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Would you buy a Hyundai?

Would you buy a Hyundai


  • Total voters
    59

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
I think it's safe to say that gone are the days of the Hyundai Pony. My buddy at the time had one....fuel gauge didn't work. Ran out of gas a lot. But gawddamn if it didn't start reliably in -40 deg weather....

But I digress

Toyota has said that Hyundai is the company that they are the most nervous about. My neighbour has a Sante Fe....fairly new I think. I peeked in the window the other day. Pretty nice inside. much nicer than the Pony.

And they do offer a warranty that cannot be ignored.

Back in the early days, Hondas and Toyotas were a joke. Obviously not anymore. And I think the stigma attached to Hyundai is beginning to lift too.

So....would you buy one?
 

say 10

Chimp
Jul 30, 2004
84
0
NH
I'd say yes. good, reliable cars. The wife and I own the Elantra, mine is an 06 (had for 1.5 years) and hers is an 04 (bought in 04). No issues at all so far, just regular maint that any car needs.

we both had mid-90's Honda Accords before these.
 

J-Dubs

Monkey
Jul 10, 2006
700
1
Salem, MA
The jury is still out in my opinion. So not any time soon.
They started having those warranties because the parts were so cheap that replacing them didn't cost much. Only problem was that they needed to be replaced more often. More and more that is not the case, and their quality has been on the rise. The cars get better reviews, and the appearance of their cars has improved as well.
We'll see how the genesis does in the reliability dept.

That said, it's kind of like JAX version of the Reebok Pump. Sure they were shoes that inflated, but one look at the bo-bo tag and the deal was off.
 
A friend also has a new Santa Fe. It's ok. The carpeting looks very cheap and thin and the interior just has a cheesy feel.

I put a LOT of miles on my cars and I just have a feeling it would wear out from the inside out. Even if the engine lasts it won't do much good without a body around it.

No, I wouldn't buy one......yet..... time will tell how they stand up!
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Heard a story on NPR about a month ago about Hyundai. Apparently their market share has grown quite a bit during the recession. Many people just can't argue with the "bang for the buck" that Hyundai provides.


I had an Accent as a rental car back in....2002? It was an unholy piece of crap. Brakes hardly worked. I'm sure that had a lot to do with its up-keep however......

But that Sante Fe....not a bad looking little....*cough* *cough*..."truck"....
 

zahgurim

Underwater monkey
Mar 9, 2005
1,100
12
lolAsia
Buy a Hyundae?

Haha! No way.
Living in Seoul, I still see way to many of the new ones broken down on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck.

Or on fire. Seen on the highway last weekend, while heading to beershuttles:




That new Genesis coupe actually looks ok, but it's still a front-wheel-drive turd.
 

Quo Fan

don't make me kick your ass
I had Accents as company cars when I was servicing copiers. Not a bad car when you put a ton of miles on it.

2 guys I used to work with bought Hyundais. One bought a Santa Fe and the other bought a Tuscon. They both seem to like the vehicle, and carrying capacity is decent. Pretty comfortable to ride in, but I never got to drive one.
 

zahgurim

Underwater monkey
Mar 9, 2005
1,100
12
lolAsia
I was told by one of the designers here it was FWD, when I asked him if it was available in AWD... lost in translation?

I still wouldn't buy one... They are priced cheap because they are built cheap.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
I wouldn't if I was you... Dude with your big house and pool and all your wealth. Why not get a Mercedes? Think of the pain and suffering your children and wife will endure when they pull up to the Starbucks slap down the Amex card for that Caramel Maciado thing and have to show ID because they pulled up in a Hyundai? It will take all the enjoyment out of their lives. The Country Club will not allow you to park it anywhere near it... You can't park it in front of your house, just wouldn't be fitting. One good thing is if it didn't run well, it would give you an excuse to bitch about it, just think of the endless posting/whining you could have bitching about your Hyundai?
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
My gf has an 03 elantra...it's a great car, mostly. It's buzzy on the highway and is not well built inside. The driver's seat is slightly broken, all of the interior plastics are cheap and mostly broken (vanity mirror covers, window switch panels) but the damn thing runs and runs. I encouraged her to buy it because she was commuting daily in the worst circumstances; heavy traffic, 30 miles, 40min-1.5hr, and the thought of buying a nice car to park on the street was bad bad bad bad bad. We did a timing belt on it recently, cost $235, and before that I did a thermostat for her at $15 or so.

I would not hesitate to buy a G-coupe, and I even hear the rear seats fold down...rocket science. Should have traded my triple cost audi for one when I had the chance.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,570
24,185
media blackout
My old roommate in SoCal had a Accent. He never took care of it. He needed brake pads desperately. He also had a few "mishaps" so both front quarter panels and both bumpers needed replaced, but he opted not too. It smelled like his BO too. It was awful.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Well thats a loaded question right there. My first responce is no, even though it does have a bitchen warranty, I dont want to be using it every three weeks. Yes Hyundais have come a very long way with their quality, but they are still a lower end, mostly disposable unit. If you dont take care of them, they will fall apart around you. Now I wouldnt stop people from buying hyundais, I mean come on people, I need more work right now. Here is the general way I would look at them if I "were" going to be opurchasing one.


USED.....Not a chance in hell, see my statement about maintaining them, you never know how well the prev owner took care of there car, and the hyundais just are not abusable in that department

New...Maybe, if it was the color, the size, and the right price, when I needed a car in a hurry.



I will stick to Toyota as my first choice,
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Robots can still build crap. The car is still designed by humans.
2009 initial quality

Reuters - 6-22-2009 said:
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- J.D. Power and Associates
announced today that Hyundai is the highest ranked non-premium nameplate in
the 2009 Initial Quality Study(SM) (IQS) and is ranked fourth among all
nameplates. Hyundai owners had fewer problems with their vehicles than any
other non-premium car or truck brand.


In addition to Hyundai's strong overall showing, the Hyundai Elantra earned
the award for the highest initial quality in the compact car segment. The
all-new Hyundai Genesis significantly outperforms the average midsize premium
car.

This year's ranking marks the second time Hyundai has been the highest-ranked
non-premium nameplate in the last four years, and the second time it finished
among the top four overall nameplates, having also achieved these levels in
2006. Highlights this year include a top ranking for the Hyundai Elantra in
the compact segment, and a top three segment performance for the Hyundai
Accent, which ranked second in the highly competitive sub-compact car segment.


The IQS study measures 228 attributes, including the overall driving
experience, engine and transmission, and a broad range of defect and design
problems reported by vehicle owners.
Long term quality - vehicles from 2006 MY after 3 years of ownership (2006 MY was the first year for cars from their Alabama plant, quality went up afterwards as they got their processes refined at the brand new plant):



Good thing hyundai owners didn't do something dumb like buy a BMW:rofl:
 
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golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
As a previous owner of a Hyundai I can tell you that, NO, I would not buy abnother Hyundai.

I had an Elantra GT (03). I bought it based on 2 things, they were getting good reliability reviews and they had what should have been a great warranty program. It was the only car I could get at that price that was fully loaded. It was either that, a totally stripped Toyota or a totally stripped Honda that cost more.

With 39k miles on it mine was still running well, but there was always something annoying going on with it:

Steering wheel would vibrate all the time. Felt like one of my wheels was totally out of balance. But that was not the case. The car spent 3 months in the service department while they tried to figure out what was wrong. And I went through 3 sets of tires and the opinions of multiple shops trying to correct the problem. This was at 20k miles.

The gutter seals on top of the care were ALWAYS coming loose. One day, I heard a tearing noise... looked in my rear view mirror and my entire strip has torn off in the wind and landed behind me. (not covered by "bumper to bumper" warranty).

The sunroof would leak every time it rained so I had to carry a roll of paper towels with me all the time, park under cover if I thought it was going to rain, etc. The dealer would not fix the sunroof ($700) because it was "not covered by the bumper to bumper warranty".

After the last argument I has with the dealer, and involving Hyundai Corporate about them not honoring their "best in the country" warranty, I said to hell with that company.
 
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syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
4 cyl sedan comparo - 2009 Sonata 2nd place out of 10 tested:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0808_top_five_family_sedan_comparison/index.html

The plant in Alabama builds Sonata's and Santa Fe's starting with the 2006 MY Sonata.

People who knock Hyundai right now sound just dumb as the generation prior who knocked the Japanese before they quickly surpassed euro and US nameplates.

Toyota is going in the opposite direction Hyundai is - see common engine sludges issue, huge (and/or hidden) recalls, etc. It was bad enough for the president of Toyota to apologize. I recently won a lemon law case against Toyota for a 2008 MY product (made in Japan even).
 
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jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
The Hyundai's are quite inexpensive. But after you put on the ground effects, upgrade the wheels, Stereo, put the Hyundai stickers in the front and back windows, and then tint the windows. You might as well have bought a used Honda or a Neon RS. Just ask yourself...Whats going to get you the most tail? Tricked out Civic FTW!!
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,159
Copenhagen, Denmark
2009 initial quality

Long term quality - vehicles from 2006 MY after 3 years of ownership (2006 MY was the first year for cars from their Alabama plant, quality went up afterwards as they got their processes refined at the brand new plant):
Again its more the components than the robots. No robot can improve on ****ty components or design.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Back in the early days, Hondas and Toyotas were a joke. Obviously not anymore. And I think the stigma attached to Hyundai is beginning to lift too.
I think you might have your history wrong - the only issues I remember from the 70s (when Japanese imports first started making headway) was a perceived lack of power. Popular engine choices where 1200, 1400 and 1600 cc, much smaller than your typical straight 6 or V8 of the same era so yes - they did lack power. No one really cared since fuel economy was a major issue.

Honda and Toyota where pretty well known for quality & reliability from the start - women in particular where drawn to cars from both companies. The first generation Honda Civics & Toyota Corollas of the mid 70s only began to disappear from the roads in the last 5 to 10 years.

Datsun B210s on the other hand...
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
A friend also has a new Santa Fe. It's ok. The carpeting looks very cheap and thin and the interior just has a cheesy feel.

I put a LOT of miles on my cars and I just have a feeling it would wear out from the inside out. Even if the engine lasts it won't do much good without a body around it.

No, I wouldn't buy one......yet..... time will tell how they stand up!
The headliner in my Xterra is held up by thumb tacks. I might consider a Hyundai over Nissan next time. :think:
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
As a previous owner of a Hyundai I can tell you that, NO, I would not buy abnother Hyundai.

I had an Elantra GT (03). I bought it based on 2 things, they were getting good reliability reviews and they had what should have been a great warranty program. It was the only car I could get at that price that was fully loaded. It was either that, a totally stripped Toyota or a totally stripped Honda that cost more.

With 39k miles on it mine was still running well, but there was always something annoying going on with it:

Steering wheel would vibrate all the time. Felt like one of my wheels was totally out of balance. But that was not the case. The car spent 3 months in the service department while they tried to figure out what was wrong. And I went through 3 sets of tires and the opinions of multiple shops trying to correct the problem. This was at 20k miles.

The gutter seals on top of the care were ALWAYS coming loose. One day, I heard a tearing noise... looked in my rear view mirror and my entire strip has torn off in the wind and landed behind me. (not covered by "bumper to bumper" warranty).

The sunroof would leak every time it rained so I had to carry a roll of paper towels with me all the time, park under cover if I thought it was going to rain, etc. The dealer would not fix the sunroof ($700) because it was "not covered by the bumper to bumper warranty".

After the last argument I has with the dealer, and involving Hyundai Corporate about them not honoring their "best in the country" warranty, I said to hell with that company.
It was likely all of the merchants that you did business with sabotaging it.
 

Acadian

Born Again Newbie
Sep 5, 2001
714
2
Blah Blah and Blah
I think it's safe to say that gone are the days of the Hyundai Pony. My buddy at the time had one....fuel gauge didn't work. Ran out of gas a lot. But gawddamn if it didn't start reliably in -40 deg weather....
holy sh-t, did that ever bring back from good childhood memories...:thumb::thumb: