Used 1998 Hyundai Elantra Wagon Consumer Reviews
Very reliable
I bought this Elantra with 76,000 mi. , now I have 172,000 mi. on it. I don't know if the first owner did all the fixing, but this car has been very reliable to me. I use this car for long distance deliveries (courier), therefore, most of the mileage have been highway. Besides regular maintenance (tires, fluids, brakes, tune up, etc), I had to change the crank shaft position sensor, slave cilinder, clutch, the AC fun that was out of balance and making noise, driver's inside door handle (switched with the same side back door, fits perfectly), did change the timming belt and water and that's it. My only complaint are the air vents that are very delicate (all broken). Love this car!!!
Utilitarian Plus
Bought this in '99 w/30,000 and it's still used daily in-town and on long trips. At 158,000 total miles it has suffered a couple problems, the worst a cracked exhaust manifold at 124,000. Clutches do wear out, and that was replaced at 152,000. Otherwise, it's very solid and has been very reliable, however we do keep it well-maintained (the secret to car longevity). It has seen some pretty tough duty in the mountains and in hot, dry desert-like conditions and never left us stranded. It's never had any electrical problems, no leakage from underneath, does not use oil (we've always run synthetic), heater and AC still works great, and to top it off, a tree fell on it but it just pushed back!
Still going
I bought this car about 6 years ago for $1600 with 76,000 mi, now I have over 213,000 on it and still going like a charm, everything is working properly. Some of the things I had to repair were: 1 clutch, 2 oxygen sensors, 1 crankshaft position sensor, radiator, 1 air blower, driver's side interior door handle ( used the one from the back door as still opens the door with minor difficulty), 3 out of 4 vent louvers, (can't remember anything else), and the usual things: 1 timing belt, 2 batteries, 1 tune up stuff, oil, 2 sets of tires, brakes, bulbs, etc.