What can you expect for $12,000? How about a Hyundai Elantra?

By Ben Miller
Contributing Editor

The average price of a car these days is well over $20,000. So if you've got only $12,000 to spend on a car you're probably expecting to get only hearty belly-laughs from car dealers when you explain your budget. Some dealers will laugh at you, but not the Hyundai dealer. He actually has a $12,000 car to sell you. And you're not going to be too disappointed with what you're going to get for your thrifty budget.

Hyundai dealers have been busy recently. Sales are up 66 percent compared with a year ago. Twelve years ago, the South Korean manufacturer was selling a lot more cars, but that's when consumers began griping about the car's poor quality and sales took a dip. Hyundai countered by offering above-average warranties, including a five-year/60,000 bumper-to-bumper warranty; a 10-year/100,000 mile power train warranty; and five-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance package.

The 1999 Hyundai Elantra, with a base price of $12,249 (equipped with an automatic transmission) isn't spartan. The most noticeable aspect of the Elantra is the car's performance. A worrisome thought was that the 75-80 mile per hour traverse on I-76 to and from Denver would be abysmal, both in worries that the car couldn't keep up to the speed limit, and that the ride in the inexpensive Elantra would be unbearable. The Elantra's engine was surprisingly peppy. It's a new 2.0-liter, 140-horsepower four-cylinder powerplant that's also found in the more expensive Tiburon coupe. Getting up to the legal speed limit was no problem and passing big trucks on two-lane highways was easy. Gas mileage for the automatic-equipped Elantra is rated at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway. And the road's bumps were handled nicely by the Elantra and its four-wheel independent suspension system. The ride certainly isn't bone-jarring.

Inside, you're not going to be overwhelmed by the Elantra but for $12,000, you're not going to be disappointed, either. Air conditioning is standard, as is a AM/FM stereo cassette player, power rack and pinion steering, and a tilt steering wheel. The test model, which had a total price of $12,804, had some other optional goodies, including an added package ($300) with power windows, mirrors and door locks, cruise control and a split folding rear seat; center console ($125); carpeted floor mats ($70); and mud guards ($60).

It would be nice if anti-lock brakes were available on the base model and also if the car somehow let you know if you leave your lights on. The bland styling of the Elantra isn't going to win too many awards, either. For $12,000, you're getting a car that's affordable and has enough pep on the highway. And you won't have a thing to worry about mechanically for at least five years. Two worries you won't have is your ability to buy a new car for under $13,000 or getting laughed at by a car dealer.