Cheap New Car

[boomhower]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: stag3
wow 15k for an elantra?
you can get nissan versa's for 11k now
for 15k i would probably get a fit tho

Reading comprehension?

He said he had 15K to spend. He's only spending 9.7K on the Elantra.

Even my Elantra was only 12K and that was with AC, 4 speed auto, AM/FM/CD, factory passive alarm and cruise control.

And for what you pay for an Elantra, you get a bigger car, longer warranty and more powerful engine. All already discussed in this thread if you were inclined to read past the first post.

This one wan't a stripper. It has pretty much everything you would want: keyless entry, power windows/locks, ABS, cruise, side curtain airbags, satellite radio, and more I am probably forgetting. One of the coolest things I am liking so far are the stereo inputs. It has the normal 1/8" aux input and it has a USB input. With the USB you can use your ipod or a flash drive. The darn thing will nagivate the folder structure of the flash drive, pretty darn cool. Plus it will charge through the USB so no more car chargers! I am pretty happy so far.

As to the comment on the larger engine, it does make a bit difference. I test drove a couple 1.6's in the competition and they were just as bad as my old accord. This thing is far from a powerhouse but has plenty of torque that makes getting around a breeze.

 

[marvdmartian]

Congrats on the new car, and the deal you made for it, Boomhower!

Yeah, that's part of what sold me on my Sonata, is that Hyundai really loads their cars with a ton of standard features. I think the only thing that was optional on mine were the floor mats and the mud flaps!

One thing about the usb feature for the stereo, check out the owner's manual for that. Some weird stuff in there (supposedly, you can only us a 512mb or 2gb drive??), plus it recommends you only plug in the usb drive AFTER you've started the car and turned the stereo to the auxiliary setting. I haven't played with that feature yet, but am enjoying the XM radio free for 3 months (I think that's just long enough to get you hooked on it! LOL). I'm also debating whether the large storage bin in the center of my dash would make a good spot to mount a GPS device, especially with it's close proximity to the power point/cigarette lighter.

Enjoy the new car! :thumbsup:

 

[Jawadali]

So far, it sounds like you're happy with the purchase. Any other initial feedback?

We are in a similar situation, as described here: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=85&threadid=2327002

 

[boomhower]

I only have about 150 miles on it, but so far so good. The only complaint I have is that at highway speeds the steering is overly heavy. It has speed sensitive steering and at higher speeds it is way to tough. The speakers could be better but it is a cheap car after all. One other thing is the car doesn't have a temp gauge, just a waring light.

 

[SickBeast]

I found that the Elantra had way too much body roll on the highway. Try to see if you can tighten down the suspension.

 

[boomhower]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
I found that the Elantra had way too much body roll on the highway. Try to see if you can tighten down the suspension.

I haven't really had any issues at highway speeds. Only time I notice it is when I am sitting in a turn lane and a semi passes, that certainly rocks it. I am still very happy with it so far. Everyone I have showed it couldn't believe the equipment thats on it for the price. One of my friends is a die hard Chevy guy and he C4C's for an Aveo for $500 more than I paid. Once he saw the size difference and options I have he was pretty jealous, then I told him the warranty and it didn't get much better.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: boomhower
One of the coolest things I am liking so far are the stereo inputs. It has the normal 1/8" aux input and it has a USB input. With the USB you can use your ipod or a flash drive. The darn thing will nagivate the folder structure of the flash drive, pretty darn cool. Plus it will charge through the USB so no more car chargers! I am pretty happy so far.

In an Elantra?!?!? WTF? Even our $30K VeraCruz doesn't have an input jack and USB. Then again, that car is a 2007 so maybe that's a new feature for Hyundai.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: boomhower

Originally posted by: SickBeast
I found that the Elantra had way too much body roll on the highway. Try to see if you can tighten down the suspension.

I haven't really had any issues at highway speeds. Only time I notice it is when I am sitting in a turn lane and a semi passes, that certainly rocks it. I am still very happy with it so far. Everyone I have showed it couldn't believe the equipment thats on it for the price. One of my friends is a die hard Chevy guy and he C4C's for an Aveo for $500 more than I paid. Once he saw the size difference and options I have he was pretty jealous, then I told him the warranty and it didn't get much better.

lol the Aveo is a Korean car anyway, with a Chevy badge.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: boomhower

Originally posted by: SickBeast
I found that the Elantra had way too much body roll on the highway. Try to see if you can tighten down the suspension.

I haven't really had any issues at highway speeds. Only time I notice it is when I am sitting in a turn lane and a semi passes, that certainly rocks it. I am still very happy with it so far. Everyone I have showed it couldn't believe the equipment thats on it for the price. One of my friends is a die hard Chevy guy and he C4C's for an Aveo for $500 more than I paid. Once he saw the size difference and options I have he was pretty jealous, then I told him the warranty and it didn't get much better.

lol the Aveo is a Korean car anyway, with a Chevy badge.

What's hilarious is a couple weeks ago I saw a 1997 Ford Aspire (built by Kia with a Mazda motor) with a "Buy American" bumper sticker on the back of it. I laughed so hard I almost wrecked.

 

[Matilda]

you can get a fully loaded kia forte new for about 18-20K.

the forte starts at $13,695, and the reviews are solid, so it's not a bad place to start

 

[boomhower]

I agree but by the time I added air and other equipment compared to the Elantra it was significantly more expensive.(like $2k) If it was even close I would have went with it but being brand new with no rebates it was just to high with not enough to offer to make up the difference in costs.