Hyundai Elantra Problems

A 2008 Mazda 3 Neo would be a good choice, but I would be trying to get it for $8500-$9000, $10,000 is too much unless it is a very low mileage example. Others to consider would be the Honda Civic VTi, which would be my preference, and the Hyundai Elantra.

Hyundai spokesman Bill Thomas says there is definitely a fix for your problem and apologises that you were not advised. Your dealership will be in touch to get the vehicle sorted.

They wouldn't have worked on it in the car park, I'm sure of that. I would take it up with the dealer and have them explain why you car hasn't apparently been driven after being parked in the lot.

You need to take this problem directly to Hyundai and request the company’s help to fix the problem. It’s possibly an electronic problem that affects the engine when cold, it could be that it’s not getting the fuel enrichment that it needs to start cold. The company is the one that can fix it for you and there’s no reason they can’t.

We test all cars in the real world, on the toughest corners and worst surfaces we can find, and I've been doing the job for nearly 40 years. Hyundai has focussed its suspension work on European-style handling, not a cushy American-style ride, but that's no different from many other brands. For your needs I would probably have steered you to a Nissan Pulsar, but also advised not to buy anything without a proper test drive on road you know.

I would rule out the Cruze straight away, they have too many issues with reliability with them to be considered. The Elantra and the Camry are both good cars. Your budget should allow you to buy a 2014 Elantra, but probably won’t stretch to a Camry. You might have to go for a 2012-2013 Camry.

The Focus is a good car with a serious flaw; it has a dual-clutch automatic transmission that gives trouble. I would happily have a 2012 Focus with a manual gearbox, but I wouldn't buy one with a dual-clutch auto. I'd be looking at a Japanese or Korean brand and going for something like a Mazda 3, Honda Civic or Accord, Hyundai Elantra with a good record of reliability.

I wouldn’t recommend the Cruze, there have been too many problems with them. The Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra are all good, reliable cars with plenty of performance for the class. Any one of them would be a good choice.

Hyundai spokesman Bill Thomas replies on behalf of South Korean brands: "Hyundai uses only the finest grades of steel in the construction of its cars — in fact, we are the only car maker on earth that makes its own steel, so we can control its quality to very fine tolerances. It's not thinner or lighter, it's just very high quality. The new Elantra, for example, uses 53 per cent advanced ultra-high-strength steel in its body construction, which makes it 30 per cent stiffer than the model it replaces. It's also worth noting that Hyundai uses a huge amount of Australian iron ore in the construction of our steel, from Western Australia, so there's a bit of Australia in all of our cars."