Elantra SE vs Elantra Eco

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MONKEYMAN

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I am interested in both. Will test drive tomorrow. Both are about same price. Eco gets better fuel economy. I am not thrilled with it having a turbo, direct injection, and dual clutch auto. Seems like long term there is more to fail. I do like the fuel economy numbers.

The SE comes with the 2.0. Kinda of a point A to B motor. Nothing to get excited about, but long term it may be better. My commute to work is 4 miles most days.

Not interested in Honda or Corolla. They are out of my price range. Want new with a good warranty. Elantra has the features I require. The 2017 brings good changes but it is first production year. That is is concern, but not sure how concerned I should be?

Any real world experience is appreciated. I am a simple Social Worker, not a car or business guy. Just need something to transport clients that is more reliable that my aging 1999 Saturn.
 
Shopped around some in Mid 2016. As far as price, Kia Forte was being discounted more heavily than others I checked. Lower price than Elantra, Corolla, Civic. Elantra was recently introduced then. Maybe not much discount then. Civic more than $2000 more costly than Corolla and even greater price gap to Forte.
If price is the object, shop around. Truecar can give some idea what prices out there are. Ask for internet quotes. My internet quotes were lower than Truecar at the time but your mileage may vary.
The market changes all the time. Honda has not been reliable for me and Consumer Reports rates Civic not reliable for 2016.
 
If I had to choose between the two models I'd personally go for the one with the 2.0. That dual clutch hasn't been around very long in Hyundais line up. If your not interested in Honda / Toyota because of the price, I would recommend you look at the 2017 Jetta SE. Has plenty of nice features for an excellent price, more power than the Elantra and stellar MPG to boot.
 
The Internet Price I am getting for an SE is $13,022. I want to see if other dealerships can beat that. I have ruled out the Echo. I want less complicated.

I am not very business savvy. Kinda process things slowly. I know they will try to add on stuff I don't need. As far as an extended warranty, is that a waste? I read that some things are not covered under the standard warranty. I just do not want to get hit with a big bill if something fails and Hyundai does not fix it.
 
Seems like the ECO has smaller tires and wheels and a better ride, if that matters to you.

I would not be afraid of the turbo and DI - who makes Hyundais DCT? I like DCT's in general.

I'm not sure I understand Honda's and Toyota's being too expensive seems like MRSP on a Civic EX-T is basically the same as the Elantra ECO.

Jetta SE 1.4T is worth a look and may be discounted.

You didn't say what features you require, but others worth a look might be the Cruze Turbo and Focus SE Sedan EcoBoost.

Of your two choices I'd go with the Elantra ECO.
 
I have a specific budget and time restraints. I drive like a Granny most of time. I have a concern with the tires on the Eco. The video reviews were bad for traction. With winter not sure how it would do and no spare tire.
 
If you standard commute is 4 miles each day your fuel economy will be driven more by the warm up phase of the engine/aftertreatment. The extra fuel economy bump you see with the Eco will probably not be realized with that duty cycle. I wouldn't really be afraid of the technology but if it gives you pause and you won't really see the benefits it may make the decision easier.
 
4 mile commute? I'd buy a nice bicycle, and big ole used SUV of my choice.

Ok, snark off. How often do you have to transport clients, and is it a requirement of the job? I'm guessing you can't get compensation for renting a car, but I might as well ask. If it's infrequent, you could rent (or drive the aforementioned SUV). If it's frequent then I guess a newer car is required; but given what sounds like few miles per year I'd go with what is cheaper and simpler.
 
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Call me a skeptic if you like but I'd say there is no way that is the real price even before tax.


This. I checked your area, and the average price paid for a 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE is $18,589. Add in tax, registration and dealer fee, and you are over $20K dollars. No way they are selling those for $13K.

Go to autotrader. Search parameters being "any make" and "any model" and put under $13000 for your price to see whats available in your area. I saw a couple of used Nissan Sentra's with 2K or 3K miles for about $13K. Since they are used, they will come certified, with the 100K mile warranty. These are probably the cars that dealers let you borrow when your car is in for service, and they sell them when they get to 3K miles.

And purely on a money recommendation, if $13K is max budget, then I am of the opinion that a person probably cant afford that car and shouldn't buy that car. Something like this 2011 Ford Fiesta with only 52K miles for $6K being a more appropriate financial decision. Wife and I are deep in 6 figure income territory, and our newest car is approaching 8 years old. Buying a new car every 4-5 years is financial suicide.


http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=432282020&zip=63101&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D63101%26showcaseOwnerId%3D570140%26startYear%3D1981%26maxMileage%3D75000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26maxPrice%3D9000%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2017%26searchRadius%3D25&showcaseOwnerId=570140&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&maxPrice=9000&firstRecord=0&endYear=2017&searchRadius=25&makeCode1=FORD&modelCode1=FIESTA
 
Check out the 2017 Elantra Value Edition.

Much better value than either car.

It is an SE with heated seats, sunroof, Home Link, Apple and Android phone links, upgraded backup camera.
 
Quote:
Both are about same price. Eco gets better fuel economy. I am not thrilled with it having a turbo, direct injection, and dual clutch auto. Seems like long term there is more to fail....

The SE comes with the 2.0. Kinda of a point A to B motor. Nothing to get excited about, but long term it may be better......

Seems based on the plus/minus comparison sheet of both you answered your question. SE 2.0.
 
I would really recommend the SE with the 2.0 engine. The DCT trans is really unproven for both Hyundai and KIA. If you want reliable point A to B transportation , the SE is your best bet. Another good option would be the KIA Forte LX trim , nearly the same car. You might get a better price on it.
 
I just looked up the numbers on Hyundai's website, the SE is rate 29/38 and Eco is rated 32/40.

At a fairly normal annual mileage of 15,000 miles, the gallons used is SE:517 and for Eco: 468.75, giving a 48.25 gallon savings for the Eco model. Is roughly $100 annual saving really worth it? For me it would not and OP drives far less than 15k miles a year.
 
Thanks. I did finalized the paperwork for an Elantra SE for 15k. The 13k one did not have cruise and was somewhat dishonest advertising. It included discounts like military and college student I did not qualify for. Two dealership put cost of what I wanted at around 17k. The dealership where car was acquired had extra Flex cash that expired tomorrow. It made the difference.

To answer a few questions. I drive my clients 4 miles to 50 miles or more. I like that this car is fuel efficient. Also my stepfather is 70 miles away. I am responsible for his care.

I did not buy this car. Years ago when I became a Monk I gave my Mom $15,000 I had saved. What goes around comes around and it came around.

It rides nice. Very smooth transmission and motor. Over 41 years ago my mom made me repair our vehicles. I was not very good at it and hate working on cars. Hyundai encourages you to do all service at the dealership. Fine by me. I have no debt and will budget money for dealership servicing. Probably will pick up on Thursday. Thanks for giving me so things to think about.
 
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