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Comments
I ended up with the Elantra. My only regret with the car is my average mixed-use mileage has only been 25.5 mpg since I bought the car in October. I was hoping for more. I've noticed that by being just a little more gentle with the car, especially with on-ramps, I get 2-3 more mpg. So it really depends on how you drive it.
Other than that, I love, love, LOVE the car. There are also several active owners forums including this one. And one final kicker for the Elantra is that Hyundai allows free online access to anyone to their service manuals, technical service bulletins, wiring diagrams, etc., at the Hyundai Service Technology WebTech site. Cars for me have mostly been a means of transportation before now (I'm 43), but I've gotten quite involved with several online Elantra communities including one here in Texas that arranges local meets. I went to my third meet this past Saturday.
A car that is very similar to the Elantra and shares a lot of the running gear (even though the body is quite different) is the Kia Spectra (and Spectra5). Hyundai owns Kia and the two cars share a lot of equipment. The Kia, being a more recent body style, tends to sell for a little more money (~$1k). If I couldn't get an Elantra I would have bought the Spec5 in a minute.
The Spectra and Elantra have essentially the same warranty: 5/60 bumper-to-bumper and 10/100 drivetrain. The 5/60 is fully transferrable, but the 10/100 is not. I wouldn't be especially eager to buy a used Elantra though unless I was quite sure the previous owner had taken the maintenance seriously. There are one or two known issues with the car that are no problem with proper maintenance but problematic if maintenance is not done correctly.
Specifically, the Elantra automatic transmission REQUIRES SP-III fluid when it is topped off or replaced. Mercon or Dexron can cause premature failure of the tranny which won't be covered if the dealer notices the fluid is not correct. Also, there is a TSB out from Hyundai stating that *some* aftermarket oil filters are associated with engine knock due to oil starvation. I understand that Fram has delisted the Elantra from its applications because of this. The safe bet is to use Hyundai-branded filters. If a previous owner (or the person who performs service) is not familiar with these issues, the car may have already incurred some drivetrain damamge. If you buy new, though, you can make sure this stuff is always done right.
Where is this meet held?
From there you can go to forums where we talk about meets. So far we've had a meet in Grapevine and two in Arlington. Future meets will probably be in Lewisville/Colleyville area as it is more central to more of our members. Or you can click on Links to go to some of the model-specific forums where meets are discussed (look in the geographically oriented forums under the model-specific sites).
I think they have meets in the Austin area periodically. The Tiburon community seems to be more meet-oriented. At least here in the DFW area they like to get together with their Elantra cousins.
There is a rather large, loosely organized online network of Hyundai owners, including this forum. Edmunds is probably the best for knowledge and maintenance of stock vehicles; other forums get more into modding and tuning.
I post to several of these forums and I don't really distinguish between which one is better than which other one; they are all resources. The wide base of knowledge of the products from many different angles is a big part of the reason I bought my Elantra. And Edmund's own Backy gets the credit for making me go back and take a second look at the Elantra after I initially decided against it.
Speaking of modded Elantras, here in my area I can honestly say I have never seen a modded Elantra on the road (never seen custom wheels on one either). I guess there may be some "sleepers" that I have passed where you wouldn't neccessarily have seen any modifications.
Second, yeah, The Colony is not too far but I don't get up that way much.
And as for modded Elantras... mine is pretty much stock. The only performance mod is I've upgraded the 15 mm rear sway bar by putting on a 19 mm sway bar from a Hyundai Tiburon. It's the best bang-for-the-buck on suspension mods. It makes the car corner much better and stiffens up the back end just a bit. The only appearance mod I've done was to put galvanized mesh in the grill and the openings below the bumper. I've heard of some cars suffering damage to AC condensors from road debris and this should help prevent that from happening.... and I've added some understated lighting mods.
The guys who really get into it modify their intakes and exhausts, put on lowering springs, new wheels, body kits, etc. I'd like to upgrade my wheels at some point but don't know if I can justify the expense. This guy said he may upgrade his rims at some point, and might sell me his old ones:
If I can get a good deal on something like that I might go for it.
Before starting on the trip, I noticed that there was a little shimmy in the steering wheel over 65. The relatively new tires had recently been rotated for the first time, so I took them into the Discount Tire shop for a free balancing on their Hunter machine. Shimmy gone.
We had relatively good weather most of the trip (temps mostly just either side of freezing) except for one hair-raising 20 minute stetch at night in Iowa on I-35. We ran right into white-out conditions, and the highway quickly glazed over. But we kept the speed in check and had no problems slipping or stopping even without ABS. (We saw a few cars in the ditch on that road the next day, however.)
Other than the driver's seat comfort, a few other things I appreciated about the car on such a long trip was its pliant suspension (lots of expansion joints in some of these highways), quiet interior (better to hear the tunes from my son's iPod), strong heater, and spot-on cruise control. That cruise was precisely on-speed whether going flat, uphill, or downhill. I don't think I've ever seen another quite that accurate.
I really do like the current-gen Elantra. If it were not for a "Poor" showing on the IIHS side impact test, I would almost certainly buy another one as my next long-term car, especially with the close-out prices I anticipate later this year. Then we would be a three-Elantra family.
Hey Backy - glad to hear you had a safe trip. My wife is originally from the northeast, and has a lot of experience driving on snow/ice. When we got her '02 Elantra, she actually preferred to get one without ABS. In her mind, she feels like she has more control without ABS (may or may not be true), in bad weather - And we do typically get 2 healthy snow storms a year here.
When she lived up north, at one point she owned a 4wd Tracker, a fwd Acura Integra and then a fwd (obviously) Civic. Whenever someone asks her, she is quick to say that her Elantra handles the snow/ice better than any vehicle that she has ever owned. She does really well getting along in her Elantra in bad weather, and has even driven the car into some places during snow storms that I would have preferred she didn't, and has never had a problem. We don't use snow tires, but I do always buy good all-season tires, and never keep them on the car for more than 2 winters.
You should've contacted iowaelantra and gotten together with him if you were in Cedar Rapids. :shades:
One thing though, I haven't seen mention of the Anti-theft system on the Elantra. I found it listed in the specs on the Hyundai web site. Can anyone tell me more about this? It says that it is standard on the GLS model, which is what I am looking at.
Thanks!!!!!
Is timing belt due for replacement at 60K? Am I missing anything else?
Thanks in advance.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Also, it's best to look at the maintenance chart when you're talking prices to know for sure they are doing all the required service (and hopefully no stuff that's not necessary).
If getting the tranny fluid changed, make sure you get SP-III; anything else (dexron, mercon, etc.) can cause tranny failure on the ATs.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Timing belt plus new head, valves: $1800+
Yep, I think I would do the belt.
Might want to check this out before you bring the car into the service bay.
The Sandman
I'm agonizing over this. Do I change it or not? Will Hyundai cover the damage if it breaks a week over 4 years?
At this point, I'm leaning toward waiting for 5 years. I only have 41,000 miles and will still be under 60,000 when it's 5 years old.
I would say almost certainly not. They have a great warranty, but part of the deal is you *have* to follow their maintenance guidelines. If you blow a belt after the recommended change interval, you're on your own.
Ah, I long for the good old days when I could get a loaded Elantra GT for $13k. I guess those halcyon days are gone for good.
U-Haul said they can order one for around $200.
Now if Hyundai had some sense they would start making the station wagon again, I find mine plenty for getting things from Home Depot.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Can 04 elantra handle +48mm offset..?
I did some research, I'm thinking 45mm is the max..
but not quite sure..
I know the Elantra can tow a few lbs, mowers, motorcycles etc, unlike most small cars.
I usually get most big items delivered. Renting a trk would be too much of a hassle.
I might call JC Whitney before I order a hitch from u-haul.
JC didn't list one for an 04 in their catalog. But I think they have one.
Thanks, gary
Elantra Hitch
Here is the only statement I can find in the 01 Warranty handbook with regard to transfer:
" All warranty coverages indicated in this Owners Handbook apply to the vehicle regardless of a change in ownership and are transferable to subsequent owners."
This was stated under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.