2013 Hyundai Elantra - Affordable, reliable, and small
We (my husband and I) purchased our used 2013 Hyundai Elantra in 2015 with cash for a steep price of $14,000. We had little other options at the time and desperately needed a vehicle after immigrating to the U.S. from Canada. It was small in size (which suited me, a small woman), great on gas mileage (28 in city, 38 on highway), and was very zippy on the test drive, which I liked. While we've encountered a few routine issues since purchasing it, they haven't been enough to make us truly regret our decision. It's definitely "my" car now, and after a few years, has helped us decide what to look for in our next vehicle. Overall, the Hyundai has treated us well. We've taken many road trips up and down California. While a bit cramped for larger people, it's accommodated five (using up every... (more)
We (my husband and I) purchased our used 2013 Hyundai Elantra in 2015 with cash for a steep price of $14,000. We had little other options at the time and desperately needed a vehicle after immigrating to the U.S. from Canada. It was small in size (which suited me, a small woman), great on gas mileage (28 in city, 38 on highway), and was very zippy on the test drive, which I liked. While we've encountered a few routine issues since purchasing it, they haven't been enough to make us truly regret our decision. It's definitely "my" car now, and after a few years, has helped us decide what to look for in our next vehicle. Overall, the Hyundai has treated us well. We've taken many road trips up and down California. While a bit cramped for larger people, it's accommodated five (using up every seat available) for eight-hour-long road trips. It hasn't overheated on us, but does struggle with the uphill battles. (Of course, that's somewhat expected with a four cylinder.) Again, small car with fair gas mileage. We're not expecting it to ever tow anything for us, though we might end up testing that with a small moving trailer in the near future. I suppose it's fair to say that towing isn't absolutely out of the question, but we don't have any high hopes for the capacity. If proper trailer brakes are installed, I believe the towing abilities grow to 1,000 lbs., which is more than we'd need. So, for the average couple or person without extreme car hobbies (such as off-roading, mudding, etc.), it makes great sense.
My close friend and I often play Disney show tunes really loud, especially in the summer with the windows down, hoping some silly person will see us (two silly ladies) and join in. One time, we were "blasting" a song from The Lion King, and pulled up at a red next to a man in a sports car. He was glaring until we smiled and started singing at the top of our lungs. He didn't want to - we could ... (more)
My close friend and I often play Disney show tunes really loud, especially in the summer with the windows down, hoping some silly person will see us (two silly ladies) and join in. One time, we were "blasting" a song from The Lion King, and pulled up at a red next to a man in a sports car. He was glaring until we smiled and started singing at the top of our lungs. He didn't want to - we could tell - but he couldn't help but start laughing. Maybe it has nothing to do with the car, exactly, but it's the memory that stands out the most in that vehicle.
When it comes the best parts of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra, I immediately think of its acceleration abilities. How fast and precise it could zip around my small town really impressed me, if not excited me. You have to understand that we drove a 2010 (I believe?) Dodge Charger, base model, which was very big and bulky compared to the Elantra. I felt comfortable on the road, able to get on that freeway without fearing I was going to be knocked off of it by vehicles already up to speed. When you buy a smaller car (four cylinder), that's a real fear. No worries with the Elantra; I'm always first... (more)
When it comes the best parts of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra, I immediately think of its acceleration abilities. How fast and precise it could zip around my small town really impressed me, if not excited me. You have to understand that we drove a 2010 (I believe?) Dodge Charger, base model, which was very big and bulky compared to the Elantra. I felt comfortable on the road, able to get on that freeway without fearing I was going to be knocked off of it by vehicles already up to speed. When you buy a smaller car (four cylinder), that's a real fear. No worries with the Elantra; I'm always first off the line. Very responsive; when I'm driving, the car feels like an extension of my own body. Gas mileage has to be one of the best features. Maybe it's not too impressive to many, but I was shocked at how (not) often we had to full up at the tank, and it only ever cost us $25-$30 to do it. When you move countries, saving money is a big deal, and the difference a semi-eco-friendly car makes at the pump is considerable. Yes, eco-friendly. The 2013 Elantra comes with an eco mode, which is turned on and off with the simple press of a button, and can be switched while driving. The eco feature - when activated - sacrifices engine performance in favor of fuel conservation. When in town, I always have it on, but when hitting the freeway, Sequoias (we're Californians, so we drive all over this beautiful state), the Grapevine, or San Francisco, we have to turn it off. But back to the good features this car has to offer. The Blue Tooth capabilities of the car definitely make driving a more personal experience, as it connects automatically (after initial set-up, which is incredibly user-friendly and easy to do) to my phone. All I have to do is start playing music off my streaming device, and it fills the cab, and I'm off. Connecting someone else's phone is also easy, and the car can remember multiple devices. I have to say, also, that my husband gets very irritated when there's a rattling (loose plastic part or something like that), and the car holds together very nicely. One time we thought we'd found a rattle, but it was something we'd put in the front center console (beneath the radio) that was tapping the plastic interior. Also, and this may be of no consequence to others, but the style of the car's body is very attractive. It's sleek and modern without being flashy and obnoxious. Very cute. I call it "Shuttlebug."
The light beige interior was the first mistake. I have no children, don't often take the family dog along on every day trips around town, and my seats are stained to death after four years. Water can stain them. You heard me. Water. We are going to have to hire a professional to clean them, as nothing we've tried from the store has made much of a difference. There is also the common issue that most Elantra owners have, and that is problems with the USB port. If a USB is connected/inserted before the vehicle starts, the electricity from the car will very likely fry your USB, ruining it. How... (more)
The light beige interior was the first mistake. I have no children, don't often take the family dog along on every day trips around town, and my seats are stained to death after four years. Water can stain them. You heard me. Water. We are going to have to hire a professional to clean them, as nothing we've tried from the store has made much of a difference. There is also the common issue that most Elantra owners have, and that is problems with the USB port. If a USB is connected/inserted before the vehicle starts, the electricity from the car will very likely fry your USB, ruining it. How inconvenient! If you're using it to play music or audio books to and from work, you most likely intend to leave it in each day. Also, many people (including us) have reported that their USB port has simply never worked. Since vehicle was lightly used when we purchased it, we can't be sure what our case is, but the truth is that it's broken and we will never likely fix it since the Bluetooth works great. We've had some issues with tires keeping their air. We still aren't sure of we're the culprit and bent the rim somehow (or perhaps it came slightly bent when we bought it), but the sensor light rarely goes off. My husband believes it has faulty sensors that indicate something is wrong when it isn't. He's run his diagnostic tool on the car and has found some interesting contradictions. I'm not an expert, so I will not elaborate further. Let me tell you about the AC. The AC kicks into cold gear pretty quickly, but the problem lies with the amount of vents. There are four large ones in the front of the cab, spaced evenly around the two front passengers, but there are only two small ones located in the back, below the center console, and they do nothing for anyone in the backseat. Instead, we have to turn two of the front vents up or to the side, so that it flows into the back. Very poor design in this respect. It is a small car, so, again, hills and the like do not suit it well, and you can easily hear the engine having to work hard to get into the mountains or around San Francisco. However, I will say: it has never broken down on us. One last gripe: the volume. I'm darn near deaf and will be in the coming years, and so I listen to music as much as I can, and I need a loud radio. I routinely play my music on the absolute highest volume that I can, and it's just barely loud enough for me to enjoy it.
2015 Hyundai Elantra - Reliable economic vehicle.
This vehicle was very inexpensive although it has desirable features. The Elantra has been very reliable for me making many trips to Las Vegas and other locations. I get about 35 miles per gallon in my car. I have only had to do minor repairs and maintenance that you would normally expect from a vehicle. The couple times I had to do a repair, the parts were VERY inexpensive and readily available. There is ample head and leg room in each seat in the car. The interior is acceptable, but not flashy in any way. I have been able to put my work tools/supplies in the trunk and back seat as the back seat can fold down. My dogs especially like to sleep in the back seat as we travel. When my car finally breaks down and is no longer running, I will seriously look into purchasing another Elantra d... (more)
This vehicle was very inexpensive although it has desirable features. The Elantra has been very reliable for me making many trips to Las Vegas and other locations. I get about 35 miles per gallon in my car. I have only had to do minor repairs and maintenance that you would normally expect from a vehicle. The couple times I had to do a repair, the parts were VERY inexpensive and readily available. There is ample head and leg room in each seat in the car. The interior is acceptable, but not flashy in any way. I have been able to put my work tools/supplies in the trunk and back seat as the back seat can fold down. My dogs especially like to sleep in the back seat as we travel. When my car finally breaks down and is no longer running, I will seriously look into purchasing another Elantra due to the low price of purchase and upkeep. It would be nice if the car had a sunroof and some new features such as the back up camera and a nicer leather interior. If you need a car that simply gets you from point A to point B, then this is probably the car for you. If you want to impress the ladies, then you might want to shop around.
I was heading to a friends house in the rain. It was really coming down hard. I pulled up to a stop light and could not see anything in front of me. The windshield wipers were on maximum speed and it still seemed like it was doing nothing. My light turned green, and I just waited at the light because there was nobody behind me and I didn't feel safe going through the street with that hard of r... (more)
I was heading to a friends house in the rain. It was really coming down hard. I pulled up to a stop light and could not see anything in front of me. The windshield wipers were on maximum speed and it still seemed like it was doing nothing. My light turned green, and I just waited at the light because there was nobody behind me and I didn't feel safe going through the street with that hard of rain coming down. I finally decided to just go for it and the street was like a river. I thought I was going to be taken away. I saw a grocery store up the road and was able to slowly get into the parking lot. I parked the car and decided I would try to go into the store and shop until the rain had passed. Getting into the store was crazy, I was soaked by the time I made it in there. I shopped for about 30 minutes and then went back to my car. The rain had completely stopped. I made the rest of my trip to my friends new house and now we had ice cream to eat. Driving in the rain made me want to get rid of my car and buy a truck that could just smash through the wet streets. My friends were all confused on why it took me so long to come over.
Gas mileage, reliability, cost of ownership, maintenance, options.
Gas mileage, reliability, cost of ownership, maintenance, options.
Boring, power, handling, suspension, features.
Boring, power, handling, suspension, features.
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