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Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra

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Comments

  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    you paid $17k for an Elantra? You could have had a Sonata GLS V6....

    Must be a nice Elantra. I got my 2000 base 5speed with a/c and power everything for under $10k.
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    I'm responding to #429.
    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).
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    no offense at you at all and you did get a great car, but you did pay a bit much. the main reason i bought the elantra was mainly because of price. i got mine for $10,800, which was a really good deal for what goodies i got. I did work hard for that price. Visiting 3 dealerships. and at the final one, spending 5 hours haggling the salesman with 3 walkout attempts. But he finally gave in and i got a nice black elantra.

    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.
  • carczarcarczar Member Posts: 23
    I was in the market for an '01 Civic EX sedan. After a test-drive, I wasn't impressed. Then I saw the new Elantra on the magazine cover. I had to test drive one.
    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.
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    driving is believing.

    Perfect tag line for an up and coming car company.
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    Yes its true. I completely agree with you. It looks like you definitely did you homework. You mentioned a fully loaded Elantra for about 2k less than a Civic '01 EX? Try this, how about 3 to 4 K less. The interior of the '01 Civic doesn't come close to the interior of the new '01 Elantra. Its just beautifully designed and its runs like an Accord. The stereo, well its just has a consent-quality sound to it. The Honda manufacturers definitely have a tough competetion market ahead of them. For all of you guys so into the "Civic" do your homework. Compare the specs for both cars, and you'll see what I mean. (Parenthetically, in response to $431, I've already owned a volks car, and believe me when I tell you, its nothing but repairs after you hit 40,000 miles on it. and the repairs are not cheap at all, since the parts are German, and it doesn't have the horsepower of the '01 Elantra.) By the way, not even the Civic EX comes with the side impact air bags, its optional. The Elantra '01 has standard 4 front air bags, how's that for safety and quality?


    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!
  • boxxerboxxer Member Posts: 18
    LOL...the 2001 Elantra may be a nice car, but it's new lights don't even come close to looking like a BMW...what are you smokin?
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    mine look like zenon lights. not the same shape of the bmw headlights but the same color. i got PIAA plasma headlight bulbs which show that tint of blue like the BMWs except mine were a hell of a lot less $$$
  • boxxerboxxer Member Posts: 18
    I believe she was comparing the design of the lights not the zenon lights. I'm glad to hear you paid less...you should have without a doubt.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    i like mine, but it is not anywhere near as powerful as the VW 1.8t's.....HP or Torque wise.

    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! ;)
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    ...like they say, "you get what you pay for". Buy a new '01 Elantra for 10K?, I don't think. Oh, yeah, you'll probably get a used up demo and standard for that price, with lots of mileage on it, and not a brand new one.

    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"!
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    i am willing to bet that witin this current Elantra's lifetime, a brand new base model will be had for UNDER $10k.

    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.
  • boxxerboxxer Member Posts: 18
    You're last post is right on! Elantra for 17k...I don't think so...she got ripped. 17K can buy a new/used Jetta for that kind of money...if you're a smart shopper and negotiator.
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    an elantra is worth what ever a honda civic ex is worth in my book. its just as reliable now and comes with the same amount of features and yet yields a bigger engine. the car is worth around 15k. the reason for pricing so low is to regain a good image. no more then that. but once you hit 17k, thats VW territory, as Justin said. VW's are solid as a rock and have a nicely laid out and make use of rich plastics in the interior. but cars like the honda civic ex should be priced with the elantra. 17,000 vs. 10,800 is a big jump for the same features and type of car, just different car company. not worth it if you ask me. and at 17k, you can get a VW.
  • formula94formula94 Member Posts: 22
    Option 4 loaded all goodies cept abs...12.7 sticker at 14.8, picked it up last sunday. Wife loves it and its my first non-american purchase!!
  • formula94formula94 Member Posts: 22
    Dude,
    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!)
  • copytechcopytech Member Posts: 71
    pkg 5 gives you the abs and tcs, but it might be difficult to find. It was something I wanted, but after 3 dealerships and none had one, we settled with the color we wanted with pkg 3. Pkg 5 is like 1150.00. Also comes with 4 wheel disc brakes.
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    I've read all of your responses on what a "rock bottom great deal" you guys just got, etc., etc. Well, Congrats to all of you!

    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!
  • smiller678smiller678 Member Posts: 64
    Hi,

    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
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    Hi Smiller678 -

    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!
  • smiller678smiller678 Member Posts: 64
    Hi alese1,

    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
  • boxxerboxxer Member Posts: 18
    Some of you who would rather line the dealers pockets with your hard earned money and pay extra for a loaded Elantra...by all means consider your purchase a good one for the dealer. My opinion only is that one day of haggling with the arrogant and make a good commission off this customer is well worth the couple of thousand you could have saved if only you had put in a hard days work and beat the salesman at his or her game. I look at this way, in my most worst day on the job, I've never earned a couple of grand, but I'll be damed if I'd let a dealership take my money, even if it causes me a little stress. It can be most difficult and stressfull to deal with these sales people in order to get a good deal, but after all is done in a hard days work at these dealerships, it's so nice to feel you walked away with your car and saved a couple of grand. The stress and headaches seem to dissapear in a instant while your driving your brand new care away from the jerk salesmen who was trying to take your money.
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    Here we go again, if you were able to get a good deal way under sticker price and invoice: Hooray to you!

    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.
  • smiller678smiller678 Member Posts: 64
    I agree that the dealers will take advantage of you if you let them. But to some people they may want to spend a couple of hundred dollars more for no haggling. Also, you are comparing prices of 2000 to 2001 which went up by $700. I didn't go through a salesman but the fleet manager. I paid a good price on my car which was about $140 over invoice according to KBB. I have option 4 which is the most expensive plus automatic, mud guards, and wind deflector. I bought this before they had the rebates. I went to every Hyundai dealership in Orange County and LA County and only 3 had the exact model I was after. All 3 fleet managers were within spitting distance of each other. So I took the lowest which happen to be the closest to where I live.
  • smiller678smiller678 Member Posts: 64
    I agree with alese1! A lot of dealers won't budge on prices. Especially since the Elantra is new for 2001 year. Its a complete redesign. Alot of people got really good deals on 2000's because the dealers knew that 2001's were going to show up. In april I was offered about $300 below invoice for a 2000 model. I didn't accept because I had heard rumors of a possible new one coming for the 2001 model year. I am sure glad I waited.

    I thought this forum is for helping other Elantra owners out and not ragging on each other.

    Shawn
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    If Alese1 is happy with the price paid.

    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.
  • boxxerboxxer Member Posts: 18
    Yes even for a 2001 loaded Elantra. The jerksales person was nice and curtious to you because he/or she was earning a nice commission. I'm sorry if you don't like to hear when one saves big bucks on a car purchase...so be it, you're happy. I really hope you enjoy your new Elantra and by your comments it sounds as if you will. Happy Thanksgiving :)
  • yankeez20yankeez20 Member Posts: 1
    Hi, Im new to the forum.

    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!!
  • smiller678smiller678 Member Posts: 64
    Hi Yankeez!

    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.
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    the elantra is going up and up in price because the demand for them is growing. People are realizing this is a great car, reliable and get a lot for the money. Unfortunately, if this trend continues, it may go where the honda civic is: overpriced if it climbs above 17,000. Because above that you can get midsize sedans, like the VW Jetta. Got to keep this great car reasonable priced so people keep buying it!

    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!
  • boxxerboxxer Member Posts: 18
    The Jetta is no bigger than an Elantra or Civic. I love the Jetta, but have you sat in the back seat of one...very tight. I believe you could call the Passat a midsize like the Accord, but the Jetta is a compact in my opinion. I know VW claims it's a midsize but what size to they claim the Passat...fullsize, I don't think so. The Ford Crown Victora, Buick Parkavenue, now that's fullsize.
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    The Elantra 2k1 is about 177 in total length. The Jetta is about 173 or 174 in length. They are both considered compact cars. The wheel base measures about 103 inches on both. On the other hand, the Ford Focus is considered a subcompact.
  • AcuraGRLAcuraGRL Member Posts: 15
    C'mon people you are comparing a Hyundai to a Honda. There is no comparison. The arguement against Honda sounds like the arguements coming from geeks back in high school. Oh I know the quarterback looks better, is more popular, and more intelligent but I can stick two straws up my nose.

    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?
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    C'mon people reply back:

    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).
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    From time to time she chats in certain forums that don't really pertain to her, then says not- so-clever things as well. If I recall, she thinks that Honda's are something special - well guess what - that makes Suzuki something great too. They too make motorcycles. People get really upset when they find out they over paid for a lesser car....;)

    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. ;)
  • carczarcarczar Member Posts: 23
    I had a similar "attitude problem" as you do ... only I was fixated on Volkswagens. But if you venture beyond the narrow confines of your prejudice about certain car makers, you'll do yourself some good.
    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?
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    I don't mind a negative opinion once in a while. This forum would get boring quick if there weren't any opposing opinions. That being said simply dissing Hyundai because of its past is silly. Honda was not always considered a company that made reliable vehicles. Companies change and work to improve their products.

    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.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    As Civic owner wonder why people are even considering the Elantra, Elantra's owner wonder why people are willing to spend their hard-earned cash on an overpriced car like the Civic.

    There's always 2 side of the same coin :)
  • alese1alese1 Member Posts: 28
    Just want to say one thing...Thank you all present Hyundai owners for your support! Its people like us that share and spread the good word around.

    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!
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    First of all, i was once like you. i thought negatively about korean cars. Thought "Honda" or another company was best. Then i opened my mind and test drove the elantra just for the hell of it. amazing. i was impressed and bought it.

    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?
  • svenjsvenj Member Posts: 19
    I seriously considered buying a 2000 or 2001 Elantra before winding up buying a 2001 Civic.

    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.
  • freakncrxfreakncrx Member Posts: 17
    I have yet to hear any good comments from a Hyundai owner of the 80's or early 90's. Where are they all at? Where are the stories of reliability? Hmmm..guess they had to sell their computers to pay for the repairs to their cars.
    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.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    here we go again with that whole Honda is more reliable than Hyundai. I know, FOR A FACT, that both my 96 Integra and 97 Civic were two of the most unreliable cars - PERIOD.

    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.
  • AcuraGRLAcuraGRL Member Posts: 15
    alese: I am sure you checked out your facts thoroughly as all Hyundai owners do before their purchase (sarcasm intended) so I am sure that your statement that Honda's weren't top-sellers 10-12 years ago is a typo just like that whole thing about Hyundais being as good as Honda. I say this because the late 80's was when Honda came into it's own and produced what would become the top-selling 4-door sedan in the Accord. But of course you didn't know that because you were too busy talking out of the side of your keyboard. Get your facts straight, and by the way I know Honda doesn't compare with Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. That's Acura. Geez...you Hyundai owners need to learn better research habits. Oh but I guess if you did that you would have a Honda.

    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.
  • freakncrxfreakncrx Member Posts: 17
    I am glad you said people should ignore useful information.....that's some real good advice. Yeah, you don't have to listen to unbiased, researched information. You can shop merely by price tag. After all, that is Hyundai's only proven advantage over Honda. If your Hyundai is what you wanted, then you should be a happy man. That's great advice....."don't listen to professional testing, research and reviews.....just buy what's cheap."
    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.
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    obviously, but your long and lengthy posts, you cannot accept the fact that hyundais are just as reliable as hondas now. Sure, the excel had problems. It was a lemon. C'mon. that was 10 yrs ago. If they still made cars like that, hyundai would have gone out of business a long time ago. but they listened and started building good cars. And resale is poor. Out of all those things you said, that is one where you are right on target. This is due to a poor reputation of the excel, obviously. But this is the past. I dont live in the past. I look to the present and the future. the past cannot be changed, but the future is what you make of the present. and the present and the future of hyundai is very positive and the resale is going up on hyundais.

    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?
  • copytechcopytech Member Posts: 71
    My wife and I bought a 2001 elantra a month ago. So far, so good. I too was and am still a little skeptical about it's future. Why did we buy it? Well, they do seem to stand behind their cars, it is a great driving, powerful car, and my wife likes it, since she drives it. Like I said, we'll see. Our v-6 camry has also been great, so time will tell there too. My 94 geo metroid automatic work p.o.s. car with 125k miles surprisingly has been the most reliable car I've ever owned, and I drive the hell out of it. That car was designed as a throw away car, but I do perform regular maintenance, so I've avoided the pitfall of the "throw-away" stigma of that car. Hyundai was treated as a throw away car and therefore not taken car of, that's probably why many of them crapped out. Honda experience: I had a 96 ex 2 door with two problems. One, the outer cv boot clamp "fell" off at about 600 miles left in the warranty. Later an engine mount cracked (who'd figure) That was it. Other than that, it was a great car. But I like my toyota more--much quieter, quicker and bigger. It does feel a little weird being 26 and driving a car where the average age of the driver is 52 though. Friend: 98 civic lx 4 door. Dry throttle cable (not a big deal) Bad rotors--turned once, 2000 miles later shimmy like hell again. He's lived with the shimmy for 40k miles. He's going to get new ones, we think that the metal is contaminated. Car occasionally stalls at a light (idles down too low). Starts right up, but sometimes I felt that my civic also seemed to idle low, but it was normal. At 60k the pilot bearing began to get noisy in the trans. Honda "good-willed" it and fully dropped the trans and replaced all bearings in the 5 speed. (big deal). In other words, 2 hondas, one okay, one semi-problematic. He thinks he has a lemon. I don't know, maybe his car was finished on the assembly line on a monday or something. Point is I think that all cars, no matter what make, can have problems. I heard of a new bmw trans crapping out a few days after purchase, and a new S500 mercedes main ecu fry shortly after purchase. Sombitch if I'm paying 90k for a car and have a dead computer.

    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.
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    I'll tell you exactly what this forum is about. It about car buyers who have test drove both the Civic and Elantra and decided that the Elantra was the better value. Some still go with the Civic but as you can see many minds are open to change and Hyundai has succeeded in changing them.
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    "Geez...you Hyundai owners need to learn
    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.
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    Hyundai broke sales records for every single month
    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.
This discussion has been closed.