[paul8488]

well, my sis has. she just bought one last week. and i am, i have to admit, impressed. the little bugger is loaded right up. heated leather seats. power sunroof. power windows, locks and mirrors. automatic transmission. 6-way adjustable drivers seat. in-dash fuel consumption info. remote keyless entry. a/c. traction control. abs. 4-wheel discs. nicely styled alloys. an impressive warranty. and all for under $22,000 canadian before tax. it's a fantastic bargain. is there a cheaper car with heated seats? i was shocked!

throughout her decision-making process (i give her credit... for a non-car person, she really researched lots of vehicles) i was unable to suggest any GM's that matched the elantra for value. she was insistent on a vehicle that size, mind you, so something like an impala was out of the question (a great GM value, in my opinion). i think the cobalt is going to be very competitive in that market, but that little hyundai is leaps and bounds ahead of the cavalier. and i know at any given point in time some cars are recent redo's and some are older, but the elantra isn't the freshest face on the block, and yet still pretty competitive.

 

[Dodge Drivin' Paul]

I'd have gone for an Olds Alero. After rebates, it's about the same price but looks way better and has a stronger, more efficient engine. I'll take that over heated leather seats.

 

[paul8488]

Originally posted by Dodge Drivin' Paul@Jun 8 2004, 01:45 PM
I'd have gone for an Olds Alero. After rebates, it's about the same price but looks way better and has a stronger, more efficient engine. I'll take that over heated leather seats.

me too, actually! suggested it... she didn't like it, but it's what i'd go for. it's a little roomier too. still, the hyundai has some impressive features for the price. it's at least nice that they offer so many options. again, i'm keeping my eyes on the cobalt...

 

[powervette]

I would never let my sister buy a Hyundai

 

[paul8488]

Originally posted by powervette@Jun 8 2004, 03:22 PM
I would never let my sister buy a Hyundai

no? i had a tough time convincing my university-educated older sister, who's a teacher and all-round bright gal, to ignore all the research she did that said hyundai's are undervalued, improving in quality, and warrantied for years past most other vehicles not to buy it. in fact, i couldn't.

she liked the style of the jetta... but discovered the quality was dismal. she liked the price of the ion... but discovered it (2005's aren't out yet sadly!) wasn't finished very well inside. she liked the reputation of the corolla... but discovered it lacked character of any sort.


if only more consumers put as much thought into their vehicle purchase... GM has some stellar vehicles out now that people are still scared of because of GM's flaws from decades ago. ion's a bad example, and as it turns out in my sisters case no small GM's offered her what she wanted... but if she'd been looking for, say, a larger vehicle, her in-depth analysis might very well have pointed her to a malibu or grand prix.

man, i'm gonna go buy you an aveo, ship to to your house, and see if we can't get you to fall in love with the korean revolution! hahaha!

(of note, i'm much more enthusiastic about GM's home-grown vehicles like cobalt and G6 than the daewoos... just trying to get a rise out of powervette :lol: )

 

[Ming]

Paul, your sister made a good move. I came close to buying an Accent GT once - it was a very attractive package for the price, but now Chevy has the Aveo.

GM should take more advantage of its Daewoo ties in the US market like it has in Canada (Epica, Optra). It's simply impossible to offer the kind of features for the price with fresh, modern styling as the Koreans offer. Instead GM's idea of "value" product is selling something on a 20 year old platform, like the Cavalier, with an interior from 1996....and a mere 3 year warranty.

Might have suggested a Suzuki Forenza or Verona. At least that way you could keep it in the GM extended family. And they do offer "America's Best Warranty".

 

[paul8488]

Originally posted by Ming@Jun 8 2004, 03:47 PM
Might have suggested a Suzuki Forenza or Verona. At least that way you could keep it in the GM extended family. And they do offer "America's Best Warranty".

hmmm... didn't think of the suzukis. there are few dealerships in canada though, which makes them a little less attractive. i really like the optra5, but at 119 hp it has a mathematical disadvantage versus the elantras 138 hp. and the posted fuel economy of the optra5 isn't very impressive, though at least one GMi member has said that gas mileage is better than posted. but you're right about the cavalier... and the cobalt aims to undo its wrongs. it just isn't here yet! hurry up GM!

on a semi-related note, i noticed the wave is now listed under "future" and not "concept" models on the gmcanada website. SURELY there's something they could do to make it a hair more 'pontiac'. you know, maybe add 17% more power (up to an earth-shattering 120 hp), lower the car a few mm's, toughen up the shocks just a smidge. ANYTHING to make me go 'wave' and not 'aveo'. the reason i think the 9-2x will not tank is because saab put some effort into making it a bit different. looks are subjective, but from what i've read it's much more quiet and has a nicer ride than the impreza. shouldn't a pontiac (any pontiac) offer a tick more oomph? though i guess perhaps this thing shouldn't even be a pontiac in the first place, so it doesn't matter.

 

[Rex Raider]

I liked the Elantra GT when it first came out, and shortly considered getting one.

The most recent facelift, I'm not crazy about.



Hyundai's (and Suzuki's) warranties are NOT the same in Canada as in the US.

 

[nsap]

Hope the Elantra is better than the Accent.. One of my friends had an Accent and that thing was a piece of crap! When it rained, water would just FLOOD in the car...

I can see why the need a great warranty

 

[thehemi]

Originally posted by paul8488@Jun 8 2004, 09:42 AM
she liked the reputation of the corolla

She does not read MotorTrend. Their one-year Corolla car was a POS.
Head gasket, tranny gasket and new brakes in less than a year. Trash!

 

[paul8488]

Originally posted by thehemi+Jun 8 2004, 05:45 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (thehemi @ Jun 8 2004, 05:45 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-paul8488@Jun 8 2004, 09:42 AM
she liked the reputation of the corolla

She does not read MotorTrend. Their one-year Corolla car was a POS.
Head gasket, tranny gasket and new brakes in less than a year. Trash! [/b][/quote]
ah, another example of the importance of researching a new vehicle. that seems like an extreme case, but there are examples of crappy toyotas out there too apparently! historically the corolla has been considered pretty bullet-proof, but maybe toyota has gotten lazy over the years. nothing last forever!

 

[Vintalage]

Your sis made the right decision. My cousin has a 2001 Elantra and I was extremely impressed with it. The quality is amazing for the price and it has some get up. The alero would be a bad decision. I had one and it was problematic. Unreliable. Now I have an '02 Grandam GT1 and i'm experiencing problems with it too. The elantra is reliable and build quality is great despite what others on this board may think. Fitment is excellent and the interior quality surpasses that of the alero/grandam/malibu.

 

[T-Keith]

Originally posted by powervette@Jun 8 2004, 10:22 AM
I would never let my sister buy a Hyundai

Me too. My sister was looking for a similar car. She likes her Malibu.

 

[powervette]

Originally posted by paul8488+Jun 8 2004, 03:42 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (paul8488 @ Jun 8 2004, 03:42 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-powervette@Jun 8 2004, 03:22 PM
I would never let my sister buy a Hyundai

no? i had a tough time convincing my university-educated older sister, who's a teacher and all-round bright gal, to ignore all the research she did that said hyundai's are undervalued, improving in quality, and warrantied for years past most other vehicles not to buy it. in fact, i couldn't.

she liked the style of the jetta... but discovered the quality was dismal. she liked the price of the ion... but discovered it (2005's aren't out yet sadly!) wasn't finished very well inside. she liked the reputation of the corolla... but discovered it lacked character of any sort.

[/b][/quote]
I must say I am impressed with your sister's character,My having two cars to choose from would take the red one :lol:

 

[thehemi]

Originally posted by paul8488@Jun 8 2004, 11:50 AM
historically the corolla has been considered pretty bullet-proof, but maybe toyota has gotten lazy over the years.

They will drive a new Mustang, hear a small interior rattle,
and write down that the new Mustang has a cheap interior.
They will drive a new Corolla, replace the head gasket and
tranny gasket at 20K, and sing legendary reliability praises.

Sorry, I'm off topic, it's just the M/T really pisses me off.

 

[AznGA]

Originally posted by Vintalage@Jun 8 2004, 01:50 PM
Your sis made the right decision. My cousin has a 2001 Elantra and I was extremely impressed with it. The quality is amazing for the price and it has some get up. The alero would be a bad decision. I had one and it was problematic. Unreliable. Now I have an '02 Grandam GT1 and i'm experiencing problems with it too. The elantra is reliable and build quality is great despite what others on this board may think. Fitment is excellent and the interior quality surpasses that of the alero/grandam/malibu.

Stupid GM and damn lower intake gasket leak. Mine has been leaking for a while, but I recelty noticed.

 

[geronimo66]

Bought my wife an Alero after the new engine at 5K miles, new glove box door, and replacement of the sun visor I was less than impressed. The 3.4L based off the 3.1 based off the 2.8L which was a POS leaves little to be desired. Needless to say I have no GM's in the garage at the moment.

 

[Dodge Drivin' Paul]

For the record, the Alero that's price-competitive (and engine-competitive) with the Elantra GT comes with the Ecotech 4 cylinder engine, which is a very solid powertrain...twin cam, all aluminum, delivers a nice blend of economy and performance.

The Alero of today isn't the Alero of years past.