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Comments
Erik
Thanks.
Erik
After a few hundred miles mixed freeway/city driving I'm averaging about 23 MPG. The car feels comfy and likes to run at about 80 mph. Gotta keep it lower for the first 1000 miles...:(
With regard to rustproofing, the dealer who told you that Hyundai's warranty depends on aftermarket treatments is full of BS. Take your business elsewhere.
-uryourword
I'm not implying that the use of American labor devalued the cars, only that an error in Korea required the use of American workers whose forte is not likely the installation of auto badging. Knowing what I do about Korean children, they would have worked very hard to protect coupe2001's "kibun" (sense of well being).
And our GT is much quieter than our friend's 2000 Civic EX, and *much* roomier than the 1999 Toyota Corolla LE we rented while on vacation last year. Hyundai has made great strides in vehicle assembly. Frankly, the domestic manufacturers (Focus, Cavalier, Neon) must have skipped class on the day "quality control" was discussed.
Happy Motoring....
I thought Protege5 has a 130HP engine. The Elantra GT has a 140. I have not driven either car, do you believe that the Protege5 is faster off the line? What about twisties?
The Protege5 is a sweet looking automobile.
If you go to Pizza Hut, and your wife dies of food poisioning from some bad pepperoni, who you gonna blame? The nasty cook scraping the toppings from the floor? I don't think so. Your gonna go after Pizza Hut.
When I saw the emblems all over the place, I'm thinking I can't believe these cars look like this. I've sold cars before, and I would hate to do a walk around with a customer. It just gives a bad impression of quality. Another thing the emblem is not "classy" at all. Too big and cheesy plastic looking.
300silverbulit: Try another dealer. They will negotiate on this car, but you may have to do some detective work. My dealer was willing to forgo the $695 "appearance package" consisting of pinstriping (ugly) and 'paint sealant" (wax) and he also took my first price offer. I ended up doing the deal on a base model with A/T for $14,500 (a tad over TMV).
Guz: I think the ABS package is available now and I believe it comes bundled with traction control. It is very hard to locate one of these so-equipped GTs. The first one I test-drove had it, but the car was sold two days later when I went back. I have heard that Cobalt Blue GTs will be available in the 2002 model year (probably this fall) because Hyundai is still test-marketing that color.
Good luck with your purchasing & driving....
Easy fix. Go to your local Toyota dealer and order the GT emblem for a 2K1 Celica. It's a nice clean chrome emblem. Nice lookin' and you will be one of a kind. Not joking here, all of you new GT's owners should do this. Take the old one off with a hair dryer.
As a passive negotiator I walked (drove) out at 15100 with floormats incl. not great but not bad either. One problem the rear seat-back release on one side is recessed and non-functioning. the dealer broke it down yesterday and had to order a part. i noticed a red one on their lot had the same problem. otherwise the wife and I love it, she mainly from a distance. stereo is good, great for me. best looking car for the dollar.
I should say the drive out price was 16200, 15100 was incl. destination only. i also got 500 for my 91 cavalier running on its last wheel. so end cost is 15700.
So far the car has been a pleasure to drive, but we did notice a slight front end shimmy between 60 and 70 mph. If it still does this after 1000 miles, I'm taking it in. My hope is that the tires need to be broken in. Also noticed today that the alum wheels do not have a locknut. Is it worth buying four locknuts to protect these wheels? I'm not sure. People steal wheels to get a set of tires, too!
-uryourword
- By the way, the black side moldings have shown no wear yet, but they evidently don't protect against truck doors. I have a nice new scratch on one of my doors from a big Ford pickup.
- uryourworld and cjaccetta: I don't seem to have the shimmy problem. Luck of the draw I guess.
- My Elantra is very quiet, but I have noticed 2 rattles. One comes from the overhead light (the one that comes with the sunroof). I know that the manual crank for the sunroof is behind the cover, so I don't know if it is coming from the light or the mechanism. The second (and more annoying) rattle is coming from the passenger side seat belt buckle. When no one is sitting in the seat, the buckle vibrates over every bump and rough patch of road. When I took my car in the first time, they told me both rattles were caused by leather rubbing against the center console. That was complete bull$#%*. I pointed this out to them second time, and they asked whether the driver's side buckle also vibrates if it is not buckled. They were able to get both buckles rattling, so they then explained that there is no defect, so they can't do the repair. Does anyone else have similar seat belt buckle rattles?
Ride---firm, solid feel. I like it.
Seats--superb legroom (5'11/200lbs.), excellent lumbar adjustment, leather feels and looks great, well designed center arm rest and bi-level storage. Good positioning and form to armrests on doors.
Visibility---better than I thought it would be even with the sloping rear hatch.
Drivetrain---engine loafs at 60 mph around 2300 rpms. Quieter than I thought it would be although will not let it out until after break in.
Cruising at 80 should be no sweat. My test drive car barely hit 3000 rpms at 80 mph.
A/C---top notch. Quiet at low speed and darn right cold!
Brakes---4 wheel discs. Quiet.
MPG----too new to be accurate. Got 33 on first tank of mostly open road at 50-65 mph. Averaged 27 in mixed residential/highway driving. Then, about 36 on a straight 150 run averaging around 60. I drive with a light foot.
Amenities---really like the little things such as variable intermittent wipers on the front and intermittent setting for the rear. All power window switches light up. Illuminated key ring at night. Trip computer also a nice touch. Rear seats fold flat if you remove the rear seat cushion and stow it behing the front seat. Would like to have a warning chime for the emergency brake instead of just a dashboard light.
Overall: At this price, how can you beat it? Looks like an early winner, unless it falls apart. For an extra 2K over the Elantra GLS with package 5 (ABS and traction control) you get leather, the hatch, the moonroof, alloy wheels, larger tires, Michelins, fog lights, trip computer, a stiffer suspension, the purple backlit dash lighting, a slightly different dash layout, and AM/FM/CD 6 speaker stereo.
(1) Does anyone know what type of manual transmission fluid the car requires? Many manuals I've driven require a heavy weight gear oil (like 80W-90), but a few out there use automatic trans fluid.
(2) Does this car have an interference or non-interference engine design? I, of course, prefer a non-interference design, because if the timing belt breaks unexpectedly, the engine will not suffer major damage. Also, what is the manufacturer's recommended timing belt changing mileage?
(3) One article I've read said that the 5-speed revs very high at highway speeds in 5th gear - about 3400 rpms at 65mph. This seems a bit high for an overdrive gear. Anyone owners have any issues with high revs at highway speeds with a 5-speed?
Thanks for your help!
Serg
Some observations:
-- three bags of golf clubs, three overnight bags and some other junk all fit nicely in the cargo area. Hatchback is cavernous. 6 foot tall buddy in the back seat had no complaints.
-- car is quiet as church at highway speeds, although the tires are noisy over some concrete surfaces.
-- the cruise control is too quick to downshift when approaching even a slight grade. Twice during the drive I looked down to see my tach needle suddenly swing over 4,100 rpm as I climbed hills.
-- the grey instrument area washed out in sunlight and is tough to see if you drive with sunglasses on.
As for that shimmy noted by other posters: I, too, had this problem. It went away after about 350 or 400 miles. My theory is one or more of the tires had flat spots from sitting so long on the ship and in port. My front wheels are still slightly out of alignment but the shimmy is gone. Give it a few hundred miles before you go back to the dealer. Other than the alignment I have had no defects or trouble with my GT.
Sounds like everyone is finding good deals on the GT. I have yet to see another on the road except for mine, though. Where are the other owners?Good luck and happy motoring to all!
CJA
-uryourword
The Mazda P5 more likely competitors will be the Civic HB, Focus ZX5, Matrix/Vibe, etc all cars whose price will be similar to the P5.
I spend a lot of time commuting between Montclair and Madison and I've seen a ton of GLS models but no other GTs yet. I'll keep my eyes peeled for another silver one, though...
My wife and I really like the GT so far, although I drive it 90% of the time. We looked for and bought a base model...love the extra headroom and don't miss the ABS. Our purchase was largely dictated by my need for a commuter car and her desire for a newer, larger, more refined vehicle. We're actually toying with selling our convertible and buying another Elantra (probably a GLS) for use as a second car. The two cars together only cost about $1,500 more than the Passat V-6 wagon we originally wanted.
Tamimnet's golf course was OK, but it looked like they paid a couple of local teenagers to maintain the greens, tees and fairways. If they improve the upkeep, they'd have a real lwinner on their hands.
Happy Motoring!
CJA
http://www.autopacific.com/scores/index.html
Re RPMs of 5spd at 65 mph: the article you saw stating RPMs at 65 are around 3400 is in error. RPMs at 65 are under 3000 with the 5spd (I'm out of town now, driving an Escort--ugh!--rental, although I asked for an Elantra, thanks a lot, Hertz!!--so I can't check this). If memory serves 3000 RPMs comes up around 70, and even 80 is under 3400 rpms. Winds a little higher than the automatic, due to more performance-oriented top gearing. I've driven the auto and it's definitely a bit quieter on the highway, but not as fun as the 5spd.
Still, does anyone know whether this engine in an interference or non-interference type design? My current 1998 Ford Escort Wagon has a non-interference engine, which is one of the main factors that drew me to it. Timing belt breakage worries me and I love the idea of having a timing belt break and simply having to replace the belt and not replace the engine. I wish more manufacturers would design noninterference type engines!
Thanx
Exterior: The most visible differences are the hatchback rear (looks like a Saab), the standard alloy wheels and Michelins, the fog lights, the black belt line molding and carryover black inserts in the front and rear bumpers, and the rear wiper (which has an intermittent setting by the way).
Interior: Leather interior, gray faced gauges with blue/purple backlighting...also slightly different dash gauge design, trip computer in the odometer space, standard AM/FM/CD 6 speaker stereo.
Functional: 4 wheel discs, alloys, different suspension (they call it "comfort" but it feels more sport to me).
There is a moonroof option, and an option that bundles the moonroof with ABS and traction control.
EPA figures are the same.
Hope this helps. There must be pictures available on the net.
Since the GT came out in 2001, it looks like that Canada will get the 2002 model.
From the rumors, have you heard if any changes will be made to the 02 model?
The GT lacks a mechanical interior hatch release...the GLS has an interior trunk relese lever.
Don't know of any changes to the 2002 model, but Cobalt Blue ones should be available by then. My guess is you will also see more 5-speeds available.
Good luck finding the right one for you. I highly recommend the car. It's cheap but your friends will be impressed.
CJA.
GT Elantranauts rejoice!
CJA