Hyundai Elantra Problems

You could get an agreed value on the next car, which would cover you for that amount in the event of a write-off, but you will pay more for your insurance. It's probably not worth buying the write-off given that you would have to repair it. It will also have been placed on the written-off register, so you'll have the extra trouble of getting it checked and approved for a return to the road before you can register it and drive it again.

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I recently drove an Elantra and was pleasantly surprised, because the original drove quite badly. The value is good on the Trophy, too.

From the number of complaints we have received about the radio reception in Hyundais it does seem it is below par. But at the same time it's worth noting that other things can influence the reception, like you say your window tint was, so it's worth checking for other causes, and not simply blaming the radio.

From your shortlist, the Mazda3 is the best and gets The Tick from me.

No, I don't, but I don't know how he could know that non-genuine fluid was used when last serviced. That said, auto transmissions do wear out and often need rebuilding. The cost would seem to be reasonable. It's certainly not a normal warranty issue.
 

You should go for it. It gets The Tick from me and Hyundai has a great reputation for reasonable running costs.

Phone Hyundai and explain your problem to one of the customer assistance people. Radio reception does seem to be a problem with Hyundais, we have had quite a few owners reporting poor reception. To fix it I would recommend taking it to a radio specialist and perhaps have a new antenna fitted.

Unless you really enjoy driving, the Elantra will be better on space and will have more factory warranty coverage.

The guide for a private sale is $18,000 to $20,500 ; the price you would be offered as a trade-in is $14,000 to $16,500. While the price the vendor is asking is at the low end of the private range, I would be trying to get it down to around $16,000.

You should test drive the Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Elantra, which both get The Tick from me. The Octavia flies under the radar but is a very good car. The Elantra's recent update improved it vastly and it also has great warranty and service support.