Hyundai lowdown!

[Susan C.]

Are Hyundai's as good as Toyotas and Hondas? We are import people, too many remote places here so cars need to reliably get us where we are going.

 

Tell me about Santa Fe and Tuscon models, new and used. The good, bad and ugly!!

 

Thanks!

 

ETA: WOW thanks all. Editing for new readers...we drive our cars into the ground, we have two cars (both Toyotas) with 150K-160K miles on them. We have four drivers, so need to get another. Ds needs to go to work so he can earn money so he can get a car, dd needs to commute to college locally, and dh and I need a way to get around :) It looks like Hyundai needs to be bought on the new side, that used may not be as reliable as a Toyota or Honda, which seem to last longer. I'm not liking hearing about cheap fabric for the seats and leather coming unstitched, ugh.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Susan C.

[Susann]

We've had a Sonata for 7-8 years now. Because we were so happy w/my car, my husband bought as Elantra about 4-5 years ago. The only thing we've needed done to either car was to replace the timing belt in mine at about 140,000 miles. FWIW-I'm not a car person. I want something reliable & economical which these have been. Would definately buy another one.

[DawnM]

IMO, no. I was told by a mechanic that if you plan to sell your car before 100K miles, then a Hyundai is fine, but if you like to keep your cars for 100K and beyond, Hyundai is not the way to go.

[Parrothead]

We've had an Elantra for 4 years now without any problems. It is not driven every day and only has 11000 miles on it though.

[ktgrok]

I had an Accent for about 5 years, with no troubles with it ever. Not a single one. Loved it. My husband, who is car knowledgable, was surprised and impressed.

[LarlaB]

We bought our Sonata new in 2006 and it has not had one single problem (other than a wonky back rear window). As for as resale, no it doesn't hold up like Honda or Toyota but insofar as purchase price/options is remarkably affordable. My DH got all the options (moonroof, dual exhaust, leather, heated seats, 6cd etc) and we still only paid $20K new- we bought new for the warranty and with intent to drive it into the ground (10 years minimum).

 

We have a loooong, wonderful love-affair/history with Hondas so the Hyundai was a departure purchase for us- one we are happy with. The Sonata doesn't have the 'feel' of a Honda (in that with maintenance, it will run forever) but it runs well, drives amazing has incredible features and we are 60K miles in with no issues...and that was the point. Our other vehicle is a 2006 Honda Odyssey and is to be the run forever/make it last vehicle.

 

My sister bought a Santa Fe in 2004 and they are still driving it w/ no major issues. :)

 

HTH

[Dandelion]

I had a Hyundai Santa Fe for several years, and never had any issues with it. It had well over 100k miles when we traded it in - trade-in value was decent.

[vettechmomof2]

We areon our 2nd used Accent now. The 1st one we lost in the flood of 2006 @ 150,000 miles.

The one we havenow has over 170,000 miles.

It is mainlymy hubbies work car. He has over 1 hour commute one way about 6 days per week. We would gladly get another!

[momofsbandeg]

Ours has 112,000 miles on it .

 

The quality of the car itself is not as nice in my opinion. I had a Honda Accord before. I have a Hyundai Sonata now.

 

The stitching has come loose on the backs of the front seats (leather). The paint has peeled off around the door handles on the outside (lots of it). (Never had this happen on any other vehicle I have owned. The rubber gaskets around the doors have come loose.

 

We aren't rough on vehicles. So this has been surprising.

[VeganCupcake]

We've had an Accent for 6 years now and we're very happy with it. The warranty was great, and it's been really reliable. We would definitely buy another.

[nukeswife]

Not sure about the quality now but I had an Accent from 1996-2000, it was ok, but certainly not on par with Toyota and Honda. In the end we got rid of it because it needed a new pipe for the exhaust and every place we took it to quoted us about $2500 for that pipe (we went to 10 different places as well as the dealership) the car wasn't even worth that much anymore according to Blue Book prices.

 

Hyundai is not a brand we're even willing to look at anymore.

[LittleIzumi]

I had an Accent for about 5 years, with no troubles with it ever. Not a single one. Loved it.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: 2005 Accent, bought after its first life as a rental car @ 8000 miles or so, and it's still powering along fabulously. It's over 45000 miles now, at least. Driven cross-country several times. Just basic maintenance (although after 7 years, the sensor in the gas tank will need replacing soon).

[Barbara H]

We have an Elantra and it drives smooth and has great gas mileage. Consumer Reports ranks it highly as a used car. My only complaint would be that the material used on the seats is not the highest quality, but I think that's a pretty minor thing. I would definitely buy another Hyundai.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

He'd buy a Hyundai in a heartbeat. HOWEVER, Honda owners usually are happy with Hyundai's because they treat them like they treated their Honda's, i.e, get maintenance done, change oil, etc.

 

If you treat a Hyundai like a cheap econo box, like early Hyundai owner's, you got cheap econo box life out of it.

 

He used the example of the Honda Passport vs. Isuzu Rodeo. They were the SAME vehicle, yet Passports lasted longer due to Honda owner's (general) care and upkeep of the vehicle vs. Isuzu's owner's lack of care and upkeep. This is not a bust on all Isuzu Rodeo owners, as my best friend has a 94 Rodeo that she loves and takes very good care of....(many miles on it too!).

 

K

 

owner of 89 Accord w/ 250K on it.

[sunflowerlady]

I have a 2009 Elantra. We bought it new. It's the only new car we have ever bought.

 

The CD player quit working a week or two ago and it is past the warranty period for that.

 

The paint faded on the door handles. We had them repainted since we caught that while it was still under warranty.

 

Other than that we have had no problems. Of course, for a 3 year old car, I don't think those things should have happened,:glare:

 

Almost everyone we have talked to who has had a Hyundai has been pleased and has reported that they have not had any problems.

 

I can't compare them to a Honda or Toyota since we have never owned either of those.

[Elinor Everywhere]

We've had an Elantra 2008 for 4 years now. Our other car is a Honda Pilot.

 

Good: great gas mileage, low maintenance. We do take care of it the same way we have our 140,000 mile Honda, by following the maintenance schedule.

 

Bad: There is a pesky switch malfunction that is intermittent, and we need to have the switch replaced. We have a very good warranty, so no worries there.

 

Ugly: Nothing! I prefer driving my Pilot because I sit nice and high, but that's nothing against the Elantra - any sedan would have the same issue for me.

[jenL]

My sister has had Hyundais for years, and she and her dh swear by them. They also drive their cars into the ground so definitely over 100K each time.

 

We own a 2008 Elantra, and we really enjoy it. It's peppy and fun to drive. The cd player is acting a bit wonky lately, but dh thinks our youngest did something to it when he was playing with it (possibly something inside?).

 

I own a Kia Sedona (Hyundai ows Kia). It's a 2006, and it's running great! We've traveled cross country with it twice and go up and down the east coast from NH to NC with it often.

 

With regular maintenance, any car should last. It really depends upon how you take care of them, imho.

[Denise in Florida]

We really like our Elantra. It it 2 1/2 years old and has 42K miles. :auto:

 

It is obviously the preferred vehicle in a very active family. Good gas mileage, nice handling, comfortable to ride in and to drive.

[WiseOwlKnits]

We have a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe and a 2003 Sonata. We love both of them and I'd get another Hyundai in a heartbeat.

[Jeannie in NJ]

we have a Cadilac and an Elantra , 3 drivers in the family and guess which car all of us prefer to drive? The elantra is just so easy and so much fun to drive.

[Kari C in SC]

We have had a 1995 Accent, 1998 Sonata, 2003 Sonata (still have) and a 2008 Kia Sedona (same company - still own this). My dh is a mechanic and has nothing really bad to say about Hyundai. In our earlier models, we did have some handles break. He was set to get a new car last year (he drives the 2003 Sonata) and he said he would just replace the timing belt when it comes time and drive it till it died. He couldn't see any reason to spend money on a new car when this one runs fine. It is somewhere over 105k. I love, love, love my Kia mini-van. It is so much roomier than the Toyota and Dodge. I tried out all 3 and settled on this. And I love that the rear windows come down. I am at 66k on this van now. I did have an ac problem, but it was under warranty. My next mini-van will be another Kia.