Hyundai Elantra 5-door

gtovrit · July 2003

How would one go about searching for a technical service bulletin? I'd be glad to look for the one concerning pillar tape repair if I knew where to start.

revka · July 2003

You can search for NHTSA Technical Service Bulletins in Edmunds' Maintenance Guide; this is only an abbreviated version of the TSB. For information on how to get the complete Technical Service Bulletin, check out this article from Edmunds: You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB).

On a couple of occasions, I've given my dealer service the TSB number/summary and they've been able to access the complete manufacturer tsb... and follow up. Good luck.

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

kanis · July 2003

After a ton of research, I've decided on the Elantra GT. Tomorrow I plan on going to the dealership to negotiate a price. I am horrible at haggling, any advice? Any tricks to get the most for your dollar?

scottdude · July 2003

I'm also thinking about buying a GT and after reading some of the posts here I see that the 04 version will have some new features. But after searching the posts, I could not find a good description of what the features are (a link to a UK press release was broken). Can anyone describe how the 04 will be different? Thanks!

revka · July 2003

Kanis - Have you had a chance to read some of the Buying articles in Edmunds' Tips/Advice section? I highly recommend reading "10 steps to buying a New Car." Also, in Step 7 you'll find direct links to some other good articles on negotiating. Others here may have more to add.... Good luck.

Scottdude - Here's the Hyundai UK website. Look for the press release to the New Elantra on the left side of the page.

Also, for those that missed my previous post: You'll find photos of the new (5 door) Avante DX New (5 door) Avante DX at Hyundai Motor's Korean website. I've read there will be some small changes for the US (Elantra GT) version. I'll keep my eyes open for other news.

Happy motoring!

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

backy · July 2003

Great post! Very informative article on the UK site. I just wonder which features will be coming to the U.S., for example, will we get the rain-sensing wipers, anti-icing elements in the windshield, brake-assist system (with the optional ABS), and trip computer as standard on the GLS? Also, the front-end styling is much sharper IMO in the photo with the UK press release than previous photos I've seen. I hope that's the look we get here. If we get the Elantra as described in that article, it will raise the bar another notch for the competition--especially if HMA can hold the line on prices. Now, if they would just give us the nav system option...

aznmonty · July 2003

I suggest going to CarsDirect.com there is no haggling to be expected at all. Do all your negotiations online and it will just take an hour to sign and evaluate your new car. As for deciding on the 04 and teh 03 GT, i would definitely wait for the 04. It is totally hot, but i do not think it is available in the lovely cobalt blue. Use online email negotiation to get the lowest price. But usually, carsdirect is the best spot. Rock bottom price and teh dealers it works with are required to have excellent customer service. If you are in the Chicago area, I highly recommend Terry's Hyundai and their internet dept. They were wonderful at answering my questions. Great experience!

I got my car for $500 under Edmunds price.

gtovrit · July 2003

I've looked on the Edmunds' site for TSBs, and found 13 listed, but none regarding paint or trim. 5port, any chance you can find that TSB regarding the vinyl door pillar tape for us?
Thanks.

5port · July 2003

I did the same thing. I went to NHTSA.gov and it was not listed. I was *told* there is a TSB. It might have been misinformation. Sorry.

Interesting that some dealers are removing the tape and painting the pillars black. Other dealers are just replacing the tape. I heard on the mailing list that there is a 36K limit on trim items.

gpagpa · July 2003

When I brought my 02 GT to the dealer and mentioned the peeling tape, the manager knew exactly what the problem was and how to correct it. He knows a lot about Hyundai cars and I don't know if it was his knowledge of the cars or a TSB that was floating around in the shop. When I looked at the passenger side and other doors, I could notice where two pieces of tape overlap, but I don't know how else they could place tape without overlapping, but it seems to the untrained eye that this method can't last a long time. I will check my invoice from the dealer and see what are the details.

stevelbert · July 2003

Hi Gang,

Thanks for all the great info. I picked up my 03 Chianti Red GT hatch last night. I think I got a good deal. Options included are Automatic transmission,Sunroof,ABS&traction control,mud flaps,sunroof wind deflector and the cargo tray. I traded in a 2000 subaru outback sport. My out the door cost, including all fees+ 481.36 to payoff the subaru(I still got 800.00 more for that than I thought I'd get). So the bottom line cost to me was 15,294.30 I put 2000 down and finaced 13,294.30. I did not get a real good rate 6.7, but I am refinancing it next month through a credit union. So far I love the car. I bought it at Lia Hyundai in Hartford, CT. The whole thing was done with no hassles at all.

codata99 · July 2003

http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=394889753#_394889- 753

revka · July 2003

Thanks for sharing the details. We look forward to hearing more about your 03 Elantra GT experience! ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

5port · July 2003

Stevelbert:

Congrats on the new GT. Let us know how it compares to the outback. Lia Hyundai is a cool dealership. They sell modified Hyundais along with the stock cars. Someday I've gotta stop by that place. Enjoy.

codata99:

Thanks for posting the TSB for peeling tape.

dpilkington · July 2003

Courtesy Hyundai in Tampa states that Edmunds doesn't sell cars so they don't really know how much the car costs. They were $400 above Edmunds on the MSRP and want to sell the Elantra GT4dr Sedan automatic for $16549. This seem rather high. Again, they state that they are giving a good deal and the the internet pricings are not "real"!
Any assistance would be appreciated.

ramblin_mo · July 2003

Assistance? Don't buy a car there.

aznmonty · July 2003

stevelbert Welcome to the CLub! I certainly want to be kept updated to how you feel about the new car. Let the good times roll in! You sure got alot more dealer installed items than me.

I just got mud guards, no wind deflect, no cargo tray, not cargo net. Tell me if those are worthwhile things to add.

Any come up with a solution to the dark trunk and rear seats? Just install TAP lights?

tmant · July 2003

I've almost forgotten to read up here on edmunds!

mileage readout:
I think the miles to empty is fairly accurate. It turns on under 30 miles to empty. I drove until I knew I was under the 10 mile mark (using the odometer + 30 miles to know when I would be in trouble) and filled up 14.3 gallons.

black tape:
The black tape on my 03 GT is slightly wrinkled on front driver and passenger door. I just hope it doesn't get nasty on me.

internet pricing:
Don't accept anything as high as MSRP. I have received quotes for UNDER invoice (and getting the rebate too), however that dealership did not have any GT hatchbacks when I was ready. Most delears have internet departments that will sell no haggle right around invoice. My target was invoice +2% for a little room and I bought mine just a tad over invoice. Watch out for add-ons you may not want in the F&I department or any additional costs that aren't part of the Hyundai window sticker.

csandste · July 2003

If it's based on the rule of 78's (unlike a credit union), you're going to take a real bath if you quickly re-fi. Check your own costs for that money. You might be unpleasantly surprised.

gaelsguy · July 2003

Way to go. I have the Chianti GT Hatch also. Bought it Feb. 28. 4700 miles and not a hint of a hint of anything wrong. No m-flaps or ABS but all the rest. Had a hard time here in Cent. Fla finding one and the only one they had was my preferred color. Only shortcoming was the lack of ABS. I think a neighbor got the GT sedan. I'll have to drop by and swap notes. Best of luck with your new baby. It only gets better.

jeffhall76 · July 2003

Dpilkington:

Don't buy a car from them. They are a bunch of crooks along with Brandon Hyundai. I had a great experience at Fitzgerald Hyundai on US 19 in Clearwater. Trust me, it is worth the drive. I bought my 2002 GT there and paid $200 above Edmunds TMV but that was because the car had ABS which was impossible to find.

Jeff

jimbeaumi · July 2003

I am now looking forward to seeing the 2004 models after having seen the pictures with a nice black grille, rather than the awful toothy chrome grille in other pics. GT taillights look like they have been revised as well. Sharp!

pineda1 · July 2003

TO BUY, OR NOT TO BUY. i am seriously thinking of buying a used 5speed 2001 GT from a private owner. he's selling it for $9,000 with 37,000 miles. it has moonroof but no ABS. i'm sure i can bargain with him, but what about the warranty. i will be the third owner. is it still transferable. if not, should i have faith in hyundai engineering to go ahead and buy it without a warranty? please advice. thanks.

aznmonty · July 2003

Sadly, the warranty does not transfer. THe warranty is only good with the first owner. The fact that the second owner is selling it is suspicious to me in the first place. A new GT is not that expensive. Only around $14,000 with the rebates these days. Therefore, I would suggest getting that price much lower. Make sure that the owner has kept up with maintenance. If he cannot provide proof of maintenance, be concerned. I have had worry free driving with my 2003 GT now at 7100 miles. But its because of the warranty and the roadside assistance that makes me feel worry free. Cars are mechanical objects and will eventually fail you. The lack of warranty is not necessarily fatal, but must consider your circumstance. How long do you intend to drive it? 2001 is still pretty new, but if you intend to drive for long time, the lack of warranty is not so good. Resale value is definitely going to be little. If I were you, consider getting a new one. Nothin like having the assurance of the best warranty in the freeland. The GT without the abs is costed about $13,000. Do your research and ask questions as to how the car was used. And evaluate the car quality.

compensate · July 2003

Yes, be wary.

I own a 2001 5-speed GT with 47,000 miles on it and, outside of the front bumper paint issue, it has been trouble-free.

HOWEVER, there is always a lemon to be found across every make and model of car, even Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.

The fact that a 2001 car has already had two owners is highly suspect.

Ask lots of questions about (1) why the current owner wants to sell such a new car and (2) where the current owner bought it (dealer or private owner). If the current owner bought it from a private owner, ask the current ower why the previous owner wanted to sell the car.

Also, $9000 is a fair (but not great) market price, but this seller will likely not be able to get more than $7200 as a trade-in, so you can definitely barter.

See if you can take it to a reputable mechanic and pay a little to have it thoroughly inspected, IF the answers to the questions above seem reasonable.

Good luck!

aznmonty · July 2003

Does GT come without leather? I have a coworker that has a great apathy towards animals and would like a GT but because of leather, it is repulsing to her. Her alternative is a Protege 5 which would be a terrible thing to have happen given that the GT is a superior vehicle but because the P5 comes with a leather shifter, she is adversed to that as well. Anyone know if you can get regular cloth on GT?

5port · July 2003

AFAIK you cannot get the GT without leather. However at a local custom apolstry shop you can have anything you want done for $$$. There are people who bought a car without leather and had the dealer or a custom shop install it. Of course this would add to the price of the GT. BTW shift knobs simply screw on and off so even she could change that. Another idea is find a person that owns a GLS and swap the cloth skins for the leather skins but be careful of the side airbags (they need a special stiching so they can blow out).

jacksparrow · July 2003

The pictures I've seen of Korea's Avante DX (Elantra GT here in the States) look like cloth and vinyl seats, so maybe the '04s will come with more upholstery options... if your friend can wait.

malibu_jack · August 2003

The GT in Canada does not come with standard Leather. It is purley optional.

jimbeaumi · August 2003

Leather is so nice to have in a car, especially in this price range. Besides, I think Hyundai has a policy of only installing leather from cows that died accidentally or from natural causes.

jacksparrow · August 2003

Brought home my new baby today. Carbon Blue, 5 speed hatchback, ABS/Traction Control. She's beautiful. I think I'll name her Mena.

revka · August 2003

To jimbeaumi - #3741 "Besides, I think Hyundai has a policy of only installing leather from cows that died accidentally or from natural causes. "

LOL. ;-)

To jacksparrow- Congratulations! We look forward to hearing more details about "Mena". Please keep us posted on your ownership experience. Happy motoring!

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

aznmonty · August 2003

ahhh...another GT on the road! We certainly welcome Mena and hope to hear your adventures. excellent! My 40 mile commute now features GTs representing each color combination. So it is pretty nice when we were driving three in a row rally red, silver and my blue.

backy · August 2003

On #3735 aznmonty said,

Sadly, the warranty does not transfer. THe warranty is only good with the first owner.

This is not correct. The Hyundai bumper-to-bumper warranty is good for 5 years or 60,000 miles to the first owner and subsequent owners. That means the 2001 GT in question still has 23,000 miles and 2-3 years of warranty left, depending on when it was originally purchased. It's the 10-year powertrain warranty that is not transferrable, except to member's of one's immediate family. Of course, the powertrain is covered by the bumper-to-bumper warranty during the first five years or 60,000 miles.

xdizygirlx · August 2003

So I just got my new baby... a 2003 GT Hatchback, a cute little silver one and I can't be happier! I got a great deal($13900 OTD) which i think is a thousand under invoice (according to cars direct), which made my day. I did however deal stictly with my dealerships online department which gives by far the best price possible. Thank you West Palm Hyundai! I didn't get ABS b/c well, they didn't have any in. But I love my car and it looks great. I was looking at a protege' but for the price it wasn't anywhere near comparible to my Hyundai. Hope this one keeps me happy for a long time to come!

revka · August 2003

and congrats on your 2003 GT Hatchback! We appreciate hearing the details.

You may also want to share (copy/paste) what you paid in our Hyundai Elantra: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion. And please return to this discussion to keep us posted on your Elantra GT ownership experience.... Thanks for your participation! ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

mpgman · August 2003

Looking for a second car. Have a 2001 Elantra GT with 35,000 great miles on it in mint condition with ABS/Traction/roof and automatic. I see where dealers have these "loyalty" rebates separate from Hyundai's loyalty rebates. Would do you think a good overall out the door price would be for a new 2003 GT hatch and a new 2003 GT sedan, both equipped the same way, plus my car in trade? Think I could get loyalty points for buying new car #1 and then turning around and getting new car #2? Think that 2003s would be a lot less expensive than 2004s? Think I'm nuts? Thanks.

backy · August 2003

A few weeks ago I was trying to justify (financially) trading in my '01 GLS on a '03 GT sedan, when a local dealer was offering some great discounts. No matter how I figured it, it was not a good proposition. I expect the loyalty rebates would help, but you'll still be on the negative side even considering you've traded up for a car two years newer. As for whether the '03s will be cheaper than the '04s, experience tells us that they will be, at least for awhile, given the new features including the VVT engine; Hyundai will probably reduce the rebate and dealers will try to get more for the cars. That's all supposition but it's what typically happens with a new or refreshed model. Once the newness wears off, prices should come down again.

gpagpa · August 2003

Just got the Fumoto valve in the mail yesterday, pretty quick, I ordered it on 7/31. First impression, this is a very substantial (heavy) piece of equipment, and the valve is not going to open on its own, it takes two movements to open it, just to be safe, you can get a 5/8 hose clip to act as a locking barrier. I got 15% off, I found some discount code somewhere on the net, unfortunately it expired on 7/31. I emailed them previously and they sent me a 10% off code (YM4) there is no expiration date noted but thought that if anyone was going to buy a Fumoto, why not get a discount. Now a question about the installation, it says to hand tighten till it reaches the washer and turn it 1/8 or 1/4 more, ONLY. How much do you have to experiment to get the valve handle to end up facing the bottom of the car and not the ground? I have a thousand or so more miles to go before I need to change my oil. Thanks for any input.

5port · August 2003

When I installed mine I simply continued to tighten it with a wrench until it stopped. This put the valve handle facing the bottom of the car(up).It stopped when the valve stud butts up against the bottom of the hole in the oil pan. After that no more torque is needed. I know people that did not use this technique and had the valve drip oil.

aznmonty · August 2003

Now the maintenance book says that i could change the oil every 7500 miles if i drive mostly highway. I want to know how many of you will still recommend changing every 3k. I rack up 3K every 1 1/2 mths. The oil still looks amber and smells ok. What do you say?

IMO, i would want to trade in my GT for a 04GT. NICE!

lngtonge18 · August 2003

I personally would suggest you go 5k since you do alot of highway driving and the oil still looks good. I just think 7500 is too long for regular dino oil.

mpgman · August 2003

So what did you come up with for a price to trade your 01 in on an 03?

backy · August 2003

I posted on this a couple of months ago, but I don't remember if it was here or in the Elantra board. Anyway, I used Edmunds.com's TMV trade-in price, which for my car was pretty good since it's low miles (now just 21k) and in outstanding condition. I think it was a bit over $7k. A local dealer was having a special on GTs that week, which led me to believe I could get one for around $11.5-12k. I figured in the TTL charges on the new car, and the value of both the old car and new cars after five years, and interest charges on the new car loan (about 3.5% after-tax if I used my home equity line of credit) and figured it would cost me about $2000 to trade up. That may not be much to some people, but to me it was more than I could justify to my frugal self. Plus I figured if I were to do the trade, a better time would be next year, when I could get the '04 GT with its improvements including the stronger engine. But I'll probably stick to my original plan and keep the GLS for 3 more years, then give it to my oldest son for college, and he can use up the powertrain warranty.

ras4151 · August 2003

I live on Long Island NY and I just put down a deposit on an Elantra GT automatic with Package 7.They're having a hard time locating one. Yesterday the salesman said he found 2 and said I should wait until Tuesday, hoping that no one at the other dealers will buy them. Is he just stringing me along to keep me from buying another car?Are there cars with this package still available or should I get my deposit back and wait for a '04.

kaz6 · August 2003

Just came back from a trip to San Francisco from Los Angeles. My GT averaged 32mpg going 80-90mph the most of the way. The ride was very quiet at those speeds and the seat was very comfortable the whole way! The only thing about the stock suspension at those speeds is a tendency to float a bit on dips. The wipers are very stable at speed as well; the wind doesn't upset their sweep. I have the full bra on and it looked like it had a 5 o'clock shadow after my trip as there was a bug storm going through farm country. The whole car managed to stay clean but the deflectors on the bra didn't keep the bugs from hitting the windshield.
As far as oil changes, Consumer Reports did an extensive test using NYC cabs and various oils and intervals. Their finding was that there was no significant advantage over changing oil every 3k instead of every 7.5k. They also did not find any significant difference between regular and synthetic. The only synthetic that did show an advantage was Mobil 1. I just follow the manual at any rate.

backy · August 2003

Changing oil every 7500 miles may be OK if you put a lot of miles on a car, and they are "easy" miles, but I put that many miles on in one year, and they're mostly in-town, stop-and-go miles, much of it in very cold or very hot weather. I have heard it's not a good idea to leave oil in for a year (water absorption, breakdown etc.), so I have it changed about every 3750 miles (i.e. Hyundai's "severe service" interval). An extra $25 a year isn't going to kill me anyway, and it will look good whenever I sell the car (or should I need to talk to Hyundai re a powertrain warranty question).

mtdavis0 · August 2003

Just picked up a new GT for my daughter.

Not sure how I maintain proof of changing my own oil. I do it on schedule (have 220,000 miles on 92 Saturn SL).

Do I just keep receipts and enter into my service log? Never kept track like this in order to preserve conditions of 10 year -100k warranty.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

balaji_raju · August 2003

Hi Guys,
I checked with one of my local delear for elantra GT(Fully loaded) and he is quoting 14,253$(On the road after all rebates and dealer incentives ). Is it a good deal ???.

Thanks Folks

aznmonty · August 2003

I think that is a pretty good deal. I am not sure how much tax your state pays, but sounds good to me. I got mine out the door for $16000 in late march. THat was in IL with heavy taxes. THe car itself was $14000.

GTs are harder to locate for dealers. That is because the hatch is still not as popular as the sedan i guess. Maybe it is a ploy by the dealers. When i got mine, the guy said that there were only 3-4 in the region for the type that I wanted.

Hyundai Elantra 5-door

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles