I have owned two cars in my life, and both them have been Hyundai. One was a Hyundai Accent which was the cheapest line of Hyundai cars at that time, and the other, which I still have, is a Hyundai Elantra. In addition, my parents always drive Hyundai as well. I love the attractive design of the cars, small and without a large back end. The range of colors is very nice too; I love the charcoal color that looks purple in the sunlight. The car has ice cold air conditioning in the summer (although this needs frequent maintenance) and intense heat in the winter. I've had the car for 8 years and never broken down once (knock on wood). Although my loan payment was a bit high due to credit problems, I was able to get the loan with no problem. I walked into the Hyundai dealership and walked out the same day. I did feel a bit like I was being rolled by the salespeople however, since my knowledge about buying cars is minimal. I also traded in my old Hyundai for the new car and to be honest, the old car ran a bit smoother than the new one, but overall I am extremely satisfied with the ride. One other thing I didn't like is the emphasis that you MUST have your car serviced at a Hyundai dealership, which can be pricey. But in fact it is more easy and convenient for me to go to the dealership so in the long run it is probably worth it. And finally, when I traded in my old Hyundai which was in wonderful condition, I felt I got a bit of a raw deal for it.

The 2006 Hyundai Elantra has a quite a large amount of space for such a small car. Interior accents aren't anything to write home about, but they certainly don't make you feel like you're driving some cheap old commuter car. Road noise is canceled out fairly well, and the vehicle has superb handling for a budget level car. Performance is on par with most daily drivers getting you to and from without hassle, but if you're looking for performance this vehicle leaves much to be desired. Seating is comfortable and positions work well, but expect some cramping and discomfort if you are over six feet tall. The headrests in this vehicle seam to be designed for some other species entirely as there is no way in any position that I have ever been able to get them into an actual usable position, but I do fall into that over six foot tall category. Fuel mileage is absolutely incredibly with a mere $25 to fill the tank at current fuel prices, and you can go pretty far on one tank of fuel. For reliability, these cars run even when they shouldn't. The Elantra has come a long way from the underwhelming death traps of the early-to-mid 1980s resulting in a dependable vehicle that will run even when it is in need of service. It is very easy on the wallet to repair.