I thought “Daewoo” was a brand of stereo?
Daewoo is kinda like Hyundai: a major group with multiple entities, ranging from the production of cars to the production of consumer electronics. It’s merely Daewoo Motors that went bankrupt, though. Your stereo should be fine for a few more years. 
Hey RickJay, where can I find info on this. Is there a record of this happening in other Hyundais? I ask because occasionally while driving my engine “hicups” as if it were stalling for half a second. All the lights on the dash come on as if I’ve stalled, but the it picks right up again. Very strange, and it’s happened about 6 times since I’ve owned the thing.
I bought a Hyundai Accent last October, and, with close to 5,000 miles on her, have no complaints. It does very nicely on the highway, and seems reasonable enough on gas mileage. Also, I like having 5 years of roadside assistance and a 10 year warranty. Like The Big Cheese, I’ve noticed the driver’s side window is a bit noisy, but that’s my only complaint.
I’d reccommend one, especially for the price.
CJ
'99 Hyundai Accent owner here. Three years, about 24,000 miles of urban combat, no complaints so far. It’s worth less than I what I still owe on it, though, according to my excise tax from the mighty City of Boston. I don’t plan to resell it, though, so that’s academic. Any driving time I get over 100,000 miles is a bonus to me.
Hondas are good, but overpriced. If they sold them new halfway between their current price and Hyundai’s, I would have bought one instead.
The dealer at Hyundai said that Kia was on the verge of going belly up when Hyundai stepped up and bought them about 2 years ago. You’ll notice their warranty is alike. I test drove one and it seemed like a lesser car than the Hyundai, but that was just me. I’d pass on the Kia if I were you.
I think Hyundai has a current recall on its SUV engine. See consumer reports for more information. They (CR) have been giving generally positive reviews for the Hyundai autos. Also consider that the thousands of dollars less will cover alot of repairs. A car would have to be major crap to run up so many repairs that it would have been cheaper to buy a honda. KIAs are also owned by Hyundai, but have no track record, therefore they sell for less and have a longer warrenty.
On our 2-week honeymoon in 1998, we had arranged to rent a Ford Escort. When we got to the rental place, they said “Oh no! It’s a Escort-like vehicle!” :rolleyes: It was a Hyundai Accent. We hated it! It was underpowered, rickety, and handled like crap. We did a lot of driving in mountainous regions, and the car was incredibly annoying.
Obviously, others like the car. But I’d never consider one.
I’ve worked on a few Kias and Hyundais (I install alarms and audio equipment), and they both appear to be surprisingly well-made, getting closer and closer to Honda.
But then when you go to move the car around, it feels all buzzy and flimsy. The doors sound cheap when you slam them. The Hyundais have interior parts that just scream of cheapness; the Kias look a little more normal to me.
Remember, of course, that the purchase price of an automobile may or may not represent the true cost of ownership. You’ll also have to consider the cost of repairs and maintenance, as well as the resale value when it comes time to sell it.
I haven’t done the math…but suppose you trade your car in and buy a new one ever three years. My guess is that in that case, a Honda’s high resale value might make it just as cheap as the Hyundai in the long run.
This is only my personal opinion, but if I had $10k to spend, I’d go on the used market and buy a real car, instead of one of these sardine cans. Used American cars are usually a great value; consider something like a Buick Century, Chevy Impala, Dodge Stratus, Ford Contour or Taurus… you could have a car with a useable rear seat, a V-6 engine, a reasonably comfortable ride, and an interior that’s quiet enough to hold conversations at highway speeds.
If you prefer an import and don’t mind spending a couple bucks more, you could find the same niceties in a used Accord, Altima, Camry, or perhaps even a Subaru Legacy.
My first new-to-me- car was a Ford Festiva, which was made by Kia. Outstanding little get around car. 40 MPG tank. It was great for city driving.
Another source to check for cars and reliability is Consumer Reports.
I second the above with the check a good used car through the Trading times or classifieds. Avoid dealerships if you can. Don’t rush into anything.
Took the new Hyundai Elantra out on the highway last night. It’s NOT loud. Very quiet on the highway, no rattles or creaks. And the power is good.
If highway driving is important, there’s a pretty major difference between the Hyundai Accent and the Elantra. The Accent has a much smaller engine, 92hp; the Elantra’s got a 140hp engine. (The Civic has a 115, the Corolla has a 135.) Even with less weight, the Accent’s engine is very small. If, like me, you do a fair amount of freeway driving, the really small cars like the Accent or the Echo are unsuitable.
Chris, I see your point about American cars. But the price comparison to an Elantra or a Civic isn’t a Buick Century (or its replacement, the Malibu), it’s a Dodge Neon or a Chevy Cavalier. Sure, a bigger V6 is a better car. It’s also more expensive new or with equivalent use, and the US models aren’t better than import V6s - in fact, they’re probably worse - and a North American V6 is sure a lot more expensive than an imported compact (Well, maybe not a Volkswagen.) My last car was a Buick Regal. Lots of power - nothing like a 3.8 V6 for highway driving. But the goddamn thing had an endless string of problems. Brakes, air conditioning, cooling leaks… what a mess.
I tested a Cavalier and a Neon and they were just complete junk; overpriced, cramped, cheaply constructed and their reliability ratings are the pits. Personally, I have difficulty believing anyone who actually shops before buying would buy a Cavalier, but tastes differ. The Ford Focus is better, but it’s not as good as the hype would make you believe, and it’s underpowered as compared to the Corolla or the Elantra. I really DIDN’T want to buy the Hyundai when I set out, but ultimately it was the better deal right across the board, and it drives great. Quiet, smooth, good pickup, responsible steering. It doesn’t have ABS, that’s the main drawback.
I bought a Hyundai toward the end of my college career, back when they first came out. I had to, the Ford Escort I was driving at the time caught fire in the engine compartment and melted all of engine electronics and hoses. I don’t recall that the thing had a name, it was just a Hyundai: they only had one model back then.
Had it for several years, no major complaints that I can remember. Then I had my first (and only knock wood ) ever car accident when a lady decided to turn left in front of me as we came through an intersection. The car was totalled, which isn’t hard to do on a very inexpensive car. Front left corner was crumpled and the impact dented the roof. But neither I nor Mrs. ShibbOleth was seriously injured, and this was a head on (corner to corner) accident at about 35 mph. No airbags, just shoulder harness. Actually the only injuries at all were both to Mrs. ShibbOleth, bruises caused by the seatbelt (as her weight went against it) and her leg as it kicked up against the dash. Minor complaints in the grand scheme of things.
Nowadays I’d probably look first at Honda, Nissan or Toyota, but if I were a poor college student I’d at least consider a Hyundai and give Kias a look as well. But do the math, as others have pointed out in the long run you could do better with something else.
We bought at Geo Metro '90 cause of its great gas mileage & that its an american car, so must be cheap parts too. Ha. Parts for it are tiny but, boy, are they ever expensive. A strut, $500, a radiator, $450.00 (not including discount), a master cylinder, new, $200.00.
try carparts.com to check part prices for your car, like this Kia, I woud like to see how the prices compare.
Handy: Sorry to tell you this, but the Geo Metro is made by Suzuki. At least you tried to be patriotic.
Anyway, that is why the parts are so expensive. The car is not very common anymore, and most of the parts come from Japan.
Typically the more common the car is, the cheaper the parts.
Why thank you homer. Well, sneaky aren’t they? I haven’t seen Suzuki-ish written on it anywhere, but Im going to look soon when I put in a master cylinder, which has a core charge of $33.00
Hyundi’s are very reliable because of their Mitsubishi mechanicals. Kia’s are based on Vauxhall mechanicals.
Older Hyundai Excels were among the cars that were stolen or burglarized most often back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Is that still the case? My best friend had an Excel that was broken into three times in six months. Something different was stolen each time, we think someone mistook her car for a parts warehouse!
Sure, they have a 100,000 mile warranty. But has a Hyundai ever gone 100,000 miles?
Never had one. My friends wasn’t a great car, but that was years ago.
For me, resale value means that the car might be worth something to someone after it’s been driven a while. If I wouldn’t buy it used, I don’t want to drive it used, know what I mean?
No Hyundais, no Kias, no Yugos.