Hello everyone,

I am a college student and in need of a reliable used car. I would like to purchase something in the next month or so. I have done *some* research and it seems that the best ratings are generally given to Honda (in the first place), Toyota (in the second place), and Hyundai Elantra (in the third): in terms of reliability, durability, gas mileage, availability of parts and mechanics, and the cost of repair. Nissan and Mazda are also good cars in this category: i.e., reasonably priced cars for a college student.

Used Honda and Toyota are really overpriced in the US and so I am turning to an Elantra most likely 1998 to 2004. I am not considering Accent because I don't want to get a car that would give me only troubles after 150K+ miles. (Maybe my assumptions are not right about Accents. If so, please do let me know.) My budget is $4000 to $6000 -- anything beyond $4000 being really a stretch in my finance. So if I buy something closer to my minimum, it would be better. I don't need any monthly payments so I am going to buy the car in cash which hopefully would help me find a better deal. The cars I am looking at on Craigslist and other similar websites seem to have 100K+ miles on them. I think if I do a very thorough search I might be able to find something around 100K or 110K. So I wonder if some of you can help me with the following questions:

1. What is the average lifespan of this generation of Elantra -- considering if they were taken care by the original owner/s, if they were maintained properly? What is the average lifespan for an Elantra that *has not* been maintained properly?

2. What are some of the general problems Elantra of this generation faces when it reaches 100K+ miles? Do the timing belt, water pump, transmission, and other things have to be changed? How much does the total cost entail?

3. Finally, do you recommend an Elantra over other cars mentioned above? Do you think it would be wiser for me to spend this money on a different car, that is, a Corolla, an Altima, or a Mazda?

Appreciatively,

Ron

 

I'd change your year range of Elantra to 2002-2006. Just a personal opinion but I wouldn't own a pre-2002 Hyundai. That's really when their build quality started to go up. There's no reason why a properly maintained Elantra wouldn't go to 200K+ miles. The only problem is finding one that was properly maintained before you get it. All the best maintenance in the world AFTER you buy it won't help if it wasn't maintained well BEFORE you bought it. The 2.0L Beta engine in the Elantra used a timing belt that needs to be changed every 60K miles. Be sure you get documented proof that it was changed if you buy one with more than 60K miles. Water pumps will last 100K but many people choose to change the water pump at 60K with the timing belt. Total cost depends on who does it but expect a few hundred for a timing belt.