Hyundai Elantra (2000 - 2005) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

This car was purchased used and had been in a pretty serious accident. It was repainted and the driver door and headliner replaced along with a few other bits an pieces. I took a chance and got it cheap. Best $5000 I've ever spent. Over the years I've had to replace tires, change the oil, and the regular wear items. All 4 struts were replaced about 2 years ago and most recently the clutch (just over 100K). For the money I've spent in service and replacement parts this still comes out to some really cheap transportation. My particular model doesn't have cruise control and that really stinks on long trips. A few of the interior trim pieces have started to come apart (sun visor mirrors, fan controls, etc). Other than that I plan to drive this car until the wheels fall off and then maybe buy another much newer but still used Elantra or Sonata. Jun 30, 2014

I've had this car for the last 7 years of its life, mostly needed for commuting (60 miles round trip, at first; 78 after an office move), with the occasional road trip hauling my parents somewhere. It's been quite fine for the commute and the occasional passengers have found it comfortable enough. A/c never let me down in south FL heat; basic (cassette) stereo's had satisfying sound with my mp3 player du jour. And I was surprised to find this model was only marked for 22/30ish mpg - for the first four years, I saw more like 28/38. It's been quite a reliable, safe-seeming little car. Got rear-ended at a red light two months after I bought it - older driver in a Toyota used me to brake down from 30+ miles per hour, but my car actually looked better than his did and I wasn't injured, which impressed me a lot, for my first-ever accident. It's also easily gotten me home several times through flooded major roads (due to tropical storms) that were stranding and ruining similar-looking small sedans all over the place. 95k+ miles later, I'm searching for its replacement, and due to the surprising mpg, the reliability ('til recent transmission woes), and safety features, I don't think I'll be looking away from Hyundai. Great little car; I'm very fond of it.Oct 03, 2012

Good little commuter car, very weak on the power, but its not really supposed to go fast. Interior is good, nice build quality. Being a hatchback it has a lot of room when you put the rear seats down. Had great reliability with mine, routine maintenance was very inexpensive, even more so because I did most all of it myself. Overall a great little car.Nov 22, 2009

Love this car! Had it for over a year, Im the second driver. Car works great, had to put new brakes on it and fix a window but thats just minor wear & tare. Beautiful white exterior with no rust, Grey interior with wood panelling dash. Gorgeous car! Paid roughly $7000 for it and its worth every dollar. Great gas mileage, drove from Miramichi, NB to Cornwall, On (about 1000kms) for aprox. $70-$80 bucks!!Nov 16, 2009

The Elantra hatch was a carbon copy of the old Saab 900/93 5 door (see my previous review). Since this car replaced the Saab, I have found many areas of comparison. The Elantra is similar in looks, build quality, driveability, and the Koreans even attempted to replicate Saab's excellent dash. The value for the dollar is unbelievable. This is a fully- loaded car with an excellent warranty that listed for $15,900. As with the Saab, the hatch is cavernous. The car is comfortable for long trips, and gets very good mileage on the highway. I highly recommend Traction Control on this car. The 5-speed mated to the 2 litre, 16 valve motor produces wheelspin with the slightest amount of moisture on the road. Suspension could be taughter, too. The car rolls a bit in curvy conditions. Still, with the list of standard features as long as it is, you'll feel like you're riding in a car that cost twice as much. I'm willing to overlook what few shortcomings the car has. A shame that the current Elantra lineup no longer includes a hatch.Jan 25, 2009

With some suspension upgrades, it handles very nicely. With some exterior mods it looks very nice. It does not under perform but doesn't have the best performance, decent for a 4 cyl. Engine runs a little noisy but not to bad. Stock speakers are very decent, but I upgraded anyway. Great MPG. Low maintenance. Interior is comfortable and i am 6' 3".Aug 07, 2008

This little car has been a great addition. It has been a solid little performer since day 1. I think Hyundai has come a long, long way from the days of the Excel. I've put on 12 years worth of mileage on this car in less than 6 so I have had the opportunity to get to know this car real well. Mind you, this car is no race car, but it will confidently cruise at 80mph all day long and not miss a bit. Considering this car cost less that 15k when I got it, it was very well equipped, with leather interior, a very nice sounding stereo, comfortable seating, and even some nice extras like heated mirrors and foglamps. This car has been a godsend, because of it's low cost to own and drive, and because it has been a very capable little vehicle. It is a 5-door version of the Elantra and with the rear fold down seating which is 70/30 split, there are different options for carrying a mix of people and cargo. I've driven this car cross country and it has consistently delivered 32-34mpg on the highway, which has given us a range of about 380 to almost 400 miles per tank without us really worrying about pushing it. Of course keeping the car well maintained has been a key factor, but definitely those are good numbers for a car that was rated at 26mpg city/31mpg highway. Apr 18, 2008

This car was much better than I had thought it would be. It reminds me of a nice early 1990s Volvo. The car is kind of dated and average in just about every way- but that is ok when you save some money. Hyundai has finally given the world a good everyday vehicle. I also think the car has a unique look- although it is not gorgeous. I've driven been a passanger and driver in this car for VERY long periods of time and I have no complaints. You can really use this car for a lot of different purposes and, if you don't expect tons, it will not let you down.Feb 25, 2008

Pretty good car at a good price. Power is respectable for the year - at the time of purchase it was in the upper half of the market power wise, but since the compact market has upped the ante performance wise. Shifting is good, if a bit thrashy, but preferable over the rubbery action of the 2007-8 models. I also prefer the hydraulic steering over the electric steering of the new Elantra - it's overboosted and feels like a video game. Handling is pretty good, given the type of car. Love the hatch too, but at times you can feel the structure is weaker because of it. Quality issues suffered mainly have to do with a leaky hatch and a few other issues with the body. No mechanical issues as of yet, except for the motor in the driver's side mirror quitting.Jan 06, 2008

Only had the car two months but the more I drive it the more I like it. It a relatively small car but has plenty of room inside for my large (fat) 6'2" bod. A lot more room inside than most of the other Asian imports that I drove. Handles well, good on the gas (getting about 21 mpg in the city, haven;t done any road trips in it yet) and has good pickup. I also like the fact that it doesn't have a lot of those "moron" devices in it (like the cars that LOCK your door when you put it in gear, or the ones that think they know when you need to turn your lights on for you, or not being able to crank the motor without your foot on the brake, etc...). Overall rating 8.5 out of 10.Aug 16, 2007