Help Me Decide - Keep My 2001 Elantra GT? Options

[Nifty-Stuff.com]

Hey guys!

I've had my 2001 Elantra for 14 years now. I love this car, but it's starting to show it's age. The paint is oxidizing and I'm missing a lot of the bells / whistles that newer cars have.

I only have 85k miles on it and it seems to be running fine.

Here are my options?

1) Fix up my Elantra: New paint job (cheap $1k job?), new radio w/screen & backup camera ($600?), and some deferred maint. like timing belt, etc ($1k?). Total around $3k
2) Buy a new car. Maybe a new Elantra, Optima, Sonata, or (my current fav pick) Mazda 6. Total around $30k

My mechanic thinks that since the engine is running fine and there's no oil burning (that I can tell), he thinks I'll get another 30k+ miles out of this car. My hope is that would last me for the next 5 years until my daughter could start driving (I do less than 7k per year on it).

What's crazy is that the KBB value on my little baby is only about $2.5k

I have the money to buy a new car, but kinda like the principle of running this one until my daughter can drive and/or running it into the ground.

What do you think I should do? Fix this up and hope it lasts or just go get the new car?

Looking forward to your thoughts and ideas!

[The Gegenator]

I'd keep it, no question. Many of us on here have started asking that question, and the XD generation Elantra (2001-2006) just ages very well. Several people on this forum have sold their XD gen Elantra and have regretted it. My car has 206,000 miles on it. Also starting to show its age... but runs quite well and I just can't justify buying a new car. You should have NO problems getting another 100k out of it. You'll have to replace things like 02 sensors, CV shafts, etc... but if you're handy these aren't impossible jobs. Plus, buying parts online through Advance Auto Parts or vendors like Rock Auto can save you a ton of money.

I bought a touch screen Pioneer DVD player for $300 with all the bells and whistles and a camera on Amazon for $15. If you install it yourself, it's not too bad to bring your car "up-to-date" with tech stuff.

The timing belt is a must... and a pain to do yourself. I've changed a clutch in this car, and the timing belt is, in my opinion, not much worse! If you're confident, go for it.... but most shops will charge around $600-$700 to change it along with the belts (and possibly water pump). Buy the parts online yourself and save even more.

As for paint... I got nothing. I need to do some minor body body (damn rust from central New York) before I look into paint, but I just feel the car looks as sharp as any mid-size sedan on the road. That's just my 2 cents!

[Nifty-Stuff.com]

Hey man, thanks so much for the excellent reply, that's all VERY convincing! If I could get to even 150k, that would be PLENTY to get me to my daughter's driving age and then some.

I used to be more willing to do stuff myself, now I find I get far less enjoyment and just get frustrated DIY, so I'll just have the mechanic do it all.

Ya, I'm at 85k miles and never had the timing belt replaced, so I'd better get on that ASAP.

I'd LOVE to put in a front and back camera & sensor kit into this car along with a nice touch-screen radio. It might even be fun to swap out my super old headlights and add some kind of aftermarket "halo" or "Angel Eyes" LED effects. BTW, where in the heck would I go for something like that for a 2001 GT?

The paint really is in bad shape (my-bad for not having it parked in a garage) but fortunately the interior / leather is mostly still in pretty good condition.

BTW, I'm not familiar with what the "XD Gen" means? Did I post in the wrong section?

[The Gegenator]

XD = chassis code Hyundai used. 2001-2003 were XDs, and 2004-2006 were XD2.

This is the stereo I put in, and I absolutely love it. This is the camera I picked up on Amazon. There are better/more expensive ones out there, but this one gets the job done!

I don't know where to find after-market halos/projectors for the Elantra. If you wanted to, you could pick up a projector kit on eBay and retrofit them yourself.

Ironically enough, I just found these while looking on eBay. They would fit your car.

[Nifty-Stuff.com]

Wow, excellent, thanks for the info and links!!

[trololololo]

keep it. proper maintenance can tAke ur car to 200k miles

those projectors were mAde by a member here.. who doesnt post that often.

i remember the coke box in his pics lololol

[Nifty-Stuff.com]

Ok, just got back from the paint place (Miracle Auto Body & Paint, been at location 20 years and have great Yelp reviews) and they are quoting me $1,400 to fix all the dents, dings, replace a bad front fender, and 2 coat single-stage paint.

Here's an example of the oxidation (car being in the hot sun over the years and not being very good at waxing, etc.):
 elantra_paint.jpg ( 97.09K ) Number of downloads: 1


I figure another $600 for a nice radio & backup camera system, and then $1,000 for driving belt & overdue maintenance.

So, I'm pretty much spot-on for my $3,000 amount to get my car to a place I'd be happy with.


Regarding the maintenance: I hate to admit it, but I've not been very good at this over the past 14 years. Partially because I just rarely drove the car (only 85k in 14 years) and I just don't remember. That's not to say I never had anything done... I'd probably say I'd average an oil change every 12k miles +/- over the years.

This being the case, is my little baby's life expectancy dropped significantly because I've not been a good parent?

[The Gegenator]

You shouldn't have any problems... the engines in these are pretty durable, especially if you haven't been losing oil. Seafoam would help clean it out. Next time you change your valve cover gasket, you can get an idea if you're pretty gunked up or not. Switching to a full synthetic like Mobil 1 is a great way to ensure the engine sticks around for a while.

There are also a handful of ways to really bring some great performance/sound out of the car, especially in the ways of handling. Since you have the hatchback, a thicker sway bar and strut brace along with poly bushings can do drastic things to the suspension. A cold air intake and some minor exhaust work can give it a nice sound and clear up some horsepower. There's also the throttle-body bypass that was a popular mod for that generation. Our ultimate goal... turn you into a full blown car modder

[Nifty-Stuff.com]

haha... that's great stuff! All the reading I've been doing on the forums and in the mod DIY section have been getting me really excited about tricking out my car... but then I realize I gotta step back to my main goal: Do the highest ROI things for it to run a long time and make it basically enjoyable to drive without going crazy pimped ride. After the basic stuff (radio, paint, backup camera, etc.) it's a slippery slope into thousands of $$ and LED's behind, below, and above every surface!

Fortunately I've not seen any signs of losing oil, so I'm hoping the maint. I've been doing has been sufficient to avoid any major issues. I'm determined to repent and do a better job moving forward.

I've never heard of Seafoam before, but just watched a video! Thanks for sharing that info!

[trololololo]

most basic level performance modifications
are actually beneficial and not about "pimping" the ride.

intake and exhaust modifications help improve efficiency
fluid upgrades improve durability by protecting surfaces from friction or lower temperatures
decreased rotating mass eases stress
lowering a car can decrease drag and wind resistance (minimally)
lighter car parts also help with gas mileage

and a majority of the time, aftermarket performance parts can be made
of better materials than OE

all these things help the car live better if you take it easy on the far right pedal.

not sure if youve seen it, but aside from the DIY forum section, there is a wonderful DIY webpage link up top... its what got me addicted here in 2003...before i even joined the forum

[Alex2013GT]

Well it sounds like I am a little late to the party, but certainly keeping the car makes the most financial sense. Worst case scenario is it craps out on you and you take it to a scrap yard and get some cash there. The $2,500 value is nearly a joke as it is worth much more than that to you given the fact that the car is reliable.

14 years and no timing belt change? Get it changed tomorrow! (no joke) That thing breaks and you will be towing the car to the junk yard.

[Blupupher]

I was in a similar spot with mine, except the Elantra was an "extra" vehicle. My daughter will start driving in ~ 4 years. Nothing really wrong with the car aside from some paint issues and window tint needing to be redone. I just could not justify keeping a 3rd car that would not really be used. the 4 years of insurance, registration, maintenance and such would be more than what I could get for the car now. So instead of paying ~$3500-4000 over 4 years for a care rarely used, I sold it for $3200. When the time comes for her to drive, I will worry about it then.
If not for having the deal for my truck come along, I would still be driving the Elantra and would have kept it for her now question.


Just so long as you know that putting $3000 into a car valued at $2500 (what a joke, with that mileage should be more) will not give you a $5500 car. I think you know that and your doing it to get a few more years out of it, which you should.