Hi everybody,

I'm in the market for a lightly-used, economical, family-friendly hatchback. I noticed an ET in traffic last week and I liked the look of it. I'd never even heard of it before! I test drove a 2011 ES with 37K miles on it the other day and really liked it. We have two little kids who ride in car seats, and the back seat seems to have plenty of room for that. The features that were available at this price point really impressed me: heated leather seats, sunroof, alloy wheels, etc. I usually don't allow myself such luxuries in a car!

In general, I liked it because it was exactly what I NEEDED in a car and little else. It's not fast, but I really don't care about that.

My big question for you guys is, what is your opinion on the general build quality and longevity of the ET, and Hyundai in general? The only cars I've ever owned are Honda and Subaru, both of have which have served me very well. I have an open mind about Hyundai, but I have read a few posts on this board that concern me, such as stories about strange noises, alignment problems, and general 'gremlins ' on very new cars. But then, you can go online and read bad things about any manufacturer, so I'm reserving judgement.

The reasons I'm seriously considering the ET are 1) the price (and perceived value), and 2) because no other manufacturer that I trust seems to make a compact wagon like this at the moment. But I'm the kind of owner that likes to keep a car until it's falling apart. Does the ET have what it takes to stay reliable for 10+ years?

Thanks!

 

Just bought a used ET SE a couple weeks ago and haven't noticed any problem yet. Like you, the only car I've owned is Subaru. I moved to this small area where there is no Subaru dealer so it's an inconvenient to take the car out of town for service. When the dealer and the local shops were unable to fix my Subaru, I decided to get another car. Must have features for me are hatchback/wagon, auto doors, and auto windows. I actually don't like sunroof and leather seats. Since this ET is a used car and with a good deal I went ahead and bought it. What I like most is roomy cargo area. Gas mileage, power, and acceleration is not as good compared to others. Good luck.

 

You'll be happy with the car, as long as you take care of it.

I owned a 2003 Elantra GT hatchback from 12,000 miles, to just over 221,000 miles when I sold it to a co-worker who needed something cheap and reliable. That was over 2 years ago, and she still drives it daily and loves it.

I never had anything go wrong with that car, and since I loved it so much, I picked up a 2009 Touring a couple years back, and just love this **** out of this car. It has so much room and has great get up and go.

No worries about the car, it will last you.

 

Hi:
I bought a 2012 Touring new 18 months ago and I have been very pleased.
It has one annoying tendency to sometimes go into 3rd rather than 1st gear on starting out (5 speed manual) but if I shift firmly from neutral this doesn't happen.
The car has 30000 KM (18000 mi) and has otherwise been trouble free.
You get a lot of space for cargo and the gas mileage is respectable.
Parts such as wiper blades and cabin air filters are readily available at big discounts on EBay.

 

I have a 2010 ET SE. While Hyundai took care of a lot of work under warranty (lots of creaking body noise, replaced the sunroof, replaced trim pieces of roof rails, replaced chrome ***** and handles) this really was a lot work and significant inconvenience with so many trips to the dealer.

The car has had regular dealer maintenance all along. It is now out of warranty except the drive train. As mentioned in another post, I do have water getting inside the vehicle with no clue where to look.

A minor, but annoying issue is the floor matts wore through the carpet and the plastic/rubber backing disintegrated at about 38,000. This was NOT covered under the warranty. I have never worn out car matts before with our vehicles typically logging well over 100,000 miles.

I really am less and less impressed with Hyundai and I doubt my vehicle will make it much beyond 80,000 miles.

 

This is late but it may be helpful. When I was doing research on what used car to get I kept finding that the 2009 model of ET is much better than the 2010-2012. I've seen this come up time and again, consumer reports recently listed the 2010-2012 on the avoid list. JD Power and associates have vastly different initial build quality and dependability ratings between the years. I know that Hyundai was able to lower the starting price point in 2010 for the Tourings. I've even read on some forums about an upcoming recall for Tourings regarding a metal piece that comes lose during airbag deployment, however it's only for 2010-2012. If you can, I'd suggest sticking with 2009. You may have a fuel door problem but it's an easy DIY fix, and I'm pretty sure the tire wear issues were due to the original tires they put on and not the car itself. You wont find a car with this cargo, fuel efficiency, and price. I like the xB, Fit, and Vibe (Matrix) but they have less cargo room, depends on what your priorities are.

 

Thanks! I ended up getting a low-mileage 2006 Toyota Highlander. It was the same price as a late-model ET. It's a V6, so it's kind of a pig on gas, but it certainly has the room and smooth ride I was looking for.