The newest issue with the Elantra is a serious wiring problem on the front driver's side of the car. To date, the car has been in the shop for six weeks. Not only have parts been back ordered, but the kicker was the dealership placing the wrong wiring harness in the car which shorted out the electrical system. The prospects for another Hyundai are not looking good.

A friend and I went shopping one day after his old car was totalled. He saw the GT and fell in love. Well, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder! I'm not putting the car down by any means, it is a nice, quiet LITTLE car. It fits him well. He's a quiet guy, too!

Outside, the styling cues are kinda bland. Hyundai needs to update the look a little. Ok, cons first. No mist for the front wipers, how obnoxious is that? You can't disable the factory alarm with out the remote. What a kicker. What if that battery in the remote goes dead? The dealerhsip tells you that you'll be ok, just get in while this horrible noise is sounding; put the key in the ignition, turn and hold at on for like 30 seconds. What is that all about? I still don't understand the whole proceedure. That's right, you can't turn the alarm off with the key in the door like every other manufacturer on the planet.

This vehicle does have horrible ergonomics. Some things are so very easy to reach, but the majority of things are not with in a comfortable arm's length. The interior is very plasticy and cheap looking. A few blind spots that could prove to be very dangerous if you travel in a Metro area any time soon. These seats are very nice looking and are even comfy for a minute or two; but sit in one for 20 hours from Central Illinois to Tampa, Florida? Takes a real man to do that one. Yes, I tried adjusting the lumbar, I tried adjusting the seat. Nothing worked. The seats were just too hard, even when warm and with 180lbs of man on it.

TAKES FOREVER TO WARM UP IN COLD WEATHER!!!
The Elantra does not warm up fast at all; I tried a theory this morning: 17 Jan 2003. I offered to warm the friends car up and clean off the driveway for we have had quite a bit of snow lately and it needed it anyway. I walked out to the car, got in and started her up. I sat there for 15 minutes with my foot on the accelerator keeping a constant RPM of 3500. Now the day before, I had done the same thing; save I offered to start his car. It took a half hour before the temp needle would even move. My theory about this car was right. It needed the variable of a person in the car and to have a higher RPM while idling from cold would produce the necessary feeling for the car to feel good about itself and warm up right. ; )

Ok, now on to the pros. Great price and do I ever mean that. Where else can you get a car with all the toys, including: leather, pwr options, ABS, Traction Control and good mileage on a road trip? The look is still kinda cute. Considering it is a hatch, it is nice that it has a rear wiper. Kinda peppy if you have the manual tranny and put it in the right gear. Great resistance to impact on rear bumper. 'Henry, how does he know it has that great resistance?' Well, Gladys, I'm glad you asked!!! While on US-1 on the Bahia Honda Key, we were in stop and go traffic. Well, I was driving and on the phone with the babysitter of the animals and the house when in my rear-view came this Jeep. He slammed in to us with such a force that the phone was thrown on the dash. 'Oh my f***** God, we were just in an accident, I'll call you back!' The two vehicles pull off to the side of the road and we get out. I look at his Jeep Cherokee and think the entire rear of the car is going to be in the middle of US-1 MM 64.5! Let me tell you now, Gladys and Henry, NOT A SCRATCH!!!! There was a tiny indentation from the bumper of the Jeep, but nothing else. Then we looked at the front of the Jeep and noticed that the bumper was at a 30 degree angle to the ground instead of a 90 degree angle. I told the Carribbean man that this was his lucky bleeding day and to get out of here quickly.


Great looking color for the instrument cluster. It is the same kind of color that VW has been doing for years on all of their cars. (Why wasn't that color carried on to the rest of the dash?) Nice cup holders...

The GT handles ok in the snow... It's little brother, Kia Spectra LS does a little better in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, neither is a four wheel drive, but you still have to have expectations.

The Traction Control System TCS is poorly designed when geared to the manual, it is not all speed and therefore lacks the necessary umph to keep you going. It doesn't want to work when in second gear either. Odd? I know. Thought the same thing. It wants to turn on and off before the wheels can even be compensated by the TCS. How is that supposed to help? The ABS is comfortable; although it does make you feel as if you are doing more sliding than stopping. Kinda weird.

Anyway, the bottom line is that this car is not for everyone. I don't particularly care for it because it is a hatch, but there are nice features available. It pretty much is the poor man's Civic. If you can afford better, do so. If you can't, you've not made a mistake unless you buy it used. Remember those 10yr 100,000 Mile warranties are only good to the First owner or his/her immediate family.
But with that 10yr/100K warranty, you have nothing to lose. They do provide loaners if you need it.

Happy Motoring.
Amount Paid (US$): 15599
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: GT, leather, traction, ABS