Hyundai Elantra Owners: Meet the Members

backy · October 2003

Could the two different engines on the '02 model be one for regular emissions and one for CA and other states that require lower emissions? What did the manual say about these two different engines? What did the window sticker on your car say about the engine, e.g. how much hp did it have? (If you kept the sticker--I like to keep the stickers on all my cars.)

I am getting consistently 28-29 mpg on my 5-speed '01 GLS in mostly city driving, but on the last tank I got 30. I almost always use 87 octane from Super America, which is owned by Marathon I believe. It contains ethanol year-round I think.

The heater and a/c are the best I've ever experienced on a car. The heater warms up within one mile even in zero weather (right before I jump on the freeway) and the a/c is ice cold, I ususally run it at the lowest fan setting and even turn the temperature up a bit unless the car has been sitting in the sun on a hot day for awhile.

I am a little concerned about the mod that purports to give 5 more mpg. My concern is, what would Hyundai say about it if there is an engine problem under warranty? Even if it has nothing to do with the problem, they could say, sorry, you modified the engine so you voided the warranty. I also wonder why Hyundai put those parts in the car if they serve no useful purpose and detract from horsepower.

ellandry · October 2003

Backy it says that it gives 5 more HP not MPG if I read it right. Not that I plan to try thr mod, was just curious if anyone had tried it.

backy · October 2003

Sorry, I meant hp.

ellandry · October 2003

well I have to say that im about to hit 1200 miles and I noticed last night when I took my car for a midnight drive that it has really loosened up and even more fun to drive than before. The engine has quieted and performance from stand still is noticebly improved

I didnt want to go home haha but I think my wife would had a few choice words for me if I didnt :P

backy · October 2003

That is interesting--I think 1200-1600 miles is where I really noticed the engine and shifter loosening up a lot on my GLS.

ellandry · October 2003

Cool maybe I get an extra burst soon

LOL.

ellandry · October 2003

Guys I wanted to treat my dash, doors etc early on so that they dont get damaged over time from the sun, heat etc. I neglected to do this with my old car and it got really bad. I could have sworn that I heard somewhere that Armor all was not as good as once thought and it causes damage over time. Any truth to this? what do you guys use? Thx

obsidianblack · October 2003

Backy, may have confused everyone, my manual was printed 11/02, my car's an '03, made in May of '03.
Ellendry, I've used Armorall on my '92 Caravan since we bought it brand new, and the interior still looks great. When we bought a Ford Granada back in the dark ages, we did nothing to the interior and it showed!
Will probably use it on the Elantra.

ellandry · November 2003

Obsidian in post #94 you said that you have an 03 and it has the SULEV engine? I have a 03 but mine is the ULEV engine. I live in Louisiana, where do you live?

Karen_S · November 2003

If anyone is thinking about shopping for the holidays and just don't know what to get that special person who has everything, I have a suggestion! Edmunds.com Strategies for Smart Car Buyers is now available to purchase!!! Get one for all your family, friends, and don't forget one for yourself.

I received my copy the other day and it is a pretty slick publication. I wonder what the reaction the dealers may have if I bring it along as a reference during my next vehicle purchase?
;-)

Please share any comments and observations in the Edmunds.com's New Book: Strategies for Smart Car Buyers discussion in News & Views.

themanx · November 2003

I could not resist and just placed an order for a book for myself Karen!

thanks!

ElantraStan

Karen_S · November 2003

That's great! Please be sure to stop by that discussion in N&V and let us know what you think.

elavertu · December 2003

Hi guys,

In October 2002 I bought a 2002 Elantra GL. In Canada the GLS is called VE, the GL is a less equipped version of the GLS you have in the US. No power windows, no A/C, no cruise control and no ABS brakes. Since I was shopping for a larger car than an accent or Toyota Echo but with a low price tag, the Elantra was the perfect car for me.

So far I love the car very much. The manual transmission is very smooth and the low end torque is high enough for city and highway driving to be pleasant. I'm very surprised about the quietness of the interior.

Since I got the car I travelled 20 100km (12500mi) without major problems. The check engine lit once due to a defective catalyst. The performance wasn't affected but the dealer changed the whole piece under warranty. Hopefully, it was under warranty, the part alone cost 900$ plus work would have been a 1200$ bill. Very pleased about the service at the dealer.

As for fuel consumption, so far I'm at 8,2L/100km (28.7 mpg) but the winter is very rough around here and they say winter tires increase fuel consumption. I also have a remote car starter which influence the fuel consumption.

The only regret I have about that car is that I should have bought the VE with all power options and A/C. The price difference wasn't that high and I would have had less plastic in the interior which cracks a little sometimes when it gets cold outside.

int0jesus · May 2004

Hello everyone. Just want to say I just bought a 2004 Elantra GT 5 Door and i couldn't be more happier. This seems like a cool place to learn more about my new car. I hope to gain a wealth of knowledge from you guys. Yay!

smith20 · May 2004

Pretty much the same as int0jesus (#117) . . . just got a silver 2004 Elantra GT Hatchback yesterday and we're loving it. Great car at a great price . . . couldn't ask for more. We truly believe Edmunds helped us to research the right car for us and to find the car at the right price.

catbabe · September 2004

Hi, I just bought a used 2000 elantra and I would like to find out more about it. I would like to know when service is required and if there is any warranty left on it. It has 51000 miles on it, I think that what it is. There was no book or anything with it. I live in southern IL.

catbabe

backy · September 2004

Welcome to the ranks of Elantra owners! Regarding service, you might ask your local dealer if they could copy the warranty schedule for you (make sure it's the manufacturer's schedule, not the dealer's) or could call Hyundai (1-800-826-CARS) and see if they could mail you a schedule. As for warranty, it's possible there's still some of the 5-year, 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty left, depending on original purchase date. Your title should show the original purchase date.

john_w · December 2004

Hi, Im not exactly new to the Elantra discussion boards, but this seems to be the place where owners introduce themselves or at least announce that theyve just bought one.

I took a long bus ride to Reno on Tuesday (winter solstice) and drove back in my new 2005 tidal wave blue Elantra GLS 5-door (5-speed manual) with cruise control, stereo upgrade, ABS with traction control, and carpeted floor mats.

I paid TMV + tax  rebate.

I researched cars for 3 months. Most of that research was at Edmunds. My short list of candidates kept changing, but they were all hatchbacks or wagons. The top of the list was at various times a Toyota Prius, Toyota Celica, Honda Civic Si GT hatchback, Scion xA, Scion xB, and Elantra GLS 5-door.

Edmunds, including these forums, I believe helped me make a good decision.

John

bendar · April 2005

I read that Sept. 2002 Hyundai offered owners of all 2002 and older models in their
line up an appeasement for misstating 4 cyl. engine size. The engines were
actually smaller than stated.
They offered the owners three choices:
1) A 10 year roadside assist instead of the 5 or
2) A 6 year/ 72000 mile basic warranty or
3) A 12 year/120000 mile powertrain coverage
Did anyone else read or hear anything like this? I can't seem to find the info again.

backy · April 2005

That is not quite correct. First, the issue was over misstated horsepower. Second, the offer did not involve all 2002 and older models. 400,000 vehicles with the largest horsepower misstatement qualified for the offers you mentioned. For the others (including my '01 Elantra), there was a class action suit that resulted in Hyundai giving owners a free debit card good for Hyundai services or merchandize. Here is an article that gives some details:

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17706/newsDate/11-Sep-2002/story.htm

michaels2 · April 2005

Just can't get myself to sell/trade my '01 Elantra GLS. Bought it December 31, 2000. Just turned 110,000 miles. I would like to get into something new, but I don't think I could get much if I tried to sell this car. The more I think about a new car, the more I want to keep the Elantra. 32-37mpg (lots of hwy driving at 70-75mph, 30,000 miles per year). Nothing more than oil changes and I replaced the timing belt on schedule. At 97,000 miles front wheel bearing assembly was replaced under warranty (I might of damaged a it year or so ago when I smacked a curb pretty good :surprise: ) Guess I'll throw a new set of tires on and go for 200,000!! Stash my money that would be going for a car payment and pay cash

for my next car.

backy · April 2005

That is good news about the Elantra's reliability! BTW, do you have the extended warranty? I wouldn't think that front wheel bearings would be covered under the powertrain warranty.

michaels2 · April 2005

No, I do not have an extended warranty. I was pleasantly surprised when the services manager told me it was covered under the 10yr/100,000 drivetrain warranty. Who am I to argue?

jimbeaumi · April 2005

I'm with michaels2. I think often about a new car, but my '01 GLS is so close to paid off and it has only 54,000 miles. I too, would like to see 200K miles. Congratulations on such good service. The skeptics will either accept that Hyundai quality is a reality, or they will begin to say, "I'll believe Hyundai quality when we start seeing them run to 200K miles", and on and on.

fldavem · April 2005

Well, today I'll be picking up my '05 Elantra GT Automatic with option 7 (sunroof). I plan on showing up at the dealership with my check already made out. I'm quoted about 14,800 out the door, including rebates and 6% Florida taxes.
I'm very excited about getting it and if anything significant goes on with the transaction, I'll post here. Also, I'll post again in six years when I hit my 100,000 miles! And then 200,000. I know, high hopes, but I'm allowed.

FLDaveM

tucsonguy1 · May 2005

Hi I just bought a 2005 silver Elantra GLS, 5 speed manual and love it. This was my first new car and I realized I was willing to pay around $11,500. After the $1750 rebate, the Elantra was in my price range. Compared to the others in that price range, the Elantra was the best equipped. After driving it for 2 weeks I love it. Tight steering, fun to drive 5 speed manual, the shifter easily falls into place for the right gear. I live in Tucson, already starting to get hot, it is May, and the air conditioning works great. First impressions so far have been great, and if anything goes wrong I have a full 10 year warranty, I also opted for the extended bumper to bumper warranty for 10 years as well, so I will not have to worry about any out of the ordinary maintenance costs. That peace of mind is worth the depreciation cost I know I will receive after driving the car off the lot. Also good experience at the dealership, Jim Click Hyundai in Tucson.

Karen_S · May 2005

Welcome and congrats on your new Elantra, tucsonguy!

Please be sure to report your purchase experience in Hyundai Elantra Prices Paid & Buying Experience.

rodc · May 2005

Hi. I've had my new 2005 Elantra VE (the equivalent of the American GLS), for over a month now and I love it!! I know Hyundais as this is my 5th one. I had an 82 Pony, an 88 Excel, a 93 Elantra, a 2000 Tiburon and now this Elantra. It goes without saying that I've really experienced first-hand the huge improvement in Hyundais since those first dismal years.

This is my first automatic, having always had a 5-speed manual but I did have to give in to my soon to be wife in a month's time and get the automatic, but now that I have it, I doubt if I'll go back to a manual transmission again. The new Elantra seems to drive like a larger car in many ways, is very quiet inside and is very well built. I can just tell. Even the Tiburon I had couldn't touch this new Elantra.

All I can say is that Hyundai gets better every year and I think most of you would agree with that statement.

Once again, hello and thanks to all of you. The reading on these forums is good, listening to those who have something in common with me.

Take care,

Rod

michaels2 · May 2005

Who has a high mileage Elantra? My '01 GLS had a serious shimmy after my last tire rotation. Brought it in yesterday and found tires were way out of balance. Two of the tires were pretty much worn out (60,000 miles, which is better than expected). Anyway, I put on two new tires and had the car aligned. It now drives as if it were new. Well, as close to new as can be expected for 113,000 miles

. Does anyone have an Elantra with high miles as I do? I have had the new car itch lately but now that I dropped a little cash on new rubber I intend to wear it out. What type of longevity should I realistically expect from this car? 150,000 - 200,000?

tucsonguy1 · June 2005

I bought my Elantra at the end of April, a 5 speed manual GLS with no extras except for wood grain trim, looks great. I went to the northern part of Arizona to see the Petrified Forest and Canyon de Chelly, and the car drove wonderfully. I mainly travelled up and down mountains on Arizona Route 77, and the car had power to maintain a steady speed at all times. I could pass people going up hill with a speed of 70 MPH or so . There were parts of the road that had many turns where you had to slow down, could easily downshift to decrease speed and take the turn confidently. I figured the gas mileage to be around 36 to the gallon. At the National Parks I noticed that I had the smallest car there. I think I went into Ford Expedition and GMC Yukon land, but I think their trip cost them alot more in fuel than mine did, and I travelled in comfort and pleasure. Any others have good experiences on road trips with their Elantras?

1racefan · June 2005

My wife's Elantra is an '02 with 64,000 miles on it. Not as high mileage as yours, but still a lot of relatively trouble free miles. Next spring, we are going to buy a new car for her to drive, but I am going to keep the Elantra and use it as a commuter car to keep the miles down on our other cars. I am planning on just driving it until it dies. Like you, I am very curious as to how long it will go.

kaijad · June 2005

I'll let you know in August! I'm driving from NYC to Sacramento (via Minnesota and Breckenridge, CO)! I bought my 5-door GT with sunroof last month and I'm excited to take the big trip! :shades:

kemurphy00 · June 2005

Awhile back, I purchased a new 2001 elantra gls. Shortly after this purchase, my friend and I got a wild hair to drive to Vancouver Island from Minnesota, to go camping.

I drove from Minnesota to just inside the border of montana (read: middle of nowhere!). I let my friend take over and laid down to sleep. 15 minutes into my snooze, I felt the car hit something with a THUMP! My friend shakingly said "Oh MY GOD!" and screeched the car to a halt by the side of the road. I asked her what she hit and she jumped out of the car without answering me. I sat up in back, pulling off my sleep mask (it was morning time) and looked out the front window. What I saw darn near gave me a heart attack. She was looking at the front end, then looking at me and frowning REALLY hard. I got my shoes on an stomped around the car. Since this was my first new car, and she was the first other person to drive it, I was angry. :mad: I gruffly asked her "what did you HIT??" She sobbed out "I hiiit a dddeeeerr!"

I looked at the front end and blurted out my first thought, "Where???" We hit that deer, who weighed about 90lbs, smack in the center of the car. Sadly, since we were going 70mph, the deer was splattered on the road behind us. The collision caused my license plate to crumple, the hyundai insignia in the grill to be bent in, and pushed in the headlight half an inch. That's it. :surprise:

Then we drove over four mountain ranges to get where we were going and the same four to get back. Without a single problem.

I will be a hyundai owner for life.

monowrky10 · July 2005

I just became owner of 05 Elantra GLS 5dr. Your story says alot for the maker. Looking forward to many long years of great service. Well atleast until I trade it in on a new Elantra.

ladyrozalin · July 2005

I PURCHASED MY FIRST HYUNDAI ELANTRA GLS NOVEMBER,2004 AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED. I WAS ALWAYS A FORD PERSON AND I AM SO GLAD I DECIDED TO SWITCH VEHICLES BECAUSE WITH MY VEHICLE'S ACCELERATION CAPABILITY, IT HAS SAVED MY LIFE NUMEROUS TIME FROM NUTS THAT DECIDE TO SLOW DOWN IN A 65 MPH ZONE-DECIDING WHERETO GO.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET WIND VENTS FOR MY CAR? I CANNOT FIND THEM AROUND WHERE I LIVE AND I AM TIRED OF THE RAIN GETTING IN THE CAR AND MAKING THE POWER WINDOW CONTROLS WET.

backy · July 2005

Welcome to this discussion. Good to hear you like your Elantra.

One company that has side window deflectors (if that is what you mean by "wind vents") for Elantras is WeatherTech (www.weathertech.com). I have never purchased from them but they have been around a long time and advertise in all the major car magazines.

p.s. Please turn off Caps Lock; all caps looks like you are "shouting."

mitchi · August 2005

Hi all, I'm new to this forum so sorry if I'm posting this to a wrong one.. I'd like to buy a new Elantra 2.0 automatic and, since the dealer does not have such model to let me test drive (I'm from Czech Republic and here mostly 1.6 engines are sold, definitely all manual), I'd like to enquire about your experience with engine noise level inside the car, particularly with manual - this is what I did not like when a friend gave me a ride in his 03 Elantra. I understand this is a question of high revs - I will drive mostly on freeways, some 80-100 MPH, will the engine be in high revs at such speed?
Otherwise I think the car for the price is just fantastic.
Big thanks in advance for your comments.

Karen_S · October 2005

Owners' Spotlight

doohickie · October 2005

Hi, I'm Doohickie, and I'm an Elantra owner!

Today (Friday) I bought a 2005 Hyundai Elantra GLS 5-door with AT in electric red. Thanks to frequent poster Backy for directing me to the Elantra, which I had already driven and dismissed. I'm glad I took another look! Now that I have the car, I absolutely love it! The more I look at the lines of the car, the more I like them. It is a bit of a dated body style, but it has very classic hatchback lines. I didn't see the resemblance to the classic Saabs some people thought it had, but I see it now. Well-built, with lots of giddyup. Lots of room in the front, a fair amount for the backseat passengers (I took my son and three of his friends out to Main Event for some bowling and laser tag tonight and they had plenty of room!)

I bought the car with 17 miles on it at 4:00 pm today and it already has over 100! And I'm only down 1/8 of a tank. Hopefully thousands more where those came from!

doohickie · October 2005

Backy, you stud-muffin, you!

I bought an Elantra just so I could be like you!

:P

backy · October 2005

And I thought only my wife called me that!

Funny how the Elantra looks like a Saab after you buy one.

Have fun with your new Elantra! You are probably out there waxing it right now, I'll bet.

doohickie · October 2005

Nope, not yet. I need to drive back over to the dealership with a friend and pick up my other car (the Escort we keep around for our sons, which I was driving for the time being). Then I'll pick up my CD player.

;- )

doohickie · October 2005

In a marathon session, I got both my new CD changer into the rear hatch area and my new head unit into the dash. I finished both in one night; the CD changer is a wired unit, so there were lots of trim pieces laying around. That went fine. When I got to the dash, though, I had trouble with some of the connectors on the back side of the dash trim so I just kinda laid it on the steering column. This morning I noticed what I thought was left over dust from the work, but found that the trim piece rubbed on the top on the steering column and scraped the dark gray paint away, leaving several lighter gray patches exposed.

Does anyone know if there is a touch-up paint for interior surfaces? I know now I should have done it right and disconnected the wires on the back of the trim piece, but it's a little late for that now.

The stereo, though, sounds pretty good.

carchick415 · October 2005

Hello everyone I am carchick. I purchased my 05 Elantra in July of this year. Its Champagne with tan interior. Not too crazy about the Champagne but that was about all they had left. I am happy with the way the car handles. I hope it handles well in the winter. Anyway I cant wait to modify this thing. I have gotten some sponsorships already just waiting for my stuff to get here already. Its been so long since I ordered them. :mad:

doohickie · October 2005

sponsorships?

carangavir · January 2006

Hello everyone:

I bought a hyundai elantra 2005 (used) with 8000 miles. Drives great, best car I've had, but i started noticing a little noise after I turned off the engine (after driving for more than 30 minutes, the noise is like a click under the chassis..someone told me some cars have this kind of "cool down noise" after being driven for a while...does this happen to some of you as well? is this normal? thanks for the imput

backy · January 2006

Yes, it is probably the catalytic converter or some other part in the exhaust system cooling down.

iowaelantra · January 2006

Hi All,

Doohickey and Backy are aware of my new purchase since I posted it on the 5 door thread. For the rest of you, I bought an 05 Elantra 5 door on Dec. 31. I was the last sale of the year for the dealer. I got the AT and this particular car had the #3 package in it. The color is Sterling (silver). At first I wasn't sure how I would like the Sterling color, but it is really growing on me. My Elantra had been used as a customer loaner by the dealer, so, it had approx. 7,000 miles on it. However, it was considered new since I am the first registered owner for the car. My first tank of gas included a trip from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Cedar Rapids, Iowa (approx. 256 miles) and then driving in Cedar Rapids. When I filled up and figured my milage it came out at 31.4 mpg. I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't yet had to fill up a second tank but I'm approaching 300 miles on this tank and am guessing the milage will be pretty good even though my driving has been almost exclusively within Cedar rapids.

I really like my Elantra. It does for me everything that I would want a car to do. My only disappointment is that it didn't have a sunroof. I sort of had my heart set on a sunroof, but I couldn't pass up the price I was offered for this particular car ($12,700 NOT including tax, license, etc., etc.). The salesman at the dealer mentioned to me that there are now some very fine businesses around that will install a sunroof in a car at a price comparible or less than what the price would have been if Hyundai had built it in. Has anyone out there gone that route? Do you think it is a good idea, bad idea? Should I just leave well enough alone and enjoy my Elantra as best I can? I love everything else about my 5 door; just wished it had the sunroof.

We got a 3 inch snow the other night. I purposely went out to try my Elantra out in the slippery conditions. I was pleasantly surprised. While others around me were doing quite a bit of slipping and sliding, my Elantra seemed to be quite stable. I did NO slipping and sliding. A part of that might be because I'm 56 and tend to drive quite cautiously in snow. I just take it nice and easy and usually don't have many problems.

So far, I really love my 5 door and am very happy with my purchase.

doohickie · February 2006

Yep, that's normal. For some reason people seem to comment about it more with the Elantra than with other cars, but it happens to virtually every care to some extent. I've been under my car to do some things and the exhaust is first-rate. It just likes to unwind after a busy day.

doohickie · February 2006

I can't remember if you said and I'm too lazy to go back and search: Does your car have the two-tone interior? The gray interior with the hatchback comes that way I think. If so, you got the best cloth interior offered on the Elantra, in my opinion.

Hyundai Elantra Owners: Meet the Members

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