How is your Hyundai? we're thinking.....?

Question

We are thinking of purchasing a accent, elantra or sonata. Need your feedback.

Answer 1

In 2002 I bough a 2003 Tiburon. Tried to do homework on the car as wasn't sure about how good Hyundai was. I drive a car harder then most people and told the place where I bough it when I was finished with it I'll know how good it is. Example: I will not hesitate to red line the tact if I want extra power.The car was rear ended in 2002, pushed into another car. Let me tell you that they do not have cheap metal or are poorly made as the car protected the driver very well and frame was not bent.. As far as the engine, I now have 43,000 miles, it uses no oil, transmission is standing up good and would say the car is very well made. Has several miles on it at 80 plus MPH. Gages are very accurate, example: if gas gage say 1/2 tank, I have 1/2 tank of gas. All the others appear to be accurate also.
I would not be afraid to buy any Hyundai. The only thing is gas millage as most of them don't get as good millage as other car engines of same size.

Answer 2

I currently own a 2004 Hyundai Elantra 4-door. I don't do a lot of traveling in it except around town and to and from work. I bought it brand new and have not had any problems with it. You can't beat the 10 year/ 100,000 mile warranty. My previous car, 1999 Dodge Neon had a head gasket go within the first 6 months. Let's face it, everyone has their likes and dislikes about certain cars. Every brand has it's share of lemons. Take care of IT and IT will take care of you.

FYI...Hyundai and KIA are made by the same company.

Answer 3

First you should check out the recent articles by JD Power and Consumer Reports which both rank Hyundai among the best cars in the world (top 3 & top 7) in initial quality and reliability. The guy before me is promoting his sisters Chevy 7 years after buying his car, must not have been such a bad car...and all cars require belt changes prior to 100,000 miles so it sounds like his car has lasted a long time already.
Anyhow, I'm the proud owner of a 2006 Azera Limited and may get the new Santa Fe or Veracruz as a replacement for my wifes Nissan Quest next year. I just hope that Hyundai comes out with a hybrid soon, gas prices are up again and hybrid's are awesome in city/suburbs with twice the mpg of a traditional gas engine.

Answer 4

I have a 2000 Hyundai Elantra 4 door. From the start it was not a smooth ride I could tell the difference of riding in my sister's Chevy, I felt like I was sitting higher up in her Chevy and could not feel the bumps in the road, it was a smooth ride. As soon as I got in my brand new Hyundai Elantra the ride was drastically different. I wish to this day that I would have taken that car back. It was not good on gas "at all" and it quit on me for a reason I still donot know had to be towed in "didn't cost me because of the warranty" but they did not find anything but when I went to get it from mechanic it would start, so I just keep driving it. Most recently, as in right now my timing belt has broken and I am not sure how much it will cost. The parts are not as readily available even the Hyundai dealers where I live have to order the parts, the insurance was higher on my car than my sister's Chevy. I personally would not purchase another one in life, ever or refer anyone else to do so. I just went on their website trying to find a resolution to my mechanical problems and there was no support there whatsoever. Please, do not buy this brand car because after the 100,000 warranty powertrain and 60,000 mile base is over your car is too.

Answer 5

Well as you can see from some of the answers some people really just put out their tired old opinions instead of really answering your question. So I will try to do that. I personally own one so I feel I am qualified to answer it. I bought my 2003 Tiburon GTV6 off the showroom floor the sales manger was using it so they sold it to me as a demo at a discount it had about 3k on it when i purchased it. It has about 46k on it now.
Some people are confused about the warranty. Do your homework by checking your Dealer or log into the website. The warranty is touted as a "bumper to bumper" warranty to 5 years however like most warranties it excludes wear items which means items such as brakes, your clutch, etc etc. I can also personally attest to having used the roadside assistance once and Hyundai picked up the tab no questions at all.
I have had some electronic problems on mine (power windows both sides at about 30k) door on passenger side seized up completely wouldn't open, broken strut on passenger side. All repaired under warranty and fixed on the FIRST visit. Now this is the important part to me because like most of you I work very hard and don't have time to get a runaround at the Dealer and take my vehicle back there 3 times or maybe even more for the same problem. I also have only received one recall notice on the vehicle in 4 years.
My last Ford I had I received 3 recall notices in under one year and would have to schedule an oil change at least 2 weeks in advance. When I call Hyundai I generally get how is tomorrow or the next day? I also have never gotten a "it didn't do it while we had it here" or "can you bring it back when it's doing it?" So to me that is priceless because they do stand behind their vehicles. I also got a bad vide at the service dept. where I bought it so I took it to another local Hyundai Dealer and found them to be much better. I plan to buy my next Hyundai from them next year.

Answer 6

My wife and I have an elantra GT and an accent. the accent has about 78,000 on it and I drive it 120miles every day. I get 38-40 mpg and love it. The elantra has 68,000 miles and gets 29-32 mpg and my wife would not drive another car. Both cars are 2002, and I am looking at trading up the newly designed accent not because I need to but because I want to... My only fear is I will miss my current one. By the way we live in Vermont USA and the first 3 years I had the accent I drove it over a dirt mountain pass through snow ice and 12" mud and never had a problem as long as I had my studs.

Answer 7

One more Pro-Hyundai comment for you.
I am on my third hyundai. Started with a 1991 Exel got a few hundred thousand miles out of it. Never did much maintenance, except oil changes.
Then bought a 2002 Elantra, ran the heck out of it, only had to have a speed sensor changed, which Hyundai covered.
Traded the elantra in, for a 2006 Santa Fe. Got a good deal on the rebate and owner loyalty bonus. THe santa Fe is a really great deal. Six Cylinders, nice interior layout, cruise, power windows, killer am/fm/cd/casette with high power amp, roof rack, cargo net, first aid kit, 100,000 mile warranty, free oil changes, superb fit and finish, 28 miles per gallon on the highway, great ride, easy to handle. Very nice overall vehicle.
I researched the American vehicles, in the same price range and foud the Hyundai to be the best deal out there. Test drive one, and if you don't like it, try another.
Don't feel bad about buying a supposed foreign made vehicle. Every car, wether it is a Ford, Chevy, Hyundai or Subaru, is not made of parts strictly from the country of origination. Cars are made from domestic and globally sourced parts. I found that out in 1989 when I bought a Volkswagen Jetta. Thought it was made in Germany, turned out to have been assembled in Mexico, it also turned out to be a piece of junk. Loyalty to the US manufacturers is a thing of the past. Ask them to give you free oil changes for as long as you own the car, they will laugh you off the lot or agree and charge you anyway. American cars are mostly junk.

Answer 8

hyundai is an excelent car company , I m not saying its the best on the world , but you have to keep on mind that even the most expensive car on the planet without proper maintenance will fail just as the cheapest around , I own a 2000 hyundai elantra station wagon the odometer reading is 200123 miles I purchase the vehicle new from the dealer and my wife and I drive lots of miles a week I live in the greatest lone star state , and I have to be honest with you this is by far one of the best vehicles we have ever own ., original engine , original tranny , just like I said proper maintenance makes the difference , good luck .

Answer 9

To all the Hyundai haters out there I say this....

The "arguements" they make are the same ones that were made about Toyota and Honda in the 70's and Early 80's and now you don't hear those anymore.

Simple fact, Hyundai makes a great product. They are not "cheap" they are lower priced because they do smart business. They don't buy 3rd party material. They own their own steel mills, shipping plants, and they make the robots that build everybody elses cars & trucks.

The warranty is unmatched! 5years/60,000 miles bumper to bumper, 10years/100,000 miles power train, 5years/unlimited miles roadside.

The Sonata got 5 stars on all crash tests and a best pick award for car & driver and best in class form JD Power. And it is built in Montogomery, Alabama

You can't go wrong with Hyundai. More bang for your buck and a better car than anything else in its class. And to the person who suggested you buy a V8, at 2.70 a gallon, I'll pass on 8-10 miles a gallon.

Answer 10

I have had 4 owned Hyundai's .

my first one was a Excel 94 manual model I travelled 314000 kilometers (about 195000 miles) Kept the service up to it and when i sold it the dealer was blown away distance travelled.

the second one was a Santa Fe auto bought in 2000 I did about 412,000 kilometers (about 255,000 miles) till the transfer case gave up. cost me $6000.00 to replace. the dealer dealer had to replaced the timing sensor due to a defect. I did keep the servicing up to the vehicle.

Sold the car, and purchased 2 others March last year. I bought a Terracan and a Getz. the Terracan is a 2.9 CRDi turbo diesel and drive 800 kilometer (500 miles) on a tankful. I have done 25000 kilometers in that so and no problems....

The Getz has done 45000 kilometers. I do keep the servicing up to vehicles.

Hyundai Australia offered a 5 year unlimited kilometer on the Getz and the Terracan warranty. Which translates they have a lot of faith in their product and the distances I travel per year.


At first I was skeptical of Hyundai vehicles but now I am sold on them. They do last you just have to keep the maintenance up to the vehicles, and the dealer has to know what he is doing. By this I mean I would have much faith in a dealer who hasn't work on Hyundai less that 15 years