Hyundai Elantra Prices Paid and Buying Experience

backy

If you haven't driven the Protege yet, and you can get a deal like that on one, I think you should take one for a drive before you spend your hard-earned money--maybe ask your friend if you can drive his to the Hyundai dealer, then drive the Elantra so you can do a direct comparison. The Elantra and Protege drive differently, so you may very well prefer one over the other just by driving feel. If you like the Elantra better, you could use your interest in the Protege as leverage with the Hyundai dealer, e.g. see if they can sell you an Elantra with ABS and moonroof for $11,700 or less. (Elantras don't offer a CD changer but you could always add an aftermarket one if it's important to you.)

themanx

Edmunds picked it under the Elantra:
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/mostwanted/2003/77150/article.html- ?tid=edmunds.e.wanted03.content..1.*

Car and Driver dot com picked it tops over the Elantra in their shoot out.

I would consider it for sure.

ElantraStan

benny293

Hi,
I am new to hyundai, used to be a Toyota customer, but want to try hyundai Elantra because of the pricing and options they provide.
I am getting a new 2003 Elantra GT 4 spd Auto for 14,500 (including Fees and Tax), is this a good deal.

Any suggestions for other cars in the same category..

thanks,
Behzad

backy

When asking about "is it a good price", it's a good idea to state the price before tax and license, as it is easier for other people to compare to then. I have no idea what the tax and license fees are in your locale.

As for other cars, you should definitely check out the Mazda Pro5 if you haven't already. It's a high-quality small car and there are some good closeout prices to be had right now while Mazda starts shipping the all-new Mazda3--also a very nice hatchback but priced much higher (at least initially) than the '03 Elantra GT and the Pro5.

benny293

I am planning to buy a Elantra GT 4 spd auto. The quote before state tax and licence fees was 12,995 $ from the dealer. Is this a good deal? Any suggestions?

(ps: thanks Backy)

backy

You might check out Edmunds.com's TMV calculator, as it gives a pretty good idea of current market value. For my area (Twin Cities) the TMV for a '03 GT automatic (I assumed hatchback) with no options is $13,223 including the $1500 rebate. So for my area anyway, your quote of $12,999 is pretty darn good, and is in fact about $70 below invoice. You can run the TMV calculator with your zip code. One thing though: compare the MSRP from Edmunds.com to the car you have been offered. There's been some price increases during the year, so if it's been sitting awhile it's possible the MSRP will be less, meaning there's more room to bargain. Also if it's been sitting awhile, the dealer will be more willing to bargain.

devildog55

Girlfriend got an 03 GLS with cruise,keyless entry,CD,moonroof,mats and mud guards for $11,200 (MRSP $15,777). This was after rebate and loyaly owner rebates. Even though 04s were starting to come out, I thought it was a great overall price.

tayto

Hi, all. Does anyone have any idea where I should make my first offer for a fully decked out 2003 GLS? The only perks I want are ABS and the moonroof, but have to get everything if I want those two. I live in Chicago, and plan to trade in a '95 Civic. Invoice is $14,867.

Any help would be much appreciated. I am ready to move on Saturday (the last sales day of the month), so was hoping to get an even better deal then.

If I can't get a screaming deal, then I will just go for the '04 in my own time.

lovetosavegas

500 below invoice minus rebates sounds fair to me.
But you may want to check TMV here then see what these cars are advertised in your local newspapers for and your initial offer should be the least one of those three.

backy

There isn't a whole lot else "extra" on a GLS except ABS and moonroof. There's keyless entry and alarm (standard on the '04s), cruise, and the CD stereo. Blame the "packaging" policy of the foreign automakers for having to get all the options. But I think you'll really appreciate the keyless entry and alarm, and the CD with 6 speakers. Cruise is real nice too if you do any amount of highway driving.

themanx

Tayto, if you can find an 03 in the color and package you like.. jump on it.. plenty of rebate money and they have to move those old models out.

Edmunds TMV says $14,974 minus the $1500 rebate
for a total of $13,474.

So anywhere from $13K- $13.5K would be deal!

ElantraStan

kagedude

Hi. I just got an 04 Elantra GLS auto with accessory 3, cargo net and floor mats for $13100 here in NYC ($14298 with TTL). The car drives nice and is very smooth. The only question I have is the "passenger air bag is off" indicator light. It is always showing. Is that supposed to be like that? I noticed that when someone sits on the passenger side, it disappears. Is that a feature or is there something wrong with the car already? Thanks.

Sylvia

I'll put my 2 cents in here. I don't own an Elantra, but have had this same experience with my car. The "passenger air bag is off" indicator is illuminated when I have something on the front seat (gym bag, groceries, etc.). This is a safety feature for children who are placed in the front seat (no comments on that) or small people who would be in danger if the air bag deployed. When an adult sits in the seat, the indicator is not illuminated. That's just how my car works, the Elantra may be different.

Be sure to also ask your question in the main Hyundai Elantra owners discussion

pk12

After a month of calling, visiting dealerships and impatience with dealer tactics, we decided to call Hyundai of Everett. They were professional and beat anyone's price in the Puget Sound area (didn't try Olympia). It was painless compared to other dealerships. I highly recommend them.

Paid $13,416 + tax/lic/reg (GT, moonroof, traction control/abs brakes, manual). There was a $1,500 rebate at the time (Sept 03). So, right around invoice.

Avoid Eastside Hyundai in Kirkland, they advertised $200 under invoice but their invoice price was a few hundred higher than Edmunds, KBB and cars.com. When I pointed this out the salesman simply discredited the websites. The quote they gave us also included $65 for B&O tax -- their business tax! Plus, we didn't like the slimey sales tactics in the first place. We walked away.

747pilot

I can vouch for Hyundai of Everett. I bought my 04 Sonata LX from them and they are a great bunch of people to deal with.

I also got a very fair deal on my car without much haggling.

Also I find the service department to be very professional. When you take your car in for service you will get a Harald newspaper and a free car wash token at the Texaco station up the street. Not many dealerships do that. Even ones that sell much more expensive cars.

Since I live near Kirkland I naturally tried Eastside Hyundai. I found the dealership to be small and they had lots of stale product meaning they don't sell many cars. I tried to cut a deal on an 04 Sonata but the price was thousands more. Both the sales manager and sales staff were horrible so I finely walked.

At Hyundai of Everett I got a 04 Sonata LX with the package 7 for a thousand less then what Eastside Hyundai wanted for a Sonata GLS. The deal was completed in under 2 hours on a Sunday morning.

Did you buy the blue one on display? I checked out this car when I had my Sonata serviced last week. I am currently in the market for a second car for work purposes. I thought about buying an Elantra GT but it was a little out of my league.

When I was there they had several Elantra GLS's on special for $11,995 before loyalty rebate. This is doable but I will have see what my cash position is in a few months.

backy

I took one last shot at trading my '01 GLS 5-speed package 2, 25k miles and in excellent condition except for a few nicks on the front bumper, for a new '03 GLS with the same equipment but in Sterling instead of Champagne. I offered $3600 out the door, based on Edmunds/NADA/KBB trade-in and retail values for my car and the invoice price per Edumunds.com, less the $3500 in rebates. I thought it would be a win-win because the dealer would be able to make almost $1000 on the total transaction (including the sale of my trade-in) and would get rid of one of five silver 5-speeds with pkg 2 that have been sitting on their lot for months. Their best counteroffer was for about $4400. Not that bad a deal, but not what I was willing to pay today. Maybe if the incentives stay around or even go up a bit, and those cars are still sitting on the lot in February, I'll give it another go then. Otherwise I'll just hold on to my trusty '01--after I get the bumper refurbished and the windshield replaced (crack) next week, it will look brand-new again.

malachy

A dealer offered $759 to purchase the 100K bumper to bumper. Can I get some feedback?

Thanks,

CC

pat

You might want to try the Finance, Warranty & Insurance board since this discussion is focused on prices that folks have paid and their specific buying experience. I think you'll find that's the best place for the feedback you are looking for.

tmant

It was about $1200 for me. I asked if they could offer a better price and it dropped to about 800 or so. I think this is a reasonable amount if you compare it with some of the extended warranties you may find online. Try asking if they will give you any additional price breaks! It certainly didn't hurt for me to ask!

backy

I'm in Lost Wages for a couple of weeks (on business :-( ) and saw some ads for Elantras today that were pretty compelling. One was for a new '04 GLS (assuming it was a base model) for $9289. The ad actually said $6889 but that was after $2000 trade equity and $400 college grad rebate. The other ad was for a new automatic GLS base model, MSRP $14,300 (I assume a '03 because no year was specified but the picture showed a '03) for $8,888, but $6888 after owner loyalty rebate OR any trade equity. Almost makes me want to get one and drive it home, since I could qualify for the owner loyalty rebate.

malachy

Did Hyundai offer the $2000 loyalty due to the fact people were taking such a hit on trade-in?

backy

Or maybe they just wanted to clear out the last '03s from the lots. The Sonata had a $2000 loyalty rebate too. Other Hyundais had smaller rebates.

brxkic

Hello all:
I am contemplating getting a Elantra GLS. It happens that the dealer has the last 03 model they want to sell, but their offer seems like an 04 invoice price. Details:

GLS with package 6, automatic
$13600 (after a $2000 rebate)

I guess I should use an 03 invoice price to start. Would you all suggest subtracting some also for getting an old model? What websites would I get an 03 invoice price?

Thanks!
Annie

malachy

I know you can't win them all but I see that the rebates are up to 1500. When I bought mine they were at 750. I am trying not to think about it...

backy

Well, when I bought my Elantra in October '00 there were NO rebates--just a $500 Hyundai-to-dealer incentive. So don't feel too bad. We pays our money and we takes our chances.

c0rf

My '95 Sonata is about to kick it at 146k miles, and I'm pretty certain I wanna replace it with an '04 Elantra GT. Anyone have any good or bad luck with dealers in and around the DC/Annapolis area? Any info would be really appreciated. Thanks!

jgagne

Went to Suntrup Hynudai in St Louis today and put a $500 deposit on an '04 GT hatch, munual with moonroof. The deal is $14600($600 below invoice)-2200 rebate + sales tax. Plus the $500 deposit will be coming back to me. So the deal is $12500($100 Lic and Doc) + sales tax, is is a good deal?

boltguy

I would recommend Antwerpen Hyundai in Ellicott City, MD. I used the Edmunds tool to "email blitz" many local dealers, and Antw. came out on top. $2K under invoice actually on my Santa Fe. I asked them to give me the out the door prices including all fees and taxes, and they email quoted me the exact number that I signed for, down to the penny.

dairyshick

There are two hyundai dealerships relatively close to me, but there is another about an hour away that claims they will beat any other dealers' prices or give you a free cruise. How do dealers know that the offers you are telling them you were given at another dealer are true?....in other words, how do dealers know you're not just making up figures you were offered???

backy

They will no doubt ask for written documentation of the other dealer's offer. Good luck getting that.

dairyshick

I was at a local dealer yesterday trying to get a reasonable deal on an '04 Elantra GT ($16149). They offered me nothing except the Hyundai
discounts I was eligible for through Hyundai: $2000+ $500 loyalty + $400 college. Plus,
they were only giving me $4000 for my car (2000 Elantra with 46000 miles). They were trying to tell me they were giving me a good deal because
they were giving me $1000 more towards my trade-in than it was supposedly really worth. According to any websites I've checked, my car is worth between $4000-$4500 on trade-in. How are some of you getting these amazing deals where the dealers are giving you up to $2000 off on top of all of that???.....This dealer kept insisting that there isn't much mark up on an Elantra and there's no room for them to work with, which I know is a lye. Please let me know.

backy

If you want the best price, keep your trade out of it until you've settled on a price for the GT. Then you can ask what your trade is worth. If you don't like their offer, you can sell it yourself. Actually I think $4000 isn't a bad trade-in offer for a 2000 Elantra. IMO the pricing guides on the Web tend to overstate resale values a bit.

The other thing you should do is check out the TMV pricing at Edmunds.com, print out the page that shows the invoice price and TMV, and bring it in to the dealer. When they say there isn't much markup, you can show them the page and ask them to show you their invoice price if they disagree with what Edmunds says. Watch to see if they toss extras into the invoice, however; compare apples to apples. Some dealers will add charges like an "advertising fee" into the invoice. Also check out the dealer holdback, which I think is 2% on the Elantra (Edmunds.com has those figures too). If the car hasn't been on the lot long, there would be some holdback left and that is additional profit for the dealer.

I had a similar experience to yours at the end of 2003 when I thought about trading in my 2001 Elantra on a 2003 holdover. The dealers were unwilling to take much off except for the rebates. Even when I pressed them (end of year, lots of 2003 5-speeds sitting there) they didn't give me as good a deal as I got back in October 2000 when the Elantra was just redesigned. On the trade, the best offer was about $1200 under what the web pricing guides quoted. So I kept it--no big deal, it only has 27k miles and is in great shape.

malachy

I bought a base model with a 5 speed. I paid 14,800. I paid 300 - 500 hundred more than I should have (based on post-purchase calls made to other dealerships). I got caught up in giving me a little more for my trade rather than focusing on the purchase price of the car. We were in a rush to do something before the rebates ended. My experience was lousy. I informed Hyundai about it too. There was other crap that happened that I do not feel like getting into. Does your quote for a base model with a moon roof only (ABS?). I would say you have a pretty good deal on your hands any way.

DAIRYSHIK, is that sticker price? if they are not coming off of the sticker then find another dealership. Trust me there are others that will work with you!

dairyshick

Yeah, the $16,149 is the MSRP of the car. (5 speed GT w/ sunroof, mudguards). So after the standard Factory discounts of $2900 that I qualify for, I would be paying $13,249. But that's not taking into account my trade in, which I would have lost $800 on. I'm going to a different dealer on monday because they seem alittle more interested in working a better deal. Not that $13249 is a bad price for that car, but when I see other people getting up to $2000 more off that price, and considering the horrible depreciation on the car, I was hoping I could land a better deal.
   .....Can anyone else tell me how much exactly a dealer has to work with on the Elantra GT?....How come some dealers are so willing to give an extra 2000 off the MSRP without losing money? Do invoice prices vary by dealership?

backy

The Edmunds.com TMV calculator in the New Cars section tells you what the invoice price is of any car with whatever options you specify. It will also estimate regional price differences, even adjust for color choice. Then there is the "dealer holdback," which is 2% of the total invoice price for the car plus any options. There is a good explanation of holdback at:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/incentives/holdback/index.html

One reason some dealers are willing to discount more than others is that there are often "secret" rebates available to dealerships for making certain sales goals. That is one reason it's a good idea to buy a car a few days before--but not on the last day--of the month. The sales manager may be close to reaching a sales goal that would provide an additional bonus from the factory, and every sale will help reach that goal. But by the last day of the month, that goal may have already been reached, or the manager knows there's no way of reaching the goal.

dairyshick

I just came back from the last dealer in my area, and even though I was closer with my goal, they still came up short. Here's what they offered me:
MSRP: $16,149
Minus: $2500 hyundai rebates, $700 discount from the dealer.
Trade in: $4200 for my 2000 elantra AT w/ 47000 miles. (I owe $4800)
  I would have ended up financing $14600 out the door, which wasn't too bad, but not where I wanted to be. They claimed their invoice was something like $15350 for that car and showed me the paper work to prove it, but I couldn't understand why their invoice was about 600 more than what edmunds says it should be. Furthermore, they didn't give me my $400 college grad discount saying it would force me to take a higher APR.
  They made it sound like getting an additional 2000 off the MSRP before the hyundai discounts is impossible, so I'm still baffled how some people are getting those deals.....oh well, I'll just wait until I graduate next year and buy a car I really want.

mike91326

Go to CarsDirect.com. Put in your zipcode and the options you want. Take the printout to the dealer and tell them to match it or you will buy from CarsDirect. Another way is to contact the dealers internet or fleet manager and ask them to match the CarsDirect or Edmunds price. I find that when you don't deal with a salesperson you'll get a lower price.

blackheat

I didn't get the sun roof or anti lock brakes.
sticker price was 15,400, Rebate of 2,000 plus not too much talking I got sticker price down to 11,300. Sounded pretty good to me so I jumped on it. I live in NYC.

dairyshick

I have been looking for a new 2004 Elantra GT, but I came across a Carbon Blue 2002 GT with the same configuration I wanted in the new one: 5-speed, sunroof, hatchback. The edmunds value says it's worth about 9,700, but could I reasonably expect to get it much lower than that??- 31,000 miles, exterior looks good, interior shows a bit of wear such as the leather seating being very broken in and just spills here and there.
Also, the one thing I don't like about it is that the previous owner put the cheesy looking "woodgrain" lamination over the whole dashboard.....is there a way to remove that without damaging the original dash, assuming I purchase it??

backy

In my experience Edmunds.com's TMVs for used cars are overstated, especially for Elantras. A better measure of the real value of the car is what similar cars are actually fetching in your area. You could get some idea of that by checking the Classifieds and any Internet used car selling services that cover your area, and take a little off the asking prices for negotiation room.

Re lamination, I doubt you can remove that easily--that's pretty strong glue used on those laminating kits. You might try checking the Web sites for some of the kit makers and see if they have a customer service email box or phone number that you could use to ask them about removal techniques, if it's even possible.

mehulj

Hi,

I would like to know what one should be paying for 2004 GT with Option 8 ( Option Package 8 contains Power Tilt/Slide Glass Moonroof
  Sunshade, 4-Wheel Anti-Lock Brakes
  ABS Warning Light, Traction Control
  Electronic Brake Force Distribution
  Front Power Ventilated Disc Brakes and Rear Solid Disc Brakes
  Brake Pad Wear Warning Sensors For Rear Disc Brakes
)
plus 4-Speed Automatic Transmission With Overdrive

Invoice price with destination charges is 16028 & MSRP is 17414 as per MSN autos.

What should be done with 2000 USD rebate ? Will it be subtracted from invoice or will it be subtracted from MSRP ?
Is it better to take 0% instead of rebate ?

thanks

MJ

Sylvia

Posts and experience have shown that for many cars you should be able to beat TMV - why? Because TMV is the average of all buyers - people who do a ton of research at one end of the spectrum and people who do NO research and think paying a few $ over MSRP is a good deal.

My rule of thumb - people who read Town Hall should always be able to beat TMV. :-)

dairyshick

Well, I went today to make a deal for a used 2002 Elantra GT at one of the Hyundai dealerships. Here's a quick look at what they offered me:
Edmunds value on the GT for a dealer: 9,000
Their offer: 11,700!!
Trade-in value on my 2000 Elantra: 4,300
Their offer: 3,000!!
I couldn't believe how bad of an offer this was, and I should have actually just left right there, but I tried to reason with them. I showed them the edmunds value of 9,700 and they just said you can find anything on the internet. They also discredited the edmunds trade-in value for my car. To top all of the things off, when I tried to negotiate a fair deal the salesman said "I'm aware that you've been here before and you always expect unrealistic numbers, so there's not much we can do for you." I've been to that dealership twice before within the past 2 months and just tried getting true market values on my trade in and the cars I've tried negotiating, but each time the sales manager comes out and tries to completely discredit any proof I have of why I am trying to get the deals I'm trying to get. Needless to say, I don't think they want me back at that dealership anymore!.....what a shame, I was really looking forward to buying a Hyundai off them in two years when I'm making more than their whole staff combined!
   So I've come to the conclusion that northeast PA is not the place to get the EDmunds TMV for a car! These dealerships are out to steal every single penny they can off you and get offensive when you try any kind of negotiations.

lorenzo46

Just bought a 2004 gls Elantra from colonial hyundai downingtown Pa. 13470.00 less rebate of 2500.00 = 10970.00 out the door tax tags etc 11736.00. this is base model automatic with mats. Shopped around and everyone else was 1000.00 more.

stekicar

Used edmunds.com to search for the "right" price.
I was looking for base model with A/T and A/C.
I got three offers from dealerships: LaFontaine, Glassman and Hyundai of Ann Arbor. Glassman offered price $100 less then LaFontaine but I almost gave up because the person who was responsible for final agreement was very rude and unpolite and he didn't accept that $100 off the LaFontaine price that salesperson gave to me. I don't think I'll buy again from Glassman.
Final score:
Base price: 12949.50
Doc. fee: 160.00
Total: 13919.07
Rebate: -2000.00
Hyundai: -500.00
TOTAL: 11419.07

themanx

Sounds like you guys both got a great deal!

Enjoy your new Elantras!

ElantraStan

backy

How's this for a deal on a '04 Elantra GT automatic with Package 8 (moonroof and ABS), Rally Red:

MSRP: $17,414
Invoice: $16,028
Dealer price: $16,050
Transport fee: $150
Less Rebates: ($3000) ($2000 general rebate, $500 loyalty rebate, $500 auto show rebate)
Final price: $13,200 + T&L

I could get Sterling for $150 less, but I really want Rally Red and there's only 2 of them within a five-state area, so they'll need to get it from 250 miles away.

The dealer tried to add $448 "advertising fee" onto the invoice, and $599 for a "protection package" including window etching, tire warranty etc. but I said I would like to know how close they could come to the $16,028 invoice figure, and then I would check with other dealers and come back if they had the best price. I was hoping for a little below invoice, but given I could get exactly the car I wanted (a rare car it turns out) and they were very professional and pleasant to deal with throughout the process, I decided not to quibble over a few dollars.

themanx

So you got a new 04?

backy

Maybe very soon! My GLS told me it would like a baby brother.

ytbh

should i go for this:

04 Elantra GLS
Automatic
Full Package w/ sunroof and ABS
4 free oil changes and 3 tire rotations

out the door price after rebates: $13,034

please let me know your opinion