I bought an Echo is the fact that it is very economical to operate. No repairs whatsoever in 18 months and 60K miles. Average MPG is 41.7. Try to match that with an automatic Elantra! (my wife's Elantra is getting 32 MPG, same type of commute).
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    That's absolutely true! I try to remove bird dropping quickly, too. It's amazing how quickly they get as hard as a rock under the hot sun! I have a couple of dull spots in my car's finish because I wasn't able to remove them in time. :(
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    Birds like to perch above my car from time to time in my carport (nest is nearby, but not above). So I occasionally find bird droppings, and wiping them off dry so far hasn't been a problem. In fact, it comes off the wax almost like it's been wiped off of Teflon. No damage, no marks. Is this car charmed, or what? ;)

    Maybe the key is that it doesn't bake in the sun being in the carport. I'll be careful with those baked on droppings.
  • banddexpressbanddexpress Member Posts: 63
    Thanks for all the feed back. I appreciate the help. Purchased the elantra today was really happy with the power of the car. With rebate got an auto with cd player and cruise control for 12500 so I got my payments where I wanted them. The biggest fear I have is my dealer not selling them anymore and have to drive a distance to get it serviced. 2 other dealers had them where we are from back in the beginning 90s and got rid of them. So far this one has been here for 2 years.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Congrats on your new purchase.

    You can go somewhere else for service, you know. It will be cheaper (probably) than the dealer too. Just keep all your papers, and you will be fine should an issue arise in the future.
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    Things were much much different for Hyundai back in the early 90s. Sales were dropping and cars were troublesome. Now, there are more and more stand-alone Hyundai dealers, and even mine moved their Saabs to a new building to make room for the Hyundai line (and an Isuzu or two).

    Congratulations.
  • hyundaimahyundaima Member Posts: 197
    The front speaker size is 6.25"
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    I have seen a very tiny picture of the GT sedan; no styling surprises, none expected. Found it on the Chevy website of all places, in a Cavalier comparison link. Incidentally, that Cav re"do" is a "don't".

    The best surprise was that they list the GT 4-door rather than the GLS as a competitor to their BASE 4-door sedan. Even with that odd comparison, the Elantra comes in at roughly the same price, with still more standard features and advantages (regardless of where Chevrolet marks certain questionable Cavalier "advantages"). I shouldn't seem so surprised: it's easy to outshine such an old American design.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    "Incidentally, that Cav re"do" is a "don't"."

    Don't want to get too far afield on an Elantra site, but the Cav. although crude as hell was always one of the more attractive Chevy products. Now it has looks to match its crudeness. Mr. Lutz, you should have used the $$$ to bring the replacement out a few months earlier.
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    ... couldn't solve that mess because it was already too far along in the redesign process. The earliest we will see any Lutz enhancements will be with the 2004 models, maybe late 2003 models.
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    I think Mr. Lutz was using $$ to design this rather good looking Chevy concept:


    http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_044390

    http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_044389

    http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_044388

    http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_044386

  • th003gth003g Member Posts: 149
    I actually saw a new cavalier with its pointy whaleshark grille and it is damn ugly.... even funnier than the masive increase of yellow Cavalier Zseries cars i've seen lately...mostly driven by fortysomethings...
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    I haven't had time to peruse all the Chevy forums. Hopefully whoever posted the Brazillian hatch pictures has done the same-- maybe under the hatch forum. That's actually a very nice car!

    Otherdandat let's get back to Elantra talk!
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    Let's get back to Elantra.

    Someone in the Corolla threads recently replaced their stock tires with highly-rated Dunlop SP Sport A2 with very favorable results, something I will try when the time comes. Has anyone tried these yet on the Elantra? Also, how many miles have we gotten out of our stock Michelins (next highest rated all-season in CR)? I have just over 20K miles, so I am curious roughly how many more miles I can expect.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Someone in the Protege forum used Dunlop A2 as well (a couple of them did actually), and they like them alot as well.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I was thinking of the SP Sport A2's for my GCS, which is due for new rubber. My Elantra only has 16k and the tread still looks like new.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I have seen you talk about that other car before. What the heck is a GCS anyway? I am dumb.. :)
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    I probably will be scrapping the Michelins when they wear out, primarily because of their high price. If I remember properly, several Tire Rack brands are rated higher.

    There are no Kumho dealers in the St. Louis area (one Hankook if I remember right). It seems that Ecstas (from memory, do I have the name right?) usually get high ratings. With the low cost of the Won Korean tires should give you as good a deal as Korean cars. Anyone tried them?

    At this point, it looks like I'll be getting close to 50K on my Michelins.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    Like a lot of other posters, I had occasional fast idle problems when my GLS was new. Now at 27000 miles it seems like this problem has self-corrected. Anyone else have this experience? Since the car hasn't returned to the dealer since week 1, it's not some secretly fixed recall.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I had the fast-idle problem when the car was a couple of months old. It corrected itself after a few weeks--ironically right after I took it to the dealer and they said a software fix was due in a couple of weeks that would fix it. I never went back for the "fix".

    Vocus... sorry, I should not use obscure acronyms like GCS. It's Grand Caravan Sport.
  • brentcadlebrentcadle Member Posts: 14
    I just replaced the stock Michelins on my 2001 Elantra.....62,000 miles!!!! Dealer said that is almost a record. I bought tires called "Winstars" they are supposedly made by Michelin, cost me $230 for four mounted and balanced + tax. VERY NICE looking tire, super thick tread 50,000 mile warranty.
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    Living up here in Backy Country (I believe he's also in the TC Metro area if memory serves correct), I've considered putting some high-tech winter tires on my Elantra as a PERMANENT replacement when the Michelins give it up.

    I know in the old days, "snow" tires were used ONLY during the winter (the big, wide sipes created a noisy ride, poor handling due to less contact with the road surface and they wore out really fast because the rubber was softer). I.e., old-style snow tires were terrific in snow, but on dry pavement, they kind of stunk.

    Out of curiosity, has anyone used Blizzaks or Alpins year-round? Does it sound nutty to do that?
  • jimpimmsjimpimms Member Posts: 81
    Does it sound nutty? You betcha.

    There are four distinct problems with using dedicated winter tires all year round. 1) Winter tires' rubber compounds are softer, so they flex properly at winter temperatures; therefore, they wear faster. 2) The Arctic-Alpin has a "Q" speed rating (99 mph), whereas the MXV4 Energy Plus has an "H" speed rating (130 mph), since the tire's speed rating should match or exceed the vehicle's rated top speed (Elantra's is 120 mph). Well, even if you'll never exceed, say, 90 mph, 3) the Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) rating on the OE tire is 400AA ("400" indicates a fairly long tread life, "A" for traction, "A" for temperature); the Arctic-Alpin doesn't even carry a UTQG rating. And 4) winter tires are made for snow, not dry pavement -- certainly not hot dry pavement -- so they'll eventually overheat, even at 75 to 80 mph; and they can't approach the handling characteristics of the luxury touring OE tires.

    You can confirm most of this on Michelin's web site. The Arctic Alpin is in the Passenger Car section, and the MXV4 Energy Plus is in the Performance Luxury section of the Tire Catalog.

    In short, it's a terrible idea. Don't do it.
  • caesarslegioncaesarslegion Member Posts: 109
    Would anyone here consider a used elantra? The dealer in the city has a bunch of them on the lot. I think they have 5/60 warranty on them. For the price it seems like a good deal but Im always cautious when it comes to buying used. The miles are low and the cars are about one to two years old. Any comments good or bad?
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    Personally, after owning mine for 15 months and knowing how good it is, I would purchase a used one (2001 redesign or newer). The leftover warranty is still very good.
  • mike91326mike91326 Member Posts: 251
    If they are 2001 they sound like rental returns. I know that Hertz has a number of Elantra's in their rental fleet.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    I've made a number of offers on used Hyundai Elantras and Sonatas. Price was usually higher than Edmunds, dealers refused to budge much and cars always moved quickly.

    Always thought it was odd that there are "wholesalers" on these boards who talk about Hyundais and Kias going at 50 cents on the Edmunds/BlackBook/Kelley dollar-- i.e. "I paid $3000 for a 2000 Elantra in clean condition at auction, blah,blah,blah" and yet my experience has been high asking prices at the dealer level.

    Apparently these things are cash cows by dealers, pay nothing and sell for top bucks!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I saw a good example of a good used Elantra, a couple weeks ago. The one my friend was gonna get. 2001 automatic, base model (but with CD changer), 21.5K miles. Only $7999. That's a good deal if you ask me.
  • caesarslegioncaesarslegion Member Posts: 109
    The average price was around $8-$8,500. The cars varied with different options but I really thought the asking price was fair. The miles I saw were between 12k to 20k. The ones I saw were automatics and I kinda like stick shifts but for the price I think I can forget about that. If I car fax them and everything is on the up and up I think Ill go for it.
  • canpamcanpam Member Posts: 24
    Is it just me or am I putting alot of miles on my vehicle? This car has provided my wife and I with trouble free commuting which is much more than I could say for our last automobile! I'm really impress with the Elantra's performance and reliability. If this car holds up I may be a "Hyundai" only shopper- my next purchase may be a Santa Fe. I believe this car is one of the best investments in America. (IMHO)
  • caesarslegioncaesarslegion Member Posts: 109
    Yes you do drive alot. I would hate to see your drive to work every day. Are you driving lots of freeway or city?
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    about 7K miles more than my last cars. It's because it's so much fun to drive!
  • jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    I thought I was putting sort of high miles on my car (20K in 15 months), but 33K -- wow! As long as it is trouble-free like mine has been. Frankly, I never worry about adding miles to my cars. I like seeing how high they'll go (personal record: 227K).
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I had a 99 Protege, bought October 99 with 3000 miles on it. Traded Feb. 2001 with 38.364 miles. My personal highest (I think) is 9364 miles in 3 months on the 1996 (used) Cavalier I had. It pretty much fell apart (with only 40K - surprise, surprise!) and I traded it for the Protege.

    My one-way commute to work is 35 miles daily. And my 2002 Jetta will be a year old on Nov. 3, and it currently has 24,565 miles as of today.
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    As of today, my 2001 Toyota Echo has 53000 miles in 19 months. My commute is 43 miles, one way.
    Not one problem so far, average MPG 41.8 (US gallons).
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    I bought my 2002 on the 31st of Dec., 2001. No big problems yet, though I intend to have the dealer replace the DS tweeter the first time I go in for any type of "real" service (I prefer to change the oil and filters myself). I think I pretty much cooked that puppy back in May when I had the Strokes cranked up full volume everywhere I went.

    Fuel economy improved DRAMATICALLY after about 10K. For the last few tankfuls, I've been averaging 38mpg (I switched my hours at work so I miss both the morning and afternoon rush hours - now I don't have all the stop-and-go dragging my MPG's down anymore).

    I still love my car. Plus, I get compliments on how it looks all the time (how often do you get those in a $13K car?).
  • mij325mij325 Member Posts: 4
    I'm looking at a used 1998 Hyundai Elantra GLS with low miles at a reasonable price. I have read positive reviews about this car, but I'm still a little skeptical. Are there any problems that are common to this car? Or is it really as good as the reviews make it seem? Also, how much are shocks/struts for this model? I'm open to any advice or suggestion anyone may have. Thanks!
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Most of the positive comments are regarding 2001 & newer Elantras. Prior to the current models, some Hyundais were a little more hit and miss and the quality may not be as overall high as it is today.

    Being a second owner, you should also investigate how much, if any, warranty protection remains on the car you're interested in. The 10/100 warranty is not transferred at 100% to 2nd owners.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • mij325mij325 Member Posts: 4
    Thank you, fushigi! I will take take that into consideration, and I will surely look into any warranty remaining. I really appreciate your input.
  • canpamcanpam Member Posts: 24
    I generally drive 70% city & 30% highway! The commute in and around the Philly area (Rt 76, & 202)!
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I think the 10/100 powertrain warranty started in '99, so it may be a moot point for the '98 Elantra you are looking at. There may still be some bumper-to-bumper warranty left, however. The '96-'00 generation were good cars, but not nearly in the class of the current generation. As with any used car, try to make sure it's had proper maintenance.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    unlike the "greatest car line available to the public" postings, this one just disappeared. Or am I hallucinating?

    I'm pushing 27K miles on my '01 GLS and like it more and more. Best car I've ever had!!!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I think that board diappeared because Honda is no longer the best car made out there. People are paying high prices for nothing now. :(
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