Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Where was the on-off switch installed?
thanks ,
I was waiting for good availability of the GT but my other car crapped out and I was forced to buy a GLS. Really like the car a lot, don't miss the leather seats, but would have liked the hatch.
Handling on the GLS was probably a step down from my other finalist, a Focus, but the car seems more comfortable than a Focus. I would try both suspensions, you have to live with the car.
IMHO the GLS has a prettier rear end, GT is too busy in the tail light department. The GT has a better profile however, Saabish while the GLS is a bit Malibuish. If hatches and sedans were both available in GLS and GT forms, I'd probably select a GLS hatch-- if they were the same price.
The GT has been in more demand (or lower supply) so $200 over invoice might not be too bad. The prices I quoted included the $500 rebate, but no taxes or license fees. Some people report taxes as part of price. This just obscures things since they vary greatly by state.
You should still be able to get an Elantra in CA for several hundred below invoice.
Micheal the light is two inches to the left of the steering column.
That is simply outrageous. Even if you're fully covered and have $0 deductibles across the board, that is a frightening figure for one vehicle.
Barring any DUI's or reckless driving convictions, you should really shop for a new policy. You are getting screwed, man.
I have an 01 Elantra and I am thinking of replacing the wheels with alloy ones. I was thinking of going stock by looking for the GT ones but those are too expensive. So I looking at aftermarket and have found some I like. Has anyone ungraded there wheels for aftermarket ones? If so, what size are your rims and what tires are you using? Does it ride more stiff and did it affect mileage? I am thinking of 15 x 6 (if I can find) or maybe 16 x 6.5 (if I can find).
Also, I have just turned a tad over 20500 miles on my Elantra. NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM. Haven't even ever brought the car to be serviced by anyone. I do all the oil and lubes myself. Its about time though to get a tire rotation.
Shawn
I bought a 2001 Elantra GT and had a good experience with the dealer, Farrish of Manassas, VA. Salesman was Trey Minto.
I got a great deal on the car. They did not screw around with me on the price. In fact, I probably low-balled them a bit and they accepted and did not try any tricks with me--I was quite pleased. Trey answered all my questions, was straight about everything and treated me well.
Good experience overall!
Dave
Frank
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/longterm/articles/46043/page008.html
Or go to the main Long Term Road Test page and follow the links to the Elantra. That's how I found it.
Another nice "easy" review as I recall.
She actually really likes the new Elantras. And obviously, the warranty is right up her alley. My question is:
Do you all find that ABS equipped automatic Elantras are out there, WITHOUT sunroofs? Is that a lot to ask? I called a couple local dealers, and it seems like to find an automatic, ABS, NO SUNROOF, is an issue. Are they full of it, or is that the case?
Any reason here why someone would NOT recommend their Elantra to their Mother? They seem safe, and have a nice selection of airbags.
Frank, I can only speak from past exp , but i also have a 95 accent and it has 158k on it . It was very trouble free. Even after crashing it 2 months after buying it , I still had no real problems with it . I didn't buy the extended warranty when i got mine for the reason that my accent never gave me any major problems . But you can add it later if you like ( least thats what the dealer told me ) if you would like . with 158k on my accent and never haveing any problems with it i didn't see why i should pay the extra k for the coverage . Hope this helps and good luck .
I saw an ad for the new Infiniti G35 today and something caught my eye. The picture was an offset frontal view of the passenger side. If I lopped off the front of the car forward of the middle of the front wheel wells, it was a dead ringer for the GLS (except for the black rocker panels). I think the G35 has a more handsome grill, but it has equally large headlights and I like the styling of the GLS' headlamps better. But I guess $30,000 cars can be ugly too.
To answer your question, don't expect any major changes to the Elantra until at least the 2004 model year, if Hyundai maintains the usual schedule of styling tweaks in the 4th year, as it did with the '02 Sonata, the '99 Elantra, and the '98 Accent. But if you are that turned off by the Elantra's looks, I doubt if a a minor facelift will help your opinion. The next generation won't be out until probably the fall of 2005. If you want style, check out the '03 Tiburon, based on the Elantra platform but a real slick piece (has been compared to a Ferrari by some auto mags). Also, it will be available with a V6.
The interior, well that's another matter (hey, what do you expect from a $13K car? Genuine walnut inlays?). And if you really wanted to see some cheesy interior plastics, check out the new Nissan Altima (and that baby retails for up to $27K).
It continually surprises me that there are people out there who actually find the Focus and Corolla visually appealing, but to each his own. I know people who actually have the 1970's-style Home Interiors wall sconces and starburst clocks in their living rooms and the last time I was in a furniture store, I noticed they still stocked table lamps and were actually selling couches that reclined (ah, can we say "tawdry?"). Like backy said, style is a subjective thing.
Elantra GT: personally, I didn't need to look at one twice. Were the only Elantra model a GT, I would've bought something other than a Hyundai. Why the GLS (the non-sporty model) has a monochrome color treatment and the GT has contrasting black moldings makes no sense to me whatsoever. I know Hyundai had to separate it from the GLS, but they went the wrong way IMO.
The GT definitely has a nicer interior aesthetically speaking, but it only comes in leather. It's leather (GT) or funky cloth (GLS) only. I've had my experience with leather, and did not plan on re-living it anytime soon.
The sunroof and ABS: Personally, I won't drive a car without a factory-installed power sunroof. I use it more often than the AC (just open the sunroof, crack the back windows an inch and all the hot air is expunged from the car while you tan). I've never had problems with factory installed sunroofs (caveat emptor the aftermarket Milwaukee Sawzall jobs - 90% of dealers will tell you that's "it's just as good as the one they put in at the factory"...BS).
I thought about getting the ABS for a bit, but since it ISN'T available with a factory installed sunroof on the GLS, I quickly put the kibosh on that idea.
The extended warranty: Metro Hyundai in Bloomington, MN quoted me a payment $20/mo. higher on a 60 mo. loan if I got it (an interesting technique). They never quoted me an actual price, but it was somewhere between $1,100 and $1,200 dollars (my interest rate was 6.9%, if you want to do the exact math).
It didn't seem worth it to me either. When a car comes with the longest warranty in the industry to begin with, buying an extension seems a bit excessive.
The Jetta: you may save insurance money by sticking with the standard 2.0, but at what cost? When I drove an 02 Jetta with the base engine I was blown away by how unpleasant it was - pressing the accelator only seemed to amplify the tractor noises and resulted in very little added forward momentum. It was even slower than the Focus I tested. When I popped open the hood, I was expecting to see "Briggs and Stratton" tattoed across the engine block.
The 1.8T was the exact opposite: unbelievably quiet in operation and very fast. Verdict: if you're getting a Jetta, the turbo or V6 are must-haves.
Interestingly, my insurance co. (Illinois Farmers Ins. Group) quoted me identical rates for a non-turbo and turbo VW. So let that be a lesson: don't insure your turbo VW with Allstate.
It's interesting to see the different choices in various markets. Now if I could just pick and choose the options from each market I want
Personally I don't like the look of the sedan, however I do like the hatch, I think it has much nicer lines and that is what I have on order.
Each to his own, if we all liked the same thing we would not have the choices we do
I've never been a fan of the Hyundai...had a bad taste of them when my uncle bought an Elantra a few years ago. I would step on the accelerator and wait for the thing to slowly come to life. But at least it didn't scream "ugly", just looked it's price.
Backy, at least we agree it isn't bland! (very few mutants could described that way!) By the way, I do like the looks of the Focus hatchback and wagon for economy cars. If I had to go economy, they are probably what I'd pick.
Bouyant...isnt'that 1.8T a kick?!
On another topic - we just had the car in for it's 7500 mile checkup (oil, tire rotation). They told us they had the service bulletin for engine idle issues and did the re-programming of the on-board processor. I can't put my finger on it, but the car seems to run more smoothly, though I didn't think it ever ran roughly before. I had been having the intermittent issue with the engine revving up to 3000-3500rpm for up to 10 seconds when first turning on the engine (didn't seem to matter whether it was cold or not). That didn't happen for a week after the re-programming, but unfortunately happened twice again yesterday. It's no big deal, but somewhat annoying when it does happen.
man! this is also a big ugly elephant, and the bigger the worst!!
Ok, my 2000 Grand Caravan is a bit bland. You've always sacrificed looks a bit for the space.
I'm getting a 2002 next month, and you must admit, the looks are much improved.
The biggest reason the Elanta sedan looked bad to me was that is was parked beside my 2002 Alero sedan. Especially, since with the alero rebate and my GM card points, I paid less for the Alero than I would have for a Hyundai.
Why do these Edmunds profiles only list one vehicle, since most have 2 or 3?
I love my Elantra, but think it has a bit too much Malibu in profile and Impala in front. The GT is better looking IMHO, except for the rear which is busy, busy, busy.
I formerly drove a Cavalier-- still in my family. The Cav. is actually one of the best GM cars in my opinion, if you're restricting yourself to styling. Compared to the Elantra, it is however, rude crude and cramped. As more and more small cars pick up space by adding height, the eye will adjust and low cars will look strange.
So, I guess from the lack of feedback, no one here would NOT recommend the new Elantra to their mother???? Or to a friend? Everyone has had fairly decent experiences?
Sorry, but you lose credibility when you say the Cavalier is one the GM's best products. In a sea of car enthusiasts, I think you are alone there.
The posts here seem to follow 2 patterns. Those who dislike the Elantra (or Hyundai) and Elantra owners who come here for reassurement (I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it people like me).
By the way, I took another look at the Elantra online, and the front did not look as offensive as the rear of the sedan. At 13K, perhaps I expect too much.
I would happily recommend this car to my
mother-in-law!
I think the Elantra is larger in almost every dimension to the N-body GM cars with the exception of trunk. At 94 cubic feet of passenger space it (and the Focus) are right up there with larger size vehicles. That's why the Focus replaced both the Escort and Contour.
The Focus and Mazda were close to the Elantra in engine response but the extra horsepower is noticable in the Elantra.
If all three cars cost exactly the same it would be almost a push. I think price considerations give the advantage to the Elantra.
Front headroom 39.6,39.3, 38.4
Rear headroom 38, 38.5, 37
Front shoulder 54.7,53.7,53.6
Rear shoulder 53.5,53.7, 52.6
Front hip 53,49.4, 50.9
Rear hip 55.6, 49.5, 51.5
Front leg 43.2,43.1, 42.2
Rear leg 35, 37.6, 35.5
Luggage 11, 12.9, 14.6
I would say that the Alero comes up third in most of the meaningful comparison EXCEPT for cargo. I think that subjectively it could be called prettier, however.
"The Cav. is actually one of the best GM cars in my opinion, if you're restricting yourself to styling. "
Re the Protege and Focus: I agree that the Protege handles better, but the tradeoff is a harsh ride. I recently read a thread on the Protege board about a poor guy in Chicago who bought a Pro ES and just loved it--until the jarring ride aggravated an old neck injury. I've rented many Pros in Chicago and that's what took it off my list. The Focus may handle a little better than the Elantra (the GLS anyway, not sure about the GT) but there was no way I would buy a Focus in the fall of 2000 with all its recalls and quality issues, not after all the problems I had with my new '95 Mystique (but it had great ride and handling). I bought the Elantra because of its smooth ride, roomy interior, performance, driver's seat comfort, styling, features, warranty, and value--under $12,000 nicely equipped. I'm amazed if you could buy an Alero for that, especially since it will soon be a collector's item with the death of Oldsmobile.
If you don't like the Elantra, that is fine. Odds are I think the model you are driving is about as appealing as clothing from a J.C. Penney clearance rack. But this board probably isn't the best place to come and talk about how much you dislike the Elantra (PARTICULARLY if you neither own one or wouldn't consider owning one). I don't like the Focus, but you won't see me posting my dissent on the Focus board.
It's great (or is it?) that everyone seems to have an opinion on everything, but it's rather annoying that some feel the necessity to share their opinions with EVERYONE (as though everyone else was actually interested). If scientists can ever single out the gene that causes this unrestrained vocal behavior, I'd be in support of genetic engineering.
Let me reiterate: this is the Elantra board. It is not the Alero board, neither is it the Protege board. If you think the Alero is the best thing since sliced bread (you own one) and want to discuss how much you prefer it over the competitions' offerings, your comments belong on the Alero board, not here.
When I last drove an Alero, I thought it was a pretty nice car for being an automatic. But I did not care for the looks AT ALL. An Intrigue the Alero is not. Yet, I feel no compelling reason to share this opinion with the Alero board. I guess I feel most people who like the Alero could really give a d--- how I "feel" about their car. And I don't post for the sake of posting.
I am not here to reassure myself. I drove nearly 20 different models before settling on the Elantra, and found it the best car for ME.
By all means, I encourage everyone to drive all the cars in their price range, because you might be surprised what you discover. God knows I was.
Vocus is right, handling and sportiness are not the Hyundai's forte. But Hyundai has never peddled the Elantra as a sports car. If someone told you it was, they were being deceitful.
Likewise, if you place aesthetic importance on mock-stainless steel trim, dapper upholstery and pumpkin colored dash lighting, the Elantra is not your ride.
Personally, I bought my Elantra because I wanted more driver involvement, and the stick in the Elantra was better than every other model I tested (the 5-spd Nissans were so unpleasant to drive, it's almost beyond description). This came as a complete surprise to me.
I considered (STRONGLY considered) a Pro 5 because of Mazda's college grad program, but was turned off by how loud it ran on the highway (try driving 85mph across Montana on the Interstate in one of those babies and you'd be screaming for mercy after a couple hours - and you'd probably be deaf too). I'd love to have a car that handled like a BMW (actually, I'd love to have a BMW), but not if driving it over 70 made hearing the stereo clearly an impossibility (BTW, the stock stereo in the Protege could double as a boat anchor - it's just that good ).
The Elantra is primarily about value, but that wasn't the actual sell for me. I wanted a stick, and the one in the Elantra had the best action. I also do a lot of Interstate driving (no corkscrew turns) and quietness at the higher end is a must. Interestingly, the Elantra excelled at both these criteria despite costing far less than some of the other cars I was considering.
Plus, I love the outside looks. And the lower beltline means I don't have to put up with that "sitting in a bathtub" feeling I got from a lot of the other small cars I tested - something I hate (especially when doing rapid manuevers in heavy traffic).
Quality? I kept coming back to this issue again and again, but with the warranty, I feel somewhat reassured.
One thing I CAN tell you after delivering cars part-time for a local Ford dealer: the Focus is NOT as well-built as the Elantra is (and I won't even bring up any of the recalls on it).
One of the new Foci I drove was so poorly put together that you could see the painted sheet metal (a good 3/4" inch of it) in the passenger footwell because the carpeting was not cut properly. The person riding with me was in similar disbelief that it could have left the factory that way.
So, it bests the Ford on the quality front IMO and if "Quality is Job 1" at Ford, the Hyundai must be the automotive equivalent of a fine Swiss timepiece.
Lastly, I would strongly encourage anyone considering a stick shift to at least drive an Elantra. I was more than happy to exchange a little handling in return for a much more pleasant and driveable manual transaxle. It is the BEST manual I've ever driven (and I've driven a lot of them). Try it and you may be pleasantly surprised. I sure was.
Sure i drive a hyundai ( my second i might add) and i am a bit parcial. But i think the elantra is a great car for the money . Sure there are alot of better cars out there but i think if hyundai buyers are one of two things . They are either way cheap or out to find the best value for there money .
I purchased a GT so i guess i am best value type (god did that sound way cheesy) . For what it cost and what it has as standard options i don't think there is a better value out there . I think gls buyers are also looking for the best value they also come with nice standard features. hmmmm maybe hyundai buyers aren't so cheap after all ???
What is clear is a hypersensitivity and intolerance for dissenting opinions. Nobody is deriving pleasure is upsetting others...were others even upset? This conversation was rather uncharted and evolved freely.
By the way, I am not a cheerleader for the Focus, but if you are open-mined this will interest you. The carpet for the Focus is cut with a computer-controlled high pressure water jet. In fact, the company that does it also does it for several import companies. (I know this because I tried to sell them the glue to adhere it to the floor.) There is little if any human error possible. However, other things happen to the car along the way, so I do not question your experience.
Don't be so defensive and intolerant when others express opinions that differ from yours...you'll go further in life.