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2003 Hyundai Elantra Gls Sedan 4-door 2.0l Perfect For Young Driver on 2040-cars

Year:2003 Mileage:150134
Location:

Austin, Texas, United States

Austin, Texas, United States

Offered for sale, a vehicle perfect for your teen driver! Oh, sure, I've cruised the high school parking lots and seen the late model Mustangs and the shiny new Jeep Patriots. Don't be that parent! Start with an inexpensive way to get from Point A to Point B, and when your child wrecks it (which, statistically, they will), no one is out a fortune. There are many life lessons to be learned here; a beater is the way to do it. And, as beaters go, this one is pretty dang nice.

I purchased this car in late 2002 in Las Vegas, and have been the only owner. Run the VIN through CarFax or your favorite VIN verification. The car has never had any body work, even though I have rear-ended a car, then gotten sandwiched in when a car hit me from behind on a rainy Oklahoma highway with no turn lane. I have pictures of that damage. Additionally, there is paint fading from the bumpers. One piece of trim is missing from the front driver's side of the... part of the car you sit in. Listen, I'm not a mechanic. I don't know the correct term.

Other than that, the only damage is normal wear-and-tear from ten years of use, including several dings made from cars in parking lots designed with spaces the exact width of the vehicles, with no apparent thought to the need for egress. Also, it's possible that I've backed into the occasional telephone pole, trash can, or zombie, but sometimes these things cannot be avoided.

There are two things to consider about this vehicle before you buy, both of which might be seen as drawbacks if you were purchasing a car for your parents or spouse, but please allow me to show you the benefits they might post for your student driver.

The air conditioner just went out. The fan works, and I can hear the compressor, so it's possible that it just needs a recharge. Then again, it might need $900 worth of work. So that's a gamble. However, if you choose not to get it fixed and are buying this car for your son, he might not mind arriving at destinations this summer in full-bore sweat. If you are getting it for your daughter, then sell her on the multi-tasking capabilities of both transporting herself AND experiencing a sauna without having to visit her local gym or sweat lodge (which, I hear, are all the rage among female teenagers). If this is the case, be sure to compliment her on her radiant complexion, and comment often about how much healthier she is now that she's sweating out all of those toxins.

The second thing is that reverse will randomly not work. There doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with the vehicle; it is likely an electrical problem. When reverse works, it's perfect. The way I have dealt with this is not to park front-end-in anywhere unless the parking space is angled so that I can coast out should the gear fail. The times I have forgotten this mandate and had reverse refuse to cooperate, though, I have had the privilege of meeting extremely helpful strangers, many of whom do not possess the overt musculature seemingly necessary to push a vehicle up a slight incline.

For your young adult child, this offers an opportunity to learn real-world social networking skills. Going back into the cupcake shop to ask if any burly men work in the strip mall, only to have three tiny women absolutely bust it to get you back out on the street again teaches one a lot about the kindness of humanity and about humility. And don't forget to pay it forward!

The power windows and locks all work fine, with no sluggishness, sticking, or weird motor noises. The doors and trunk all close normally, and the interior is still waterproof, even though you will notice some gouges in the lining made from a couple of times I locked my keys in the car. As a side note, without the help of a professional (burglar or locksmith) or a willingness to break a window, you cannot unlock the door with a foreign object from outside.

The rear seats lean forward to allow for storage of large items, and also for escaping in the event that one of your kid's smart aleck friends thinks it's a laugh to shut him or her into the trunk. The trunk also has a glow-in-the-dark safety latch for that, but that smart aleck will probably be sitting on the trunk, and this will surprise the tar out of him.

Everything else is really good. I bought the radio/CD player, so it's not the stock Hyundai one. The interior fabrics are all completely intact. Rather than extolling the virtues of this vehicle, I encourage you to come take a look at it. Test drive it. I think you'll agree that this will be a great set-the-bar-medium-low vehicle for your beloved offspring.

When I was 16, my grandparents gave me a canary yellow Chevy Caprice Classic. It was hideous, and it didn't need a key to start. But I drove it until I totaled it, over-correcting when my back tire went off of the pavement on the winding road where we lived. Although my dad made me drive the next day so I wouldn't lose my nerve, I didn't own another car for over a year. I had to buy my next car, and my expectations were pretty low. When I did get a car, I paid cash for it. Now, I'm an adult with no consumer debt, no car payments, and I'm pretty content in addition to being fiscally responsible. So let those other guys buy high-end show-off pieces for their kids. You know better. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, and you want your kid to be awesome!

If you buy this car, I guarantee* that will happen.

*I don't guarantee that. No one can. But it's 55%** more likely to happen.

**I just made that number up.

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Auto blog

Hyundai teases updated Equus before Big Apple debut

Thu, 07 Mar 2013

The digital ink has yet to dry on some of our Geneva Motor Show coverage, and we're already shifting gears getting ready for the New York Auto Show. To help get us in the New York state of mind, Hyundai has released this shadowy image hinting at the refreshed 2014 Equus that it will be unveiling at the end of the month at NYC's Javits Center.
While we can't make out any major changes in this single image, Hyundai promises at least 30 updates to its flagship sedan including improvements to styling, cabin materials and ride and handling as well as advancements in advanced safety features and "driver technology displays." If we had to guess, the latter sounds like it might be something along the lines of a digital, reconfigurable gauge cluster. The only major difference we can actually see in this image are the new multi-spoke wheels, but we're sure Hyundai will be dropping some more hints before the official introduction on March 27.

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"We recognize the impact on family budgets that the furlough will drive," says John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. The automaker also says it will allow furloughed employees to buy new cars during October with help from a 90-day payment deferral.
We're sure Hyundai's act of goodwill relieves some of the stress that furloughed Hyundai owners and their families are experiencing. Check out the press release below.

2014 Hyundai Azera gives you more for less

Fri, 20 Dec 2013

The Azera is sort of the forgotten Hyundai. Despite just having rolled out the new version a couple of years ago, the Korean automaker hasn't been able to move them very quickly. Where the smaller Sonata and Elantra sell in the tens of thousands each month, the fullsize Azera barely reaches that in a year. In fact it's Hyundai's second slowest-selling model, behind the flagship Equus. But Hyundai's not resigning itself to letting Azeras sit around on dealer lots. Thus, the company is actually reducing the car's price while increasing the array of standard equipment.
Now starting at $31,000, the base 2014 Azera now comes with a six-inch color LCD, backup camera, blind-spot mirror and three years of Assurance Connected Care services. Spring for the $34,750 Azera Limited and you get an eight-inch display, electroluminescent gauges, LCD trip computer and power folding mirrors.
Despite the increased level of specification, the Azera is now $1,250 cheaper than the previous-year model, while still offering the highest specific output and most front-seat room in its class. Scope out the details in the press release below and the fresh batch of images in the gallery above for a closer look.