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Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra
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Comments
Must be a nice Elantra. I got my 2000 base 5speed with a/c and power everything for under $10k.
Wow! you really got a deal. I'm in New York and its really difficult to get a deal here.
By the way, the 2001 Elantra (automatic) is really nice. Its in the new silver color. And of course, the 17k is out the door price which includes the tax, fees, spoiler and the 15" alloy wheels, etc.
And most important, when you are on the road going 65 mph, you can really feel the power this new Elantra has. When I parked it at the block, people couldn't tell what car I had just brought. (Its a new model, completely different than the 2000).
As much as i like the elantra.... for $17,000, i would have gotten the turbo-charged VW Golf. Such a nice car interior wise and exterior...solid as a rock. Thats what I really wanted, but had no where near enough money. But as i said before, the elantra is a great car and i hope it serves you well as mine is serving me well.
Wow, amazingly, this Korean car beats the Honda hands down! The quality of materials and how it's put together is on par with any Japanese import. The Elantra's engine feels much more powerful than the civic's especially accelerating from 50 to 70mph on the highway. A fully loaded Elantra goes for around $2k less than the Civic EX. I think I'll go to the Hyundai dealership next week and do some more haggling. By the way, does anyone know if the Elantra offers traction control? I think the dealer mentioned something about it. If it can be had with a traction control, there's no way I will even consider a Civic, which to me seems underpowered and overpriced.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but Hyundai finally has a Honda-fighter in its line-up.
Perfect tag line for an up and coming car company.
By the way, the '01 Elantra does come with TCS and ABS. It believe its option 5.
Once again, compare the specs for both cars, and test drive an Elantra '01, check it out for yourselves.
Good luck to all!
the new ones look decent, but not enough for the price increase in my opinion. wait a year or so when demands is down, then get one for $10k!
Sometimes, in life, its better to pay a little more, and to have the satisfaction of being the first one to smack your butt on the driver's seat.
In response to #435, I was just comparing the looks of the car from a distance. And, no, I'm not "smokin" kid! I would be "smokin" if I paid 40k for wheels, and you wanna know, something, no matter how much you spend on a car, in a year, its always going to be "last year's model"!
This is not be knocking Hyundai - like I said - I have one. But - the Elantra is not worth anymore than the $13k range. For my $15-$17k there are plenty of car I would choose over the Hyundai. Including the Sonata and heck, even a Sentra SE.
I live in CT and except for me getting the manual i walked out tax title and reg and all fees for 13.5! Same package, you were taken advantage of! You should have done what I did walk in with the edmunds printout and walk out if they dont take care of you! I had a option 2 for 12k, and they could not find the color my wife wanted but they had a option four at their lot so for 700 bucks i got a moon roof,wind screen and cd player. Which is hundreds under the package invoice and the deal was close to 700 under invoice. (love the rebates!)
It really doesn't matter to me whether or not I got ripped off, because, I wasn't shopping around for a cheat car price. I loved the car at first sight and the features it has, and I bought it. Plain and simple. It was an incredible shopping experience... no haggling, no fights, no walking out and making scenes and aggravations. I believe the car is worth what I paid for it, no regrets. Also, from what I've read so far, people writing from CT, PA, FL, the deals that each dealership offers varies from state to state. In NY the taxes are higher and its very difficult to negotiate prices. All cars in the NY area are expensive, an the Elantra was one of the most affordable (yes, even at 15.8k) with all the features it offered to us. Even the Hyundais are expensive here, And I'm definitely not the type of person to haggle are get aggravated.
For all of you who got their new '01 Elantras, its diffinitely an excellent car. We love ours and hope its last for a long time.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
You know guys that alese1 didn't really get ripped off. She payed a fair price. In CA we have the same problem. When the cars are optioned out as hers it is hard to go below invoice. Did you get Option pkg 4, spoiler, alloys and automatic? Did you get the extended warranty? The extended warranty, spoiler and alloys add around $1500+. I got the same car as you with automatic and option pkg 4 but no spoiler, alloys or extended warranty and payed 14300 not including taxes, license and docs. This was about $140 over invoice. Our tax is 8% and registration is high in CA. The total cost was about $15800.
BTW, are the alloys Hyundai OEM or after market? What about the spoiler. I was looking for over a month and went to every dealership in Southern CA area and could note find any Elantras with spoiler or alloys. I thought these were late availability?
Have a Happy Thanksgiving
FIRST THINGS FIRST, smiller 678, I appreciate your sincerity and support. Could you believe I was getting "beaten up by the hagglers"!
For all of you out there, can you believe I just logged on a dealership web site and an Elantra '01 is going for $20K? That's right, people are realizing how hot this car is. (Of course, it must heavily optioned with the leather interior, wood trim, moonroof, chrome wheels, the "gold package" lettering which is being displayed on the cranberry and black cars.)
Getting back to smiller678, the dealership here in NY (8.25% taxes) where I got my Elantra, I was able to get it with the alloy wheels (15" rims) in a beautiful 'pewter' finish. I also got the spoiler with a light on it. Very nice. What did you think about the extended warranty? I think its worth it. The car will be cover for 100 miles/10 years. Its coverage for a long period of time, and its covers basically everything (except the maintenance, of course). And with a car like this, with power door looks, cd, etc., anything can go wrong within 10 yrs.
So for all you out there, FYI, CA and NY have pay the highest taxes in America. So parts in NY we have 8.50%. We basically got the same deal, a penny more/a penny less. Like I said before, I have not an ounce of regret. Doesn't the car run so nice on the highway?
Back to the rims/spoiler, you can always go back to the Hyundai dealership and place an order for them later. Don't forget to mention to them that there is a spoiler already available. and yes, it wasn't available in October. But now that we are in November its definitely available.
So thanks for your response. Once again have a Happy Gobble Gobble!
You got a very good price on your Elantra since
you got the extended warranty, alloys and spoiler. I didn't get the extended warranty since I generally keep a car for about 75K miles and then get a new one. I also have had very good luck with my previous Hyundai Elantra (95) and had no problems after the basic warranty had expired. I think that the extended warranty is very good since it covers the car 10 yrs/100K miles bumper to bumper. It is especially important for those who want keep their cars for a long time.
Yea, in Cal our sales tax ranges from 7.75% to 8.5% like NY. The sales tax alone adds quite a bit to the total cost of the car.
I think this is a really good car. Its very quite and smooth. I am very happy with my purchase.
Shawn
Not all of us have the patience or the success at negotiating for a rock bottom price. Some dealers just won't budge, especially if they have all their customers paying sticker price. If you got a good deal, pat yourself on your shoulders, but don't try and make this an issue of who can get the better deal OR who's better at negotiating, etc., etc.
The car was worth whatever I felt like paying for it.
By the way, the salespeople who assisted me were in no way near being "the jerk salesman". At all times they treated us with cordially and it felt good getting the car where I bought it from. It makes me love my car even that much more.
I thought this forum is for helping other Elantra owners out and not ragging on each other.
Shawn
Beautiful.
But I think it is worth pointing out that one does not need to pay in the upper teens for the Elantra. No ragging intended. Just information.
For the upper teens move up to the Sonota.
I just purchased a '2001 Elantra. I just want to tell all of you that the Elantra is one of the most powerful and economical car for its class and standard features!! As I read all of the forums opinions and remarks on the Elantra, Who the hell wants a Sonata or any other models. With most of the comments that alese1 explained in the forum, I agree with her. I really paid the same price as she did, and I also live in New York! If I wanted a Sonata I would of gotten a Sonota. I heard that the Sonota's are going to be re-designed for '2002. At least my Elantra model will hang around for 3 years longer than the 2001 sonota. And besides, the Sonota doesn't even fit in my GARAGE!!
Congratulations on your purchase of the 2001 Elantra. I just love my car. You know I was considering, though very very very slightly, a Sonata. But I heard, like you, the rumor that a redesigned 2002 model would be introduced sometime next summer. At least our Elantras will look pretty much the same for the next 4 years. And like you said - if I wanted a Sonata I would have bought one. There was only one other car I was considering in this class. It was the Honda Civic EX. A great car but kinda of expensive. It was around $16800 (couple of hundred above invoice). Tax, registration and doc fee would put it beyond $19K. That was more than I wanted to spend. So I saved myself 3K and bought an Elantra with all the exact same features except ABS.
I was also thinking why its more money. I payed 10,800 for my 2000 elantra. I forgot that the 2001 elantra has standard 15" wheels vs 14s on the 2000 model and the 2001 has side impact airbags standard. Those goodies dont come for free.
And just to show you all how good hyundai is really doing; on my 7500 mile service, i went to test drive a 2001 hyundai santa fe to replace my jeep cherokee. they had 5. 4 had deposits down on them, the other was in the showroom. i couldnt even drive them because they were all bought. Just goes to show you that hyundai is kicking butt!
Give me a break. It's a Hyundai. Realize you bought a Hyundai, not a Honda, and quit comparing your Hyundai to the Honda.
Answer me one question, why are you all buying new Hyundais when used one's can be had for soooo much cheaper considering their horrendous resale value?
You wanna know something??..GET A LIFE.
We really don't appreciate people like you in our forum!
I just bought an Elantra '01. Its not a Honda (I also own an Accord EX and I can compare between both manufacturers), but you know what, it's a Hyundai. So what? What do you think that the Honda's were a popular car 10 to 12 yrs ago as they are today? The answer is No. Hyundais are moving in rank just Honda once did. So please save your negative comments. We don't need them. There are lots of other forums for you to share your negativity with. By your sign on name, I can tell you probably own an Acura. Do us all a favor,why don't you join their forum instead??
By the way, if you own a Honda, enjoy it. (Remember, its not a BMW or a Lexus or a Benz, its just a Honda).
I bet the Acura that AcuraGRL has or wants is all decked out in stickers, has a big fat tail pipe, and is "lowered", with "awesome" ground effects. It probably has a ridiculous tail on it, and it might even be that really cool swirly purple color. And yes - the window tint would be the mirrored type. Yet the car sounds like a sewing machine on crack, and still can't muster enough torque, even in VTEC form, to out perform a base Elantra in a way that matters in real life street driving.
I'm glad I kept an open mind and test-drove the Hyundai Elantra. It's the best-kept secret in the auto-industry IMHO. I wonder if the Elantra owners have a secret handshake?
At the same dealership the salesman also let me test-drive a Santa Fe after I showed some interest. I was surprised by its overall quality and drivability. Hyundai sure has come a long way.
But for now, my budget forces me to choose a car under $18000 since I'm still paying for my wife's other car.
By the way I test-drove the 01 Civic, liked it, but not so much as to sign my check. I think Civics are overpriced by at least $1000-$1500 even after intense negotiating. I'm still sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to go for the Civic EX 5spd or a fully loaded Elantra w/ traction contrl for about $2500 less.
I might have gone for the Elantra at the dealership the same day I test-drove it, but they didn't have one with the color & specs i wanted.
I'll give it another week to decide. By the way I won't buy a VW again due to the terrible dealership experience; they were predatory and took me for a fool. They told me Jettas top the quality survey all the time; I asked what survey they were talking about; they named an obscure international survey that I had never heard of. Then they wanted me to write them a check for $200 so they will keep the car that i test-drove on the lot while I go home and decide.
When will they learn?
Now if you actually drove a Hyundai and arrived at an informed opinion- now that I would understand.
The fact that Hyundai gives so much equipment for the price (ex.side airbags are standard) I believe is impressive. The performance between Hyundai and competing Honda models are no where near as great as you seem to think.
I promise you within 5 years everybody will be taking Hyundai quite seriously. Especially their competitors.
There's always 2 side of the same coin
Also, I already believe that our competitors are already taking Hyundais pretty serious.
I just happen to drive past a Honda dealership last weekend, and there were not too many people driving out with new Hondas, but I would say that the Hyundai dearlership was pretty crowded and I saw that there were lots of people were drivng out with those "bright red ribbons having from their rearview mirrors...." huhm??? now, there's an action that actually speaks for itself!
Negative comments are fine. That is what this forum is all about. However, legitimate responses to back them up are required. You cannot say. "The civic is better then the elantra because its a "honda". That is not a reason why its better. so what if its a honda? When i hear honda, i hear cheap quality interior/exterior and overpriced.
The point: Hondas are very reliable, but so are hyundais now. accept it. so take your acura (aka redone honda) and leave. or give us a good reason besides "it just is" becuase that makes you look stupid and ignorant.
And the new civic is ugly. it looks like it shrank and a bit of ford focus styling in the back. you cant hook that up like you were able to do with the civic. last generation civic was a lot nicer. what was honda smoking when they built that car?
Styling is subjective. I loved the 2000 Elantra style, not very fond of the 2001. Honda styling has never impressed me, just their reliability record and gas mileage. I am growing fond of my bland commuter Civic though.
IF however 5 years from now I need another car and the history shows that a 2001 Elantra has held up just as well as my Civic and the price differential between the manufacturers is still there, I will buy a Hyundai.
Main reasons I didn't buy one
1. Civic gets better gas mileage (of course I gave up the power the Elantra has though)
2. Civic did better in side impact crash tests
3. Still have reservations about Hyundais problems in the past, though I think they have advanced tremendously the last 3 years and if they keep it up they will set the bar every one else will have to match.
The Hyundais still strike me as a little bit of a gamble, but one with a tremendous upside and only a moderate chance of a downside.
Here is to hoping everyones cars last as long as they want and stay problem free.
Cheers.
I think the saying "you get what you pay for" sums up this entire forum. Sticking up for any car just because you own one may be a natural reaction, but it isn't the most credible. A non-biased opinion is what i look for. And i get that from businesses like Consumer Reports and Edmunds. I know what you Hyundai owners are thinking...."what do they know". Hey, it's your money, do with it as you wish. But if you go around bragging about your new car making it out of the driveway, you have to expect some other people to express their opinions.
To say the Hyundai is as reliable as a Honda (Acura) is just plain lacking facts. The real fact is that they have a very POOR record of reliability. The fact is that Honda has a record of very HIGH reliability. Please research the material you plan to comment on. And don't accuse others of not having "backing" to their commments when you, yourself, lack facts.
To the person who said that Japanese were once thought to be poorly built cars....ummm, you're just plain wrong. They were not liked because Japan use to be our enemy.
Good luck with your Hyundais. If they last for you, i may go out and purchase one. Call me when it has 200k on it. Until then, I'll drive reliable cars.
So - Edmunds and especially CR are not correct.
End of story. Buy what you like.....don't worry about reliability myths unless it is a car that is constanty in the news or being recalled.
And as the previous owner of 2 Civics I have a right to be here and can speak from experience. And after seeing the frustrated and furious faces of Hyundai owners who try to come in and trade their cars (for a Honda strangely enough)I think I have a little experience there too.
justin: Obviously alot of people think Hondas are special. The Accord and Civic have won more awards and accolades than Hyundai has sold cars.
And actually since you asked, I have a completely stock '01 EX V6 Accord Coupe to go along with my 92 Integra with the only modification being a plus 1 upgrade on the wheels. And it's that cool factory electric blue color. An Integra vs. an Elantra? Should I start laughing now or wait until the tranny falls out of your Hyundai trying to keep up? Hey but since I'm a good sport I'll give you a ride to the nearest Hyundai dealer and then to the nearest Daewoo dealer so you can upgrade.
bri70: When Hondas became serious about building cars in the 70's (the N600 was interesting)they were considered to be reliable fuel efficient cars. In fact the CVCC was the only car to qualify for emmissions without a catalytic converter. 30 years later they are still the maker of reliable fuel efficient cars which are immensely popular and still the standard bearers in engine technology whether for performance or for the environment. Prove me wrong.
Let's see what Hyundai did in it's first couple of years.......ouch....never mind. Hyundai has been on the market for 15 years now and they have still not been able to overcome their crappy reputation. Even if Hondas weren't considered world-class upon their introduction, less than 15 years later the Accord was among the best-selling, most reliable cars in the country with the Civic gaining more ground every year.
I did an interesting comparison. I took a 1985 Honda Accord w/ 250,000 miles and did a trade-in value on www.kbb.com. That car in base form with no options in good condition reported a value of $750. This was approx. 10 years after it's introduction and is now a 16 year old car.
I took a 1995 Hyundai Elantra with 150,000 miles and did a trade-in value on www.kbb.com. That car in base form with 150,000 miles in good condition reported a value of $260. This was approx. 10 years after Hyundai's introduction and is now a 6 year old car.
alese: As for you saying that the Honda dealer was slow and the Hyundai dealer was very busy, that statement has no credibility and you know it. A quick look at any sales chart will prove this.
I'll take that awful Integra off your hands, seeing as how its such a bad car you won't mind selling it to me at a good price, right? Forget book value buddy....who cares about value....sell that broken down Integra to me.
So i dont want to hear "but the poor reputation of hyundai and the good reputation of honda" No way. Frankly, the elantra had one minor problem when it came out before it was fixed in 1995. timeing belt snapped if not changed around 60k miles. but if it was changed, engine ran fine. they had NO problems.
So inconclusion, the excel was a poor car. im not going to argue that. They dont make it now, do they? The elantra was a good car and is getting better. They had no major problems. cant argue that.
Whats most importantly is the owner and the care and maintance done to a car rather then the make and model. A properly maintained Yugo (i may be stretching it a bit, but you get the point)easily go over 100k miles if taken care of well. But i will guarentee you that a civic wont make it above 40 or 50k if abused and not maintained. it will die. but then again maintained well, it will run forever. its really the owner here, not the country the car is from. some people thinks ford sucks, chevy rules, etc. not the company folks, its how its maintained. ive seen both cars from each of those companies that go above and beyond
So my main point here is that both companies are reliable now. I have no problems yet with my elantra and i have close to 10k miles. One last saying to keep in mind that describes hyundai. "you may be a loser in high school, but cool in college" people change and get a chance to start over. that is what hyundai did and now they got a line of fantastic cars. and because it was cheap to buy, i plan on keeping it till the end. with a 10 yr warranty on it, my [non-permissible content removed] is covered and i can just by another car and use this as a daily beater because it was so cheap. so who cares about resale when your keeping it till the end?
Oh yeah, my friend is an absolute maintenance freak (like me) and babies the hell out of the car. Seriously, he drives it like a damn granny and still has these problems. Yet people I know drive the crap out of theirs and go virtually trouble free.
Sorry to be winded (as many of my posts), but I think that all cars can have problems. Yes, Hyundai has had their problems, but I feel that most of their bugs have been worked out. Honda, toyota, lexus, do have proven records, and most people you talk to agree that they are the most reliable. But I feel that for 15k, Hyundai will be a good car (my opinion), even with their bosch engine controls. These bosch electrics can either be great, or a headache. We'll see. We won't abuse it, so I think it'll be fine. I visit most all forums here. ---No car is from their flaws, plain and simple. I won't bash any car manufacturer, I'm being honest--they all have their share of problems, some more than others. I hope that fellow 2k1 elantra owners have good luck as well.
better research habits. Oh but I guess if you did
that you would have a Honda."
Let me get this straight. Your idea of research is to compare the two cars and then pick the one that costs thousands more, with fewer features, an inferior warranty and less power.
HAHAHAHA HA. That is funny.
in 2000. In late 2000, three new models were introduced.
They seem to be able to put out new models
quickly. Next year the Elantra will be available in a GT hatchback version. The Tiburon will get a new facelift and a V6 engine. The XG300 is also
reported to be getting more horsepower.
Pricing is also expected to continue to creep up.
Still, I read awhile ago that Hyundai has built one of the most advanced automated factories in Asia.
Coupled that with labor costs being less in Korea
they should still have an price advantage. There is even talk of opening a plant in the states.
The new Tiburon will have the third body styling
redesign in 5 years. That is pretty nimble if you
ask me.
Anyway stronger competition helps the consumer
with all the automakers. Hopefully Honda will keep its prices in line and add more standard features.
Keep in mind that you CANNOT buy an Elantra WITHOUT power windows, door locks, mirrors, air-conditioning, and front/side airbags. CarsDirect lists the manual for under 12k. Then look at the equivalent 12K Honda Civic DX(CarsDirect). Look at the standard equipment available to you. I'm not making this up:
Front bucket seats
Cloth trim
Oh, I've done the research. For me Hyundai is the better buy.