Elantra

2014 · SE

Resale price

$6,350

5-yr depreciation

54%

Of original value, first five years

Yearly maintenance

$475

Parts and labour beyond oil and tyres

Combined MPG

EPA combined city and highway

Trouble-free miles

138,000

Before a first repair above $500

Known issues

Theta II rod bearing failures; rear subframe rust in salt states.

Where it is made

Final assembly · Montgomery, Alabama, USA

Country of origin

South Korea

Home market of Hyundai, the brand that designs and engineers this car.

Parts from South Korea

30%

Share of the car's parts content sourced in South Korea.

Made in the USA

45%

parts

100%

assembly

Finished in a US plant, with the parts share above sourced domestically.

Against the 2014 model year median

Measure	This vehicle	Median	Difference
Resale price	$6,350	$7,250	−$900
5-yr depreciation	54%	55%	−1%
Yearly maintenance	$475	$492	−$17
Combined MPG	33 mpg	31 mpg	+2 mpg
Trouble-free miles	138,000 mi	136,500 mi	+1,500 mi

Long-haul file · ten years old, half a million miles

Fun fact · 02

Toyota Corolla · 1998 — 2002

600,000+ miles

The car that outlived its own warranty twice

The last of the truly boxy Corollas is the high-mileage benchmark of the segment. Almost nothing on it is exotic: a plain 1.8-litre four, a four-speed automatic, and body panels that bolt on instead of being bonded into the structure. Documented examples in courier and taxi service pass 600,000 miles, and the failure that finally stops them is usually rust rather than the drivetrain.

What it is

1.8-litre 1ZZ-FE inline-four, 125 hp
Chain-driven cams, iron-liner alloy block
Four-speed automatic or five-speed manual
41 mpg highway with the five-speed