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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra
1637 messages, Last post on Oct 27, 2009 at 7:09 PM
You are in the Honda Civic Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Please notice that the post about Hyundai's "desperate" act was written by someone named "isellhondas". There is nothing wrong with liking Hondas, I had a CRX that I really liked. But bashing a company for providing an outstanding warranty is uncalled for. I would conclude that he/she is the desperate one. Hyundai is and has been the fastest growing car company in the U.S. over the last year and is poised to overtake Mitsubishi's U.S. sales figures. BTW, I am not affiliated with Hyundai, just a happy owner of 3 new Hyundais. Boltguy |
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I think almost everybody would agree that the earlier Hyundais were pretty sad. The ten year warranty is a marketing tool and nothing more. I agree that they are probably better than in the past. Still, for the money, I would much rather buy something used with a better record. and...no, it doesn't have to be a Honda either. I just think there are MUCH better choices but, that's just my opinion. the terrible resale values speak for themselves.
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And so does your name. Maybe this buyer would like to hear from someone who has owned a Hyundai. Not someone spewing propaganda about the cars they sell. Early Hyundai's were crap, most everyone can agree on that. And the warranty is partially to ease the mind of potential buyers who only remember the late 80's - early 90's Excels. But that "marketing tool" will help resale values as it carries over to used Hyundai buyers also. Do you remember when early Honda's were being bashed for poor quality and reliability? I sure do. Hyundai has grown up and learned from early mistakes (like Honda). Hyundai Elantra's have more horsepower, a longer warranty, more standard features, and are a few thousand less than a Civic. Now that speaks for itself. I'm sure this person plans on test driving both makes. Why don't you give it a try? We won't tell any of your co-workers. You might be pleasantly surprised. Boltguy |
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| This topic sounds a lot like the Leganza topics. A lot of satisfied owners, and a doom and gloom Honda sales person or two. From what I can see, the Elantra is a cute little car. I can't speak for it's quality since I've never driven nor owned one, but if my Leganza's quality is any representation of Hyundai's, I'd say go for it. I can't see spending thousands more for a Civic and get a less fortified car. As a rebutal about the best warranty is one you never have to use, I think a warranty you have to use when needed is better than a warranty you don't have when you need one. If Hondas were that fool proof, what possible loss could Honda encounter offering a 200,000 mi warranty? What a concept, I don't think a 200,000 mi warranty is covering up for, nor indicating any weaknesses, do you? | |
| The fact is Hyundia/Kia/Daewoo have had record sales in the last 2 years with no end in sight. Fact is their quality/reliablity/customer satisfaction has skyrocketed. FAct is they sell these cars for thousands and thousands less than a comparably equipped Honda/Toyota. Seems like the Japanese have had their sights set on over taking Ford/GM/Dodge and forgot to look back once in a while, if they had they would have seen a screaming Korean auto industry on on their tail. Man, I wish I would have kept that data showing and supporting my attitude change for Korean vehicles. Granted I don't own one, but now they are on my future list to look at as an option. | |
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I was coming home last night from work and the engine siezed on my '92 Hyundai Excel. Funny, as I have been bragging lately that for such a "crappy" car, it has actually been quite good to me for almost 8 years. It has had its share of problems, but mostly cosmetic and annoying (the glove box latch broke after 2 years, the dimmer switch fell out shortly after, the overhead light never worked right, the gauges could never be trusted - and after 5 years, the odometer/speedometer died - I think I had almost 120k on it before the engine died last night. But overall, no major problems. The only money I ever put into was for normal stuff - tires, brakes, oil, etc. But I bought it right out of college because it was all I could afford at the time. I was never truly enamoured of it, but it got me from point A to point B ok. My wife hated it because it was "unsafe." I am now eyeballing the Hyundai Elantra as 1) A good value; 2) In my budget and 3) Reliabe. That is the key thing. Not only do I expect it to be as mechanically sound, but if things like knobs start falling off after a year or two, I would rather pay a couple thousand extra for a solid make. Has this gotten better all around? |
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And giving my opinion for what it's worth. I have driven late model Hyundais and find them to be a vast improvement over the earlier models. Sti,, I think they are pretty lackluster. I guess if a person is determined to buy a new rather than a used car, and initial price is the most important thing, they may not be a terrible choice. Still, we cringe when a customer wants to trade one in. As a used car, they simply don't sell! And, THAT is not my humbel opinion, it is reality! When we call the local Hyundai dealers for buy bids, they either don't want them or bid thousands of dollars below book. Same applies with Kias. I'm not here to bash anything, nor am I here to promote my own product. I am simply stating things from my perspective. I do respect Hyundai for surviving against all odds! |
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A year ago I bought a 1999 Elantra base model, and is is a terrific car. I have 10,800 miles, have done some major road trips, and I'm completely satisfied. When I bought it, I wanted a Civic. But my realistic choice was between a *used* Civic or a new Hyundai. The price on my Elantra was $10,600, and that was with zero miles, air conditioning, AM/FM cassette, and the 60/100K warranty... that's all standard. For S10,600, I was looking at '96 model Civics with 30-50K miles! Hondas do hold their resale value, for sure, but if the choice is between a 3-year-old car with 30K and no warranty, or a new car... As far as considering a *new* Honda, a base 3-door with air ($1000 option) and radio ($250 aftermarket) would have run almost $11,500. A 4-door would run over $13,000. By that time, you might as well consider an DX/EX for $15,000+, which brings it into base Camry, Tarus, etc. range. If you're going to pay $16K for a new small car, why not go for a recent used BMW 318ti? The point is, nobody makes a base model car that comes remotely near the $11K Hyundai Elantra, period. If you were to debate the merits of the $14K GLS Hyundai vs. the $15K Civic DX/EX, then you've got a debate.... but that's no choice at all. Hyundai sells a base model that you can live with, Honda doesn't. -CSMarmot |
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And provided they have solved the reliability issues of the older ones, and assuming you plan to hold on it it long enough so that the resale isn't a problem, they might be a good choice. But, just thinking, why not do one better, and buy a used Hyundai instead? These things take such a terrible depreciation beating in the first couple of years, that a 1 or 2 year old can be bought for a pittance! Now, that, in my opinion would be a much better value! Some dealer would probably be tickled to sell a slow mover at a distressed price. |
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I had one of those "old Hyundais" you all are talking about. A 1989 Hyundai Excel. It was a great car. It's true that little things would go wrong, thermostat, rubber valve failing. But overall, a very reliable car. I went cross country twice in it, from New York City to Seattle and back. The "back" trip the long way, loaded down with a Sears carrier on top and my bike on back. I was so loaded down, I was only a few inches from the ground, and my car was so full inside I could only drive with my seat straight up. But we climbed several mountains, went through the desert through Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah Colorado, and on to Ohio. 4500 miles and no trouble. And would you like to know about safety?? The end came for my dear car when a 1964 Chevy Impala, coming toward me at 70mph on a 35mph street, spun out, hit me and totalled my car front to back on MY SIDE and I walked out of the accident without a scratch. Now I have a Honda Civic, 1990. True, it has more power than my old car, but the reputation for Honda's lasting forever is overrated. I have had to spend at least a couple thousand dollars in repairs, and it's on it's last legs at 160,000 miles. I'm going to let the old girl die with dignity, but my new car will be an Elantra. Frankly, I just can't afford a Honda. True it may be a better car, but you can't always afford the best. Hyundai's are a very good second choice, especially since you get so much for the money. Look at Saturns too. They won't even give you air conditioning unless you buy the highest S model. If Hyundai's have improved since 1989, that's good enough for me since I was happy with my old car. And by the way I have a theory about the old Hyundai's. They were cheap cars, so people treated them as throw away cars. I treated mine like a Cadillac, so it treated me back the same way. |
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