Used 2003 Hyundai Elantra Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Owned 4.5 years
I purchased my blue 2003 Elantra GT hatchback with 65,000 miles, and it now has 135,000 miles. The leather seats and sunroof give you amenities not seen in cheaper vehicles like this one. Hyundai parts are easy to find, and repairs are cheap. I bought this car just before I went to college to use while in school. I replaced the audio unit with an updated one, so I could play pandora and hook in my maps. It comfortably seats 4, but fits 5 people. The size of the trunk is nice and not typically seen in hatchbacks. I've replaced a section of the exhaust pipe for $200, valve cover gasket $25, brake caliper assembly $110. I can foresee that I will have to replace the timing belt and struts soon.
Elantra GT Hatchback-2003
I have no complaints about my car at all! I bought it about 6 years ago, with 22,000. miles on it, and still love it! It's sporty, built well, and reliable. She now has 103,000. and hopefully will go a lot longer. There have been some repairs in the past couple of years (clutch, brake calipers, valve cover gasket), but all I consider routine maint. (and cheaper than car payments). Did I mention, it's a cute little car?? It is! Mine still looks new, and I'd buy it again.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
- GLS SedanMSRP: $3,995654 mi away
- 2003 Hyundai ElantraMSRP: $4,498893 mi away
- GLS SedanMSRP: $2,9991,142 mi away
ok for the money
Daily driver, the first year the car seemed pretty solid. After that you started hearing more noise. Too much maintance for such a small car. If you don't follow the schedule it will void the so called 100,000 mile warranty!
Big bang for the buck
I wanted a hatchback and narrowed it down to a PT Cruiser,Elantra GT and the Protege PR5. They are all good choices but the Elantra GT had the european styling( resembles a Saab) and came loaded for just $15 K delivered ,tax tags etc. . My wife doesn't like the tight european suspension....but I love how it handles. Once you get over that it is a Hyundai, you will really like the car. I keep my cars for a long time, so the poor trade-in doesn't bother me. Relaibility is what I want and I have a 10 years of warentee.
great first car
I have been very pleased with my Hyundai Elantra GT. It's pretty quick, has every option, good sound system, and it looks good too. The gas mileage would be good if I didn't always drive over 80 mph. Everybody I work with thought it was a Saab 900 until I told them otherwise. The warranty is the best thing about it. I've had a couple of minor issues, and they've been resolved the same day. Since I bought mine, my sister and her husband also bought on based on my recomendation. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone, and to add a little credibility to my evaluation, my last vehicle was a Kawasaki Ninja ZX6, I won't drive something that isn't fun.
disheartened
The car was taken back to the dealership within 24 hours for problems. Currently on 4th set of tires within 3 years. Emergency brake locks in cold weather and wears down tires (been towed several times). Maker doesn't take blame, rather passes the buck. Solutions are not guaranteed that problems are fixed, yet my wallet takes the brunt. Dealerships report that my problem is not a warranty issue. Frustrated!
Does what you want for very little money
For 15 years this was my daily commuter sitting outside in all weather. It just kept doing the job day after day. In 15 years, one unusual repair (replaced transmission). Solid, no-nonsense, inexpensive car.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
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- Value
Best Sedan For 15 Grand
It is an excellent car to drive. It has some awesome features like cd player, sunroof,and many more, I cant wait till i get it when i turn sixteen. Its one of the best sedans for under fiveteen g's.
Hyundai Elantra GT - your money x5
great car with outstanding build quality. After countless miles on the city and highway, i can safely say that this car is one of the most reliable i've seen in a long time.
Alot for a little
Absolutely the best vehicle made for under $16,000. Loaded to the hilt with great, practical features. I use this car for work. I drive all over the North Eastern U.S., and this car can handle any road condition. A great car.
Very Nice Car
This is a great car. The size is deceptive, as it's much larger on the inside than you would think. The car looks a lot like a Saab 9-3, but has more interior and cargo space. And it's more efficient. We go on trips with our two kids and the dog, or with four grown adults. The car handles all our stuff and returns 34mpg. We've had no mechanical issues with this car. No squeeks or rattles. Great car.
First one and Love it!
Was unsure at first about the Hyundai line for when they hit the US shores in the 80's they were "junk" But,after alot of research and asking Hyundai owners i went for it and am very glad i did pretty much i am driving a Saab 900s for half the price! It has run FLAWLESSLY in the past year,I have never gotten below 30MPG and so far am very impressed with it!
Are the Airbags going to deploy?
I was considering purchasing a Hyundai Elantra until I read some of the reviews on Edmunds. Anyone can put out a 100,000 mile warranty, what good is it if you don't pay warranty claims. Check out the Insurance institute crash ratings. The airbags on the Elantra Deploy Late! Making it worst in class!!! I think Hyundais build quality is highly suspect they lied about there Horespower ratings what else are they lying about.
Love my GT!
I bought this car in January after driving everything else in the "class" range that was $20K or less. I would say $15K, but as soon as you add a CD player and half the features that are standard on the GT to other "base" model cars, you are suddenly looking at a grinning slaesman as he tells you that your Toyota Corrolla as equipped will cost you $19,555 (and that's before tax, tags, freight, etc.). BUT, contrary to buying for the money, I also clearly got the best car in terms of performance, equipment, value and reliability. After 9 months of driving, all I have done is changed the oil. I LOVE this car!!!
Good car for your dollar.
This car is the best value in its class. After many months of shopping around and after test-driving the competitors, (civic, focus svt, protege 5, cavelier ls, etc.) the Hyundai GT was best in terms of value, OPTIONS, and fun! Speaking of options, this car comes standard with just about everything but a driver! Speaking of fun, taking the above-mentioned competition from a stoplight is easy. Press hard on the acceleration from a stop and you will be pleasently suprised. No racecar, but again, good for the dollar. Top off all of that with the extended warrenty and you've got one great package.
Just pased 15k....
No real problems so far, auto transmission is great performer, leather is nice, still has new car smell. Nut holding on read spoiler fell off.
Elantra GT
Great car for the money, lots of standard features, 1.5 years old and still going strong! I highly reccomend the GT model.
Good cheap car
I drive my Elantra 80 miles hwy everyday for the past year. It has had very few issues such as the O2 sensors failing and my parking break snapped. Relatively cheap fixes. What did concern me was when I hit my cow of a deer, was that the air bags didn't deploy when the whole front end of my car was smashed up. The repairs, covered by my collision insurance were extremely cheap, only coming out to be $1400 total for new headlights, grill, hood, bumper + cover fog lights, horn, paint job and tire. It has been a great car and has been a pretty good winter car.
GT is GREAT
This was my first brand new car, and I was a little apprehensive about the Hyundai. But my parents had an Elantra for a few years with no problems, and I figured I could get the most car for my $$ with the Elantra GT. I love it. The styling (it looks like a Saab 9-3), the handling, and it's got a lot of room! I've had it for almost 15k miles, no problems.
cant beat it
bang for the buck! other than the fact that it could use 4o more horse power the gt is impossible to beat. (most cars costing 5 grand more could also use more power) leather,all the bells @ wistles, 4 wheel discs,5 door hatch, unbeleivable warranty. im very sattisfied
great car!
We just got our Elantra GT hatchback recently, and so far it's been great!! It's fun to drive--peppy, responsive, and tight. It feels very sturdy, looks sweet, and has an extremely smooth and quiet ride. Going uphill with the automatic: it has a little lag before switching gears (common, I believe, in many automatics). We took it on a 600 mile road-trip two days after getting it, and it glided along the highway like a dream. Very comfortable in the back as well as the front. We're hoping the car stands the test of time but got the 10/100K extended warranty, just in case!
EXCELLENT VEHICLE
Excellent car for the price. Alot of features for the price. Highly recommend. You won't regret it.
No better car in this price range!
If you find an equally equipped competitor, chances are that they will be 3-4 thousand dollars more expensive. For this price, which is around 14,000 dollars, you get leather seats, cd player, moonroof, keyless entry, etc. There is no better car than this if you are looking for something affordable, sporty, and fun to drive. Also plenty of cargo space. Just an overall great car!
Hyundai's little gem.
I've had my GT for about 6 months now and I love it. It's a carbon blue 5 speed. It's quick, reliable, and fun to drive. The interior is both cool looking and comfortable as well as practical. It's great around town and on long highway trips (I do a lot of both). I average 31.0 mpg during the school year (long commute) and 30.6 mpg during the off seasons. My Elantra has more features than my friends 2002 Accord. Everyone who sees it is both suprised and impressed. I got it in the 4th of July for $15,500 out the door, but I know that some Elantra owners have gotten paid even less. This is the best car I've ever owned.
Jos's Car
I am 62 year old man and have owned 8 new cars in my lifetime. A VW, Chevy, Mercury, Toyota, Mitsubishi and this Hyundai is the best new car I ever owned. The design is smart, well done, clean and safe. It is also the best price car I ever bought and with the most conveniences included in standard price.
Fantastic Car!
I can't believe how much car we got for our money. We actually paid less for this car than we did our 1994 Nissan Sentra - 9 years ago (now has 200,000 miles on it). However, this car has leather interior, a moonroof, cd player, airconditioning, pw,pd,alarm ~ everything and an unbelievable warranty compared to Nissan. The car drives like a dream and I am looking forward to the next 200,000 miles!!!
Amazing
For the money this is the best car you can get. Some of the options/standard features are not even available on cars in it's class and also in more expensive classes.
What a Great Find!
What a Great Car! After looking at the competition, this one won Hands Down! Powerful 4cyl engine, full power accessories, Leather!! very comfortable, Great handling, quiet inside, nice sound package, and the AC doesn't have to go past the first notch (In California!). Great design. Fun to Drive. And the Price!! the competition can't touch it.
its a winner
The engine in this car is amazing. Doesn't burn a drop of oil, even at 135,000 and the oil is still not very dirty (dark) at 5000 mile oil changes.
Hyundai proven to have been a good buy
The Elantra Gt gave me what I wanted. Looks, utility ( thats why I chose the GT hatchback) dependability and price. In 76000+ miles the only things that have gone wrong are 3 low beam headlights bulbs, 1 battery, the thermostat and just recently the A/C compressor. The brake pads show little wear at this time. I was rear-ended by an 18 wheeler and took such a hit that the motor mounts broke. After the repair you would never know that the car was ever hit. Still rides and handles great. Excellent brakes; headlights are strong. All in all it has been a very good car in every respect. I will probably replace it with another Hyundai one day, if it ever wears out.
Can't beat the value!
I bought this car without a trade in and got out the door (including taxes, tags, ect...) for 13988.98. It is the 5-speed with a moonroof, and I love it. Corolla was 2k more and had less options, same with the civic. You just can't beat the value. Not to even mention the industry leading warranty.
Glad I bought it
Great car for a great price! I wanted a work/commuter car that's comfortable and gets decent gas mileage without shelling out a lot of money. Elantra GLS is all that and more. Smooth ride, nice engine and smooth shifting automatic, decent handling, spacious, average 28 to 29 mpg. Leather, sunroof, aluminum wheels, front/side air bags, heated mirrors! And the bonus is the GT hatchback stands out in the crowd. I wonder why anyone would pay $2000 - $3000 more for a corolla/civic. It's giving my 92 Protege LX a run for my best buy ever.
Nice for the $$$
Great car for the $$$ & beast basic warranty... Can't beat that.
Great Car
THis is a wonderfully reliable car for the price. I love my Hyundai! It is a wonderful car, but the transmission can be a bit sluggish. But hey, for that price, I can totally handle that!
One Of The First
I actually bought one of the first ones in Sept. of 2001, but there was no option for that year on the above form.
sofarsogood
Now nearing 5.5years ownership, and 75,000 miles. A/c compressor went at 73,000 I live in Florida and a/c gets used a great deal. Got rear-ended by an 18 Wheeler truck, took quite a shot and the car survived. 5,000+ in repair. Have had 3 left headlight bulbs and 1 set of fog lights go. 1 thermostat. Get 31-34 mph highway 23- 27 in town. I never use Hyundai for the 30-60,000 servicing. Had the a/c repaired locally. On 3rd set of tires.
8/17/03
VERY FUN TO DRIVE. MY WIFE ALWAYS WANTS TO TAKE IT.
saab twin
Is this car a Saab, yes I tell strangers. This car is fun. Plain and simple. I get looks from everyone. The 4door hatchback GT is stylish, $15k sticker for this Saab lookalike and it's loaded with leather seats. Champagne tastes on a beer budget is possible!!
awesome car for the price
I absolutely love this car. I test drove all the competition and no other maker could offer so much for the Hyundai price and I actually prefered the looks and handling of the Hyundai over the higher priced competition. The hatchback is awesome and has a ton of room when the back seats are folded down, like a mini SUV. The car is very fun to drive, all my friends are impressed. It handles as nice as the Subaru WRX but about 5K less in price. Has way more horsepower than a Honda Civic and a much better look. Hyundai has made a believer out of me and I highly recommend the hatchback.
Great Car
Absolute Great Buy. No Qualms.
It Rocks
I compared this to the Nissan Sentra, Mazda Protoge5, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Chrysler Neon, and others. Nothing even came close in terms of value for the money. I have only had the car for a few days, but so far, I'm very pleased.
ELANTRA GT
BEST VEHICLE EVERY HAD HOLDS 4 LG ADULTS WITH COMFORT.GAS MILAGE OUTSTANDING 32MI ON HIGHWAY AT 80 OR BETTER.RECCOMEND RADAR DETECTOR.NEVER FEEL SPEED.HATCH BACK HOLDS MORE THEN SUV`S SON` HAS LEXUS RX 300 WE HAVE TO USE MINE WITH 3 ADUTS 2 CAR SEATS/ LUGGAGE TO GO AIRPORT.WITH SEATS FOLDED IT IS STATION WGN .ALREADY TOOK HOT WATER HEATER.A DISWASHER. REFRIGERATOR IN IT HATCH CLOSED.GREAT SUSPENSION LIKE SPORTS CAR .
Fun Little car
I feel for what I paid this cars a steal.Its fun to drive and useable. This car is great on gas.I have not had any problems yet and have almost 30k.
great fun and economical
This little car has been a delight to drive. Love the five speend and enjoy the peppiness of it. With the manual we get 33 hwy and that is good.
What A Surprise!
There's been an amazing change in Hyundai vehicles. My Loaded 5-speed Elantra GT(5000 miles so far)is a champ, with few indications of a cost about half of an Altima or Passat. Amazingly, except in pure Driving Joy (read: Fahrvegnugen)it's inexplicable that even a Jetta costs 5-8K more then an Elantra GT. The only drawbacks were the salesman (unpleasant)and the engine(slow as a horse headed for the glue factory)
Quick, fun, economical, no problem
After driving this car for a year, I have no complaints and still have some fun everyday, even if it's just pulling some G's on a freeway cloverleaf. Handling is quick and tight, very little understeer, and in good balance with the modest power. This car has good horsepower/weight ratio, so you're never left in the dust. Also, great utility- I can carry an upright bass or set of drums easily. Overall mpg over 30 mpg.
Great Value
Finally a small car that is a blast to drive. This car (2003 Elantra GT 5 spd) bridges the gap between $20,000 plus smal sport car and value oriented customers. We purchased the car below Edmunds TMV price. The car is loaded. We couldn't be happier. We don't feel like we had to settle to get a car in the price range we were looking for. We feel like we got a better value than we were looking for.
Great Second Car
I had a Porsche Boxster S and a Mercedes S430 when I bought this car. Sold the Boxster S and use this car instead. Sound system is much better than the Boxster and the car is 10 times more reliable than the Merc. I could have bought 7 of these for what I paid for the S430.
Great car for the money
Bought this car new in late '02; now have 92K miles. Had only a few minor problems, all covered under extended warranty: E-brake cable, rear wheel bearing, hatch latch. Orig. tires went 40K miles, brakes a bit more. Needs a new clutch, but 90k mile seems about right. Paint is sensitive to dings and scratches, but the body has held up fairly well. I've lost a few radio control knobs, and the speakers are beginning to give a little static, but the interior has held up nicely. Service at dealers has been mixed, sometimes too expensive and other times they don't do things listed in manual (like radiator flush at 60,000). Resale value isn't great, so I will keep this car until it falls apart.
Okay car, but I found better
OK car overall. Nice interior - instrument panel and blue lighting were nice, but pleather was cheap. POOR GAS MILEAGE! About 18 MPG - Lower than sticker. Brake pads had to be replaced constantly. The auto trans was not that good, never had any probs with it, but it coulda shifted smoother. Engine had a rattle to it when accelerating up hills - had it checked out, but was told that the noise was normal and didn't seem to effect performance. Also when turning steering wheel, it made a scratching noise. Overall, the car had a few rattles and noises that were minor which didn't effect the performance of the car, but were annoying since they were constant.