Pretty good car at a good price. Power is respectable for the year - at the time of purchase it was in the upper half of the market power wise, but since the compact market has upped the ante performance wise. Shifting is good, if a bit thrashy, but preferable over the rubbery action of the 2007-8 models. I also prefer the hydraulic steering over the electric steering of the new Elantra - it's overboosted and feels like a video game. Handling is pretty good, given the type of car. Love the hatch too, but at times you can feel the structure is weaker because of it. Quality issues suffered mainly have to do with a leaky hatch and a few other issues with the body. No mechanical issues as of yet, except for the motor in the driver's side mirror quitting.

Only had the car two months but the more I drive it the more I like it. It a relatively small car but has plenty of room inside for my large (fat) 6'2" bod. A lot more room inside than most of the other Asian imports that I drove. Handles well, good on the gas (getting about 21 mpg in the city, haven;t done any road trips in it yet) and has good pickup. I also like the fact that it doesn't have a lot of those "moron" devices in it (like the cars that LOCK your door when you put it in gear, or the ones that think they know when you need to turn your lights on for you, or not being able to crank the motor without your foot on the brake, etc...). Overall rating 8.5 out of 10.

This car was purchased used and had been in a pretty serious accident. It was repainted and the driver door and headliner replaced along with a few other bits an pieces. I took a chance and got it cheap. Best $5000 I've ever spent. Over the years I've had to replace tires, change the oil, and the regular wear items. All 4 struts were replaced about 2 years ago and most recently the clutch (just over 100K). For the money I've spent in service and replacement parts this still comes out to some really cheap transportation. My particular model doesn't have cruise control and that really stinks on long trips. A few of the interior trim pieces have started to come apart (sun visor mirrors, fan controls, etc). Other than that I plan to drive this car until the wheels fall off and then maybe buy another much newer but still used Elantra or Sonata.

Love this car! Had it for over a year, Im the second driver. Car works great, had to put new brakes on it and fix a window but thats just minor wear & tare. Beautiful white exterior with no rust, Grey interior with wood panelling dash. Gorgeous car! Paid roughly $7000 for it and its worth every dollar. Great gas mileage, drove from Miramichi, NB to Cornwall, On (about 1000kms) for aprox. $70-$80 bucks!!

The Elantra hatch was a carbon copy of the old Saab 900/93 5 door (see my previous review). Since this car replaced the Saab, I have found many areas of comparison. The Elantra is similar in looks, build quality, driveability, and the Koreans even attempted to replicate Saab's excellent dash. The value for the dollar is unbelievable. This is a fully- loaded car with an excellent warranty that listed for $15,900. As with the Saab, the hatch is cavernous. The car is comfortable for long trips, and gets very good mileage on the highway. I highly recommend Traction Control on this car. The 5-speed mated to the 2 litre, 16 valve motor produces wheelspin with the slightest amount of moisture on the road. Suspension could be taughter, too. The car rolls a bit in curvy conditions. Still, with the list of standard features as long as it is, you'll feel like you're riding in a car that cost twice as much. I'm willing to overlook what few shortcomings the car has. A shame that the current Elantra lineup no longer includes a hatch.