[nels0300]

Hey everyone, a few things, I've lurked around on the Facebook page, and I have to say, being 40 years old, I kinda feel like a grandpa compared to everyone else. Any other old farts like me out there?

The other thing I wonder about is what everyone else previously drove. Nobody knows about this car, it's kind of under the radar, and Hyundai isn't known for cars like this. I'm a car nerd, I read all of the major mags, for the past almost 30 years. I read about this car last summer and was intrigued. How did you guys find out?

My formative auto enthusiast years were during the golden age of "sport compacts". I've owned and been around a lot of cars. I grew up with the late 80s to mid 90s Civics, Integras, Preludes, DSMs, MR2s, etc and I had a short fling with a fox body LX 5.0L coupe. The good ol' days, when Hondas looked good (or at least not weird), Toyotas could be exciting, and Nissan and Mitsubishi didn't suck.

It's funny, because back then, I would've never considered a Hyundai, but the Elantra Sport reminds me of those older cars more than anything available now.

 

[R1600Turbo]

I traded in a Forte Koup EX for the Sport. I've been a true auto enthusiast for many years (owned several RX-7's, Sentra SE-R's, turbo Miata) and I'm obsessed with keeping up with what's new in the auto industry so I check sites like Autoblog and Car Scoops multiple times a day. I knew about the ES before it was even announced for the US market. It got my interest pretty much right away. I was waiting for the Sentra Nismo and when I saw what it became and drove it a few times, I decided to go with the ES. (I work for Nissan so I can drive a Nismo any time want...) Don't regret my purchase one bit.

 

[1986]

deleted

 

[wlwarfield]

I've had quite the number of vehicles in my life too. I've always been a car nut but have always had a love for 4 cyl turbo cars ever since I was a teenager. My wife and I picked up the Elantra Sport back in March as a commuter car (mostly for her) since she drives 70 mi a day round trip. I was looking at the mid size/sub compact cars and we just couldn't fall in love with anything until I saw a blue Elantra Sport on my way home from work one day. I googled it and two days later we were signing papers on one. It really fit all the needs of what we wanted in a vehicle and definitely isn't boring to drive at all!

Here's all the vehicles I've owned over the last 13 years:
1988 Mustang GT
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8
2002 Honda S2000
2008 Toyota Yaris
2010 Nissan Xterra Off Road
2013 Subaru BRZ
2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (still have)
2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor (still have)
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport (new car)

 

[Voodoo Idol]

I'm probably the oldest guy here - I turn 49 in July. I was more of a muscle car guy when I was younger but could never afford to own one. I did like the MR2s though - I was always in to more futuristic designs back then, and the MR2, at the time, filled that aesthetic need for me. I've owned a holy crap ton of cars over the years:

'73 VW Bug
'78 VW Rabbit
'66 Plymouth Belvedere
'80 VW Dasher
'80 Dodge Colt
'83 Nissan Sentra
'85 Nissan Sentra Wagon
'90 Ford Escort
'93 Mercury Topaz
'83 Dodge Charger
'94 Ford Probe

can you tell I was poor as all get out and just drove whatever I could afford at the time? Right about this time with the Probe (2005) I was forced to declare bankruptcy (the dot com crash of 2001 killed me). Part of the reason I went that route was that my credit was wrecked, I needed a new car as I was putting probably $150 - $200 each month in to the Probe to keep it on the road. As soon as I got discharged, and I mean that very day, I went and bought a brand new 2005 Tiburon GT and fell in love with Hyundai in general. I loved that car and, by the time I was done with it, it was putting down 215hp naturally aspirated - not bad! I totaled the Tibby in 2014 and bought a VT. By the time I was done with that thing it was putting just shy of 250 down to the ground. Hella fun car to drive, but I started a business detailing cars and needed something bigger to lug my gear around in, so enter the 2017 ES in electric blue w/ premium package, and here I am. I haven't really modded it yet - just shift linkage and base bushings and the M&S front grill, but I have some bits on the way from 6EE that I hope to have and be able to install within the next week.

 

[grinsaplenty]

Well Voodoo, I got ya by a year. I am 50. I have had, 1972 pinto, 1985 cavalier, 1985 delta 88, 1995 accent, 1992 escort, 1993 acclaim, 2003 grand am all used. Bought new, 2005 sunfire and a 2010 Elantra. My last two vehicles a 2011 Tacoma trd off road was used and the ES was new. As a single income with three kids vehicles were what I could afford not what I wanted until the Tacoma and ES. The Tacoma was bought as a off road toy. The ES bought as a commuter that I could push hard a couple of times a month. I pushed the other cars to their absolute limits and beyond with some close calls. The ES when pushed, for me anyways is very solid. Lots of control. Again remember where I am coming from. Learned the way that weight transfer from brakes and accelerator affect driving dynamics on motorcycles which I have transferred to cars. Not the same but similar. I am a Hyundai fan, the Accent and 2010 Elantra were trouble free vehicles which I put huge amount of KMs on with low low repair and maintenance cost. They were used for commuting, spirited driving and with the absence of a off road vehicle they got that duty as well. Sold me on the brand. I know that the ES is no GTI. The reviewers keep pointing that out as a weakness. I find this to be unfair. When testing the GTI they never say that it is no Porsche 718s. Of course it is not. Nor do they cost the same. For the price, this is a comfortable quick car that can bring lots of grins and still be super good on fuel when called for. Hope you are enjoying this car as much as I am. Absolutely not buyers regret, just Grins a plenty. lol.

 

[1freshelantra]

I'm here in the middle @ 44. 1st car was a 80 Mercury Cougar. Possibly the worse car i have ever owned. But hey, 1st cars were not meant to be the best. Caught fire and left that bomb after it caught fire in a toll booth on way to a concert. Moved on to a 79 Monte Carlo which was awesome! Sold that and bought a 88 Chevy Nova SS. That was a fun little car to drive @ 19 years old then. I wanted a Geo Storm back then. Couldn't afford much. After having the Nova for a few years. The Fox body Mustangs were around a few years and I picked up a 90 Blue LX 5.0. Wow!!!! I was hooked then by the torque they had. Got used to taking that to the local drag strip and after a new transmission, i wrecked it and moved on to the import cars. 91 Red Integra RS. Then a Black 93 Integra GSR. Loved those cars sooo much. Don't remember why i got rid of it but i ended up getting another Integra GSR. Traded that in for my very 1st brand new car 2001 White Toyota Celica GT. Had that car for about 4 years. Not a single problem with it. Modded that car out alot. 2004, Children....So i traded that Celica in for a 4 door. What 4 door you ask? I got a 2003.5 Spicy Orange MazdaSpeed Protege. Another awesome car. Blew that car up My fault totally. 2005 Chevy Trailblazer was next. What a CRAPPY vehicle that was. Sold it and having 2 kids i didn't want a car payment. I bought a 98 Accord 2D Coupe V6 cash. Owned it for 3 years and modded it out alot. Sold it for the same amount i paid for it.
Enter 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS. Being that it was a 4D. I bought it for its awesome aesthetic look and at that time very pleasing gas mileage. Never had a single problem with her. Paid her off and got the ES. Had my eyes on this ride since i heard about it coming out last year. Love this car so far. I am with you all on your comments about other autos out there. From what i've gathered from other friends who have owned GTI's or Passats. Nothing but Problems. The comparisons to Hyundai's to me, Just are not there for me to even try. We also have a 2017 Elantra SE W TECH. That was after trading in the 14 Veloster. That was quirky car to us. Cool from outside and not much else to it. So yeah, we got a few 40 somethings in here buying the ES Sounds good to me. Thanks guys for sharing your love of the ES!

 

[killertek78]

39th Birthday today. I've had my fair share of Hylife through the years. Excel's, Steller's, Pony's, of various years and state of decay. Did a head gasket on a Pony, constantly changing points+condensers on the Stellar. Older brother rolled his Excel, car stayed together and saved his and his 8 month old daughter's lives for sure after coming to a rest some 60 feet down a bank.

Always had a love for the smiles per gallon type of cars, had a fastback Celica, loved it. Civic's of yore, and new. My dad had a VW bug that was capable of lifting the front wheels off the ground from stop lights, built it himself. Something from a very young age was instilled in me to look for the fun factor in cars no matter the make or model.

I was considering a BRZ/86, VeloT, FoST/FiST, gently used Preludes, RSX's, TL's, but I knew the ES was coming, so I held out for early impressions and reviews. I'm glad I did. Called my local dealer and got one in to test early December(10th), and had one of, if not the first one sold in Canada that week(Dec 17th, 2016).

 

[birdman]

I was in need of a family car (wife is pregnant with #1 now), so not too big but 4 doors and practical.

Tested a Mazda 3 SP25, Gold TSI, Astra and a few other comparable price but different segment cars, and this car just fit the bill so well.

All the practicality needs, entry level lux interior, good/great fuel economy, cheap to service, new safety tech as standard (most tested cars had this - to an extent, but the elantra added) android atuo/apple car play, turbo/200hp/200 torques, adept/planted/balanced handling (au spec gets local full setup and tune), plus the Elantra out styled all the competition in my opinion.

Might be worth adding..? I am a motorcycle rider/fanatic, so when it comes to cars, lets just say I have high standards and this car just blew me away - for the money.

I'm 29, mrs is 27, as I said starting a family, thats who bought this car and why.

 

[nels0300]

The Fox body Mustangs were around a few years and I picked up a 90 Blue LX 5.0. Wow!!!! I was hooked then by the torque they had. Got used to taking that to the local drag strip and after a new transmission, i wrecked it and moved on to the import cars. 91 Red Integra RS. Then a Black 93 Integra GSR. Loved those cars sooo much. Don't remember why i got rid of it but i ended up getting another Integra GSR.

Interesting, I went from a dark green 91 LX 5.0L coupe, manual, to a black 92 Integra GSR back in the mid 90s.

I've always wanted a GTI or GLI, but could never take the VW plunge.

The ES kind of reminds me of a GLI, and if it has problems, at least it has good warranty.

I have two kids, ages 4 and 2, and they both love the Elantra. They both call it the "turbo". When we go somewhere, they want to take the "turbo", not Mom's boring Forester. They love that the rear windows go all the way down and ask "can you do the turbo?". Lol.

 

[jamesrayth]

One thing I've noticed is lots of the younger generation favor the facebook page to the forums, which makes sense. Us older guys are used to forums as that is what has been around since before facebook.

I turn 36 this year. I was driving a 2004 Infiniti G35, which was one of my dream cars since I was in high school, but I end up driving a lot as I am a music producer/DJ and I play clubs all across the NW and the horrible gas mileage was killing me. I was looking for a newer car with some of the same comforts I had gotten used to in the entry luxury cars like leather heated seats, HID or LED lights, and a good infotainment system. I settled on getting a new car instead of a used car because I was also getting tired of $600 regularly scheduled maintenance and ridiculously expensive parts. I spent months watching youtube reviews of all the cars in the price range, even toyed with the idea of getting a WRX with 20k or so miles, but the insurance is so high on WRX's because of all the highschool idiots who crash them and get tickets – in fact WRX's are the MOST EXPENSIVE car to insure (that's not a luxury/exotic car).

After watching every review of every car in the class for months I began test driving. Didn't like the way the mazda 3's drove, Sentra Nismo felt way underpowered compared to the Elantra Sport, and the latest VW's are rife with repair issues (I have three friends who have the GTI's that have been absolutely plagued with issues, and I've heard of many more horror stories), plus to get the HID lights and leather seats in some of the competitors like the Civic's and GTI's, you have to get the top tier trim, which ads 6k to 12k to the price of the car. The Elantra's just offer too much value.

Previous cars:
1998 Honda Civic
2002 Mercury Cougar
1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse
2004 Dodge SRT4
2008 Chevy Cobalt SS
2004 Infiniti G35

 

[Poolnoodle]

One thing I've noticed is lots of the younger generation favor the facebook page to the forums, which makes sense. Us older guys are used to forums as that is what has been around since before facebook.

I turn 36 this year. I was driving a 2004 Infiniti G35, which was one of my dream cars since I was in high school, but I end up driving a lot as I am a music producer/DJ and I play clubs all across the NW and the horrible gas mileage was killing me. I was looking for a newer car with some of the same comforts I had gotten used to in the entry luxury cars like leather heated seats, HID or LED lights, and a good infotainment system. I settled on getting a new car instead of a used car because I was also getting tired of $600 regularly scheduled maintenance and ridiculously expensive parts. I spent months watching youtube reviews of all the cars in the price range, even toyed with the idea of getting a WRX with 20k or so miles, but the insurance is so high on WRX's because of all the highschool idiots who crash them and get tickets – in fact WRX's are the MOST EXPENSIVE car to insure (that's not a luxury/exotic car).

After watching every review of every car in the class for months I began test driving. Didn't like the way the mazda 3's drove, Sentra Nismo felt way underpowered compared to the Elantra Sport, and the latest VW's are rife with repair issues (I have three friends who have the GTI's that have been absolutely plagued with issues, and I've heard of many more horror stories), plus to get the HID lights and leather seats in some of the competitors like the Civic's and GTI's, you have to get the top tier trim, which ads 6k to 12k to the price of the car. The Elantra's just offer too much value.

Previous cars:
1998 Honda Civic
2002 Mercury Cougar
1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse
2004 Dodge SRT4
2008 Chevy Cobalt SS
2004 Infiniti G35

08 SS.... Was that the Turbo year? Dude i miss my 06 S/C SS so much. Still to this day my favorite car and i currently have a Veloster Turbo.

 

[Voodoo Idol]

The Cobalts were fast, but giant pieces of junk. I remember test driving one and we got a cross wind going down the highway. I was resting my elbow on the door and I could feel the frigging door bend inwards from the wind. I promptly turned around and said "nope" to that sorry little tin can.

 

[echobravo]

I turned 49 last week. I think that puts me in second place as the "old" guy.

My cars:
1972 VW Beetle
1977 Celica GT
1970 AMC AMX
1983 Celica GT
1983 Colt
1979 RX7
1984 Tercel
1983 RX7 GSL
1982 Tercel
1984 RX7 GSL
1984 RX7 GSLSE
1984 RX7 GSL (Spec7 SCCA road race car)
2000 Contour SVT
2003 Focus ZTS
2006 Passat
2007 Mazda6
2000 ZX2 S/R (SCCA FSP autocross car---still have this)
2011 Elantra Touring
2014 Accord EX
2017 Elantra Sport

2000 Buell M2
2007 Buell XB12STT
2013 Honda CB500X (still have)

I have really enjoyed the 1st month with the ES. I drive around 20K/yr, so I'm looking forward to 4-5 years...maybe more.

 

[rdaex1]

Im 37.
Working backwards from the ES

12 Regal GS
02 Focus SVT
02 Protege5
08 Mazdaspeed 3
02 Sentra SpecV
02 Sentra SpecV (wrecked after a month)
Various others..

 

[Sz28r]

I've got all you young bucks beat

I'm 58 years old, and enjoy the ES as a daily driver.

My list of cars would take to long to type, but my coolest rides have been race cars over the past 30 years - started in SCCA with a Mazda RX7 and most recent rides have been in a Mustang BOSS 302R and a BMW M3.

 

[coffeeslug]

I'm 46 and the ES is my only car. I will second the OP's mention on value for the ES. So much more content than a new civic si, and with the rebates just an incredible steal right now. We are all the smartest people in the world for buying this car. It's hard to remember all my cars, but I'll give it a shot.

15 Subaru Legacy...nice and roomy, great in winter, but painfully slow
14 Fiesta ST...a little too small, but great fun
08 Nissan Sentra...basic transportation
09 Cobalt SS...I never could find the source of that rattle, but I loved this car while I owned it
09 Accord...they never could fix the squeaking of the rear brakes no matter how hard they tried
05 Evo 8 RS...evolutionm.net was really hopping in those days
06 Nissan Titan...worst mileage ever
04 Toyota Matrix...was a great car for my wife
01 Civic...cheap but fun with the manual
90 Accord...I needed something
80 Buick Skylark...got this from my aunt, it died shortly after
97 F150...good truck
91 Cutlass Supreme...lots and lots of buttons
90 Civic...first new car. I think it was something like $6800
78 Plymouth Fury...got me to work over the summer of 1989, also my friends had sex in the back seat of it :/
80 Dodge pickup...ah 3-speeds, remember those
79 Triumph spitfire...my first car when I was 16, my baby, my precious, loved it so much

 

[nels0300]

We are all the smartest people in the world for buying this car.

Without a doubt!

Seriously though, even at sticker price, let alone well under $20K for what some people are buying at, it's a lot of car.

Lots of cool, interesting cars mentioned in this thread by us older, or should I say, more experienced drivers. It just goes to show that the Elantra Sport appeals to people who are familiar with real enthusiast cars and know their ****. It's not a Corvette or a 911, by it's pretty **** good for ~$18-$20K.

 

[Mohkx]

Well, I feel like the outsider here. Im 23, so around half the age of what I read haha. My car history is rather unimpressive I feel but here it is.

94 Civic LX (salvage title but was structurally rebuilt).
10 Corolla Base... Hand-crank window base.
14 Sentra SV (totaled last December)
05 Altima S (borrowed)
17 Elantra Sport Base

Really, this car went from my first choice to second and then back to first choice. After my accident, I was looking into all the Compacts and stumbled upon this one and the 2017 2.5 184hp Mazda 3 hatch. Im not really sure what turned me away from the Elantra at first but when I went and drove the Mazda 3, I was not very impressed. When I test drove the ES, I just was thrown away by its looks and what it had. I also have a weird thing where I like being individual and I never saw (and still haven't) seen any ES on the road aside from the two Ive seen at dealerships compared to seeing Mazda 3 hatches near every time I drove anywhere.

 

[Poolnoodle]

Well, I feel like the outsider here. Im 23, so around half the age of what I read haha. My car history is rather unimpressive I feel but here it is.

94 Civic LX (salvage title but was structurally rebuilt).
10 Corolla Base... Hand-crank window base.
14 Sentra SV (totaled last December)
05 Altima S (borrowed)
17 Elantra Sport Base

Really, this car went from my first choice to second and then back to first choice. After my accident, I was looking into all the Compacts and stumbled upon this one and the 2017 2.5 184hp Mazda 3 hatch. Im not really sure what turned me away from the Elantra at first but when I went and drove the Mazda 3, I was not very impressed. When I test drove the ES, I just was thrown away by its looks and what it had. I also have a weird thing where I like being individual and I never saw (and still haven't) seen any ES on the road aside from the two Ive seen at dealerships compared to seeing Mazda 3 hatches near every time I drove anywhere.

That's me 100% and I'm 26 I'll have a white DCT ES on day soon!!!