News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

Hyundai

Started by Denise 20352, July 20, 2006, 09:44:48 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Denise 20352


  Youre gonna think that Im being facetious, but Im serious...

  I rode in a Hyundai yesterday, I think the model was called Alero, and judging by todays standards, I was totally impressed.  It is a MUCH better car than the Mercury Grand Marquis.  The ride is smoother, it is quieter, the materials used in the interior are better quality, it looks nicer inside, and the clever use of space makes it feel twice as big.  I was told that it even has more horsepower, and it threw me back in the seat when the driver opened it up to demonstrate.  The only thing that I didnt like about was that the climate control doesnt work as well as some new cars, but it was 107 degrees and humid at the time.

  If I were not so far upside down on the Mercury, I would go trade it in on one of those Hyundais right now.  For the same payment, it would be much more car.  Based on the experience that I had with Ford, I no longer care about being a loyal American consumer.  Buying American is worth something, but not enough to buy garbage from a dealer and car company who are going to be rude to me.  I doubt that I will ever buy a new car again, but if I ever get into a situation where I might have to, Im not going to pass up the Japanese car dealers.  Better to get a real Japanese car than a cheap imitation of one, which is all new American cars are anymore.

-denise

Jim Bottini

Hey Denise,

The Hyundai youre probably referring to is the new Azera. I had a 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX V6 and I was happier than Ive ever been with a car. The quality, fit, finish, features, power and handling were incredible for the price. Ive owned everything from a Chevette Scooter to a BMW 7 series and I can tell you the Sonata blew me away!!! It impressed anyone that rode in it also.

On several cross country trips (where it was flat, clear and safe to me) I set the cruise control for 110 and it didnt even wheeze. It just settled down and cruised along very happily. I averaged 28 mpg on that trip and I was extremely comfortable.

The only reason I no longer have the Sonata is because I was stopped on the highway for construction and an 18 wheeler didnt see the traffic stopped and slammed into me, pushing me under the trailer of the rig in front of me. I had to be cut out of the car. there was just under 5 between the front bumper of the idiot that hit me and the back of the trailer he pushed me into. The entire front seat area was untouched! I walked away without a scratch!!!!

Hyundai really has impressed me with thier vehicles, warranty and service. I know Ill get poo-pooed by the American car loyalists, but I agree with you. I work too hard for my money and I want the best vehicle I can get for my money and for my families safety. We plan on buying a Santa Fe this fall when the all-new 2007 comes out.

I do have to say that theres NOTHING like the ride of the old detroit metal and Ill ALWAYS love my Cadillacs, but I prefer the older than the newer.

jb

Rhino 21150

Hyundai is Korean and it is a cheap imitation of a Japanese car! However, that doesnt make it wrong. My girlfriend has a half American half Japanese car and flat loves it. Pontiac Vibe. No, it is NOT identical to the Toyota Matrix. We drove both and the Vibe is clearly American in a zillion ways. The Matrix doesnt fit our American patooties! And the ride is much harsher, which is fine if you are under thirty. I could be that persons Dad! I wouldnt be one bit upset if GM did an alliance with Nissan/Mitsubishi. Just let GM design the seats!
And as for the "quality" of Japanese cars: All of the cute cubbyholes and bins in the Vibe have broken latches. None stay closed. They ALL broke under waranty, were fixed, and broke again. We will tolerate this on a "quality foreign car" but would scream bloody murder if it happened in an American car. Perspective, I guess.
I would love a car styled by the Italians, made of American materials and engineed by the Japanese. To cut costs, get the Koreans to assemble it. Woo Hoo! A car that looks like sex on wheels, goes like a rocket and needs nothing more than oil, tires, brake pads and washer fluid for the first 50K! And sells for $26,000.

Denise 20352


 > A car that looks like sex on wheels

   Like the Weinermobile?

-denise

Rhino 21150

Thats one example....

Tore Robert Klerud, CLC# 20146

Let me first say I am equally embarrased about finding a Hyundai discussion on this forum as I am about actually contributing to it, but:

Car prices in Norway are very high. A good measurement of what has proved to be value for money car-wise is to look at what kind of cars the taxi trade seem to favor. When American cars turned more expensive and more exclusive compared to European cars after WW2, our nation had to rebuild much of the country after the German occupation. This was before we struck oil, and we were the second poorest nation in Europe. Until the early sixties, American cars hung in there with the taxi drivers, probably due to quality, durability and comfort, long after they were considered too expensive for the normal family. It started with full size Chevrolets, Plymouths and Fords from the 40ies, the typical Chevy 210 with a six and manual gearbox thru the fifties and ended with the smaller size Valiants and Rambler Americans in the first half of the 1960es. Then the diesel craze begun, and while a few die-hard enthusiasts kept on driving Dodge Aspens and Plymouth Volares until the late 70ies, the Mercedes 123-series (later known as the first E-class) of 1975-1984 became more or less the standard taxi, with an occasional French thing like a Peugeot 504 for variation. Mercedes, while being expensive when new, has since kept it´s position thru the 124 series (1985-1996), the 210 series (1997-2003) and now the 211 (2004 and counting), and they still have more than half of the taxi market up here. Volvo V70 has come up as a very good competitor the last couple of years, and from time to time you see a Toyota Avensis or some Korean brand - the latter normally driven by some cheap old guy who is determent to show his MB-driving colleagues that he´s smarter than them. MY POINT: I have owned four MB E-class cars (3x124 and one 210) for personal transportation over the last 15 years, and they have given me some 400K kilometers of trouble free service at low cost EVEN when being up to 8 years old when I bought them. MB has had quality issues over the last years, but when I from time to time take a taxi home after a good night on the town, the MBs with 300 and 400K kilometers on the odometers feel like "new" cars. On a few occasions I have had the misfortune to clash up with some Korean brands after waiting in line, and the worst one was a 16 months old Hyundai Sonata with 116K kilometers on the clock: It squeaked, clunked, the interior was completely shot and the entire car shook like a wet dog. What the driver/owner had saved on initial cost, he most likely lost in tips.

This said for the sake of time perspective, I hear you are talking about Hyundais of the 2006 vintage. The picture may change when the Koreans get a few more years and a few more miles on them. There is still much to be said for German build quality, and from what I have seen of late model Cadillacs, they are certainly not too far away. For the rest of the Americans, I have no way to tell, but I suspect most of them are not yet as durable as the Japanese cars, even though they are in most cases just as boring...

Regards, Tore
Norway

64 Eldo
76 Eldo Conv
78 Sev Ele
80 FBd´E