To Hyundai or not to Hyundai?

What comes to mind when you see or hear of Hyundai?

Beck.

@La_chica_gomela Ok curious now…
I have many of Beck’s releases but did I miss a Hyundai reference somewhere?

Why Beck?

Really??? There are 2 or 3 Hyundai references on Midnite Vultures, my favorite Beck album. I know there’s one in “Debra”, not sure about the others. I kind of assumed it was a theme with him, but I guess not. lol

huh.. had no idea… totally musta missed that!

@La_chica_gomela Thank you! It’s coming back to me now. BTW Midnite Vultures is brilliant!

More to the question, I’d say no to Hyundai because there’s really nothing exceptional about Hyundais. Then again, I feel the same way about Chevy.

Hyundai’s are the best value for the money on the market. So if it’s a budget and quality thing, you can’t go wrong. Most cars today are quite good so you are probably talking a small incremental difference in a certain price range depending on the type and class.

I guess I’m not even aware of the stigma, enlighten me. I bought a new Sonata, fully loaded for 18 grand in early 2005, and I haven’t had a single problem with it, save needing a brake job. The Sonata actually looks a lot like a Jaguar, it’s a very nice looking vehicle in my opinion and it drives nicely, holds up well, has a great warranty and is dirt cheap. I guess if that’s something to be ashamed of, perhaps no one told me. And I can’t really imagine passing up a vehicle that fits your needs because of what strangers might think of you…what the fuck are you, in 4th grade?

I understand new Hyundai’s will be nuclear powered!

@dalepetrie – whoa!... dude… I also drive a Hyundai, a Tiburon and do love the car. However, any hyundai dealer will be the first to admit that there is still a stigma attached to the brand because when they first came out they had a really bad reputation – initially they were cheaply made, low on quality.

Now go smoke some pot and calm down… geez…

Not to hijack the thread, if anyone’s interested, there’s another Hyundai reference in “Hollywood Freaks”.

@MindStudy – not goin’ off on you man, not getting too excited about it, just kinda wondering what a stigma has to do with anything. I was not aware that they were initially considered low quality…to me that’s not a concern for a car that has a 100k mile warranty, if they want to make a shitty car, then they have to fix it on their dime, sounds fine to me. Stigma to me imparts the idea that people look down on you for driving one though, and I don’t care what people think about my ride…I was simply commenting that if you’re going to let people’s opinion keep you from driving the car you want (not what you were saying, but it was easy to infer that meaning from your words), that perhaps you need to be more concerned about what you want than what strangers think. Not trying to be unreasonable…if it matters I was being flippant, not aggressive, at least that was my intent.

[Mod says] Point taken on that part about stigma, but “what the fuck are you, in 4th grade?” was really not necessary.

Again, just being flip, not meant as an attack or insult, just meant to make one question one’s priorities as they seemed to be leading the asker to place more value on the derision of others than on the needs of himself. Seems like a 4th grade mentality. Though again, I realize that I mistook the asker’s intent in using the term “stigma”. Just my own personal brand of shorthand to try to drive home my point.

@dalepetrie – point taken. I can see how that was inferred.

Buy a Hyundai if two or more of the following apply:

a) you’re buying it for your son or daughter
b) you just need a cheap, reliable car
c) you like the new Genesis
d) you have a very mild life
e) you used to live/were born in Korea

Do not buy a Hyundai if one or more of the following applies:

a) you’re buying it for your spouse
b) you have never heard of a budget
c) you don’t like curvy-styled cars
d) if you don’t work in an office complex
e) you are scared the car may be recalled for radiation contamination, or have a fear of Koreans

@Fred931: What in the heck is a “mild life”?

You work in a cubicle in some random office skyscraper for some low-end corporation. Something like that. Just plain-old boring.

@Fred931: Oh, I see. So, you’re just propagating the stereotypes about the brand, whether they’re true or not. Speaking of “what the f* are you, in the 4th grade?”....

Aw c’mon now…

sorry @The_Compassionate_Heretic. [hangs head] i used an asterisk?

Well, gotta be consistent… it’s not personal…

I like them, have driven many as rental cars. They handle well, perform great and you get a lot of goodies for your money.

I owned a new Sonata way back when they still had a really bad reputation. I did get quite a bit of shit about it from friends… until they’d ridden in it. After that, they sang a different tune. It was a really nice car! It was one of the nicest, roomiest, well made cars I’ve ever owned and I never had a problem with it. In fact, we only traded it in when we needed to buy a minivan.

I worked in the car industry (not a sales person, at all – different realm) and gotta tell you, that as far as Hyundai goes, it’s moving up in the ranks. It has slowly moved up in the tiers of the automotive manufacturers and is looked at as a reliable manufacturer. Within the manufacturing communities, it is respected. It has moved far away from it’s origins and prides itself on producing some of the safest cars on the market.

I would put my family in one of their cars, they really do stand behind their product.

get the Hyundai Genesis!!!!! Cheapest rear wheel drive sports car in America! and they look sweet too

Yeah the genesys is sweet as hell! But I need a family car… I will be subjected to extreme physical abuse if I even entertain the idea of getting another 2 door sports car.

I own a Mercedes Benz SLK convertible, a Hyundai Sonata and a Chevrolet Avalanche. The Sonata is the car I drive most. I just love that car! It’s roomy, reliable and comfortable. It’s easy to drive. As a previous owner of a few Toyota Camrys, which I liked, the price difference on the Sonata was what sold me. The only drawback is they do not have good resale value at all. I knew I would drive mine for a couple of years and pass it down to my daughter when she started driving. That was the plan. I got the Mercedes in December, and I am reluctant to givey little Hyundai away.

@qualitycontrol, If you are willing to spend extra for repairs 100,000 miles later, get a new Camaro instead. C&D tested both and they each had almost the same price, for almost the same performance. Weird, huh?

@mzgator, Owning a SLK AND a Hyundai within the same garage is impossible. It just is.

@Fred931: Hyundai Sonata sleeps in the driveway. SLK and Avalanche sleep in garage!

@Fred 931: I am a huge Jimmie Johnson fan! I honestly do personally own both the Hyundai and Mercedes. I honestly do enjoy my little Sonata. It’s been one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.