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1. The leather is lighter/perforated and the dash looks darker (might be psychological). I thought it looked equally nice compared to the '02, and the perforated leather would be very nice for us extra-sweaty types.
2. The dome light had moved! It is now BEHIND the moonroof (where it ought to be), and it appeared that there were still map lights up front, though I could not tell for certain in the short time I was looking.
3. The front looks basically like the '04 GLS, with two exceptions: 1) as someone else mentioned, the trim around the grill is black (not chrome) to match the black body mouldings. 2) the addition of fog lights, which are small and round, and have a cool 'crystal ball' look to them.
4. Cobalt blue is back! For those who don't know, all the blue GT pictures on the Hyundai website are wrong, as they actually show a color which (until now) was only available on the '01.5 model year (the first one); the real color available was a much darker Carbon Blue (see the Tiburon pics for the difference). I am not sure if this brighter blue will replace the darker/purplish Carbon blue which was available on the 02-03s, though I am guessing it will.
That's all for now, I will try to snag some pics soon and post them.
DW
I'm interested in buying a 2003 5door hatchback. So as everyone else is doing I'm looking at edmunds and other sites for pricing information, before emailing the dealers.
Problem is Edmunds only list prices for the 2003 4door hatchback, NOT the 5door hatchback. But I know everyone is using Edmunds to get info to buy a 5 door. What's going on ? Where am I going wrong ? Can someone show me the link URL for tmv 2003 gt 5 dr pricing ?
THANKS !
FYI
I just got a recall notice from Hyundai regarding the brake lines. The notice is for 2001-2003 Elantras and also 2002-2003 Tiburons. The notice says that the repair should take a half a day.
Also, I finally got the pillar tape issue fixed, the dealer I went to did not replace the tape they painted it. It looks tons better.
As I've said before on these boards, mine was painted instead of replaced. It looks pretty good even after about 6 months, and you can't really tell it's different than the rest of the vinyl trim unless you are looking at it in certain lighting conditions.
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On another note. Has anyone had any issue with the car vibrating slightly at 70 mph? Also, I think I need the rotors turned, because it's shaking a little when I brake. These seems early to me (16,700 miles) for this type of maintenance. Will the warranty cover this?
Oh yeah, not to take away from the Fumoto drain valve, but I've been using the SureDrain valve since the Fumoto wasn't readily available. Works like a champ, except I would replace the hose with medical tubing or something.
I had vibration under braking at one time. Before having my rotors turned (which I think most people are too quick to do) I swapped wheels front to back and it was gone. Since changed tires and it never returned.
It would be pretty hard to take anything away from the Fumoto valve. If you ever held one in your hand you'd see what I mean (quality). On something as important as that I dont scrimp. I wont buy anything made by Fram.
thanks
5-10 minutes is a long time to idle a car. I live on LI and I idle about 1 minute then I'm off to work keeping the RPM below 3500 till the car warms-up.
Can anyone give me the pros and cons to getting the Elantra GT hatchback vs. the Sonata LX? Things like insurance prices, maintenance, fuel economy, etc.? BTW, I do mostly city driving (short hops to and from work). Also, I am not at all interested in the Elantra 4-door sedan. Thanks!
Thanks for your input. You know, I *do* have old cassette tapes ... TONS! I am a child of the '80s, and the fact that the Sonata has a tape deck is a big plus for me! But with my current Mitsu Galant, I've lived w/o a tape deck for 4 years, so I could live w/o it longer. I'm going this weekend to test both cars again, this time bringing two family members whose opinions on things couldn't be more opposite. Can't wait to see what *they* think! Happy Thanksgiving!
The GT is a kicking little car with a price and warranty you cannot beat.
The Sonata is a midsize sedan with a great ride and killer warranty to boot, but at a higher price
than the GT.
Let us know what you decide!
ElantraStan
Well, today my family went with me to test both cars. They overwhelmingly preferred the Sonata LX to the Elantra GT hatchback. And now that I've seen and driven both again, so do I. Thanks to everyone for sharing your information. See you in the Sonata forum!
Thanks!
will be ending this February, and im now debating
if I should just buy the car or turn it in and buy
a new car this time.
Well, the other day I visited my local Hyundai
dealer to test drive a new 2004 Elantra GLS. I
was very impressed with the ride comfort of this
car as opposed to my Sentra. The ride is much
more smoother due to the fully independent suspension.
But I just cant get past that thought of buy a
Hyundai. When I told friends I was considering
a Hyundai they looked at me with utter disappointment, saying I will be sorry.
I just dont know about the long term reliability
of Hyundai at this point. I mean think about it.
Who has a 100,000 mile plus Hyundai Elantra that
runs perfectly on this forum?? Please come forward
and tell us! please!
The price and warranty is just too good to be true. You never get something for nothing in this
world. Somewhere, Hyundai is cutting major corners
to keep the price so low.
So again, my question is how many 100,000 + mile
Hyundai Elantras are on the road that are running
flawlessly. Thats the question we have to ask
ourselves here.
We all know there are thousands of Civic and Corollas running flawlessly at 100,000 + miles!!
Maybe so, since both cars have been selling for over a quarter of a century and recently at a rate of over 500,000 per year combined just in the U.S. So of those many millions of Civics and Corollas, I guess it's fair to say that thousands have been running flawlessly at 100,000 miles.
The Elantra has only been around for about 10 years and in its present generation for 3. They are currently selling in the U.S. at a rate of a little over 100,000 a year. So one thing to keep in mind as you are looking for those flawless samples is that there's a lot fewer cars in the sample size.
I would guess that there aren't many owners of '01+ Elantras who have both driven an an average of 33,000 miles a year, and also follow this board. The other thing to keep in mind is that Hyundai has been steadily improving the quality of its cars over the past few years, and what was once a dismal record for reliability is now quite good (for example, check out how many Hyundai models are recommended by Consumer Reports now and have at least an "Average" predicted reliability from CR). So keep that in mind as you get data from owners of older Elantras.
But getting back to your question... I'm not quite sure why you are comparing the reliability of Elantras to Civics and Corollas, since it seems your choice is to either keep a '01 Sentra or buy a new car, perhaps an Elantra. The '01 Sentra has an "Average" reliability rating from CR--the same as the Elantra. However, should something go wrong with your Sentra, you won't have much if any warranty left to take care of it. You will have the warranty with a new Elantra.
As for what corners Hyundai is cutting to keep prices so low, one way Hyundai has kept prices down is that its labor costs in South Korea are lower than those in places like Japan, the U.S., and Canada--where many of its competitors are built. The other difference is that Hyundai IMO does not have quite as up to date engine technology as Toyota and Honda. For example, it was just in the '04 Elantra that Hyundai introduced VVT technology, several years after Toyota and Honda offered it in its small cars. And Toyota and Honda's engines typically offer better fuel economy than Hyundai's.
For myself, I made exactly this decision three years ago. I decided in the fall of '00 to get rid of my leased '97 Sentra, a nice little car in excellent shape with only 24,000 miles, for the then all-new '01 Elantra. I too found the ride quality to be superior to the Sentra (previous generation), and found the Elantra superior in many other ways such as rear seat room, driver's seat comfort, quietness, and power. I have driven the current-gen Sentra and believe those same benefits hold true. The only major advantage I saw to keeping the Sentra is slightly better fuel economy (comparing my '97 with the 115 hp engine to my 135 hp Elantra), but I don't think the mpg ratings of the current Sentra and Elantra models are much different. I liked the car, and the warranty clinched it for me. So far I've been very pleased with my Elantra, and in three years it's had only one significant problem (O2 sensor failure) which was of course fixed under warranty.
Hope this helps a little. Good luck with your decision!
Nodule, your friends are like many other people who don't understand how very far Hyundai has come over the years. "Quantum leap" improvement might be a good way to state it. I was a very skeptical shopper in 2001, had only owned domestic cars, grew up in Detroit and still remembered very well how awful the first years were for Hyundai products. Then I did the research, which is exactly what you are doing and what your friends have not. Show them how smart you are. Backy enjoys his Hyundai, I am thrilled with mine, and most owners on these threads are happy as well. Keep us posted!
the Elantra GLS. Thank You. I do, however, have several questions for you, if I may....
1. Do you feel that the new 2004 Elantra GLS is
a significant improvement and a move that gets
it even closer to Honda/Toyota reliability?
2. With the new VVT engine, do you feel its
pulling close to Honda/Toyota refinement?
3. Im a healthy, athletic 40 yo man, and I have
to be honest, around here in Central NJ, I
ONLY see elderly man an women driving this
vechile. I would be curious to know the ages
of the folks here who are Elantra owners.
Im wondering your thoughts on this...
4. If heard one of the reasons pricing is so
low is because Hyundai uses cheap low end
sheet metal for the body of car which dents
every easy and also, the paint is off low
quality. If that indeed is the case, well,
there ya go...those are two areas where they
are cutting corners to maintain the low
price.
5. Im also wondering about the long term life
of internal components, such as water pump,
alternator, front end suspension parts...are
they of lesser quality than Honda/Toyota.
Thanks!
problem has been resolved with the 04's?
I think im going to go back this Friday and
do an extended test drive.
i bought an '02 GT. while i agree with backy and others on this forum about the "quantum leaps" in quality that hyundai has demonstrated, i have to agree with your point #4. the sheet metal is thin compared with the sheet metal of the elantra's competitors, and i see many new elantras (and also accents) with a disproportionate number of dents/dings. i worry that pressing too hard on the body panels will distort them. and i and others have also noticed that the paint is very fragile. it takes almost nothing to scratch the paint. whether this will have any long-term effects on the appearance of the car is a good question. i hope to be able to enjoy my GT's appearance for some years, but i suspect i will have to be careful with this car.
on the plus side, i have not noticed rust on any recent (<10 year old) hyundai, so at least i don't think we have to worry about them becoming rust buckets prematurely.
Well, if that indeed is true regarding soft, thin
sheet metal which dents and scrathes easily, and
no improvements were made to the 04's, than I would have to say that the 04 Eltantra GLS would
be out of the question for me.
Maybe I will still go to the dealer Friday for the
test drive and ask the saleman if I can intentionally dent the fenders...(yeah right).
My 2001 Sentra GXE in Ice Cappucino color is perfect, body wise...not
a single dent or scratch
and perfect paint. And this is a car that is NOT
garage kept, sitting in a condo parking lot!
Hey Backy, what are your thoughts? Does your
Elantra have soft sheet metal and scratch easy??
Leather seats...think about it, whats the point? You get into your car in the winter and what do you expect? It takes a while for the seats to heat up. By that time, your bum would have warmed it up already. I believe heated seats come with the 04.
With the GT, you are not comparing it with a Civic or Corolla. GT is distinct in its styling to european cars.
Sheet metal is not too bad. My friends climbed on my hood and trunk. no damage.
I dont believe that Hyundai "cuts corners". They have a lower margin return per car because they believe that a lower price would mean greater sales.
Toyotas and Hondas are overrated. If you look at realiability in recent years, Hyundai is up there with those two.
Proud Hyundai Elantra GT 03 owner. 17,500 miles and counting...Always get complements from people who experience the ride in my GT for the first time. Smooth and quiet. Youthful appeal.