This is a Hyundai ? I'm impressed !!

[Pete Geither]

I swapped out a front bumper cover on an 07 Hyundai Sonata yesterday, and frankly, I was very surprised. The thing seemed to be overbuilt actually with top notch fasteners, and almost,,, gulp,, Mercedes like engineering. I didn't get into the innards of the rest of the car, but if the front bumper is any indication of it's quality,,,, they have come a LONG way.

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by Pete Geither

I swapped out a front bumper cover on an 07 Hyundai Sonata yesterday, and frankly, I was very surprised. The thing seemed to be overbuilt actually with top notch fasteners, and almost,,, gulp,, Mercedes like engineering. I didn't get into the innards of the rest of the car, but if the front bumper is any indication of it's quality,,,, they have come a LONG way.

I am a convert. My wife got a 3rg generation Elantra when the lease on her Straus ended. It has been absolutely reliable, and everything works all the time.
Every time they bring out a new platform, it is sunstantially better than what it replaces. The new Elantra is even better than mine, and the current Sonata is very well thought out and put together.
On top of this, their warranty is reassuring should anything go wrong.
Now, if they could get their dealers up to snuff, they'd be unbeatable.

[Medmech]

I agree, Hyundi has been the silent assassin when it comes to build design and quality. They are accused of stealing design and build process from MB and Lexus but they are doing a darn good job doing it.

[davestlouis]

My mom and dad bought Honda Accords, one after another, for years. Then Honda hit a price point where my cheapskate father just felt was too high, and they started buying HAG cars, one Hyundai Sonata and now a Kia Sportage. They have been thriled with both. The Sonata is a 2003, I think, they've put 100K on it. The only problem they've had is the dealer-installed tape pinstripes peeled off in a carwash once.

That big Genesis luxury sedan is beautiful too.

[Hatterasguy]

Their not bad. We looked at their little SUV a few years ago. It wasn't bad, not quite as good as the CRV or Rav4 but not that far off. That was an 07, when they redisign it, it probably will be on par.

[pawoSD]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Their not bad. We looked at their little SUV a few years ago. It wasn't bad, not quite as good as the CRV or Rav4 but not that far off. That was an 07, when they redisign it, it probably will be on par.

Rav4's are money pits. My wife's parents have one (the infamous 2002) and its on its second transmission with only 105k on it, and its having problems....again!

[Hatterasguy]

My moms 07 has been flawless.


Did they buy it new?

[pawoSD]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

My moms 07 has been flawless.


Did they buy it new?

They bought it used (he does body work so he bought it off a dealership for cheap and fixed some damage himself)....it had 81k on it and an extended warranty. 4 months later the trans blew up. Dealer put in a whole new transmission (refurb) for $5,200.....warranty covered it.....but now barely 3-4 months later its having the same problems again and the dealer denies anything....and the warranty is almost up.

Its a known issue with the 2002 models and Toyota denies there is a problem.

It will do real harsh shifts when driving in the city and won't shift to 4th on the highway until you pretty much reach redline in 3rd.....which is above the speed limit, which means unless you race it to 80+ to get it to shift, it will stay in 3rd at 70mph running about 4500 rpm.....pretty dumb.

They're trying to get rid of it.

The 2007 is a lot better from what I've read.

[Mistress]

Originally Posted by Pete Geither

I swapped out a front bumper cover on an 07 Hyundai Sonata yesterday, and frankly, I was very surprised. The thing seemed to be overbuilt actually with top notch fasteners, and almost,,, gulp,, Mercedes like engineering. I didn't get into the innards of the rest of the car, but if the front bumper is any indication of it's quality,,,, they have come a LONG way.

you didin't really say this.

[TylerH860]

My roommate drives a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, and seeing it in my driveway every day is physically painful. The leather is already cracking, and the rear quarter is starting to rust. It was a horrifically ugly car to begin with anyway.

Its hard to believe the Genesis came from the same place. If Hyundai can do it, surely GM and Chrysler can.

[cmbdiesel]

I would buy a Hyundai looong before I would buy a GM. Or a Ford for that matter, or Chrysler. Let's hope the billions we pour into our automakers can help them get on par with the Koreans.

[Pete Geither]

Originally Posted by Mistress

you didin't really say this.

I feel your pain,,, but the truth sometimes hurts.

[Mistress]

Originally Posted by Pete Geither

I feel your pain,,, but the truth sometimes hurts.

your killin me here...actually wasn't Hyundai the first to come out wiht 100,000 mile warranty?

[Pete Geither]

Originally Posted by Mistress

your killin me here...actually wasn't Hyundai the first to come out wiht 100,000 mile warranty?

Don't know about that, but what strikes me is that about 10 years ago, we had a Hyundai towed in after an accident. The thing was such a POS, that all the spotwelds in the damaged area came apart from the impact. To see the overbuilt quality now, tells me that they have truly seen the light and are in the hunt for being right up there with the big boys.

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by Pete Geither

Don't know about that, but what strikes me is that about 10 years ago, we had a Hyundai towed in after an accident. The thing was such a POS, that all the spotwelds in the damaged area came apart from the impact. To see the overbuilt quality now, tells me that they have truly seen the light and are in the hunt for being right up there with the big boys.

Yeah, I don't think today's Hyundai bears any relation to the Hyundai pre 2002 or so.
The 100,000 mile3 warranty is what caught my attention in 2004. I figured they had either vastly improved or would be bankrupt in a year.