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Australia has a much wider color selection than the U.S. Would also like to see the LaVita over here. Didn't know they were badging it as an Elantra.
Think the correct Australian address is:
http://www.hyundai-automotive.com.au/
Pushing 10,000 miles on my GLS and still extremely happy. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong. This is a car I could be happy with for a long time.
I paid $14700 (without any effort) for carbon blue manual with moonroof. I absolutely LOVE this car (for all the 3 days I've had it). In fact, I think I'll go take it for a spin!
"After reading the owner's manual I discover that there's a button to turn TC on and off - my car has no such button. The dealer is now saying that traction control is not an option on a manual. That just doesn't make sense. Is this true or was I duped? "
My GT has ABS with Traction Control and it is a 5 speed, so the dealer is wrong. As for the button ... TC is on by default so that if the car is equipped with TC and you want it off you have to use the button -- not to switch it on, but to turn it off.
Unless you live in snowy, slippery areas you don't really need TC. Some people also believe that ABS is not essential as well. I personally wanted the ABS, and had to take the TC since it is bundled that way.
I know I can live without TC for regular driving around town. The reason I wanted the option was for skiing. But that's not even the point. The point is - the dealer is either stupid or he's LYING to me. What's this "source book" he's talking about. He just made that up! Yes, I should have questioned the sticker and demanded to see the invoice. I didn't but that doesn't mean it's ok for him to lie.
I also thought that ABS, TC, and moonroof were always bundled. I know for sure I have a moonroof. Why don't I have the other stuff?
I haven't given the dealer any money yet and his survey is really important to him. What are the chances I can make him give me a new carbon blue manual with TC? I'm thinking "slim to none" but I'd love to hear some input. How would you approach this? I really don't want to give this car back and drive my POS 88 Tercel again (which the dealer wouldn't take). Maybe TC isn't that important to me - I just hate being lied to!
Thanks,
Jacky
If you ski, and wanted the TC for when you go skiing then I think that you should try and call the deal off and get the car that you want.
It is not like you did not make a specific enquiry regarding the TC -- you did and he gave you wrong information. In my estimation that casts serious doubts as to whether all elements of a contract were satisfied.
You could approach the manager and tell him/her the situation and ask that they provide the car that you want. You might have to wait until it is located, but better that than kick yourself in the butt every time you go skiing.
As for the bundling ... I believe that the moonroof was indeed bundled with the ABS/TC with my car. I didn't particularly want the moonroof (at extra cost), but had to take it since I wanted the ABS.
Having said that, and being Canadian and accustomed to driving Elantras in real snow, the TC would be nice to have, but if you are accustomed to driving in snow it is not a necessity. It is a nice thing to have, though. ABS is more the necessity, IMO.
But the message I want to give you is that if you need TC, and want to return your GT, you should park it immediately.
More than perhaps a couple hundred miles, and any dealer, but especially yours by the sound of their business practices, won't consider your car to be new. Then your option of ABS and TC will suddenly cost $4000, or even more.
Quality snow tires and careful pedal modulation, in my experience, will get you up any hill that TC manages with all-season tires. At least for front wheel drive cars. That's an option that is considerably cheaper, too.
Hope things work out! My GT has been problem free.
If the GT were more like the Tiburon in exterior design....with GT's current interior styling and size.....then we may be talking buying one in a few years.
Any disappointment melts away as soon as I see my car. It is so beautiful and a dream to drive. 140 horses is plenty - otherwise I'd be in jail. I really appreciated this message board because it encouraged me to take a test drive - and driving IS believing!
Happy driving!
Jacky
I've had my Silver 5spd GT for 6 weeks now and I am more than satisfied. I have one question for anyone who can answer. The fuel consumption reading (I know it's only an estimate) very often seems to stall at a certain value, and I have to reset it to have refreshed readings. My car has Liters per 100 Kilometers (canadian version) and if I do city driving and get an average 12L/100K and turn on the highway, the numbers stay at about 12, give or take .1 or .2 readings. If I reset the counter, it drops to about 8 and varies slightly depending on speed or road condition.
I like this feature since it can tell me the best fuel consumption/speed ratio for any given driving condition. The dealer tells me it's just a gadget and it isn't worth the time to try to fix this. Do any of you had problems with this feature and if so, did you get it fixed.
Thanks.
First a couple of minor gripes. Why when my passenger opens her side door do all the doors get unlocked? On my 2000 Elantra this only occurs when the driver side door lock is released.
I need to get use to the speedometer. No incremental listings of 35, 45, 55 mph etc. Would have been cool if the trip computer also had a speedometer reading.
This has been mentioned before- there needs to be a light for the back seats. Maybe this was done for the 2002 models?
The seats are comfortable if slightly on the firm side.
A little tighter steering at highway speeds would be nice.
Now for what really surprised me. I followed the advice from this board and made sure I was getting the "sports-tuned" suspension. I am very pleased with how this car soaks up the road. I live and travel in the NY metro area where some roads are atrocious. The GT was a pleasure to drive. The engine would be glorious with 10 to 20 more HP, but to me the suspension is perfect. Not to tight and not too loose. I test drove the Pro 5 and while it had better steering and overall handling, every imperfection on the road was felt in the car cabin. Too me the GT does a better job with balancing handling and comfort.
I've had my Silver 5spd GT for 6 weeks now and I am more than satisfied. I have one question for anyone who can answer. The fuel consumption reading (I know it's only an estimate) very often seems to stall at a certain value, and I have to reset it to have refreshed readings. My car has Liters per 100 Kilometers (canadian version) and if I do city driving and get an average 12L/100K and turn on the highway, the numbers stay at about 12, give or take .1 or .2 readings. If I reset the counter, it drops to about 8 and varies slightly depending on speed or road condition.
I like this feature since it can tell me the best fuel consumption/speed ratio for any given driving condition. The dealer tells me it's just a gadget and it isn't worth the time to try to fix this. Do any of you had problems with this feature and if so, did you get it fixed.
Thanks.
"The fuel consumption reading (I know it's only an estimate) very often seems to stall at a certain value, and I have to reset it to have refreshed readings. My car has Liters per 100 Kilometers (canadian version) and if I do city driving and get an average 12L/100K and turn on the highway, the numbers stay at about 12, give or take .1 or .2 readings. If I reset the counter, it drops to about 8 and varies slightly depending on speed or road condition."
There is nothing wrong with your fuel consumption meter. It measures *average* fuel consumption, based on total distance travelled compared with total volume of fuel consumed *since the last time it was reset*.
This means that as time goes on without the meter being reset, all the effects of slight fluctuations up or down become levelled out (or averaged) and what you see is the average for the particular way you drive and where you drive.
When you reset the meter, the readings more readily change since there is less data to support this averaging function, so it acts more like an instantaneous readout.
The only way to segregate city vs highway numbers is to do a reset before each type of driving.
I worked out at normal pricing before any haggling the amount would be AUD 26,680, I'm paying AUD 22,500 so a fair saving. The current offering is that all on road costs are paid for and they amount to about $2500 here, things like registration, taxes and compulsory insurance so am getting about another $1600 off after that, so am not too displeased I think the dealer has about $500 left in the deal for himself. Maybe I could have got more out of it but I think it is fair on both sides and I could not have found a better person to deal with.
The car as spec'd is in Elm Green, automatic, the only options we can get factory here are a safety pack of ABS and passenger airbag at $1500 and metallic and mica paints. I'm thinking about getting tinting and cruise control after market - dealer prices are way too high. I tend to get very few options dealer fitted because of cost.
I get the car in about a week and a half - Hyundai hold most stock here, dealers have very litte.
All in all I think it's a nice car, I've driven it a few times, it strikes me as being quite a smooth and quiet vehicle and great value for the money, I don't believe any similar vehicle here can get near it. I currently have a Mitsubishi Magna ( think it is known as Diamante in the US) and it seems to perform as well (obviously weights less) and is as quiet as it is. The Elantra though should cost a lot less to run - petrol here is 80 cents a litre at the moment - that is $3.00 a US gallon.
Time will tell what I really feel about the car, although everything looks promising from my research, to test drives, to reading of most opinions.
BTW I've seen and looked in the lavita, it appears to be what we call a Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) it's like a very high station waggon. I didn't really find it appealing, instrument cluster is in the centre of the vehicle! Perhaps this will be introduced in to the US as the Waggon variant. The old waggon was also a very popular choice here, in those days the vehicle was known as the Lantra here.
1. the GT I tested yesterday had about 60 miles on it. I intend to buy one this weekend but wonder how many miles on a new car are acceptable?
2. the dealer already quoted me a price of $250 above invoice, but hinted he might go lower to make the sale this month. I intend to offer invoice. He also said when questioned there would be a $50 documentation fee. I will oppose this fee. Is invoice fair?
I'd appreciate anyones thoughts. The GT I drove had stick and it was the smoothest stick shift car I have ever driven. I will most likely get automatic though because, as my wife delicately put it, I'm not getting any younger.
We only have two Hyundai dealers in Silicon Valley. Has anyone bought from Bob Lewis or Stevens Creek Hyundai and what was your experience?
TIA for any replies.
Gottfried
Technically a vehicle is considered new until it's been registered by the first owner. So it's possible for the dealer to have a new vehicle on his lot with several hundred miles, or more, on the odometer. Personally, I start to feel uncomfortable when the vehicle is approaching a hundred miles. Of course it would also depend on the circumstances. If the dealer had to relocate a vehicle from another lot 100 hundred miles away, I'd feel more comfortable about those miles than if the vehicle had been test driven numerous times.
Considering it's very close to the end of the year, I'm sure most dealers would be willing to negotiate a good price to move the vehicle off their lot. While you're waiting here for more feedback, you may also want to check out Edmunds' True Market Value Price Calculator to see the average cost in your region. My 2 cents. I'm sure others here have more to add. Good luck with your purchase, and please keep us posted. ;-)
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
BTW... is this a 2001.5 model or a 2002 model? If a 2001.5 the dealer should be more willing to deal.
The doc fee was actually verbally quoted as $45 [I checked my notes] and was in addition. But I agree - no use to quibble about that small amount.
I will report here when there is news - probably tomorrow night.
PS: yesterday at the dealership the salesman said the leather seats only come with the moonroof/ABS package. Today I checked here and on the Hyundai site and they both say leather is standard for the GT.
Gottfried
They said they'd sell red 2001 GTs for under invoice because nobody wants that color. I didn't want it either.
Gottfried
PS: Yes, leather is standard and the salesman apologized for his mistake in misinforming me two days ago. This dealer sells VW and Suzuki as well, so I'll give the salesman the benefit of the doubt.
Been seeing a lot more GTs on the roads here in northern NJ. Neighbors of ours just bought one and I parked next to an indentical pewter GT last Saturday. The cool thing is that almost all owners seem anxious to talk about their purchases. Yes, the feeling of ownership exclusivity has evaporated, but now I get the feeling that I'm in a semi-secret "Elantra GT Club" whose members appreciate versatility and value. I still get into parking lot conversations with other owners and potential owners alike.
12,500 miles on the odometer and no problems to report. Car runs and drives just fine and still pulling 25+ mpg around town. I do have some minor issues to note, however:
1) since it has been much colder here, I have noticed a minor rattle in the center dash area upon starting the car. It goes away once the engine warms up.
2) I fear I have damaged the stereo amplifier (?). At low volumes, I sometimes get muted response from the left side speakers. At higher volumes everything sounds fine. I guess I cranked that Naked Raygun disc one too many times. Not really a fault of the car, I suppose...
Happy New Year to all owners and best wishes for a trouble-free 2002!
Sure price was also a consideration. But for what you get it is hard to beat the GT.
I also like the way the Cardinal Red looks. That is the one I bought.
It actually seems to be getting more noticable with time. I've seen *lots* of people mentioning this here. Some people have suggested that it is an issue in the '01 ECM that can be fixed with a software update. Did that help anybody? Would it still be here in the '02 model?
Other people say it's normal and it will go away. Has anybody who has experienced this seen it disappear with time?
This could probably be a FAQ!
base model (no moonroof! no ABS!)..
elantra GT manual.
....what a joke!
To all, actually one, that didn't like the red, mine is also Cardinal Red, and that's part of what makes it so sexy. Got my Calif. plates yesterday so the Calif. temps, and all signatures of the dealer are gone. I love this point of buying. Since no dealer has ever promised to pay me for five years of advertising fees, I refuse to carry their crap on my car! I prefer to advertise a Honolulu radio station than my unfriendly Hynundai dealer. (I always feel this way, regardless of the dealer.) End of rant . . .
MPGMAN, thanks for the tip on the seat release, but that sucker is so far down the hole that only the dealer can fix. Good news is, that's the ONLY problem in 1,500+ miles and it's not a big deal, doesn't affect performance.
For those of you that read this board, contemplating the purchase of an Elantra GT, get off your butts and buy one. Availability is only going to get scarce and price is only going to go up. I firmly, absolutely believe this is the best value/buy on the market today.
I think I forgot to say, Happy New Year to all, keep the posts coming, this is a GREAT board.
SparkyMark
I live in Dallas TX. Is there anyone who can give me some information?
BTW I joined elantra club few hours before.
Nice to meet you all!
Q
Have you tried asking one of your local dealers if he can do a search for you? He may have to swap one out with another dealer, outside your area, to get what you want. Also, you may want to give Edmunds' PowerShopper a try. Good luck, and please keep us posted on your purchase. ;-)
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
I was wondering what alarm system the kind GT folks on this Edmunds board would recommend?
I am looking for a system that would not mess up with the keyless entry factory alarm system in the car now.
thanks ,
$2000 over 60 payments isn't a huge difference and you sure get a lot more bang for your buck out of GT. I think most people on this board have established that we prefer the GT - that's why we bought them! Either car is a great buy. Decide what's more important to you. If you want the GT but don't want it in black, maybe some patience will pay off if you can hold out for the color you want.
Lowest price for GT with moonroof/ Trac+abs/mats/gaurds/auto $14642.00
no need for cd or alloys because im switching those from my GT
I got quoted a price of $15,151 for it.
What do you all think?
This price is Invoice($14,551) + advertising fee($400) + dealer markup for costco members($200).
GT 5spd/abs/sunroof/floormats pewter or black in the LA area.
Appreciate any info. Please email me directly - amcdan@yahoo.com
Capstark:
Here's how my decision making process went:
I decided that a loan of $15K was my max.
TONS of reading on Edmunds and Carpoint.
I narrowed my choices down to: Mazda Protege5, Elantra GT, or a used Toyota RAV4.
I decided that the Pro5 looks like a college boy's racing toy and was just to cheesey for me.
Then I test drove the GT (an automatic). It looks so much better in person, great lines, love the tail light pattern and the wheels, great ride, comfy seats, lots of room, huge back seet, my skis will fit in the back (with the seat down), LEATHER!, purple lights, all around very impressive. It just felt great. The auto was ok but I could tell that the manual would be a lot more fun - and it IS.
I decided that I could get so much more for my money and it would be NEW in the GT. It met all my needs, stayed within my budget, I wouldn't have to deal with used-car shopping, and they are still very unique (which is why I wouldn't even consider any Hondas). Plus, the GT offers a plethora of standard features I thought I could never afford - leather, heated side mirrors, remote entry, alarm, 6-speakers, 4-airbags, moonroof, trip computer, etc.
Now that I've had it for a while, here's what I'd change: make all the dash lights match (the clock, stereo, and climate controls are green), put reading lights in the back seat, and offer a multi-step keyless entry (driver-only unlock, then all unlock, separate hatch release). That's it.
Hope this helps. Have fun with your search!
"make all the dash lights match (the clock, stereo, and climate controls are green), put reading lights in the back seat, and offer a multi-step keyless entry (driver-only unlock, then all unlock, separate hatch release)."
I agree with these, and would even forego the multi-step keyless entry, in favour of one that beeps the horn when it locks or unlocks. One has to rely on hearing the locks themselves.
Any information would be helpful.
I still think the ES is a great car, but the GT has been everything we asked for and more. No regrets. Our neighbors have a 1999 ES and we always get more compliments on our car (we share a driveway).
Either car should hold up well. We just passed 12,000 miles with no problems.
However, our GTs "Check Engine" light came on four days ago due to a loose gas cap (we can't pump our own fuel in NJ). After driving the car for those four days, I took it in for service and the repair staff corrected the fault in about 15 minutes (after I waited 90 minutes!).
After you pass 12,000 miles, Hyundai's warranty does not apply to such "adjustments" so you'd bear the $75 or so in labor charges to tur off the light. Owners, be sure to tighten your fuel caps!!
Happy Motoring!