2004 Hyundai Elantra User Reviews

Pros

32mpg reliability

Cons

none

Purchased As New

bought new in 2004 and still going great with 114.000 with only replaceing brakes.have had 4 hyundais now and the other being a 2004 santa fe which my wife drives and has 70000 on it so far and the other 2 put well over 100000 miles on them. I'll never buy anything other than a hyundai.

Pros

Loads of standard features that will cost you extra everywhere else!!!

Cons

The paint quality remains substandard and the surface is easily scratched

My 3rd Hyundai, all three are excellent values. My second Elantra, great economy, loads of standard features, and quality. Excellent value purchased my 04 during December close out sale for $10,500 (yes, new car price) includes moonroof, upgraded stereo, cruise, 5 speed manual, no other new car offerred this kind of value including 100,000 warranty and roadside assistance. This is not to be confused with a luxury or high performance car, look elsewhere if that is what you seek. I have a HUGE SUV that simply sits in the garage while driving 30,000 + annualy in my Hyundai, the gas savings pays for the Hyundai over driving the SUV. It handles like a much larger car, don't expect to win any races, however, the acceleration is adequate. the seating is comfortable, power point, lots of cup holders and door pocket and dash storage. I do find some of the stereo controls are small for my fingers. Don't buy this car for the resale value, it isn't there. Buy this car for its quality, low cost, and economy. Then plan to drive it for 100,000+ miles and throw it away. Yes, a disposable car!...read morehide

Pros

Great value, great options, comfortable ride

Cons

trade/re-sale value

I have a '03 Elantra GT. I love the car. I drive 100 +/- miles round trip to work everyday, I've already racked up 68k on the car, and haven't really had any problems. I had some rotor issues, but since having those taken care of, everything else has been tip-top. i would probably buy another one. in the end, it's a great bang for the buck without compromising too much....read morehide

Pros

Great "added Value" items COME STANDARDWITH GT

Cons

a little underpowered, but a minor complaint

I was going to purchase a Toyota Matrix at first, but when I test drove one and saw how much it would cost to get what I really wanted, it became a "no-brainer" for me.
I had no intention of buying a Hyundai UNTIL I drove one and compared the "Standard" equipment with Toyota......Man, what a revalation!!
I then went into "research mode" and looked Hyndai up on every web site I could find,not to mention Consumer Reports, etc.....the data was amazing........the ONLY thing I could find "wrong" with the Elantra GT wa the fronal offset crash tests which have recently been done on the Elantra. It is now rated TOPS in it's class for frontal crash tests by the insurance institute.......it seems to me that Hyundai takes these tests seriously and has made marked improvments EVERY year on the Elantra. Just chech out the last 4 years' ratings from Consumers Reports.....it will blow you away! It did me!!


I LOVE my Elantra GT, the Kenwood 200 watt cd system is something else too, (I have ALL of my MP3s (4350 songs...... 20gigs saved on cds that I play in my car daily........!!!!! LOVE IT!)...read morehide

Pros

Reliable, peppy, not bad in snow

Cons

Drive it till it dies cause of low resale car

I bought a new one in 2000. Put about 75k miles on it without touching a thing on it. That being said, the cruise quit working right at 61000 miles (conviently after the 60k mile warranty ended), but never got it fixed. It was surprisingly quick, passed with ease and good fuel economy. I would recommend this car if you dont care what others think and want a solid commuter. JD Power and Assocs. just rated this higher then Toyota in initial quality. Hope this helps....read morehide

Pros

Everything about the car

Cons

None

I actually own a 2003, and have had the car for nearly 2 years. It has run rock solid for me, and I have no regrets about buying it. I'd definitely buy another Hyundai.

Pros

Solid, dependable vehicle with many extras. Fine gas mileage.

Cons

Actually can't think of any cons!

Now have nearly 7,000 miles of mixed driving, with an overall 30.2 mpg. There have been no problems at all. My wife and I use the car for mostly local driving, with an occasional trip. Always comfortable. Amazingly tight turning radius, with excellent handling. The ride is firm, but never unpleasant. (This is a GT car.) We have two dogs, so we folded down the easy-to-use rear seats to create a a roomy space for our canines. They seem to enjoy the car as much as we do! The blue-light instruments are very easy to see at night. The Kenwood Am/Fm/CD radio sounds just fine, but the very small buttions are a problem to use. The AC/heater system works very effectively, and the round controls are intuitive. The quality of assembly is exceptional. We have no rattles or any other strange noises. All in all, this is an outstanding auitomobile, and its price makes it an amazing value....read morehide

I don't know why Hyundai has such a bad reputation. It's not the cars- it's the neglegent people buying them. Any car if not maintained will eventually break down. I bought an 87 excel still runs at 246,000 miles-no problems. I later bought a 92 elantra. It has 163,000 miles was in a bad wreak and still runs great. I then got a 2003 and it is just fine. People who buy Honda and Toyota must like to throw their money away. Honda & Toyota used to be great but not anymore. Look at their warranty, why don't they back up their product if their so good? Hyundai is great and anyone who says differently must have a very low IQ....read morehide

I think people were mislead by the reputation from Toyota and Honda.
True, they were trying to get into the US market in the 70s and 80s, that's why they built better cars. However, once they placed a NEW Engine or a NEW transmission or a NEW suspension system into a car, we should look at it as a new model. Both Toyota and Honda have cars that dissapeared from the streets earlier than expected. I would say it depends on how you use it. Of course the car quality will make some difference (Not to mention that most cars were built in the same standards nowaday).
I would say the demostic (American) car manufactures are the worst of all. I really can't understand the reason why the engineers in the Big Three stick with English system that give less precision and keeping the stupid same designs (e.g. Ford never add vent on their cars for more than a decade!) for so long and still think they understood what customers wanted?
Afterall, I really think going for the most "bang for the buck" car optimizes the spending --- since most cars were built to last less than 10 years....read morehide

People buy Corolla and Civics because those cars have proven themselves for over 20 years. Also a Corolla with 1.8 has more pep and superior gas mileage because the transmission in its cars are light years away. However the New 2006 Sonata is going to give Honda and Toyota a little scare. The only bad thing will be the poorly designed automatics they still built.
I work in design, word is out that Hyundai is on a high horse is is planning to pull the 10 year warranty because it thinks it cars (based on J.D. Powers) are in the same quality class as Toyota. If you take the Warranty away, I sure most of you would have not bought the Hyundai...and let's be honest, unlike Honda and Toyota, Hyundai has not built trouble free cars for 20 years straight...only in the last 4.
People are ready and quick to discount the excellent new Chevy Colbalt(which is going to be well built) because its American. Lets just say Hyundai is building good cars know, but give the other makes a break...it going to take years before Hyundai are mentioned in the same breath as Toyota....read morehide