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I did, however, just get a new job and will be driving a bit more. Kinda snuck up on me and changed my plans...the purpose behind the GT is now obscured (plans to go back for my masters degree is on hold) and I am earning decent coin...might be hard to resist all the great cars coming out in the next two years.
Heck, the Lotus alone has me wondering how I might get a 40k loan approved.
Niels
Hyundai had increased the loyalty rebate from
1 to 2 thousand so I got $2750 off. We have a
2000 GLS with 60,000 nearly trouble-free miles
on it so I was confident. I'm sure you'll
get good service out of it as long as you keep it
'out of harm's way'.
This is a GREAT car. The only "major" troubles I've had have been a couple of burned out bulbs (one headlight and one taillight, both replaced FREE of charge at the Hyundai dealership), a busted CD player (CD stuck inside and wouldn't play. Hyundai installed a brand new unit under warranty. Unfortunately they couldn't get the CD out of the old unit and had to send it back to the factory to remove it!), and a front wheel shimmy at highway speeds (solved by balancing the front wheels). That and the brake line recall, which was performed in under an hour.
The car has started on the first try every time, even in nearly zero degree conditions we experienced a few weeks back. Still have the original tires and brake pads. I've changed the oil every 5,000 miles and have never had to top it off (i.e., no leaks and no burning oil).
The car is showing some signs of wear and tear, door dings and scuff marks, but no pealing paint (it's the Platinum color). The occasional rattle or squeak can be heard, especially in sub-freezing temperatures, but it's nothing that really annoys me.
MPG is around 26 with an automatic trans. I admit to having a lead foot, and my average highway speed is close to 75 MPH.
I'm very pleased with the Elantra. It has proven itself to be more trouble free than my previous Volkswagen GTI. But even as much as I like this car, I feel a trade in coming up this summer when the Tucson makes its debut.
Hyundai has proven itself to me to provide a reliable, inexpensive form of transportation with the Elantra. Anyone who thinks Hyundai can't compete based on past offerings is denying themselves a truly wonderful experience.
A dealer in Louisiana told me that he located a pewter 5-speed GT fully loaded at port which he could redirect to LA for me. I had never really considered the ABS (I was very pleased with the stopping power of my non-ABS GT) or Traction Control (since winters are very mild in MS).
Those of you with the ABS & TCS - are you happy with these extras or are they not worth the money? Also (and this may be a really stupid question) does having traction control decrease gas mileage? I know AWD and 4WD have a major negative impact on gas mileage.
Its probably not that stupid of a question with TCS and mpg. TCS only comes on when you lose traction, it is standby mode most of the time and I do not see why it would drain your mpg. AWD drains mpg cause it requires more axles to be powered. TCS only comes online in those times when traction is decreased. Typically, your TCS would not be active for an extended period of time. Once your wheels get moving, the TCS is standby.
At the moment, I have a seemingly unbelievable deal on a base 5-speed. 13851-2000 regional rebate-400 grad student rebate= 11451 delivered (destination included). Problem is that the car would be almost 900 miles away. I'm waiting to hear back from a few dealers who are a bit closer in the hopes they can come near that price. Fingers crossed!
Does anyone else know what kind of APR I would be looking at for a 60 month loan through the Hyundai financing??
I'm really close to the total I wanted to spend on the car, but not close enough. Although, I think the dealer may have made a math error when adding up my offer because the numbers they used should have been roughly $14200, but they were quoting me $14600. I was hoping to get them down to about $13600, but that was as far as they'd go because they said their invoice for that car was about $15300..Here's the numbers:
$16,149 : MSRP
$15,400 : dealer's offer
-$2000 : elantra discount
-$500 : loyalty discount
---------
$12,900 + Tax(6%), tags, title
Then they offered me $4200 for my trade in that has a $4800 payoff.
Someone please let me know if they actually get $14600, because I keep getting roughly $14200 total out the door. I use the 6% PA sales tax, but is there a chance they're using a different percentage???
As to the math error, from what I've heard it may be an advertizing charge that they sometimes throw in. I could be wrong, though...
Try not to finance too long though. If you can do it, pay if off!
I've Nissan altima with nearly 75K miles on it, no major issues on it. I'm planning to trade my car for a more compact car with good mileage (we owe Honda Ody for long trips). I want to know which would be good.
I'm looking at Elantra GT 5 door with fully loaded (option 8).
Mazda 3 5 door Hatchback (interior of 3 looks very good -atleast online).
Toyota Matrix XRS (I think Pontiac Vibe would be better as it is copy of Matrix but could be had for discounted price compared to Matrix).
Any recommendations ?
thanks
MJ
the matrix/vibe seem good on paper, and should have very good reliability, but i can't stomach their looks. the elantra GT and mazda 3 both have a nice, sport-euro look to them. the vibe/matrix just looks trendy in my opinion, and lacks timeless style.
thanks
MJ
The GT means that there is tighter suspension than the regular, fog lamps, leather, upgraded stereo mp3 player, and vtec for the 04 model. All together, the Elantra GT is not really a GT in its natural sense of the word.
I would go with the Mazda 3 cause it just looks so different. I think the instrumentation in the Matrix/Vibe is not the most friendly; along with with the ride height. I am just not comfortable in the Matrix.
But i chose the Elantra GT cause its just the best value out of them. Fully loaded its comparable to the others. And i will trust Hyundai reliability with the best warranty out there over the others.
I agree with backy as you need to sit in the cars and see how it will feel. Looking at pictures is deceiving. I think Elantra has the most luggage capacity overall. Definitely take a longer look at the GT. The thought will grow on you.
I have an 02 GT with factory RIMS, I've been driving the car in harsh Canadian winter weather for about 2 yrs (125,314kms to be exact). The finish on my RIMS are wearing in areas, some spots it's shows white spots through (imagine its undercoating?). Any ideas to brighten them up without having them refinished? If they do have to be refinished, any ideas what the cost may be? (realize it may vary).
Thanks.
None of these cars are scorchers in the performance area. If you are looking for get up and go, you aren't likely to match it with high mileage and low cost.
The Elantra GT is 135-138 hp engine (depending on state/emissions) and is the weakest link of the Hyundai value equpation, IMO. It has gotten stronger as I have owned my car (now at 8k miles) but it doesn't pull. My BMW 318ti (138hp/very close on weight) seemed to pull better, a combination of gearing and transmission design, no doubt, but it also used premium fuel and would return about 24 mpg in mixed driving.
The Mazda should be the strongest runner of the group. IIRC, you get two choices of engines, including the 165hp one from the 6. If that isn't enough punch, you aren't looking for an economy car, you are looking for a 40mpg WRX. If you find one, let me know.
The Vibe/Matrix has been criticized by several sources for being very blah in the driving/acceleration side of life.
A sneaky fourth option might very well be the new VW Jetta Wagon with the TDI Diesel engine. Most of Jetta's recent reliability problems seem to stem from the popular 1.8T engine. The TDI engine was upgraded from 90hp to 100hp. Doesn't sound like much, but torque jumped as well, to 177 IIRC. I have driven the old 90hp Jetta and while it is no barn burner, it had plenty of pickup for around the town driving. The gobs of torque that a diesel delivers makes the engine feel stronger than it is. My Elantra drives like it is being "pulled" along. The Jetta TDI drives a little more like it is being "pushed" along, a much more rewarding seat of the pants feeling. Plus, you get 40-50 mpg.
Of course, Jetta Wagons are much more expensive then Elantra GTs, don't have as good of a warranty, and the wagon style is very straight-forward and not as up-to-date as it once was.
When I sat in a Mazda3, I felt even more like I was in a black hole. A nicely decorated one, but still.
I sat in an Elantra GT and rearward visibility wasn't great, but not too bad. And it felt more like a regular car. More airy and less somber than the other two.
Question for everyone... do you drive using only mirrors to change lanes? I was taught not to, but maybe that's not how things work anymore.
But the biggest tip: Get a Broad rearview mirror!!!
I think the rear view of the Elantra GT was poor when i first started, but you learn to adapt your checks after a while.
I took a defensive driving course last summer. Still do your mirror checks and your blind spot before you change lanes. You should check your mirrors every 10 secs cause the situation always changes. Leave an exit all the time. Stay away from trucks (either pass them or stay far behind). Trucks could have junk stuck between their wheels and bricks have been known to be thrown at cars that followed too close.
Space and time are the most important things to remember. Give yourself 4 secs or 3 sec minimum between you and the car in front of you. We have all come to that situation when we are all traveling close in a pack and then a sudden stop to a complete stop. Increasing the following distance will reduce the need to swerve to the shoulder lane.
When you drive, don't be distracted, treat it like you were working. Take driving seriously, with determination.
Hope this bit of info helps ya'll!
That's the best thing I've read in a long time. I can't stand how so many people treat driving like it's *something else* they have to do while in a car... you know those idiots who drive 50mph in the left lane totally oblivious to the line of angry drivers behind them because they are on the phone, reading, eating, shaving, or whatever. Go ahead and pop in a cd or adjust the heat, but the primary job of the driver is to drive!
Niels
One of these tips is that you should ALWAYS be scanning your rear view mirror every 5-10 seconds, even if just a quick glance. This way, you always know who is behind you and who is closing in on you from behind. I used to have trouble doing this, but now I do it automatically without thinking about it.
I concur with the quote, "When you drive, don't be distracted, treat it like you were working." If we all did this, there would be a lot less accidents (including less people driving while talking on cell phones and putting on makeup). Good advice!
Just to clear the things up...
The Mazda 3 shares ZERO components with the U.S. Focus.
And even then only the U.S. made 2000-01 Focuses had many reliability problems.
The 2002-2003 models are just fine.
The Mazda 3 shares the platform and components with the second generation Euro Focus which won't come to the U.S. shores for quite a while.
BTW the first gen Euro Focus proved to be super reliable - even better than the Japanese makes.
If you are referring to speaker power handling capabilities, that number is basically meaningless to most audio users. Speaker efficiency and sound quality are much more important, in my opinion, unless you plan to build a very high power audio system.
The rear speakers I found to be pretty flat, but you can't really tell this unless you are sitting in the back. I replaced the rear speakers anyway, to improve high-end response in the rear.
I agree with lngtonge18 that Hyundai's audio systems sound pretty good, compared to many others (excluding premium, high-dollar audio upgrade options).
Niels
btw, how do you determine how many gallons you consumed between fill-ups when manually calculating gas mileage?
Niels