1998 Hyundai Elantra Wagon Base 1.8 DOHC from North America

Summary:

Good bang for the buck

Faults:

The front brakes went bad at 130,000 miles.

New clutch put in at 110,000 miles.

General Comments:

If one keeps up on the maintenance, aka oil change 3,000 miles, the car will stay in good shape.

Have to tell where red line is (no tachometer), would be helpful because of how hard my car is driven.

Its performance is better than that of Civics.

The handling is a little on the soft side, but it was not made to be a sports car.

I would recommend buying a new Hyundai to anyone on a limited budget.

However I would stay away from used ones, and some people don't know how to take care of cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th February, 2004

1998 Hyundai Elantra SE 1.8 DOHC from North America

Summary:

A fish box on wheels

Faults:

The brakes on this car wear out at about every six months $500.

I had to replace the wheel bearings twice $127 a piece.

The transmission pump wore out there for my transmission burned out $2500.

The exhaust manifold had a huge crack in it $400.

The O2 sensor needed to be replaced $250.

It goes through about a liter of oil every two weeks.

General Comments:

The inside of this car is relatively well designed except for the seats which are very uncomfortable to sit in for an extended period of time.

However it has a lot of get up and go and handles fairly well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd February, 2004

1998 Hyundai Elantra SE 1.8L from North America

Summary:

Cheap car with a great look, not reliable

Faults:

I had to change 13 front wheel bearings.

2 steering gear assembly has been changed.

After 1 year, the rear suspension was out of order.

Electrical problem with fog light.

Wipers arms assembly jam.

Wind noise.

General Comments:

This car gave me a lot of headaches.

Hyundai Canada did not recognize the bearing problem.

My dealer suggest me to soldering doors and windows to stop the wind noise problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th April, 2003

1998 Hyundai Elantra Wagon 1.2 from Korea

Summary:

High maintenance lemon

Faults:

Transmission was replaced 3 times and after the last time dealer refused to do anything else, even though the car was still under warranty.

General Comments:

We first noticed the problem after about 500 miles was on the car. It started be sluggish going up hills not shifting out of gear. First we took the car to the dealer telling them what it was doing, we were told that was the way the car was supposed to run. We finally got action the first time the transmission went out when it broke down and I called the roadside assistance number and took a fit.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th April, 2003

20th Mar 2006, 18:38

I have the same car and the transmission was replaced on it once before I bought it. I have also noticed mine will not shift out of 1st or 2nd gear sometimes and is very sluggish on hills. One time I was just driving down the highway and suddenly the car kicked from 4th into 3rd gear! Tranny is definitely weird, but this car has earned my respect for being very low maintenance and extremely reliable.

20th Jun 2009, 13:59

I will have to disagree with you on this one. I bought a used 1998 Elantra SE in 2002 with 80,000 km. I drove this car through hell and back, never put a cent into it other than wheels and oil changes. Although recently it won't pass safety inspection until I fix the rust holes on the rocker panels. Well worth the money. Had no problems in the last 7 years and 120,000km, other than a little bit of rust holes.

1998 Hyundai Elantra Wagon from North America

Summary:

An electrical lemon after 50,000 kilometers

Faults:

The transmission required replacement at 53,000 kilometers.

The check engine light went on at 69,000 kilometers. Changed plugs, fuel filter and air filter.

Intermittent hard shift into 4th (80 plus kmh) at 69,000 kilometers. Repair shop unable to diagnose.

Replaced left front wheel bearing at 69,000 kilometers.

The check engine light went on at 69,500 kilometers. Replaced plugs.

The speedometer cable broke at 70,000 kilometers.

The check engine light went on at 77,000 kilometers. Faulty ignition wires were replaced.

Leaking valve cover gasket was replaced at 77,000 kilometers.

The check engine light went on at 77,100 kilometers. Repair shop unable to diagnose problem.

The check engine light went on at 79,000 kilometers. Replaced the ignition coil.

The check engine light went on at 79,100 kilometers. Repair shop unable to diagnose problem.

General Comments:

The car has lots of leg room and is comfortable to drive long distances in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 12th February, 2003