2002 v 2004 Please don't turn into a flame war!

[Dust]

I am looking at a 2004 elantra with 15K for $7.5K, or a 2002 with 30K for about $6K. Just wondering what the true differences were aside from

Looks
Wideband o2 on 2k4
MAF sensor

Would you pay $1.5K more for half the miles?

[Gman]

CVT
extra 15k of warr

[NorthernYankee]

If the options are the same I would go with the '04...6k seems a lil high for an 02 even if it does only have 30k on it.

--NY

[archywills]

Either way sounds like a pretty good deal. I just purchased 2003 GLS for $10,400 (brand New, full warranty up to 100k miles).

If i'm not mistaken with a used Hyundai you don't get the 100k warranty, only the 5 year/50k miles warranty (unless of course you purchase it). That was one of the factors in my purchase. I could have got an almost identical model for $9,995 with 20k miles on it.

Personally, I would pay the extra and get the newer one (assuming it would have more standard features than the 2002 model) and have a tad bit more factory warranty.

[KeWLKaT]

Get the XD :D

[southpawboston]

archywills is right; you lose the 10/100 powertrain warranty if you buy used, regardless of year. $7.5k is a hell of a deal for an 04.

[EliteElantra02]

2k2....nicer headlights, better grille, worse interior, less options, nicer tail lights, better overall appearance....but I may just be biased....anyway you go, you can't go wrong though

[CTele02]

I'm guessing that these are GLS or GL models since so cheap? And if you're planning to mod it a 2002 (XD) has more options since its been out longer.

[jameswing]

7.5K is almost half of what I paid for my XD2. Go with the xd2

[hyunelan2]

newer car = better resale. nuff said. But, if you want to look into the details, I did some numbers on Kelly Bluebook (www.kbb.com)

I compared the 2 of them both as GLSs in "Good" condition, not "excellent" with auto trans. For my geographic area, here's the prices

2002 with 30K = $7,625
2004 with 15K = $9,290

So the 2004 is worth $1665 more. If it costs $1500 more, think of it as making a $165 proffit.

[Dust]

100K warranty is gone when bought used? Is there a way to get it back?

[evan938]

i have an 03, i love it, but i will have to admit that i like the headlights on the xd2's more, but i dont like the xd2 grilles as much as mine...also, i dont like their tail lights (yes i like mine), but, one thing that makes me wish i had an 04-05 is the concepto body kit spy pics :)...and i dont like the interior of the 04's...the vents above the cd player are ugly IMHO

also, from what ive heard, turboing a car that is MAP based is much easier than doing one that is MAF based, and considering that i dont know squat about MAF based cars, im gonna trust some people on this...helping dweet w/ his tib, having to use a recirculating BOV, messing with his MAF sensor, some other sensor and some other things, i think it wont be as much of a PITA to unscrew the MAP sensor (2 screws) and replace it with a larger one and plug it in...no wire splicing/soldering for the MAF...just too much work :)

[archywills]

>100K warranty is gone when bought used? Is there a way to get it back?

I'm sure if you are purchasing from a dealership they will be more than happy to sell you an extended warranty...I purchased one that extended the 5year/50k mile bumper to bumper warranty to 8 year/100k miles.

[ilanpro]

XD2 all the way

[Charles Bisel]

I choose... neither. If you really want an Elantra, why not spend a little extra and get yourself a 5 speed GT?

[evan938]

blah...disregard that comment

lol...jk...go w/ a gls though :)

[SuperGLS]

Even I'd go with the XD2 for that price. You can always do an XD front end conversion later.

[Dust]

I choose... neither. If you really want an Elantra, why not spend a little extra and get yourself a 5 speed GT?

I want a commuter. I have a bike for speed.

Whatever i get will get an intake and a short shifter, and that is it for performance. I don't care if it can handle like it's on rails, i just want it to handle railroad tracks.

[Charles Bisel]

Well, I just figured that since you were choosing between two Elantras that you were an Elantra enthusiast, and therefore you'd enjoy the GT a lot more.

If you're just looking for a commuter and don't care about looks, performance, or handling, why not get a Toyota Echo or Honda Civic? They get much better gas mileage than an Elantra. Hell, with my 5-speed, I only get about 22 mpg - which is about the same mileage I was getting from my 190HP V6 Maxima.

I have to drive like a grandma to get the advertised 25 mpg. And even that ain't jack compared to the 35/42 mpg that the Echo gets.

Anywho, either of those Elantras will do the job. If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick the '04. As you said, you get half the miles for $1500 more, you can't beat that.

[Keyan]

>100K warranty is gone when bought used? Is there a way to get it back?

I'm sure if you are purchasing from a dealership they will be more than happy to sell you an extended warranty...I purchased one that extended the 5year/50k mile bumper to bumper warranty to 8 year/100k miles.


The 60,000 mile warrenty is transferable. If the car has a 100,000 when it's sold to a second owner, it turns into a 60,000 mile.