13th Aug 2004, 11:21

I purchased my 02 Elantra GLS nearly 2 years ago and have since put almost 30K miles on it. So I felt the time is right to voice (or type) my praises. The car has not had any work, warranty or otherwise, done except balancing the tires and of course normal maintenance. Fantastic purchase. I intent to put 150k on it as it appears to be quite durable. Nothing fantastic to note, but at the same time, I would certainly say that my experience has been above average, especially considering the cost.

24th Aug 2005, 12:34

Hey, I just got my 2002 Elantra. Though I bought it used I have had no problems with it, save the cig. lighter going out in it. The service department fixed it at no cost to me. It is the most enjoyable car I have owned and am looking forward to continued satisfaction with this vehicle. I just love it!

Sean, Spokane WA.

19th Jun 2006, 10:22

We (me and my wife) purchased an used elantra 2002 last year (in 2005) and till date there has been no problems. It had clocked 77k when I bought it. The only work I have done on it was rustproofing. We live in Toronto. Elantra was not a car we had preferred before buying, but zeroed on it after some research on my part. We wanted a decent car for less than $10k (CAD) and went on with our research and evaluation. we found that elentra was one of the models which was having better features (providing value for money) like motorised windows, auto-transmission and cruise control. The other makes were costing more than 12k. Overall we are quite satisfied with Hyundai Elantra 2002.

4th Jan 2007, 16:24

This was written by a sales person. It is a nice car, but it certainly isn't that great.

22nd May 2007, 15:40

My son just traded his 2002 Elantra with 318,000K on it for a used 2005 Elantra. His 2002 was an exceptional car and very reliable. The automatic transmission housing cracked allowing the fluid to leak subsequently running the transmission dry and burning some internal components.

I must say that I was impressed with this car and would buy one myself without question. I'm sure that if he had replaced the transmission with a good used one, it would have gone another 100,000K. The engine ran perfectly, regular maintenance pays off in the long run.

For the price, I don't think Honda or Toyota can compete. If you want a real value, think about an Elantra.

25th Jan 2008, 22:58

The engine does sound abit like a clock. Its realiable that's all I care.

3rd Apr 2009, 13:51

My wife has a 2002 Elantra, and after reading this article, I am almost ashamed to have it in the family.

I don't know about the rest of you, but my wife's Elantra has AC/Heater trouble. It takes a while for the heater to start up and usually only works when you're driving, no more letting the car warm up on those cold icy days. It also leaks air out the vents even when you have it turned off, hot or cold it doesn't matter. So I say set it to a temperature you are comfortable with.

Performance wise, I don't have any complaints. I love the thing, we call her Beth. We took a trip to Florida last Thanksgiving and went from Kingsport, Tn to just north of Jacksnville, Fl on one tank of gas. It was just over 510 miles. I haven't seen that in any other car I have owned, from a 1998 Cavalier to a 1988 Subaru GL.

I love the Hyundai Elantra so much I wanted one for myself, but my wife talked me into getting an SUV since we just had our first son. I said okay and went out and got a 2004 Santa Fe. It's a 4cyl and gets just under the gas mileage she gets in her 2002 Elantra. If you're looking to buy an Elantra, don't go off what that person wrote, go off what everyone else is saying. These are excellent vehicles and even though they do have some flaws, I still stand by them. My best friend even owns a 2002 Accent. We're thinking about starting a club...

14th Jul 2009, 10:31

Yes. It's great to see there are people enjoying the great feeling of owning a great product that is a bargain buy.

Those who refuse to believe that Hyundai are producing some brilliant vehicles can continue to pay more for other brands. They will perhaps get more power than they need, pay more on repairs and insurance, get less features, use more finite resources and give the dealer a couple of their pay checks extra to get what they believe is a better badge... but I don't feel anything but lucky to have joined the club of Happy Hyundai converts.

Of course if things change and another manufacturer offers better for the same money, I'll shop elsewhere but at the moment my family are all looking at Hyundai for our next cars!

PS. Whilst I agree that no car is perfect, and a BMW, Merc are probably safer, more engineered etc., I just couldn't accept paying that much to own something known to give many, many of their owners sleepless nights, trouble and empty their wallets relentlessly when my car has for the last five years done everything I've required without a hint of a problem.

PSS. The service is also one of the things that would put me off a particular brand of car. My experience with Hyundai has been better than any other... and this is when it was the cheaper end of the market from previous makes. A manufacturer that makes a great car and then gets monkeys to put them together and service them, losses me as a customer for life and will always get a bad wrap from those they screw. (Ford) ALAN EGGINTON MELBOURNE.

22nd May 2012, 11:36

LOL, I had the same reaction two sentences in. Way too smooth and polished to be a genuine owner review.

23rd May 2012, 11:47

To the reviewer - Please leave the fiction writing to Stephen King and the comedy to Steve Martin - this review is so far fetched I'd never buy a Hyundai because of it.