Purchasing used Elantra from auction
 

Next year my 19 yr old grandson will be attending a Community College about 30 mins by highway..Would like to purchase him a used Elantra in the 2002/2004 range...I have had excellent results with a previously owned 2002...just wondering, is there any surefired way of checking to see if the timing belt has been replaced on any with mileage of 60000 miles/96000kms....wouldnt think so with the cars on the ground, but thought I would ask

Not really. You could always take the VIN to a dealer to see if they have a record of the service being done. If it was changed by a dealer, the record shoudl be in their records.

Otherwise, use it when negotiating a price. Tell the seller unless they can prove it was changed with documentation, you either want them to pay to have it changed or you want that cost of the replacement deducted from the purchase price. And then get it changed after the purchase.

Not that much time at an auction (taking number to a dealer) or dickering with the seller...you get a chance to view vehicles on the lot (start em, move em a bit, visual one over)

I was under the impression, this is just something I remember hearing years ago, that you're supposed to bring a mechanic with you to the auction and have him look the car over as best he can before you bid on it.

That would be ideal if I had a mechanic buddy that could do that..but unfortunately I dont

You don't need to have one as a buddy, you just need to know one that you can trust. Who's the mechanic that you normally bring your car to for servicing? Pay him $100 to take a day off from work and go with you to the auction.