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I'm looking into possibly buying something very affordable but still reliable. I'm mainly looking at Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda.
Hyundai's seem to have improved quite a bit recently from what I hear, but I am still a little weary from all the nightmare stories I've heard about them in the 80's and 90's. I have to say their warranty plans are very attractive. I would like to get responses from people who actually currently own a Hyundai. What are your thoughts? Would your recommend.
I've owned two of them a 98 Tiburon that was as much fun to drive as anything I've been in that cost less than $40,000.00. It did ride like a log wagon but handling was very good. My current car, I should say my wife's current car, is a 2006 Sonata. Very roomy, handles well and will out excelerate most V8's. I bought it specifically for the door handles. My wife has a problem with her fingers that make lifting a door handle painful. It has more creature comforts than you can shake a stick at and a very good safety rating owing to standard six air bags.. I have had two problems in 26,000 mi. The power seat switch and the rear window defroster. In both cases it was fixed N/C. The rear window had to be replaced for the defroster problem. I was given a new Sonata as a loaner while it was fixed. I also had an indicator that told me the passenger air bag was not activated. Hyundai sent out a new seat and it was replace with no questions. Turns out my wife is too light (82lbs) to activate the air bag.
The car and the dealer I bought it from get high ratings in my book and I would buy another one withour hesitation.
Hyundai has, in less than a decade, gone from the bottom of the barrell to the genuine upper eschelon. It's a turnaround that is actually widely studied in business schools. Quality is night and day different from 10 years ago and they are a legitimate threat to Honda and Toyota.
I've never owned one because frankly they are rather boring, but a good friend has owned a Santa Fe and now a Sonata, both which I understand have been very good to him.
Hyundai has, in less than a decade, gone from the bottom of the barrell to the genuine upper eschelon. It's a turnaround that is actually widely studied in business schools. Quality is night and day different from 10 years ago and they are a legitimate threat to Honda and Toyota.
I've never owned one because frankly they are rather boring, but a good friend has owned a Santa Fe and now a Sonata, both which I understand have been very good to him.
Funny you say that. Because I find Toyota's extremely boring, that's why I haven't even looked into them.
The difference between Hyundai 1988 and Hyundai in 2008 is just shy of infinite. When they first hit our shores, Hyundai was about one step above Yugo. Now they're about one step below the Japanese heavy hitters. That's a massive improvement in just 20 years. On the anecdotal side, I don't own a Hyundai and never have. My best friend's parents bought a Santa Fe. They liked it so much they went back to the dealer and replaced their Chevy Cavalier with an Elantra.
I'm looking forward to the RWD Genesis Coupe as a replacement for the Tiburon. Base engine output estimated at 300HP... not bad.
I would say Hyundais are slightly ahead of where japanese cars were 10 years ago. Reliability and style as well as affordability with respect to their warranty has improved greatly. I did hear that there were some issues with Hyundai actually honoring warranty claims on some issues in the past two years. Apparently they considered the issue under the category of normal wear and tear/customer responsibility when in fact it was a Hyundai design issue/their responsibility. I will have to ask my father as he was part of and still follows the automotive industry but if memory serves it was something to do with the clutch, but it was not your normal wear and tear issue that would exempt a clutch from warranty claims. It all depends on style. Toyota is more mainstream, conservative and sometimes dull. Honda is more design edgy and sporty. Hyundai is a bit of both, but a bit below Honda and Toyota overall IMO.
I'm looking into possibly buying something very affordable but still reliable. I'm mainly looking at Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda.
Hyundai's seem to have improved quite a bit recently from what I hear, but I am still a little weary from all the nightmare stories I've heard about them in the 80's and 90's. I have to say their warranty plans are very attractive. I would like to get responses from people who actually currently own a Hyundai. What are your thoughts? Would your recommend.
We have an 05 sonata - no problems no complaints. Best car I have ever owned by a long shot. Brother had an elantra he put over 100K miles, then traded for a tuscon which he loves. My parents have the accent and have over 50K miles on that with only one minor problem.
We personally went with the 05 sonata for the look and reviews. I like the curves on this model, and reviews were very positive.
I would NEVER had purchased an early 90's version. Currently they get rave reviews. Consumer reports has a good article - i was thumbing through one while waiting at a checkout at grocery store - had two vehicles in the best buys list.
We currently own 2004 Hyundai Terracan originally bought in Luxembourg and I think it's a good car... Exterior looks really cool, but interior is crappy... Many people says: Wow, that must be expensive, however the price was about 25,000 Dollars. Fortunately, they dont see the interion, which I hate, really crappy materials and so simple.... However, what you want for that bargain...
We've got an 03 Hyundai Accent, and have had one big problem with it: the automatic transmission. Died completely two years ago, and even with a new transmission the car hasn't been the same since.
Quote:
I did hear that there were some issues with Hyundai actually honoring warranty claims on some issues in the past two years. Apparently they considered the issue under the category of normal wear and tear/customer responsibility
This is what we're finding with our car. For instance, the remote levers to adjust the outside mirrors stopped working two years ago. Hyundai would not repair or replace them under warrantly because they consider that problem "normal" for a three-year-old car.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that sorry excuse doesn't fit the widely accepted definition of "five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty."
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