2005 Hyundai Elantra VE 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Piece of scrap metal

Faults:

Power window motor 2 times.

Rear wheel bearings 4 times.

Radio 2 times.

Window falling into the door 3 times.

Ball joints.

Tie rod ends.

Transmission.

Lighting.

General Comments:

Bought the car brand new, and the next day had to bring it back, because the turn signals stopped working.

Rear bearings went 4 times, radio kept shorting out, and the final straw was the trans was skipping out of overdrive on the highway.

That car reminded me of my ex wife; ran off with the mechanic and emptied my bank account.

Spent more than half the time at the garage, and service from the local Hyundai dealer was crap.

I made the mistake of getting rid of my Civic, because it had 259,000 km. Think I should've stuck with a Honda.

The estimate of fixing the car was 6400 for the tranny and front end, so traded for a Chevy, and over 160,000 km later, still no problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th January, 2013

9th Sep 2020, 17:20

For once, an honest review. You just have to look on forums to get a real idea about how much it needs fixed on these cars. For some reason, some owners are overly enthusiastic and 'forget' the defects. Still, the 2006-2010 Sonata had above average reliability but it was not perfect. The newer Sonata on the other hand have lost the quality: https://www.hyundai-forums.com/forums/nf-2006-2010-sonata.181/

2005 Hyundai Elantra GLS Hatchback 2.0 liter 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Superbly reliable and versatile vehicle

Faults:

The catalytic converter failed three weeks before the warranty expired. The dealer & manufacturer covered the cost of repair. Beyond that, nothing. No rattles, squeaks, or buzzes.

General Comments:

I bought this car brand new in 2005, and recently traded for a 2010 Volkswagen Golf, as I've always been a VW/Mazda guy at heart. The Hyundai, though, definitely proved itself. I typically got about 28 MPG in the city, and close to 40 MPG on the highway (broke it a couple of times on longer road trips).

The Elantra handled fairly well -- not quite at the level of VWs or Mazdas I've owned, but noticeably better than the Hondas and especially the Toyotas I've driven.

Pick up was always good -- a very peppy car -- though it did require pressing the gas pedal pretty darn hard to get up a steep hill.

The front seats were comfortable and among the very best automotive seats I've experienced. The rear seat was as roomy as many cars a class larger. I had no trouble getting nieces and nephews and dogs in and out of the car.

The cargo area was excellent being a hatchback. The American public doesn't seem to realize how handy owning a hatchback can be. When your rear window is at the very back of the car, getting into tight parking spaces becomes that much easier due to having an improved sense of where the tail end of the car is.

The car seemed to be incredibly well assembled. I have to cross railroad tracks daily, so rattles have often appeared quickly in cars. I never got so much as one rattle out of the car. The plastic in the interior seemed cheap in places, but all of it held up incredibly well over time.

I strongly recommend Hyundais to everyone who inquires.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th February, 2011

2005 Hyundai Elantra GT 2.3? 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

The best car for the price I've ever had without a doubt

Faults:

I put on new brake pads on the front only. Not one other thing has ever gone wrong with it.

Amazing!

General Comments:

This is the best car I've ever owned. I drive 170 miles round trip per day, between 60 and 90 MPH all the way.

I should have replaced the timing belt at 60,000. I still haven't, and it's got 175,000 miles on it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th February, 2011

8th Feb 2011, 17:25

You really need to consider changing the timing belt. You depend on that car so much that you put that many miles on it per day, why risk it?

8th Sep 2020, 19:17

Absolutely impossible to believe. Surely the owner only got his car at 150k miles and drove it for two years.