2008 Hyundai Elantra GLS 1.9

Summary:

Not a bad car, not great mind you, but an absolute horrible company to expect service from

Faults:

This car has leaked water heavily into the trunk and rear floor area since new (6-2008). It's been to the dealership 5 times, where they proceeded to scratch the car, break certain clips and plastic pieces, get undercoating (note, this is not a professional way to get rid of a leak.. most know this) and grease on the seats, and never fix the problem.

After being sent to a reputable body shop on the last visit, it was determined (by the body shop) that the seam sealer is falling out all over the bottom of this car. Now, Hyundai America closed my case and refuses to replace this now mold smelling, rusting in the trunk vehicle knowing that I will lose too much money in legal fees and mileage deductions if I try to lemon law this car.

The dealership is zero help, as their only out for me in this car is to finance another AT 5% MORE INTEREST than this one.

I will never again visit this dealership or purchase another Hyundai, as in 20 years of new cars I have never... EVER... seen such poor service, shoddy dealership practices, and poor customer satisfaction consideration by a car manufacturer.

Not a bad car, not great mind you, but an absolute horrible company to expect service from. Search the net, I'm not alone.

General Comments:

Good mileage and attributes as a basic car.

Horrific customer service when it's required.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th October, 2009

21st Dec 2011, 14:00

That is so strange. I had a 2003 Elantra from 5 years, and had to use my warranty twice.

Once because the pressure switch behind the clutch was sticking so the car wouldn't always start right away... The dealer took it, gave me a rental, and fixed it in 2 days, and I didn't pay a dime for any of it.

The second time was to have the driver's side door handle repainted because my thumb had rubbed it off... again, the dealership took the car, took the door handle off, had it painted, gave me another free rental (it was a nice one too.. Chevy Colorado, fully loaded) and had my car for 4 days, and once again, 100% covered in warranty.

That's it. I had that car for 5 years, put 95000 miles on it and it never gave me any problems. Dealing with Hyundai Corporate and the Hyundai dealers was an absolute joy. Hyundai Corp even had a rep call me after the clutch switch was repaired, to make sure it was repaired correctly, asked me I had any questions about what was done, asked me if I was happy with the service, and gave me a letter in the mail, giving me free full service oil changes for a year as an "I'm sorry" for the faulty clutch switch.

I will be buying another Hyundai in a few months, probably a used 08 Elantra. I love the new 2012 Elantra, but the new "fluidic" design Hyundai is using really cuts down on the head room, and has smaller, more narrow seats than before, and I'm 6'2", around 300 lbs, linebacker build, so it was beautiful, but not very comfortable for me. I'm not a fan of the new Sonata... it looks like its melting, and droopy. So I'm gonna go back a generation, and I'm sure I will be very happy with it.

Best of luck to you!!

21st Jan 2014, 19:29

You should consider Kia; same company, different designer, but ultimately very similar feel, just a bit more sporty models...

2008 Hyundai Elantra 2.0

Summary:

Love Hyundai, but not the Elantra..

General Comments:

My father just bought a used 08 Elantra, and I must say I cannot drive this car.

I own an 07 Sonata 3.3L V6, which I love. It has good power, it is comfortable, and it has more than enough room...

The same cannot be said for the Elantra. For a 2.0L, it is very underpowered.

I spent a few days with this car and noticed the following: it is hard to find a comfortable driving position, the steering is very light, and there are a lot of blind spots around the car.

The only plus points I can give the car are that for the price of a basic Civic or Corolla, you can get a fully loaded AC/leather/sunroof Elantra. The car does not give any personal reassurance that it is capable of everyday city driving. Personally, I would not take this car on long trips... I do not like the way it acts on the highway. Lane changes are very difficult... given the light steering.

Bottom line: I am not a Hyundai hater, but the 4 cyl does no compare to others. If you want to buy a Hyundai, buy a V6 or V8, which are better than other companies.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2009

22nd Apr 2010, 21:11

I don't know why you wouldn't take this car on a long journey. I took my 2007 Elantra from Ontario to Florida and back for Christmas 08, and it was a good trip. I had no problems at all. At that time it would have had almost 60000km on it.

It presently (22 Apr 2010) has 101000km on it, and it's just going in for it's 96k check up, even though it has no problems. Just getting recommended maintenance done, because like everything else, parts wear. Call it preventative maintenance.