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I've test driven: Honda Fit, Toyota Matrix, Mazda 3, Nissan Versa, (all too small) Toyota Camry, Honda Accord Ford Focus, Jetta Sportwagon, Subaru Legacy Hatchback, Hyundai Elantra.
I liked the Legacy the best. BUT it has AWD and they are a little high priced for me and hard to come by.
So I'm going with the 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring (wagon). It is the pretty blue, the interior is much nicer than my old Subaru Forester. It will carry my kids stuff to camp or college. It will hold my daughter's surfboard. It will merge onto a highway without getting her killed.
My mechanic said it will need new tires and new rear brakes 'sometime soon'. I drive less than 8K miles per year, so my 'soon' might be later than most. The tran pan has a small leak (bolts need tightened), front parking light bulb is out, LCD odometer display is shot and the cigarette lighter doesn't work.
Car Fax is spotless.
The sticker price is 10,900. KBB says $9225 in average condition, $9484 in better condition. I was thinking of starting with $9000 with the intent of getting $9750. (I have asked my ex to conduct the negotiation for me)
If anyone has any info re: this car that I need to know, or suggestions to offer, I'd be happy to hear it!
The car in general should be good but not the specific one you are looking at. With every used car, how the previous owner maintained it is most important at this one seems to have been neglected with the laundry list you give, esp for a 2012. I don't know how many miles this car has. If you are buying this car from a dealer in this condition, then the dealer seems to not care about what they sell either or they should fix all the issues.
If this was the last car left to buy, I will offer lower than the "fair" condition price and move on. KBB is inflated anyway. Also look on edmunds.com for pricing and get the true market value, deduct for repairs.
For one, the transmission pan would need that gasket changed, I was never able to fix a leak with re-torquing the bolts. You will have to pay for new ATF/etc.
omg, I forgot to say, the car has 65K miles. It is squeaky clean.
The mechanic didn't think the brakes or tires had been neglected. The car was regularly serviced at a local dealer. It's all on the Carfax. come to think of it, I don't think my mechanic puts anything on Carfax.
As for the little things, In my experience, once the car is purchased, they have them fixed before you pick it up.
I would be curious to know how much that LCD display repair would be. Sometimes things like that seem small but by they time they disassemble the whole dashboard it adds up. maybe replace instead of repair.
Some of the Elantras with the 1.8 (Nu) have had issues with some type of coating coming off the cylinder liners, many folks have had their engines replaced under warranty. They are also known for releasing a huge plume of blue/gray smoke when under heavy throttle, to my knowledge Hyundai has never given an explanation for this.
If you're dead set on a Hyundai/Kia I recommend finding one with the 1.6 Gamma engine, as they seem to be more reliable. The Hyundai Accent and Kia Soul use that engine.
Some of the Elantras with the 1.8 (Nu) have had issues with some type of coating coming off the cylinder liners, many folks have had their engines replaced under warranty. They are also known for releasing a huge plume of blue/gray smoke when under heavy throttle, to my knowledge Hyundai has never given an explanation for this.
If you're dead set on a Hyundai/Kia I recommend finding one with the 1.6 Gamma engine, as they seem to be more reliable. The Hyundai Accent and Kia Soul use that engine.
THANK YOU! Apparently the problem with the LCD odometer display is a bigger deal than I imagined. some people have had that thing replaced 2-3 times, and once the warranty is up, it cost them $900. I don't know why an aftermarket odometer wouldn't do the job, and now I'm starting to think I don't want to know.
Some of the Elantras with the 1.8 (Nu) have had issues with some type of coating coming off the cylinder liners, many folks have had their engines replaced under warranty. They are also known for releasing a huge plume of blue/gray smoke when under heavy throttle, to my knowledge Hyundai has never given an explanation for this.
If you're dead set on a Hyundai/Kia I recommend finding one with the 1.6 Gamma engine, as they seem to be more reliable. The Hyundai Accent and Kia Soul use that engine.
Is there a model year of the Elantra Touring that doesn't have these problems? Has it been corrected?
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