Best Value Out There--I'm A Convert

I drive for a courier service as an independent contractor and needed a dependable, economical,comfortable car that could last about 150-200,000 miles to replace my 1998 Sentra which was dying a slow death with only 120,000 on it. Consumer reports rated the 2003 Elantra pretty high as a dependable used car and it seemed to be priced MUCH lower than the Civics, Corollas, and Sentras. I decided to purchase a used 2003 Elantra GLS from a reputable used dealer in July of 2005. It had 30,000 miles on it and I got it for $8500.

Now, one year later, I have 125,000 on it and it drives as good, if not better, as when I bought it, and is giving no indication of dying anytime soon. It averages 30 mpg (28 with the A/C on all the time) and I've had no major parts replacements, just the normal: brakes(65,000 between new brakes), tires, battery and headlamps. I had one malfunction under warranty(gas tank vent hung open) and the dealer fixed it fast and free, no hidden "add-ons".

I read in some earlier posts some complaints about cornering. I drive a river road in the East Tennessee mountains that is plenty curvy everyday. When I put a set of performance tires(cheap Wynstars) on it when the old touring style tires wore out, it handled like a completely different car--level and tight, even at high speeds. I actually like the fact it doesn't have ABS(my Subaru and F-150 have it), because I can actually stop faster if I get in a tight spot(ABS on my Subaru caused a low speed front-end collision in a parking lot, so I'm not a big fan of ABS anyway).

It's not perfect--halogen lamps and battery are a pain to replace, and the trunk lid is too low when open(ow my achin' head), but for the money it's hard to beat. Quiet and smooth ride, comfy interior, good gauges/controls layout, good MPG, ample trunk space and good console storage, excellent factory speakers(I swapped out the stock tape deck with a JVC cd, and it kicks pretty well for a 50 year old ex-rocker musician), and has been more dependable and maintenance free(yes, even better than the Subaru)than any other car I've owned. I just hope the prices stay down long enough so I can buy more of these without paying Honda and Toyota prices.