Let's talk cars (again)

2004 Hyundai Elantra.

As reliable as a Civic or Corolla, every bit as good on gas and it will have depreciated down to about $5,000-$10,000 less than the Honda or Toyota. You should easily get 150,000 total miles out of an Elantra and my wife's uncle has 270,000 miles on his '96 with no more than expected repairs. Loaded with standard equipment, easily replaced stereo (if that's your thing), and much more driver leg room than the Civic, by far. I prefer the 5-speed.

A quick search shows them going for betwen $6,000 and $9,000 in the Dallas area. Civic appears to be priced between $8k-$19k. Corolla is $8k-$14k.

Hyundai, folks. H-Y-U-N-D-A-I.

Thanks.

 

Just wait until 2008 or 2009 when it's doors will fall off.

You ever wonder why you never see any old Hyundais on the road... or Dodges for that matter?

It's because they fall apart over time.

I see tons of old Toyotas, Chevys, Fords, Nissans and Hondas.

 

No, kleeda. N. O.

 

I think there are two factors playing into your anecdotal perception.

1) Hyundai sold a third of the cars in the U.S. in 2004 Honda sold and a fourth of what Toyota sold. Many fewer cars on the road period.

2) Nearly a third of Hyundai's 2004 sales were at the entry-level price point (Accents and Elantras) and -- I would argue --owned by a segment of the population that doesn't always take care of their cars. Find a clean one and you're golden.

I remember when Hondas and Toyotas were considered cheap crap. After they improved quality, it took the general population at least a decade to realize they had turned the corner. Hyundai is in the middle of that decade now. Get 'em while they are cheap.

 

Civic or Corolla. It doesn't have to be that new--5-6 years old is great. My daughter's Civic is 11 years old. Those cars will go 180,000 miles, no problem.

Accept no substitutes.

 

I vividly remember the same advice back in 1981 when I was working at an auto shop, only you need to substitute Buick Regal and Cutlass Supreme for Civic and Corolla. The Civic and Corolla are very fine cars, but the budget buy and bang for the buck is the Hyundai.

 

Then again, the 2001-06 Elantras all earned a rating of "poor" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in its side impact tests and the 2001-03 Elantras also drew "poor" ratings for frontal offset tests.

The Elantra "average" grade on reliabilty from Consumer Reports.

This is what the IIHS had to say about testing the 2004 Elantra:

"The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the 2004 Elantra with the redesigned driver and passenger airbags in three 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into deformable barriers. A fuel leak occurred in the first test. Hyundai identified a fuel hose clamp that was improperly positioned, which led to puncturing of the fuel tank during the crash. Hyundai has recalled the affected models to reposition the hose clamp. A second test was conducted to assess the effect of the fix.

In the second test, no fuel leakage occurred, but the driver frontal airbag failed to deploy. This led Hyundai to modify the frontal airbag deployment characteristics beginning with 2005 models produced after December, 2004. Also, Hyundai will initiate a recall to modify at its cost 2004-05 models produced earlier. The Institute tested a third Elantra with the modified airbags, and the driver airbag inflated properly."

I guess that's your bang for the buck, or a case of you get what you pay for.

 

Here's a tip - it's not just about the quality of car, but the quality of upkeep. Routine maintenance such as oil changes, transmission/brake/heating and cooling checks are a must in automobile preservation.

 

Never ever buy a car model that's been introduced in the past year.

It's like the Beta version of software.

Give them a year or two to figure out the problems, then buy one if you like it.

 

Word of warning: The blind spots are huge. Friends rented one and said the side-window visibility is garbage.

 

On Corollas:

My grandmother had one, and it was like driving in a toy car. The thing just felt tiny.

So, my question is there a comparable car which might be just a hair bigger?

 

I'd never buy another Chrysler product. My 2000 Concorde has a sludge-prone engine (I've nursed it with some Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Treatment - that stuff is gold) a transmission that recently began slipping at 88k miles ( more Lucas - Transmission Fix). power door makes a screeching sound, trunk won't stay open, power window on driver's side jumps off the track.

piece of crap-o-la. Car before that was an Acura that I drove for 130K with zero problems.