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What do you think about Hyundai? Good cars?

Lease on my Mercedes ML320 is up so I gotta get a new family car but I def wont get another Merc P.O.S and now with the credit crisis want something more affordable and a good value. I keep my cars 5to7 years. Need something 4 wheel drive and with luxury. A colleague of mine is a Hyundai salesman part-time and says to look at the Veracruse so I'm gonna go Thursday but before then what do you know about this because I've also heard a lot of bad things about Hyundai from people who have owned them and told me to watch out. what do you think?

Public Comments

1. Support America and buy American
2. They're underrated and make much better cars than what people think, but I would buy something Japanese over any Hyundai. Support America and don't buy Canadian or Mexican made Ford, GM or Chrysler junk!
3. hyundai's are great vehicles and a great warranty to go with it.
4. Ask me if I would buy one and the answer is no. Looking at all consumer data, Hyundai still lags behind the Japanese and Domestic brands in long term reliability, quality and value. A quote from a respected automobile journalist--- "Hyundais are better than they were. Sure, there's no arguing with that. But I'm getting a little tired of my colleagues bestowing such radical praise on the Korean carmaker. Don't misunderstand, Hyundai has made great strides. Its engineers deserve credit for taking their products to the next level, and the company's bean counters should be lauded for allowing it to happen. But let's get real, people. There still isn't a Hyundai around that's as well built or as rewarding to drive as the Toyota, the Honda or the Mazda it competes with. Not the Elantra, not the Sonata and not this Santa Fe. Oh, sure, it's much improved over the old Santa Fe, but that's like saying she's got nicer feet than Dick Butkus. Hyundai still has a way to go... engine power, transmission refinement, braking ability and ride quality.... As much as I like the way this SUV looks, both inside and out, its depth of engineering and level of refinement remain a few clicks behind the big boys." As you can see the savvy shopper will know Toyota and Honda are still better values no matter how you slice and dice it. It's your money. I have had two, first hand experiences with Hyundai- a employee in our office bought a new 2006 Hyundai Sonota. Within 15k miles, the tranmission started slipping. Hyundai ran an diagnostic and said nothing was wrong. Not even 3k miles later, the transmission blew and was replaced but of course- NO LOANER CAR and it took 5 days to get a new transmission. Who was stuck with the bill for the rental car? She was. There is a small clause in the warranty that says Hyundai is not responsible for transportation... due to warranty related issues. Amazing. I did not mention the numerous smaller problems like unwarrantied leaking headlamps, that she experienced along the long tedious15k miles. Depreciation is a tell tale sign of long term quality and endurance of a vehicle over time. Needless to say, Hyundai has poor depreciation. In fact, depreciation rates of Hyundai are so poor, owners have reported selling their car for half its original value in less than 2 years. If the Hyundai is $2k cheaper initially but depreciates $10,000 to $15,000 more than a Toyota or Honda, was it really such a good value? The answer is obvious. I can not say anything bad about their designs other than they are mostly copies of other designs, such as the Vercruz being a near copy of the Lexus RX350. In all, I would avoid any Hyundai product- they do not represent a good value, are unreliable compared to all other makes and there are so many better choices out there. Why buy a Hyundai? There is no good answer. Even their so called "great warranty" is not that great when you consider the dealer charges you an arm and a leg for an oil change and any other service, just to keep that warranty which you will need and use often. But if you buy a car that is reliable in the first place, you will never need to worry about the warranty. Right? Plus if you really MUST have a 10y/100k mile drivetrain warranty, (get a Chrysler product they all have the same warranty as Hyundai) get an extended warranty for $950 for almost any make. For this class of vehicle, I would definitely consider the Buick Enclave. Its luxurious, roomy, very safe (5 stars front/side etc) very good looking and has much better resale value than the Hyundai Veracruz. Plus as a bonus, you help to support our economy, which is exactly what we need to do! You may also want to consider the Lexus RX350 although its a bit smaller and only seats 5 adults. My advice- cross the Hyundai off your list but look at everything else. Good Luck
5. The quality of Hyudai is no linger the joke they were 10 years ago. They have really come a ling way. I just don't think they compare ti the fit and finish of a Mercedes. If you were not happy with them I would suggest a lexus, Audi, Volvo, or I hate my self for saying this but BMW.
6. The opinion of anyone who broadly accuses Toyotas of being rewarding to drive is instantly suspect. Anyhow, yeah, they're alright. But they still depreciate faster than most brands, and while their reliability for the firs 4 or 5 years has definitely reached acceptable levels, their long-term reliability is yet to be proven. Oh, and I hope you're really in love with light gray or beige for the interior because that's all you can get, AFAIK, on all models. Still, the only reason to SPECIFICALLY choose Hyundai over all other brands is the warranty. In most cases a Honda or Toyota will be better (except that Honda that's a rebadged Isuzu, I forget which that is), most other Japanese brands and some US-branded vehicles will be at least as good. But AFAIK, nothing else implicitly worth having has a 10 year warranty. If you're planning on keeping it for 10 years, I'd say that's a hell of a deal. (And if you keep it for 10 years, the faster depreciation won't matter, because a Honda will only be a few hundred dollars more valuable by then rather than a few thousand at 5 years)
7. Veracruz is very nice, a little plain looking on the exterior though. Also check out the new Toyota Highlander which is very refined. If you want to spend Mercedes money you could always look at the Acrua MDX which is a great luxury SUV. Unless you need 7 passenger seating though, I prefer the Hyundai Santa Fe over the Veracruz. The Santa Fe is better looking (IMO) and can be equipped just as nicely as the Veracruz for several thousand dollars less. You definitely get your money's worth with Hyundai, and all cars depreciate like crazy the first year. A Hyundai Santa Fe will lose about 24% of its value the first year, compare that to the nice Honda Pilot losing 20% of its value the 1st year. You can learn more about any brand at http://www.edmunds.com/finder/make.hyundai.html;f=%2busein:new?reFacet=make:Hyundai&p=cvehicledata%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Enf12%7C%7C4879756e646169&make=Hyundai or go to http://www.hyundaiusa.com for more info on their SUV's.
8. The Veracruz is an awesome car. The Hyundai has become the number 3 selling manufacturer in the WORLD. They have their heads on straight now and are making a fine product. As for Mr. Sun Yao Lin.....He definitely has his issues against the Hyundai. Still trying to figure out what his agenda is. As a so-called expert....He should really get his act together. Just the fact that he touts the Honda and especially the Toyota...is all I really need to know. Honda hasn't made any huge strides in this industry. They have bought the Hybrid rights from Toyota. They haven't developed anything new in this industry. Toyota has had more recalls than any other import in decades. They had to cut production by nearly 58% because of all of the inferior parts they have been getting from Mexico. They and Honda have been living off of their reputation for years now. As for the depreciating value of the Hyundai......no different than any other car in this industry. In fact, with the new Hyundai certified program in the line...Hyundai has gone to number three in resale value. As I have explained to him many times before, the reason most people are in the inequity situation that they are is NOT because of the value of their Hyundai going down.....more because of the interest on their loan that make it an "out of equity" situation. The Hyundai is a fine automobile that has made great strides in the industry. It is not the Hyundai of old.