Serious consideration.....Corolla vs. Elantra...........???????

[redgtxdi]

OK, so I realize this is the Toy forum, but I'm seriously between a rock and a hard place right now. I gave up my project '94 pickup to the in-laws (was a 3rd car) but loved the gas mileage so much, I'm itchin' to get another high-"MPG" vehicle and park my F150. (Have a '98 Camry too)

That said.................

I'm lookin' at:

05 Corolla LE (auto) $16K

05 Elantra GLS (auto) $12K

I *know* the Elantra can be had for as much 'cuz my buddy just picked up a GT for that price, but I'm guessing on the Corolla. Thing is the Corolla feels so nice, like my Camry did 7 years ago. I can't believe how far the Corolla has come.

Which one should I buy??? (Keep in mind, my Hyundai buddy is ALL OVER me about the Elantra right now)

TIA

[REN69]

Both made in north america, probably about same quality.. its your pick.. I like the Corolla myself but I wouldn't settle for anything less than an XRS. The Corolla S is nice but probably a lot more than you're willing to spend.

[rolla-XRS]

Depends. If you're leasing the car and plan to dump it in 3-4 years...then I'd say it doesn't really matter much.

But if you're buying, go for the car that will hold it's resale and remain reliable = Corolla.

I believe that Consumer Reports just issued their 2005 Buyers Guide...and I know for sure that Corolla was considered highly as a "Buy" and pretty sure Elantra didn't even make the list (ie: don't buy)

That said...dear old Mom needed a car last winter and before talking to anyone...she went out and bought the Elantra (I was royally pissed off). Transmission failure at under 10,000km. Suspension work at 6,000km. All covered under warranty...but she was pretty much car-less while they ordered parts and fixed it....not to mention the inconvenience of having to visit the dealer, haggling with the tow truck driver to bill Hyundai, etc.

She learned that if you buy cheap...you get cheap. Few things in life are free...blah, blah, blah.

That said...as a rule of thunb, you should steer clear of companies that have experienced rapid sales growth - because it's tough to get all the experience and infrastructure in place before it's needed. Vehicle sales at Hyundai (like Nissan) have expanded much faster than their dealership service and support network...so in 2-5 years there's going to be a huge problem ensuring you get decent service from a dealer....without having to make an appointment 6 months in advance.

But ultimately...the choice is yours to make. Be sure it's informed and go get the latest Consumer Reports magazine.

GL!

[dexter_5000]

i say the corolla my g/f just got one. she likes it alot. thing is i look at who is selling cars on reliability and who is trying to sell cars on a long powertrain warranty makes you kind of wonder why they need such a long one.

[redgtxdi]

Agreed on a lot of the points mentioned above. If I had to buy blindfolded, I'd buy Toyota every day of the week, but Hyundai is definitely changing for the better.

It seems more than anything, their transmissions are their weakest spot. They've certainly improved them since the 2000 models, but still prob here & there......(especially on auto).

And, of course for every Hyundai horror story, somebody over at Elantraclub.com will tell you another Toyota horror story. (though with multiple times the sales.....blah, blah, blah, right?)

When I listen to the arguments, most folks are basing Hyundai's recent improvement in quality on JD Power & Associates recent praising of their efforts the last few years. Sure, the warranty is nice, but if you have to use it, then yes, that sucks.

Anyway, Toyotas seem to be backed by years....while Hyundai seems to be backed by a few articles and JDP&A.

Is an extra $3K to $4K in the pocket worth the hassle of maybe having to run a vehicle to the dealer??

[stewardc]

I still hear horror stories about anything Hyundai. On the other side my 03 Corolla S now has 220,000km on it with ZERO problems.

[93corollaCN]

Last summer I rented an '04 Corolla with an automatic and 5K miles on it. I hated it. I think my '93 w/ 171K rides better, handles better, and is faster!

I was shocked at how low you sit in the car (and I am 6'1"), how hard the seats are, how cheap the climate control knobs felt and how slow it was. The ride was practically non-absorbent. Even small bumps made the CD player skip.

I know a lot of people are going to disagree with the above, but it's just my humble opinion. I am sure the Corolla will last a long time and likely have fewer issues than the Hyundai...but drive both, keep in mind the difference in cost and the warranty, and also...each manufacturer's dealer in your area...which would you rather buy from? Which has a better service department? etc?

[stubborn1]

Drive both vehicles and buy the one you like better. Your opinion is all that matters in the end.

Just be aware that if you buy the Hyundai and want to sell in less than 5 years time you will take a bath on resale.

[redgtxdi]

Well, I would HIGHLY recommend you test-driving and '05. I think you'd be absolutely impressed.

In fact, (I'm not as up on Corollas as Camrys) maybe somebody here can tell me/us if anything changed for '05?? And/OR when the big break point was for model changing?? 1999? 2000? 2001??

The only *real* difference I can say that I feel is that the Corolla has DEFINITELY increased in size since '98, 'cuz when I test drove both back then, I chose Camry 'cuz of the extra room. (AT 6'2", I simply didn't fit well in the Corolla). But now, I was able to sit up straight in the Corolla w/ no problem and the width seems to have increased a bit too 'cuz the left door panel cluster didn't interfere with my being able to steer and my left knee.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.................Of course I could also do nothing at all............save the insurance money.........save the hassle..........and just keep payin' whatever it costs to fill up my truck & deal with it.

[Corolla_reps]

i would go for a Corolla for realibility....Camry yep they do look nice and comfortable..yep i have both..anyway an Elantra it maybe cheap but would it outlast a Toyota ???.....yep decisions maybe difficult..

[biggriggs]

Test drive both, if you like them both equally then get the corolla, for resale value alone. If you like the elantra better, get it.

[kenny1773]

redgtxdi - busted cross posting

If you look in the camry forum, you can see my post

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t89513-2.html

Comparing car prices vs equipment vs quality etc etc is VERY VERY complicated.

many people lose site of what determines the REAL cost of a car.

The real cost is cost per mile. How you calculate that is based on EVERY cost related to the car to get to X number of mile and then divide.

Someone commented that resale value is not important, but it is CRITICAL.

cost of car + cost of gas + repairs maint + tax + ANY RED CENT YOU PUT INTO THE DAMN THING WHILE YOU OWN IT (-minus what you sell it for) / the number of miles you drove it

will give you the real cost of the car.

My point is a corrolla (assuming prices from edmunds.com are real) is cheaper over 100,000 miles than a Hyundai elantra.

redgtxdi - you can buy a corolla for *UNDER* invoice price, trust me. I bought a corolla, 2 camry's and a RAV4 all under invoice price from different dealers in different model years (no sale was related to the other). It can be done, you just have to play hard ball with the dealer and be armed with prices (edmunds.com). On average I can get $1000 below invoice price posted on edmunds.

You seem to be comparing an under invoice price hyundai to an over invoice price corolla. I would suggest you shop harder on the corolla

*edit to say, I can get a camry for $14,999, did you consider that?

[redgtxdi]

Ya, well cross-posting is a bit of B.S. in my book, but that's what mods are for. Problem is most of the mods runnin' this board are probably half my age & don't even recall the days of "usenet" only when cross posting was the EXACT same question run acrossed FIFTEEN different newsgroups!!!

Opinions of Camry owners looking at Corollas and Elantras objectively is going to be different than those of Corolla owners and since I own an Camry and not a Corolla, I figured double-owners could offer some insight!!

Oh well..........se la vi......

And as for expense, yes it's a double-edged sword, however my concern is probably most related to the future of gas prices.

If crude goes to $100/barrel, then what kind of gas prices are we lookin' at?? If it costs me $55 to fill up my F150 now........it's gonna cost a whole lot more then!!

The difference in cost-effective refueling becomes bigger then 'cuz cost per mile spread is gonna get larger as gas prices go up.........(not exponentially, but makes my gut sure feel like it)

One saving grace however -------------> I love the fact that Nissan and Honda just jumped into the Full-size truck market. I figure if I'm in the same boat as they are being truck mfgr's, then we're all screwed!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!

[micro214_kp61]

Hyundai =

[Peter]

lol id go with the rolla , my history with hyundies isnt to great