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Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra

1641 messages,  Last post on Feb 17, 2010 at 3:54 PM

You are in the Honda Civic Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Sedan

Messages Page 109 of 165

#1080 of 1641 Re: Really why the Elantra is better. [mononeo] by blueiedgod

Mar 15, 2005 (6:25 am)

Replying to: mononeo (Mar 14, 2005 7:37 pm)
My father drives a 2004 Honda Civic EX. My best friend drives a 2004 Hyundai Elantra GT. The Civic EX rang in about $19,000 after the non-debatable Oregon dealer markup for Hondas, and it is an automatic (this car is not equipped with side airbags). The Elantra GT (with ABS, Traction Control, sunroof, leather: whole enchilada basically) cost her about $13,000 while on sale at the Hyundai dealership.
 
Everything is negotiable in this world, just because your friend is better negotiator than your father does not mean that Civic is overpriced. There are plenty of people who got their 2004 Civic EX's for high $14K - mid-$15K's.
 
I drive a 1993 Honda Accord LX coupe with 180,000 miles on it and I have decided that my next car will be a Hyundai, not a Honda.
 
I am glad you liked the Elantra. Now, come back when it hits 250,000 miles and report then. I have yet to see a Hyundai get that high in miles and is still marketable. On the other hand, I sold my 1985 Civic DX with 250,000 miles for a cool $1500.
 
I attribute this to the fact that the Elantra is made for Europeans and Americans, who buy many times over more Elantras than the domestic market of Korea buys, whereas Civics sell just as primarily in Asian markets as America.
 
I am not sure what you meant by that sentnce, but North America is Honda's biggest market. Toyota rules the Japanese domestic market in sales. But, I will give you this, Hondas fit me perfectly, and are the only compacts that I feel comfortable in (6 foot at 190 lbs)
 
The only Hyundai I would consider is the new Tiburon, but I would still stuff it with Honda internals. Just because Hyundai paid Pininnfarina to design the shell still does not make it a reliable car. Besides, when was the last time you heard "reliable" and "Italian car" in one sentence?
 
This is the fork in the road. The Civic always drive the same. The Elantra doesn't. The Elantra most of the time is very smooth and comfortable, but if you need to take hard corners, you just gas it and it powers out of the corner with minimal understeer, while the Civic retains its moderate understeer at all times.
Maybe that is why Hyundai Elantra's are so popular with auto cross people. Oh wait a minute, I have not seen one Hyundai Elantra GT get to the top 10 in auto cross, they are always Honda Cvic, Acura integra, and an occasional BMW or Lexus.
 
Enjoy the Hyundai, maybe time will tell. Back in the 70's and 80's people were bad mouthing Honda's and Toyota, but they perseviered. So far, since 1986, Hyundai has not proven it self being long living.

#1081 of 1641 Re: Really why the Elantra is better. [blueiedgod] by backy

Mar 15, 2005 (8:37 am)

Replying to: blueiedgod (Mar 15, 2005 6:25 am)
Please tell me where I can buy a '05 Civic EX 4-door automatic (list about $18,800) for high $14k's, or about $4000 off MSRP (way, way under invoice). I will probably go buy one, since I could sell it for more than that.

#1083 of 1641 Re: Really why the Elantra is better. [mononeo] by john500

Mar 15, 2005 (10:11 am)

Replying to: mononeo (Mar 14, 2005 7:37 pm)
Eloquent review, however, I'd listen to blue-eyed god on this one before buying your car. I think a statiscally representative negotiated price would be about 17,000 for a loaded Civic EX and 14,000 for a loaded Elantra GT. If you intend to keep the car for a long time (100,000 miles +), Honda engines have proven to be the most durable over time. If you intend to sell the car after 5 years, I think the Hyundai might be a reasonable choice based upon the warranty (5 years instead of 3). However, barring a marketing bonanza by Hyundai, you will probably lose the $3,000 initial price savings with the lower resale value of the Hyundai after 5 years. Therefore, you are back to break-even and your comfort and style preferences should dictate your purchase.
     Your comment about the seats has sparked my interest. I've always been extremely fit (almost obsessively so), however, shortly after buying a Honda Civic in 2003 I've had an annoying back-ache that I can't pin down the source of other than the timing of me buying the Civic. Maybe I need to look at a Hundai if the seats are that comfortable.

#1084 of 1641 Re: Really why the Elantra is better. [john500] by backy

Mar 15, 2005 (10:28 am)

Replying to: john500 (Mar 15, 2005 10:11 am)
Please do check out the Elantra re driver's seat. That was its #1 benefit for me over almost every other car in its class. C/D has called the Elantra's seat adjusters the best in the business.
 
P.S. My loaded Elantra GT 5-door was $13,200 + T&L last year, including 3 years scheduled maintenance. Civic wasn't even in the mix then because it's not offered in 5-door sedan.

#1085 of 1641 intangibles by bikerpa

Mar 15, 2005 (11:41 am)

It's amazing how folks seem to be willing to purchase a car based on speculation and gut feel. Comparing a '95 Civic to anything made today is apples & oranges at best; "reliable" and "Italian car" certainly don't belong in the same sentence, but that same paragraph mentioned that it is only the shell; I could go on and on, with preconceived notions pertaining to Honda, Hyundai, and any other manufacturer from Toyota to Land Cruiser. I've heard of Volvo 240DLs last a quarter of a million miles and I've seen one owned by a co-worker totally *censored* after 80k.
 
Objectively speaking, my Elantra GT provided far more amenities (leather, CD/MP3, keyless, 4 door hatch functionality, alloys) than anything else within $3500 of the purchase price ($11,622), with a warranty that easily covers the entire time I will be making payments. How can one beat that?
 
Also, I've gotta second the driver's seat. If you get in one, check out the little 3-position lever right under the side airbag "SRS" embroidery. That additional lumbar support makes the hours slip by far more comfortably.

#1086 of 1641 "The only Hyundai I would consider by csandste

Mar 15, 2005 (1:12 pm)

is the new Tiburon, but I would still stuff it with Honda internals."
 
What does that mean???

#1087 of 1641 Hyundai with Honda internals by blueiedgod

Mar 16, 2005 (6:15 am)

Replying to: csandste (Mar 15, 2005 1:12 pm)
is the new Tiburon, but I would still stuff it with Honda internals."
  
What does that mean???
 
I like the body. Pininnfarina did a good job on it. I bet you it cost Hyundai a pretty penny to have an Italian design firm make design a shell. I wish Honda would hire someone to do a hot design. But in my world, being not a superficial person, what's inside counts more than looks. This is why I stick with not so hot looking Honda's, that provide reliable and fund to drive transportation.

#1088 of 1641 Re: Really why the Elantra is better. [backy] by blueiedgod

Mar 16, 2005 (6:22 am)

Replying to: backy (Mar 15, 2005 8:37 am)
Please tell me where I can buy a '05 Civic EX 4-door automatic (list about $18,800) for high $14k's, or about $4000 off MSRP (way, way under invoice). I will probably go buy one, since I could sell it for more than that.
 
You said your father has a 2004, this is what people paid for 2004 last fall. Check Honda prices paid board and scroll back to september - december 2004. Although Honda does not offer rebates, they do offer dealer incentives. People in the know, like visitors to Edmunds, know what these incentives are, and are skilled negotiators. People who walk into the dealership off the street, unprepared, are usually taken to the MSRP price and pay it.
 
Enjoy the Hyundai, just remember that I paid $14,500 for the Civic Si (highest trim you can get in the Civic line up), brand new with 8 miles on the odo, got 1.9% APR. So, everything is possible. There are people who paid less than I did for the Si, like $13,800.

#1089 of 1641 Re: Really why the Elantra is better. [blueiedgod] by backy

Mar 16, 2005 (6:28 am)

Replying to: blueiedgod (Mar 16, 2005 6:22 am)
I never said my father has a Hyundai. He died in 1976.
 
Your post was in the present tense, so I assumed you meant people can buy a Civic EX automatic (the car we were discussing in this thread) now for high $14k's. If you want to pick a specific time period, I'll refer to ads from Hyundai dealers offering new '04 Elantras for $8k. So now it's a $6-7k difference. Like you said, everything is possible.

Messages Page 109 of 165

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