Thinking Of Buying an 03 Elantra GLS

Hi,

I am considering purchasing a 2003 Elantra GLS. I am looking for feedback
from current Elantra owners. This will be a first Hyundai for me and I
wanted to know if you had any problems with the car, and the good vs
positives. And any other feedback you may be willing to share.

Thanks,
HG

 

I bought my Elantra GLS 2003 last March - five speed, air-conditioning, power windows/locks/brakes, alarm/keyless-entry, cruise-control. It all works very well - a remarkable value for the money. I've put on about 9000 miles and the only thing I wish were better is the gas mileage. The best I've gotten is 31mpg for mostly highway, and 25mpg for a mix of city and highway. If I had it to do over I would buy it again. However, if I had more money to work with I might get one of the Toyota Corolla's instead for the better gas mileage. My advice is take your time and shop around. Drive a few different cars in the same class, e.g. corolla, protege, echo, etc. Get lots of price quotes and don't have too much pity if the dealers whine <g>.

 

Ak about stalling at cold starts, poor city mileage, other great car ,
bargain for the Kenwood cd\mp3\ am-fm great system...in won'nt bargain buy
anway...
I bought my Elantra GLS 2003 last March - five speed, air-conditioning,
power windows/locks/brakes, alarm/keyless-entry, cruise-control. It all
works very well - a remarkable value for the money. I've put on about 9000
miles and the only thing I wish were better is the gas mileage. The best
I've gotten is 31mpg for mostly highway, and 25mpg for a mix of city and
highway. If I had it to do over I would buy it again. However, if I had
more money to work with I might get one of the Toyota Corolla's instead for
the better gas mileage. My advice is take your time and shop around. Drive
a few different cars in the same class, e.g. corolla, protege, echo, etc.
Get lots of price quotes and don't have too much pity if the dealers whine
<g>.

 

My wife has an '01 Elantra GLS that we bought new. Automatic, sunroof,
CD, cruise, etc. I forget the option package number. No ABS.

The car has been nearly trouble free for 15K miles. The biggest
problem was a "haunted" radio which turned itself on and off by itself.
Replaced under warranty, the new unit works great. We also had to have
the transmission reprogrammed....for free under warranty.

Complaints: 1. gas mileage isn't what it should be. In predominantly
city driving the mileage rarely exceeds 20 mpg. Some of this I
attribute to lead deposits in my wife's left foot. Highway mileage,
however, is around 35 mpg.

2. At the time, alloy wheels weren't available on the GLS. The plastic
wheel covers are cheesy.

3. This car is screaming for better tires than the MXV4 Michelins
which, IMHO, stink in wet weather.

Positives: 1. If you find it necessary, and you will, you can blow
away most Corollas, Sentras, and Proteges.

2. It'll cruise comfortably all day at 70+ mph and ride like a much
more expensive car while doing so.

3. You simply can't touch it for the price.

While you're shopping, I suggest you take a good hard look at the GT
sedan. It's a few bucks more but you'll get the leather seats, alloy
wheels, and fog lights.

John

 

I just bought an 03 GLS a month ago, only have 1700 miles
on it, but my wife loves it. It drives ok and the price
was hard to beat.

I have an Elantra resource page if anyone is interested:

http://www.stanarseneauxNOSPAM.com/elantra/

(take out the NOSPAM)

I got the car for $12,150 with package 2, which has
the keyless entry and cruise control.

My daughters boyfriend liked mine so much, he bought
one just like it at the same price. No problems on his either
although his is only about 3 weeks old with only 1500 miles on it.

ElantraStan

 

I bought my Elantra GLS 2003 last March - five speed, air-conditioning, power windows/locks/brakes, alarm/keyless-entry, cruise-control. It all works very well - a remarkable value for the money. I've put on about 9000 miles and the only thing I wish were better is the gas mileage. The best I've gotten is 31mpg for mostly highway, and 25mpg for a mix of city and highway. If I had it to do over I would buy it again. However, if I had more money to work with I might get one of the Toyota Corolla's instead for the better gas mileage. My advice is take your time and shop around. Drive a few different cars in the same class, e.g. corolla, protege, echo, etc. Get lots of price quotes and don't have too much pity if the dealers whine <g>.

More thoughts:

I drove the 5 speed and the automatic GLS. I went with the 5 speed because performance/acceleration felt much perkier. I also saved $600 (cost of the automatic) plus the extra maintenance costs over time, and I thought I might get better gas mileage with the manual (don't know if this is the case). Regarding performance I drove the Mazda Protégé automatic (also 2 liter engine) and it was a slug compared with the Elantra GLS.

I got the ABS/TCS package as I think anti-lock brakes are good insurance, but what I notice everyday is how much I appreciate the power windows, power locks, alarm/key-less remote entry, and cruise control. I also get a discount from my insurance company for having the alarm system. By the way, one dealer told me it wasn't possible to get the GLS with a 5 speed and ABS - he was wrong.

Regarding the Elantra GT, I don't like leather upholstery, and didn't want a hatch-back (which is an option in the GT line but not the GLS line). The GT comes with driving lights which is kinda cool, but I find the GLS headlights completely adequate. The GT has a "computer" which calculates average gas mileage - no big woo. The GT also has alloy wheels - definitely a plus IMHO.

Last, to get the GLS with a CD player instead of the tape player you have to get the options package that includes the sun/moon roof. That's an expensive way to get a CD player <g>.

Hope some of this is useful to you.

 

Hi...

I bought a 2003 Elantra GT in July. 5-speed tranny, leather,
AM/FM/CD, cruise control, in short, everything except ABS and TCS.

It's a great car so far. It's powerful enough, although I wish the
power were delivered a bit more evenly. Stops on a dime, though.
It's pretty quiet for a car in this class, and feels solid.

Very few things have shown up after months of ownership, as sometimes
happens with cars. My list of nits to pick is short--cheap-looking
shifter medallion, a windshield that seems to get dirty on the inside
rather quickly. (I suspect the dash upholstery is giving off gasses
that cause it to smudge.)

Same here.

So far, no problems at all.

One thing I can say, the whole experience of shopping, financing and
purchase was very easy. I spoke with saleman one day, then finalized
the deal over the phone! My credit was approved when I stopped at the
dealer's after work, and I took delivery the same day. The saleman
promised me a free detailing, which the dealership did without
complaint. Everything else has been the same--no problems, no drama.

 

I am considering purchasing a 2003 Elantra GLS. I am looking for feedback

I bought my Elantra hatch this summer, 6000 km so far, only one complaint
about the car - whining gearbox.
(It is 1.6 l with manual gearbox). It is audible when cruising around at
1800 - 2000 RPM.
Other than that, a great car, much better than my previous car (An Audi -
and I am glad that I got read of it!).

I tested also sedan version, and got an impression that sedan is a bit
quieter, and also a bit faster (50 kg less to drag around!), but I am a
family man with kids....