Anybody Here Like Hyundais??

[FinanceDude]

Just wondering............I find it interesting that the head of Toyota is more concerned about Hyundai than Honda...............

 

[Sam]

Never owned a Hyundai before, but have heard a lot of good things about it. I agree with Toyota's concern. Hyundai is and continues to be a formidable competitor in the economical (bottom) market segment.

 

[brewer12345]

We rented one of the new design Hyudai minivans on our recent week-long trip to CO. I would say that it wasn't quite as nice as our Honda van, but it was very competitive, with good fit and finish and nicely appointed/designed. It felt a little boatier than the Honda, but it even did OK in the snow. For $4 or $5k less than the Honda, I'd say it is a VERY strong contender.

 

[Texas Proud]

From what I have read / heard.... they have improved their quality a lot over the last few years..

I knew someone who had one built in the '80s at it was a tin box piece of junk.... but very cheap...

so, taking their improvement line and projecting forward.. they will be making the best car in the world in 20 or so years....

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hyundais may be a good car. But the resale on them is absolutely terrible. So if you aren't going to keep it till the wheels fall off then consider what it will be worth in the secondary market.

Just cause something doesn't cost that much doesn't mean it's always cheap to own.

- or as the car guys like to say, you really don't know what a car has cost you until you sell it.

Some people keep a car 10 years or longer. The resale shouldn't concern those people. Others keep a car until it needs some moderate maintainance like water pumps, or alternators, or starters etc.. If you are one of those type that sells your car after maybe 3-6 years then resale is a concern

 

[lets-retire]

Some people keep a car 10 years or longer. The resale shouldn't concern those people. Others keep a car until it needs some moderate maintainance like water pumps, or alternators, or starters etc.. If you are one of those type that sells your car after maybe 3-6 years then resale is a concern

After running the license plates of thousands of cars I can honestly say I haven't seen more than a couple Hyundais or Kias more than 5 years old.

 

[Donzo]

The origional Hyundias were pretty bad. The brakes were to small and wore down quickly - underpowered and started to rattle ... to soon. A good friends girlfriend had one back in the late 80s. But, I had a rep w/ one (his wifes car) - wow have they ever improved. Take off the name plates and it had the fit and finish/ride of a Honda/Nisson.
They used to be alot cheaper - don't know if that is true now - if so...I would consider one. Of course where I live it has to be 4WD ---I love my supercharged Wrangler - will keep till the wheels fall off!

 

[Corporateburnout]

I bought a 2006 Sonata 10 months ago already has 20K miles on it. I was a little apprehensive about owning on based on past reputation but I'm real impressed with the car. It rides well and it is very comfortable.

 

[bssc]

I test drove their minivan last year. While it was noisier and had a rougher ride, pretty much everything else was comparable to the Toyota and Honda.

 

[linkerbink]

I have a 2004 Hyundai Elantra...next one up from the smallest model. It's a 4 cy. and gets great gas mileage. The engine is a little "growly" but that's not unusual for a 4 cylinder. I've driven from Pennsylvaina (north of Philly) to Williamsburg, VA, Portland, ME, and to Cleveland with no problems and it's a fine ride...not luxurious, but certainly fine for the type of driving I usually do, which is the around town type for the most part. I would certainly consider another one when the time comes...depending on what else is out there.

 

[eridanus]

10 year warranty
#3 in quality in JD Power survey (Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai)

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Pretty good value for the dollar these days. If as mentioned you dont consider resale.

We looked hard at the Santa Fe when we bought our Rav4. Had the Hyundai dealer been less of a moron we might have bought one. I called him and told him what the price was on our Rav4, and he offered list price on the santa fe.

Yeah, alright chief... :

 

[Texas Proud]

Pretty good value for the dollar these days. If as mentioned you dont consider resale.

We looked hard at the Santa Fe when we bought our Rav4. Had the Hyundai dealer been less of a moron we might have bought one. I called him and told him what the price was on our Rav4, and he offered list price on the santa fe.

Yeah, alright chief... :

Did you buy one of the new Rav4s Did you go with 4 or 6 cyl??

I have been toying with buying something like that or the CRV... but don't think I will.... but nice to know how they are...

 

[VoyT]

I have been toying with buying something like that or the CRV.

Have to admit, I like the looks of the new CRV ....

Test drove a Sonata, and it performed pretty well. To me, though, the interior materials looked to be on the cheap side. Funny that CFB mentioned that his Hyundai dealer was a moron ... the one I dealt with was a jack@ss.

 

[califdreamer]

I rented a 2007 Hyundai Sonata today since my regular ride is undergoing maintenance. It's always nice to drive a newer rental car. This one only has about 675 miles on it. It drives nicely. Exterior looks pretty sharp. Interior has a fairly basic econo look. I'd be curious to see how it holds up at around the 50,000 and 100,000 mile marks.

 

[BUM]

Off on a tangent. For awhile, I used to sell for Hyundai (pronounced something frighteningly close to "HONDA"). I sold their RAM memory modules. I got well along to FIRE selling these babies by the truckload when a meg was much more expensive than today's gig. New versions plagued the marketplace.

My Korean boss always ended his national conference calls by reminding us: "Don't forget to sell old virgin first." I love Hyundai.

Back in the 80's it was a chuckle to see the VPs driving Elantras.

 

[Sam]

"Don't forget to sell old virgin first."

Huh? What does it mean?

 

[bruce1]

I bought a 2001 Accent last April with 80000 Km on it and have put 30.000 on it since.

Maintenance and repairs for the period

May
Tune up $125

October
WInter Tires $300

November
Valve cover Gasket. Brakes Plug wires and tie Rod Ends $700

Today it is in for the timing belt / water pump (regular maint about $400)
Also to check check engine light (probably evap system)

Oil Changes Air Filters about $175

Fuel 6-7 L per 100 km

Fairly large inside. Most roomy small car I was in and that is why I got it. Toyota echo was second Corolla had too much stuff sticking out of the door that poked my knee.

People that I know with elantras are happy with them (one 2002 with 240,,000 K on it has had nothing but regular maint, the other does not have enough distance on it to have had any problems anyway.

Was not to happy about having to do the tie rod ends but other than that OK.

Would not buy another accent, would get an elantra simply for the larger size but would miss the hatch back.

Bruce

 

[lets-retire]

Huh? What does it mean?

Sell the stuff that's been on the shelves the longest first.

 

[BUM]

Huh? What does it mean?

Sorry Sam. In the computer chip biz its important to sell the old VERSION first.

 

[Andre1969]

I sat in a new Accent 2-door at the DC auto show, and was pretty impressed. I usually find little cars to be horribly cramped. Either the steering wheel is in the way, the door panels are too close, the pedals are too close together, seat's too small, doesn't go back far enough, center console's too big, or any combination thereof.

However, this Accent fit my 6'3" frame just fine. For a solo commuter or a 2-seater, this thing has as much room where it counts as any big 1970's mastodon ever did. You're not going to get 3 people across in it, and with me driving, you're certainly not going to have a useable back seat. But the same can also be said of many much bigger cars.

I've been pretty impressed with the new Sonata, too. Honestly, the only thing really cheap I noticed on the inside was that the door handles were just a dull gray plastic instead of a nicer looking chromed plastic. But otherwise, I don't see a big difference between a Sonata's interior materials and an Accord's or Camry's.

 

[FinanceDude]

DW likes the new Sante Fe. She also likes the Tucson, but might be a little small when we go on a family vacation. Of course, EVERYTHING is small compared to the behemoth Town and Country we have now.

I have to admit, having purchased a Honda Accord a year ago, and being a domestic car owner for 20 YEARS before that, I can easily see why Detroit is getting their arses kicked by the imports. The Honda is quiet, trouble free, and has a lot of features for the price. I have no doubt I can run this car to 300,000 miles if I need to............

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Did you buy one of the new Rav4s Did you go with 4 or 6 cyl??

I have been toying with buying something like that or the CRV... but don't think I will.... but nice to know how they are...

This was a couple of years ago, during which time Hyundai has further improved its quality.

The Rav4 has been an exceptionally good vehicle and I highly recommend it. My dad even went out and bought one. Neither of us has had any problems and just routine maintenance.

The CRV at the time was just about to be redesigned and was a notch below the Rav. I believe that since that time they've come closer to parity. I think that honda has better motors and toyota does a better job with fit/finish/body matters. If I liked them both the same, I'd go with whichever one came up cheaper.

Strong recommendations for CarsDirect.com as well. They gave me a price for my wifes Lexus that I used to beat down our local dealer that doesnt work with CD, and the price they got me on my honda pilot was several thousand below what the local dealers would do.

 

[FinanceDude]

This was a couple of years ago, during which time Hyundai has further improved its quality.

The Rav4 has been an exceptionally good vehicle and I highly recommend it. My dad even went out and bought one. Neither of us has had any problems and just routine maintenance.

The CRV at the time was just about to be redesigned and was a notch below the Rav. I believe that since that time they've come closer to parity. I think that honda has better motors and toyota does a better job with fit/finish/body matters. If I liked them both the same, I'd go with whichever one came up cheaper.

Strong recommendations for CarsDirect.com as well. They gave me a price for my wifes Lexus that I used to beat down our local dealer that doesnt work with CD, and the price they got me on my honda pilot was several thousand below what the local dealers would do.

Now, if we could get Toyota body integrity with Honda engine, that would be sweet!!

Maybe Hyundai will do it? I guess I'm waiting to see the 2008 Accord, I heard it is out of this world...........

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Only problem I've had with the honda is the doors not fitting right and needing "manual adjustment".

Only problem I've had with the rav4 is that the sunroof is awful. Dont ever get the rav4 with a sunroof. Its cheap and thin plastic and vibrates like crazy when you have the back windows open and go over 35mph