Went and test drove some cars last weekend.

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,751
595
126
We only went to a few dealerships. Went over to the Hyundai place in town and took the 06 elantra out for a test drive. I liked it a lot. Base model is loaded up with stuff and has a very attractive price. Engine had good power I thought, handled nice at 80 in the interstate and had a nice quiet ride. Very roomy on the inside.

Guy made the offer of 13,881 after the $1000 rebate.

Went over to the Toyota dealership in town. Guy came out generally acting like a douchebag. We just asked if we could test drive a yaris and then maybe a corolla. Guy kept asking us how much we were looking to pay a month saying something about wanting to make sure we were looking at a car we could afford. Its a fvcking yaris...I didn't come in there asking to test drive your ferraris...I came to test drive the cheapest fvcking car they made.

Guy finally offered to get a yaris for us to test drive after I said I had 5K to put down. (In reality, I could buy it outright if I so desired) He blabbed something about there not being many left and that the yaris hadn't been looked over so we could only drive it around the lot. He went to get the car and we just left. There's plenty of other cars for sale, if they make it so hard to look at one of theirs we'll just buy one of those instead.

Went over to the automaster, who sells BMWs, audis, etc...and hondas. Test drove a certified preowned 05 civic VP. It was a nice car...interior felt a bit sharper then the elantra but the ride was a little noisier. Its better gas mileage though...but we don't travel very far so thats not to huge of a concern. They ended up wanting more for it then the new elantra, which wasn't unexpected. It was a likeable car...but I had to question spending more for a used vehicle with less stuff and less warentee. Plus it didn't have side air bags...and I want side air bags. Since there aren't a lot of vehicles on the lots around here I can be as picky.

We thought about it and decided we're going to probably go with the elantra. I know there might still be some reliability concerns, but with the 5YR bumper to bumper we should have to worry about extra bills on top of the payments. And with 10YR powertrain I'd most likely just keep the car until every drop of warentee was gone. The resale value isn't a concern for the same reason, at that point the car won't be worth sh|t anyway. Its actually a bigger car then we were initially looking for...but I've warmed up to the idea of some extra space.

Honestly, coming from our current cars (a 99 neon which has about the noisiest ride imaginable and a 94 prizm with extensive rust problems, a leaky gas tank and wonky interior) about every new car seems pretty damn nice.

My next step is to contact other hyundai dealers in the area and see who can offer me the best price.

Update:
Called around a few places. The initial offer he made us was pretty good. I had another dealership make me an offer of $13,500 and the original offered $13,600. I decided to go with the original guy because I liked the way they handled their business and I felt he was always being upfront with me. The guy from the other dealership was understandably aggressive and wanted us to make a commitment really quick. So we're going to go put some money down on it tonight.

Update:
Finished all the paperwork, etc. Went over and picked it up last night. Tried to upsell me some of their services, which a few of them tempted me. $1100 the would extend the bumper to bumper and roadside assistance to 10 years from 5. Was kind of tempting, since I'd be surprised if any car didn't require at least $1100 of (non powertrain) work in the second 5 years.

Offered some wheel protection thing which didn't sound like that great of a value. $300 and they'd replace a wheel and tire free of charge if you drove it into a hole. Since I never damaged the rims on any of the cars I've driven in my lifetime, and the steel rims on our elantra cost about $70 it didn't seem worthwhile, and he said as much.

My wife made him jump through a bunch of hoops at the last minute over what she thought was a scratch on the windshield. It was just some left over wax that turned out to be pretty hard to get off.

Not much else...first oil change is free at dealer and he says he'll top of the tank of gas if we give him a good survey review. Free gas is free gas.
 

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,264
3
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:thumbsup: That's a great price for a nice car. The warranty is a nice bonus too.
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,751
595
126
Originally posted by: Aflac
:thumbsup: That's a great price for a nice car. The warranty is a nice bonus too.

The warranty is actually a main selling point for me.
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
0
I'm still not so keen on hyundai...but my gfs 98 excel is still going flawlessly (well, a bit of rust on the boot and a wiring problem are all so far)....

My 89' 323 has done 245,000 kms, still running perfectly with not a speck of rust tho :D
 

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,264
3
81
Originally posted by: PingSpike
Originally posted by: Aflac
:thumbsup: That's a great price for a nice car. The warranty is a nice bonus too.

The warranty is actually a main selling point for me.

I suppose. But, if you look at it another way...

If the car is excellent, you won't ever need to use the warranty. :D

This is coming from a '96 corolla driver, so my viewpoint might be different. We've never had a single problem with our car, save for a fast blinker thing.
 

MWink

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,642
1
76
I have an 05 Elantra and I love it. I think it's probably the most car you can get for the money. The 06 is pretty much the same as the 05, unfortunately they redesigned it for 07 and I think they're taking a step back. I'd suggest getting the 06 while you can, it's a very nice car.
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,751
595
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The 07 is suppose to have side curtain airbags, which is nice. But I doubt I would get as good of a deal. Plus, the elantra already has very good crash test ratings.
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,751
595
126
Originally posted by: Aflac
Originally posted by: PingSpike
Originally posted by: Aflac
:thumbsup: That's a great price for a nice car. The warranty is a nice bonus too.

The warranty is actually a main selling point for me.

I suppose. But, if you look at it another way...

If the car is excellent, you won't ever need to use the warranty. :D

This is coming from a '96 corolla driver, so my viewpoint might be different. We've never had a single problem with our car, save for a fast blinker thing.

I think you can get problems with any car myself. My wife's car is a 94 prizm, which is basically a rebadged corolla. We haven't had any engine trouble to speak of...however its had a lot rust issues with the fuel lines, the brake lines (yikes!) and now the fuel tank. The interior and trunk lights only work when they feel like it and one of the back windows won't roll down. And the body is getting pretty rusted out. Yeah...its 11 years old though...so what do we expect? :p

Toyota's had some recalls lately. I can understand your viewpoint...but from the other side of the spectrum...as a business you wouldn't want to offer a 10yr warentee unless you were pretty sure you wouldn't have to pay out much on it.
 
Feb 10, 2000
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I think the Elantra is fine for what it is. Hyundai has made great strides, and their cars are a tremendous value. Sorry about your awful experience at the Toyota dealership - they definitely have some arrogant jerks selling Toyotas for whatever reason.
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,751
595
126
Originally posted by: DonVito
I think the Elantra is fine for what it is. Hyundai has made great strides, and their cars are a tremendous value. Sorry about your awful experience at the Toyota dealership - they definitely have some arrogant jerks selling Toyotas for whatever reason.

A friend of mine had a similarly horrible experience at that same dealership. My theory is that toyotas are so popular they just strong arm people. A few people that worked for my mom had toyotas and to hear her tell it they got pretty awful deals. My wife was livid, but I actually expected that kind of behavior. She doesn't understand why anyone would buy a car from them after putting up with that. But toyotas have a pretty loyal following, and if people don't bend they'll just try to bend the next one. Fortunately, toyota does not make the only compact car available on the market today. :p
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
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Originally posted by: DonVito
I think the Elantra is fine for what it is. Hyundai has made great strides, and their cars are a tremendous value. Sorry about your awful experience at the Toyota dealership - they definitely have some arrogant jerks selling Toyotas for whatever reason.

We've never encountered that here :)

Everytime my old man takes the Prado in for a service the usually try to persuade him to test drive a new Landcruiser or Prado, and they're extremely helpful & enthusiastic...

Different price bracket perhaps?
 
Feb 10, 2000
30,029
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Originally posted by: dug777

We've never encountered that here :)

Everytime my old man takes the Prado in for a service the usually try to persuade him to test drive a new Landcruiser or Prado, and they're extremely helpful & enthusiastic...

Different price bracket perhaps?

I don't really think it's a price-bracket driven phenomenon, particularly since Toyotas sold in the US have only a fairly limited price range (the Land Cruiser is the only real outlier, because our higher-end Toyotas are all sold as Lexuses). Our Prado-based model, the FJ Cruiser, is similar in price to Toyota's bread-and-butter model, the Camry. It's just been my experience that Toyota dealers tend to presume that you want what they're selling, so they can't be bothered to be especially helpful.

Believe it or not, a former co-worker of mine had shopped around and returned to a Toyota dealer in Oklahoma City with her checkbook in hand, ready to buy a car. Somehow within 15 minutes, she had annoyed the salesperson, and they asked her to leave and not return. She was a little high-strung, but she is an attorney, not some kind of homeless derelict.
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
0
Originally posted by: DonVito
Originally posted by: dug777

We've never encountered that here :)

Everytime my old man takes the Prado in for a service the usually try to persuade him to test drive a new Landcruiser or Prado, and they're extremely helpful & enthusiastic...

Different price bracket perhaps?

I don't really think it's a price-bracket driven phenomenon, particularly since Toyotas sold in the US have only a fairly limited price range (the Land Cruiser is the only real outlier, because our higher-end Toyotas are all sold as Lexuses). Our Prado-based model, the FJ Cruiser, is similar in price to Toyota's bread-and-butter model, the Camry. It's just been my experience that Toyota dealers tend to presume that you want what they're selling, so they can't be bothered to be especially helpful.

Believe it or not, a former co-worker of mine had shopped around and returned to a Toyota dealer in Oklahoma City with her checkbook in hand, ready to buy a car. Somehow within 15 minutes, she had annoyed the salesperson, and they asked her to leave and not return. She was a little high-strung, but she is an attorney, not some kind of homeless derelict.

Hmm, i can't see anything on the toyota US site that looks like a Prado...

This does tho...http://www.lexus.com/models/gx/index.html

Because it is a Prado with the 4.7 V8 shoe-horned into it ;)
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
0
Originally posted by: DonVito
Originally posted by: dug777

Hmm, i can't see anything on the toyota US site that looks like a Prado...

This does tho...http://www.lexus.com/models/gx/index.html

Because it is a Prado with the 4.7 V8 shoe-horned into it ;)

Isn't the Prado a two-door SUV? I know our FJ Cruiser is based on the Prado chassis (just one more reason it's a great deal at its price point IMO).

7 seater full size 4wd :)

It's sold as the Landcruiser Prado here, with a big hitting 4L V6 and a 3L turbo diesel.
 
Feb 10, 2000
30,029
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Originally posted by: dug777

7 seater full size 4wd :)

It's sold as the Landcruiser Prado here, with a big hitting 4L V6 and a 3L turbo diesel.

Hmmm - don't they also call that the Land Cruiser Amazon in some markets? Are you sure it isn't our Land Cruiser? As I said, that is by far the most expensive Toyota in the US market, and definitely a nice vehicle, even if it's not really my thing.
 

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
Couldn't see myself driving something that ugly, ever. Saw some new hyundai on the road the other day, I threw up a little in my mouth.
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,751
595
126
Originally posted by: Baked
Couldn't see myself driving something that ugly, ever. Saw some new hyundai on the road the other day, I threw up a little in my mouth.

Its not the most beautiful car I guess, although I think it looks better then some of the slightly older ones. But I can't see it from inside anyway, and never placed much emphasis on the looks of a vehicle. I actually haven't like the look of any cars made past 1995 or so. I always liked the look of boxier designs myself. And every car out now looks like its trying to be an alien space pod to me.
 

Itchrelief

Golden Member
Dec 20, 2005
1,398
0
71
I think we should force all Toyota dealers to only carry xBs for a month to take their prick salesmen down a notch.
 
Feb 10, 2000
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Originally posted by: Baked
Couldn't see myself driving something that ugly, ever. Saw some new hyundai on the road the other day, I threw up a little in my mouth.

I don't mind the way they look. I think I'd probably put up the extra cash to get a Civic if I were looking at a car of that ilk (the new one seems great), but to each his own.
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
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if you are interested in the yaris, you might just try a different dealer, or ask for a different salesman.
 

lokiju

Lifer
May 29, 2003
18,526
5
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My fiancee has a 2003 elantra which I drive on a regular basis and have to say that before that I thought they were just poorly made cars, but after spending some decent time behind the wheel I have to say that for the money the are well made cars, have enough power and a fairly quiet and smooth ride.

I'd even consider getting Hyundai for my next purchase, maybe a Tuscon.

 

Whisper

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
5,394
2
81
Originally posted by: lokiju
My fiancee has a 2003 elantra which I drive on a regular basis and have to say that before that I thought they were just poorly made cars, but after spending some decent time behind the wheel I have to say that for the money the are well made cars, have enough power and a fairly quiet and smooth ride.

I'd even consider getting Hyundai for my next purchase, maybe a Tuscon.

Agreed. When I went to go test drive the '05 Accent that would soon become mine, I had absolutely zero expectations...which is why I was so pleasantly surprised after the ride. I couldn't have told it apart (other than the atrocious seat fabric, of course) from being in a friend's civic for the most part.

And while for my next car I'll likely be looking at something in the Acura realm, I have absolutely no reservations about recommending Hyundai highly in the future.

With all the trips I've taken between Atlanta and Baton Rouge lately, I've rung up ~45k miles on this car in a little over a year and a half...and haven't yet had a single problem other than locking my keys inside. Which, as an added bonus, Hyundai will send someone over to help out with for free. Same goes for flat tires (if you need it) and running out of gas.
 

platinumike

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2004
2,114
3
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05 Elantra owner here. I got mine for $9,200 with 10k miles on the clock. Im a college student and have no problems making the $180 payments. I love the way this car drives. My only real gripe about this car is the not-so-sporty look. I wish they could've used the black pinstriping and panels that they used on the older models. My car is silver and im thinking about getting either chrome or black with chrome trim rims.