Just bought an 06 GLS.

[vstaR22]

Hey folks,

Just got a 2006 Elantra GLS, manual transmission, great shape, 44k miles. I paid $8,995. I thought it was a good price. Am I correct?

I really like the car, a lot. I've been wanting a stick-shift for as long as I can remember, and this is my first one. I really do like the car as it is, but I can definitely see myself gettin' some upgrades.

First will be window tint. I live in Houston, and it's damn near necessary.

After that, however, I'm not too sure. I'm looking for some recommendations! I'm not going to be racing this car, and I'm not into those drifter-looking cars. I'd like to class it up, maybe make it look a little sportier, but sleek, NOT flashy.

As far as performance goes, do most of the mods increase gas mileage? What economical performance mods might bump up the horsepower and gas mileage simultaneously? Are there any good chips?

Lastly, are there any really weak characteristics of these cars that are commonly considered a first mod? Anything that needs fixed before it breaks?

Sorry for all of the questions, but it's my first Elantra!

Thanks

Brandon

[SuperGLS]

Most people would suggest the Tib 19.2mm sway bar as a first mod. It'll help out with cornering pretty well. Another first good mod is clear sidemarkers to replace the yellow/amber ones.

There are no chips for Elantras.

Welcome to EXD.

[Deviant]

Welcome, Elantras rule...but you already know that.

[Whipper]

welcome to the site

[Munky]

Welcome to the site! You have a lot of good questions.

Just got a 2006 Elantra GLS, manual transmission, great shape, 44k miles. I paid $8,995. I thought it was a good price. Am I correct?

Yeah, that sounds like a hell of a deal.

After that, however, I'm not too sure. I'm looking for some recommendations! I'm not going to be racing this car, and I'm not into those drifter-looking cars. I'd like to class it up, maybe make it look a little sportier, but sleek, NOT flashy.

There's a lot of cars here on the site that fit that criteria, using mostly OEM parts (parts made in Korea specifically for our cars) that have a nice clean look to them, nothing too flashy. Be sure to look around the COTM section and the member's Garages.

As far as performance goes, do most of the mods increase gas mileage? What economical performance mods might bump up the horsepower and gas mileage simultaneously? Are there any good chips?

As James said, there is no chips that have been proven to work for our car. There are, however, lots of small mods that make a very minute difference. A perfect example of that is a cold air intake. It may not be much of a gain, but it sounds good and looks good. After that, you could work on Intake/Exhaust/Headers to get a little extra get-up-and-go.

Lastly, are there any really weak characteristics of these cars that are commonly considered a first mod? Anything that needs fixed before it breaks?

I don't know of any problems like this personally, but I'm sure there might be something that someone else can think of. Seeing as you're at the 44K mile mark, your 60,000 mile maintenance will be coming up soon. If you don't know what is needed for that, search the site. There's plenty of information on that as well.

[unstpablelantra]

Rims if you live up pot hole highway like I do rims should be the first upgrade, when I got mine I had two bent rims within three days of owning my car. Threw a set of 16s on her, really help they overall look of the car and the dont bend when i hit pot holes.

[vstaR22]

Thank you all for the advice and warm welcome!

I've got some ideas now for what I'd like to do.

Nicer grill
Stubby antenna
Clear sidemarkers
Classier headlamps
Fog lamps (have none at all right now)
Maybe remove side strips
Wheels/tires
Window tint


I've never driven any kind of performance vehicle (at least of the four-wheel variety), so I'm not really familiar with how a car should corner. Does the tibby swaybar make that much of a difference? What would the difference feel like?

The following Cars of the Month I find to be absolutely beautiful.
http://www.elantraxd.com/cotm/nov06.php (November 2006)
http://www.elantraxd.com/cotm/feb07.php ("February 2007)

I really love some of those exterior mods. Especially that grill on the Nov 06 COTM.

I drove my Elanta at night for the first time. I had a hell of a time seeing the road. Are the stock headlights dimmer than most cars?

Thanks for the help

Brandon

[vstaR22]

Any thoughts?

The headlights don't seem adequate at night. I don't know if they're not as bright as I'm used to, or if they're too narrow, or what.

Is this true, or am I crazy?

[Tommy]

Yea, the headlights on the XD2's at least are junk. really dim, not a very good light pattern. Lots of guys upgrade to HID's, seems to help a lot for not too much cash.

And dont worry about never driving a performance car, the elantra isnt one. there's a few things you can do to make it seem less like its gonna roll over in a turn, but its still not a performance car.

[cbogg]

the first mod you should do is the slave cylinder mod. it'll keep you from roasting your clutch everytime you try and shift it like it was a normal car. had I known about this little gem, I wouldn't have bought the auto, cuz the stick felt sooooooo crappy! do that mod, it's free, and probably the best one you can do on a stick shift lantra

[vstaR22]

Thanks for the replies!

I'll be looking into the sway bar mod, and maybe better headlights.

Slave cylinder mod?

In my car, it feels like the only effective travel is in the first inch of the clutch. I have to be extremely accurate with the left foot to get any kind of smooth shift. I thought I was just being heavy footed, as I spent a year driving a vintage TUG at work where the clutch was exactly the opposite.

Is that what this mod fixes? Or am I, like I've thought, just heavy footed?

[bdiggy]

Welcome to the forum.

[Caliboi]

[QUOTE=vstaR22;375671]Hey folks,

Just got a 2006 Elantra GLS, manual transmission, great shape, 44k miles. I paid $8,995. I thought it was a good price. Am I correct?

Dude I ended up payin 15k for my 06 gls with 15 miles on it yea i think thats a fair price

[Munky]

All elantra clutches (stock) are like that. You have to be light on them. I put a new clutch in last september and the pedal travel has significantly reduced. It still grabs nice and tight, but it only engages in the last inch and a half or so.

[2.0elantra]

Hey folks,

Just got a 2006 Elantra GLS, manual transmission, great shape, 44k miles. I paid $8,995. I thought it was a good price. Am I correct?

Thats a sweet deal. I bought an 05 GLS Manual 36K and was on the road at $10K so yeah you got a good deal.

go for a CAI or SRI makes the car sound so much better. and its around $30ish For the short ram air intake.

[Silentwolf]

Hatch or sedan?

I have a 06 GLS Hatch
only 13,800 miles tho