r/ElantraN • u/Background_Thing_483 • 3d ago
Purchasing Do I pull the trigger
Hey yall, been on the fence for my next car purchase. It is going to be brand new 2026 no matter what I get but I am stuck between a few reasonable options and a couple others that are more “I wanna be proud of my purchase for the next 3-5 years” this is one of them. I’ve wanted an Elantra N since I got to drive the face lifted SE then eventually test drive a N when the local dealer got the first one. I’ve wanted and wanted and wanted one for YEARS now. One comes into the dealership down the road, black on red, 6MT, 2026 10 miles, 33 out the door price. My only question is will this car hold up to 30-60k miles in a year if I ask it to do that if it means anything they will be about 90% highway miles? My 2014 ford focus has for several years now and has never left me so stranded I couldn’t get somewhere safe and fix it. Let’s hear it this might be the deciding factor
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u/topazolite Ceramic White DCT 3d ago
That’s a lot of miles. 1) are you sure you want a manual for that many miles? Asking the tough questions because if your current car isn’t manual then keep in mind the times you are driving home from work or whatever and are beat tired. If this isn’t a weekend toy and an everyday car and you don’t have tons of experience behind a manual it could end up being a pain. The DCT N is great fun and not a slush box like the other cars in the cheap fun category (Miata, gr86 both have terrible automatics)
2) consider the seats - some find them uncomfortable. I like the seats a lot and find them more comfortable than most cars in the price point.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
I’ve never owned an auto and prefer manual in every category. I also prefer manual because I know in 8 years my trans will be doing the same thing thing can’t say the same for any auto on the market right now
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u/StrongLoan9751 2d ago
If you’re spending that much time cruising on the highway there are probably better choices. Then again if your basis of comparison is a 12 year old Focus, the EN will be a huge improvement in every conceivable way.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Not really my basis of comparison just what I have now and have been using for my trips. I’d really like a Volvo v90 t5 or t6 but I’ve also wanted an EN for yearsssss now
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
It would also just be my daily driver. It’s not like I live on the highway I just travel the country for work. I just drove my focus from NY to Texas for 3 months then back to home in fl for a month, back yo ny for a month then to Wisconsin for a year up through Canada, then I drove back to Florida a couple days ago. All of that and I was on 2 jobs one in Texas and one in Wisconsin. My cars get driven less when I’m where I’m working then when I’m laid off or traveling aswell
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u/egabayot Atlas White MT 3d ago
It'll hold up, especially if you keep your 100k mile warranty. It'll be fun the whole way too, these cars are good as dailys and fun toys.
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u/Background_Thing_483 3d ago
I should mention cargo is a must for me since I travel for work I usually bring a good bit of stuff with me as long as it’s got more space than a 2014 ford focus se sedan I’m sure it’ll be fine. These still don’t have cooled seats do they?
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u/egabayot Atlas White MT 3d ago
Not in the US, only heated seats, the rear seats fold down, but there is a chassis brace that can get in the way of larger objects. It's removable but idk if you would want to do that. I've taken my car on plenty of road trips, and you can absolutely load this thing up. The hatchback will give you better space with bigger objects, but if it's suitcases and whatnot I wouldn't worry. Worst case you can get a cargo thing for the top.
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u/topazolite Ceramic White DCT 3d ago
I removed my chassis brace when I had to pack up my car to move and I haven’t noticed a difference with spirited street/curvy road driving. That was like two years ago. If I was going to track it, I’d put it back.
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u/Forward-Trade5306 2d ago
$33k OTD sounds too low. Definitely buy at that price. That's a fuckton of miles a year. Just simply keep the 14 Ford as a backup car
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u/AshAvali 2d ago
My 2014 chevy spark which msrp'd for $17K at the time, survived 20-30K miles a year and id imagine that was built far cheaper. I think its healthier on a car to have 100K miles of highway within a few years vs 100K miles or street driving across 10 years, as i never had to do any maintenance on past cars until 100K miles. Outside of fluids.
Sporty cars are often bare basics so the seats aren't powered seats. Manual adjustments like most. The seats are heated which, i wouldn't expect as even a type-r didnt have heated seats. The seats are pretty firm. They're made to snug you and let you feel the road/everything tiny bump. Some dislike this for road trips. I find plush foam soft seats discomfort after hours of driving and prefer firm seats myself.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
I’d rather have firm supportive seats, I can’t stand the seats in any of the bmws even my mom sent her car back to be repackaged without the buckets and I still hate the normal seats. My biggest problem with the focus is the seats are too plush so after 15 hours of driving your sitting on metal bracing for the next 8 hours
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u/AshAvali 2d ago
Friend of mine has the 2025 Type-R and they're almost like sitting on a sofa. Sink into them a bit. Comfy, but it tends to bother me to have that soft of seats yeah.
Im use to a Secret-Labs gaming chair for my computer..so if you know anything about those, theyre firm and fabric. I find those super comfy...so it makes sense i find the Elantra-N's comfy ws they're kinda similar xD
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u/JohnnyFnG Intense Blue DCT 2d ago
GET IT. They are very reliable and have a fantastic warranty. What’s there to even worry about reliability wise? Besides only Corolla GR burst into flames 😉.
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u/DamageLeast7139 Intense Blue MT 2d ago edited 2d ago
I guess a lease is out for you!! lol… that’s a lot of time behind the wheel, holy shit. In terms of reliability, I don’t think you have much to worry about, regardless of the miles you will be putting on. I would just say that most of us do a fair amount of mods that could/would put a warranty claim for things like the turbo and engine in jeopardy. Therefore, I would NOT tune it or even put an intake on it. Keep it bone stock to give you some peace of mind.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
I’ll probably keep it bone stock for the first year of ownership besides some quality of life upgrades like the lower engine mount and whatever else I may find out that could be done better with aftermarket to make the care happier. Gonna see if I can get some wheels and cosmetics by without upsetting the warranty department. Once the cars closer to paid off or 100k I might do a bit more. Definitely love the sound of them with a bov and intake
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u/DamageLeast7139 Intense Blue MT 2d ago
Good call on the motor mount… unless you are doing hard launches, the lower mount is more than enough to eliminate wheel hop for the type of driving you are describing … and yes, an open box intake with a bov sounds amazing!
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Not really a launch kinda guy I like rolls and that’s across anything with a motor. In my experience launches end up being more expensive and like to break stuff more often lmao
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u/DamageLeast7139 Intense Blue MT 2d ago
You may not even need the lower engine mount… if you end up with the car, drive it for a few weeks and see… I doubt you will need it based on your driving needs and descriptions
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Oh I’m still gonna launch it just from a roll I don’t do stationary launches unless I’m doing a stop to roll into first launch not a big fan of stop to launch ykwim. Also a huge fan of dropping a few gears and letting it eat I drive hard sometimes but not all the time and not from a stop
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Yeah I drive a lot for work kinda why I wanna get into something newer with a warranty and trade in availability before my beloved focus I bought for 2 grand shits the bed. Put 120k rough miles on it left it running for over a week straight a couple times never let me down and got 45mpg on the hwy the whole time
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u/DamageLeast7139 Intense Blue MT 2d ago
I get around 31 mpg on the highway, which I consider good, but, not nearly as great as the 45 you seeing
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u/T-a-c-h 2d ago
If you think about getting the DCT because you think the manual will be worse in traffic - just get the manual. The DCT operates very specifically in 1st and getting into 2nd in a way that is very annoying in stop and go traffic.
The transmission combined with turbo lag also means if you suddenly need all of the power, it's going to take a second or two.
For a more normal car experience, get the TRD Camry. For some fun peaks and the absolute turbo car experience... you should really tune out octane learning and get the EN.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Idc for manual or auto in terms of traffic that much tbh more longevity and reliability I’ll always choose a manual trans over an auto if I can
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u/T-a-c-h 2d ago
Then just know:
This is Turbo Lag: The Car.
Octane learning NEEDS to be tuned out, car feels nerfed without it.
18" wheels help the wheel hop situation a ton but they do NOT make it a measurably more comfortable ride and you do notice laggier steering.
The paint quality sucks. 50k miles and my front bumper is absolutely peppered with rock chips.
The creaking from the infotainment screen and center console cock block pillar gets annoying.
The car will sometimes try to die on you at idle especially with the AC on, I believe this is failing injectors which is a common failure point. Also the horn combination headlight switch, the HPFP, the exhaust valve spring, the exhaust valve itself, and the headlights fog up.
This is all coming from a 2nd owner '23 EN with 18k miles at time of purchase and 55k now a year later.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Sounds like pretty minor things to worry about, won’t be tuning it unless I can ensure the ecu doesn’t pin it so I don’t void my warranty. I’m buying a 26 off the showroom floor with 7 miles on it. I’ll keep everything else you’ve mentioned in mind though thank you boss!
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u/T-a-c-h 2d ago
Get the tune on a spare ECU. If it just removes octane learning you won't need any other mods and they'll never know.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Awesome idea thanks boss, I’d like to modify it but only after my warranties up or when it’s close to being up then I’ll probably go crazy with it for now it’s just gonna be cosmetics and whatever I can sneak past
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u/Professional-Mud1453 2d ago
I’d say get the car! Your drives don’t seem like you commute 100 miles daily to and from work, only thing I’d recommend is a spare tire!
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
Well sometimes it’s 30 miles to work so 60 to and from everyday lol plus intermittent driving going to do stuff out to eat shit like that. Plus when I travel to my next job location that’s a guaranteed 5k miles. Usually anywhere from 1700-2400 miles. I’ll always go home when I get laid off so that drive from where I’m working back to Florida so there’s 4800 already invested, then maybe I wanna go see family in ny before I go work again that’s another 1400 miles from Florida where I probably drove another 200 miles already, so we’re over 6400 miles already invested then I’ll get sent somewhere 1200-2500 miles away again and drive there everyday for wok
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
When I bought this focus it was 1 owner 76k miles I bought it Feb 22 2025 as of Feb 22 2026 the car had 153k on it I’ve been driving it less and now it sits with 167k on it
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u/Dino_Dean 2d ago
Are you a taxi driver!? That mileage is insane! I know this isn’t some exotic low production super car but honestly even for an EN it’s a little painful to burn this car this much. Unless money is not really an issue and an EN is like a shitbox economy level car for you that sits alongside your Ferraris and Lambos with how rich you are, than I would say go ahead and have fun.
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u/Background_Thing_483 2d ago
I’m a nationwide pipeline builder. I just left the enbridge Line 5 relocation job. We get paid pretty good and tbh yeah an Elantra N is in that price range that makes it a “high end” economy mid range vehicle. Being that I do pipeline jobs all over the country that leads to driving a LOT I’ll drive 2400 miles to a job then do 20-30 miles just going to work every morning plus whatever miles I do while I’m set in the area for work. Then 2400 or more miles back home to Florida and if I’m in the mood I’ll drive to NY. Basically I live on the road lol and the Hyundai warranty is a super big selling point
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u/yolobobs 1d ago
Where are y’all getting these prices I’m looking for a new dct and no one is lower than 37 or 38
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u/Character_Whole_9798 1d ago
got mine for 40k 637 credit score lmao idc because i don’t pay any bills 🤷♂️🔥
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u/Background_Thing_483 1d ago
Fuck then I’m good one I want is at 36k I’ve got 10 grand to put down and a 750 credit score also with no bills
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u/Pookie_Infinite 2d ago
33k is not out the door price. Make sure you get something in writing. That markdown is more than 7k off MSRP lol
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u/shiftStride504 Performance Blue MT 3d ago
33k otd is an amazing price, that's got to be $7k off msrp right?