# 2002 Hyundai Elantra - Anyone have an opinion? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2002-hyundai-elantra-anyone-have-an-opinion/284424 "2005-01-12T19:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2002-hyundai-elantra-anyone-have-an-opinion/284424/1 "2005-01-12T19:49:31Z")
We’ve been doing our research, and we think we might buy a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. We don’t know anybody who has one, so I was hoping someone in Doperland might have some anecdotal opinions about them. We’re thinking about something a couple of years old so someone else has taken the new car depreciation hit, but we still get a car with lots of life still in it. So, opinions? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2002-hyundai-elantra-anyone-have-an-opinion/284424/2 "2005-01-12T20:56:48Z")
The only thing I have heard about later model Hyundai’s is to have them checked out by a mechanic first and include a compression check of the engine. And avoid those with automatic transmissions. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2002-hyundai-elantra-anyone-have-an-opinion/284424/3 "2005-01-12T21:41:25Z")
I don’t know about the 2002 model year but I love my 2004 Elantra. After a quick google it appears that the 2004 did not change much from the 2002. Likes: Nice interior Quick enough to merge on the freeway w/o a problem Roomy Good fit and trim Good gas milage Comfy seats The rear seats are roomy. Decent standard stereo/casette Clear gauges/ easy to read Fold down seat has a trunk pass through so you can put in long things (think skis) Dislikes The dent I put in it ☹ The Trunk is HUGE. The trunk opening IS NOT huge. You can fit a lot of stuff in the trunk but big things won’t fit in. Ummmm… It’s not a Corvette I am really happy with the car. I do not know how much you are planning on paying for the used Hyundai but you might think about getting a new one. I got mine for 9K. Brand new with 14 miles on it. The asking price was ~14K. I wasn’t even planning on buying a car the day I got it. I was going to go look at different cars. Then the salesman asked me what I would pay for it. I started _really_ low and the salesman came back with a price that I would have paid. But this was a negotiation so I went up a bit and he went down a bit and I feel that I got a great deal. I love the car. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2002-hyundai-elantra-anyone-have-an-opinion/284424/4 "2005-01-12T22:52:42Z")
We were planning on getting a manual transmission. So, 9K USD, eh? That’s about $11,250 CAD. The 2004 Elantras are much more expensive here. The 2002 we’re thinking about is $12,988 CAD. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2002-hyundai-elantra-anyone-have-an-opinion/284424/5 "2005-01-13T00:48:33Z")
I have a 2002 Elantra with 97,000 KM on it. The car has run perfectly from day one. Not a single problem. We replaced the tires a little earlier than I might have hoped, but the car itself has run absolutely wonderfully. It’s an automatic, BTW. Someone else we know bought an Elantra based on our experience; again, a perfect record so far.