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2011 Hyundai Sonata

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Comments

  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Hyundai Sonatas are common at major rental car companies...

    I don't think that is true for the 2011 Sonata. I haven't seen one yet in a rental lot, and I travel quite a bit. Was just at LAX yesterday and today at Hertz and saw lots of mid-sized cars, but not a single 2011 Sonata (actually didn't see ANY Sonatas). I don't know why Hyundai would sell the 2011 Sonata in volume to fleets when they are having a hard time meeting demand from their dealers. Have you seen any figures on how many 2011 Sonatas Hyundai is selling to fleets?
  • jimbresjimbres Member Posts: 2,025
    Resale does matter because if you ever total your car, its the fair market value of the car before accident that is paid by insurance.

    I agree with those who don't attach much importance to resale value. That's partly because I keep my cars for a long time - at least 8 years & often longer - but it's also because resale value contributes nothing to the ownership experience until you actually sell or trade in the car.

    Think about it. Good handling, a supple ride, plenty of power, comfortable seats, a stylish interior, a first-rate sound system - all of those are features that you can begin enjoying from the 1st day you own the car & every day thereafter. But resale value doesn't matter until you're actually ready to get rid of the car - and the longer you wait to do that, the less it matters.

    Would you put up with uncomfortable seats or anemic air conditioning just to get higher resale value? I rather doubt that. Chance are that you look on resale value as, at best, a tie breaker. You aren't about to do without a feature that will give you immediate pleasure just for the sake of more money at some unknown future date. It wouldn't be logical. I'll bet that you prefer the Accord to the Sonata for reasons unrelated to resale value - reasons that are important to you. The higher resale value is just one more excuse to buy the Honda.

    Incidentally, I'm a big Honda fan. One of the best cars I've ever owned was a late 80s Accord that I bought new & kept for nearly 12 years. By then, it looked like a 12-year-old car, although it ran beautifully.
  • alookmanalookman Member Posts: 141
    Yes, resale is one of the important factors and its a function of reliability, good car performance, wide dealer network, parts availability and host of logical reasons.

    You can get reliability without sacrificing quality. I have driven 2010 Accord and 2011 Sonata and both are very good cars, Honda's steering is more precise, it's wishbone suspension is much better and EX's engine is smoother. 2011 Accord should offer few new features that will be unique such as 2 memory settings, rearview camera, better EPA 23/34 and yes its outdated 5 speed tranny.
  • jimbresjimbres Member Posts: 2,025
    I have driven 2010 Accord and 2011 Sonata and both are very good cars, Honda's steering is more precise, it's wishbone suspension is much better and EX's engine is smoother.

    Sounds to me as if these are the real reasons why you prefer the Accord to the Sonata.
  • toysaxtoysax Member Posts: 28
    everything I have read recently says that Hyundais reliability and market value over the last 2-3 yrs has been fairly good.. Not quite up to Honda, but very respectable..
    My last car was a 2006 civic ex... guess what? engine block cracked at 54k miles.. what??? a Honda??? yes!.. happy to say that in spite of the fact I was out of warantee they replaced the engine, transmission at no cost...payed for rental car while I waited to have work done etc.. Exemplery customer satosfaction.. I would reccomend a Honda to anyone... but just goes to show... no car company is beyond having faulty product...
    I liked the civic because at the time.. the new design was "cutting edge". Stepping up to the next size car.., I preferr the Hyundai. over the Accord.. I know Honda will have a new model next yr.. but Honda design philosophy is much more conservative.I do think that Hyundai has balanced form and function with the Sonata
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    Hyundai Sonatas are common at major rental car companies, good for Hyundai but bad for resale.
    There are no 2011 Sonatas at any rental co in the NY area. Where did you get your info from?
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    edited July 2010
    everything I have read recently says that Hyundais reliability and market value over the last 2-3 yrs has been fairly good.. Not quite up to Honda, but very respectable..

    I suggest you view this website. And the 2011 Sonata is not included which should be better for Hyundai. Very close to Honda!

    http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/17/jd-power-2010-initial-quality-study-domestics- - -lead-imports/3
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    Shootout results
    Shootout sedans were rated in 10 categories by the family and six journalists. The family rating was adjusted to count for 40% of each final score.

    The Pros total is the results of six auto journalists added together. The total score is that number plus the family's adjusted score.

    1st Impressions Family Comfort Child Seats* Family Features Trunk Seats Visibility Ride Accel. Brakes Pros total Family adj. total Total score

    Hyundai Sonata 63 56 49 62 54 56 51 53 54 59 478 316 794

    Toyota Camry 41 53 49 51 55 54 55 56 54 50 440 312 752

    Suzuki Kizashi 55 48 35 49 42 53 52 54 58 60 431 300 731

    Mazda6 55 56 28 48 59 45 55 51 53 55 432 292 724

    Honda Accord 48 57 49 49 49 42 53 42 53 56 423 300 723

    Nissan Altima 39 47 42 55 51 48 53 53 54 53 423 288 711

    Chevrolet Malibu 43 50 56 49 40 52 48 52 48 40 405 292 697

    Ford Fusion 54 48 21 49 53 51 48 45 49 47 397 272 669

    Yuo can go here for the complete report.
    http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-05-03-sedan-shootout_N.htm
  • noway6noway6 Member Posts: 6
    So, how many cars have you totaled so far? :)
  • osaka75osaka75 Member Posts: 88
    "Some good points but I drive a car ten years before trade in and it is pretty used up by then. "

    I also plan to drive a car for a long time. Replaced a 1994 with the 2006 Sonata, which is a very good car. I had hoped to drive it for just as long. But then Hyundai does this really crazy thing and creates the 2011 Sonata! So resale at 5 years is now important.

    My 2006 Sonata will likely bring in about $1,500 less at trade in than my second choice car would have (according to NADA), even though the price I would have paid for that car was about the same. $1,500 isn't that much but when making a purchase, many on these boards would go out of their way even to save $500 so the back end must be important, too.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Well, it does happen. Happened to me in April 2009, and was very close to happening last February, with my wife's 2007 Sonata. In 2009, I made out very well and the replacement car was actually nicer than the totaled car (but used car prices were at a low point then). I don't worry about it, but I do keep up with the auto market as a hobby, and I know enough about cars such that I can find a car very quickly if one is totaled. That knowledge did come in handy in 2009, and last February I was able to quickly find several alternatives just in case the Sonata was totaled (but it wasn't). If someone is concerned about it, there's gap coverage.
  • ral2167ral2167 Member Posts: 791
    Yes i agree that the new sonata is the latest and greatest until the new redesigned camry and accords come out, then it'll be back to its malibu/altima/fusion/mazda 6 status. this is to be expected and nothing to get too upset about. i don't foresee camry's or accords losing their top 2 status in the foreseeable future. the camry accelerator problem was basically some drivers not being able to distinguish the accelerator pedal from the brake pedal-- perhaps their right foot was dyslexic. the accord coupe obviously has the better looks than the sonata-- although sonata 4 doors has edge in exterior styling compared with other 4 door sedans until the redesigns come out like i say. you'll be seeing more and more sonatas on the rental lots shortly, so that'll drive down resale. avis just put in a huge order of the gold mist color or whatever it's called, as hyundai was stockpiling that color for rental units (doesn't show the dirt so rental companies save on car washes). glad i could help here.
  • ewg54ewg54 Member Posts: 25
    edited July 2010
    If you lease a car then resale value is important because of early turn in. But if you keep a car for 8 to 10 years, not that important. Trade in value will be less than $2000 no matter if you have a Honda Toyota or Hyundai. :)
    I traded in a 2001 Infiniti G20T w/150,000 miles on the Sonata and was offered $1500 at trade in but I got $2000.
    And it was still a nice car.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    edited July 2010
    I find it very difficult to believe that most people choose a new car based on it's forecasted resale value! I believe loyalty,price,epa ratings, style/features and convenience in that order are the real reasons. At one time safety features was a big factor but since almost all cars have caught up to 4 star plus it is no longer the determining factor. When leasing price takes into account resale value.
    I chose the Sonata because I could get a fully equiped quality car for considerable less money than the boring Honda/Camry and with a 10 yr warranty. And as another poster stated when the new Honda/Camry comes out and catches up with the Sonata I may be interested if the price and warranty are comparable.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    I stand corrected I did find 2011 Sonatas available at Avis along with Lincolns,Caddilac,Camry,Etc. However no Honda. Your are correct that Honda does not do fleet sales.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Honda does some fleet sales. I have rented Civics and Accords from Hertz before and have seen them in fleets in multiple cities. But I think the number of fleet sales for Honda is quite low, compared to those of other automakers.
  • noway6noway6 Member Posts: 6
    Do you also know that it is much cheaper to insure a Hyundai than a Honda? My insurance is about $580 for a 2011 Sonata Limited (clean driving record, full coverage, 500 deductible). I was a bit surprise by the low rate. I used to own a Accord LX, the insurance policy for the same coverage, clean driving record was over $1000 when it was new and the during first few years of ownership. I can save a few hundred bucks a year in insurance cost to make up the difference in resale value. I can actually end up doing better with worse resale value. Yes, Honda Accord resale value is better. I got $1900 for my 99 Accord with 150K on it. It was at the most $1900 better. Don't forget you pay more up front. :)
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Nobody said that resale value is the most important consideration to buying a car....just one consideration. And the previous poster was correct...there is a reason for the higher resale value and those things can make the owership experience better. You can't deny that resale would impact even you if the car was totaled. You say that you have never totaled a car. I guess you don't need to buy insurance then.

    Lots of people only keep cars for three or four years(not financially the best but hey, it's their money) so resale is important. People that lease have a big stake in resale(residual value) value. So to say that it's not important is just false. To say it's just not important to you is fine. I happen to agree with you because I do keep cars for 7-8 years usually so it isn't a big player in my decision. However, I digress to the earlier point about there is a reason a car has high resale value.....people like them and think they're worth more!

    By the way, ALG, which is a respected source of info for setting residual values for car leases, has set the residual value of the 2011 Sonata at about the same or even slightly better than the Honda Accord. It's based on their formula so I don't quite know how it's figured but their computations are used by most leasing operations.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Honda Accords are very high on the auto thieves most wanted list and have been historically. Think it has something to do with there are so many of them on the road and their parts are valuable. This affects insurance rates to some degree. You also may have slipped into a cheaper age group for insurance or something else could have changed as well. Not saying any of things happened but there has to be a reason that a new car similar in price is that much cheaper for insurance.
  • chronochrono Member Posts: 149
    Just to add in my two cents, incentives play a large role in resale also. Honda Accords don't have as good resale like they use to since they now offer large incentives on them. Currently there's 1200 cash incentive going on. I remember Honda use to never give out incentives/rebates. But to keep sales up they throw rebates out there like everyone else. I do hope they up their game with their 2013 redesign but not exactly hopeful with their current design language. The Pilot was a huge let down and now the Odyssey, bleh ..
  • jimbresjimbres Member Posts: 2,025
    You say that you have never totaled a car.

    Go back & reread my posts. You'll see that I never said that. You're clearly confusing my posts with someone else's. Please read more carefully before you reply.

    Nobody said that resale value is the most important consideration to buying a car....just one consideration.

    That was precisely my point. I believe that I said that resale value could be thought of as a tie-breaker, which is another way of saying the same thing. Really, there's very little difference between our positions on this issue.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Honda and Acura designs have gotten so bad that I honestly believe they pay their mechanical engineers a little extra to do the exterior design work. They should do like Kia and hire a European designer.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    I wasn't posting to you personally. Someone else said that and I should have stipulated that my reply was addressing points made by several differnt posters. I should have just made a new post rather than hit the reply button. My error and I'm sorry you took such offense to it.
  • dash5dash5 Member Posts: 421
    Yeah certainly something will come along and top the current leaders but it's not like it's a sure thing either. Honda seems to be going in the wrong direction with their cars, the Acura division as well. I was hoping the new TL would be for me but that turned out to be a bust. Will the next Accord be something great? The next Malibu? Camry? I have strong doubts but who knows. Fusion and Altima seem better bets to me. I guess my point is just that, the newest is not necessarily the new leader.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    I wasn't posting to you personally. Someone else said that and I should have stipulated that my reply was addressing points made by several differnt posters. I should have just made a new post rather than hit the reply button. My error and I'm sorry you took such offense to it.

    Your point was that resale value is more of a tiebraker, my point is that to many people it is a very huge upfront consideration....not just a tiebraker but an important factor in their cost of ownership over a short period of time. I don't like blanket statements that assume what applies to me personally also applies to everyone else. To each their own.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Agreed. Look what Honda did in 2008 with their new redesign. Not pretty IMO and that was the latest and greatest for awhile.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    Your point was that resale value is more of a tiebraker, my point is that to many people it is a very huge upfront consideration....not just a tiebraker but an important factor in their cost of ownership over a short period of time.

    I disagree. If your buying a car today how do you know the resale value in 4 or 5 yrs compared to another popular brand. My point is I paid $23k for my Sonata. Can you tell me what the resale value is in 2016. And if the comprable Honda cost $28k today what is it's resale in 2016.
    Can you realy determine the difference in cost of ownership between a 2011 Sonata and a 2010 Honda? And if the difference is $1k over 5, yrs someone will buy that car instead of the better looking, better equiped, and better warrantied car.
    Sorry but again I disagree. I've been buying new cars for over 40 yrs and it was never a consideration.
  • noway6noway6 Member Posts: 6
    I have never leased and it is just for my understanding. I thought at the end of the lease, you can either walk away or buy the car. What does "early turn in" mean and how does the low resale value play a role?
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    How have they determined resale values all those 40 years you've been buying cars? History. Auto manufacturers are big companies and they don't turn on a dime so it's assumed that if they made great cars for a decent period of time that they would have high resale value. Hyundai has recently gotten very good marks on many of their vehicles so their resale values will most likely go up. Edmunds has a 5 yr cost of ownership calculator that adds in depreciation but I have no idea how they figure that. I have not once said that a 2010 Accord will be worth more than a 2011 Sonata 5 yrs from now. Did I not quote ALG and say that they are estimated at this time to have approx the same residual value at 3 yrs? How do they know??? They are forecasting ahead based on the past few years. That's how they got those lease prices down to $199 that you were citing.

    Oh, by the way, I've been buying cars for 45 years and it has been a consideration for me at times, but not always. Does that make me right? No, I'm just one person and it's an opinion. And the fact that it was never a consideration for you means the same, it's just your opinion. You're one person and you don't have to reply that you polled all your friends and relatives that it doesn't matter to them either. But if you'd like to cite some reliable source or validated statistics that indicate that most people care less about resale value when they a buy a car it would be welcomed.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    You're one person and you don't have to reply that you polled all your friends and relatives that it doesn't matter to them either.

    No reason for the sarcasim!
    And History as you stated does not predict the future vale of a used car!
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    Not absolutely, but automotive evaluator sites such as ours have been largely in the ballpark. The people who put together such evaluation tools don't just say, "well, the Honda has been a reliable car over the past 20 years and has had good resale value, so we'll say its value will be higher than car brand X." History & reputation is part of it, but think about all of the other factors:
    How many does the company plan to produce?
    What are their own projected sales numbers?
    Are they going to make leasing very attractive? (if so, expect a reasonable glut of lease turn-ins after 36 months)
    Rental or other fleet sales? (if significant, see above)
    How long does the average brand owner keep his/her vehicle before trading in?

    And, as m6user indicated, neither the industry nor consumer perceptions and behaviors turn on a dime. There are exceptions and unexpected events, but largely, they affect the entire used car market value rather than one vehicle.

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  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    edited July 2010
    How would you suppose that ALG comes up with the residual percentage that they are giving the 2011 Sonata then? Is it just a WAG?You don't think they are looking back at the last few years of used car prices and such and making an educated estimate as to the future value. What else could they possibly look at when they set those numbers on a brand new car other than historical data? I may be completely wrong but I don't see any other way of doing it.

    You say it's not historical data, then how do they do forecast it?

    edit: Kirstie makes some very good points and some of them are forward looking but based on past events(history) like leasing strategies, etc. Anyway, determing future resale values can be and is done all the time with pretty good accuracy and if you're going to lease a new Sonata, be thankful that they can because it is providing for some pretty good lease deals..
  • jimbresjimbres Member Posts: 2,025
    According to an article that ran in the NY Times business section a couple of months ago (can't find a link at the moment), last year's Cash for Clunkers program took so many used cars out of the market that resale values for the remaining vehicles rose across the board.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    That was just the sort of event to which I referred - it affected the entire used car market value, not just one vehicle. At other points, new car incentives/financing have made new MUCH more attractive than used and eventually driven down used prices (which I suspect will happen again once the used car inventory is strong).

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  • ewg54ewg54 Member Posts: 25
    edited July 2010
    "early turn in"as opposed to keeping a car 8 to 10 years. I have never leased a car but I guess you turn them in one or two or three years after you get the car, depending on the lease agreement. ( that is early in my world as I keep them 8 to 10)
    Thus resale value is important for either 1. buying the vehicle at that point, (why didn;'t you buy it in the first place?) or 2. turn it in and start another lease .
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    My original point was that because the 2011 Sonata can be leased for a reasonal price ($199mo) the resale value must have increased to put it with Toyota,Honda and others.
    I just don't know how any of us can predict the resale value of a car that just hit the market. Historical records are guidelines. If the 2011 Sonata develops major problems like the Toyota the resale value can plumet. The same goes for any other car.
    When I purchased my Sonata in March my Dealer would not take in a Toyota on trade because of the bad publicity.
    Let me also add that tading in a car to the original Dealer (Hyundai to Hyundai or Honda to Honda) will result in a better trade value. When I was shopping I looked at Altima,Honda, and Ford. I received a considerable more for my Hyundai going back to Hyundai.
    As I said earlier I have a 5dr 2006 Elantra with 15k miles that I paid under $11k and I have been oferred $7k from several potential buyers. Not to shabby for 5 years. Most cars lose that the 1st year.
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    I'm visiting the Hyundai Plant on Monday when I go home to visit my family. Does anyone have any questions they feel someone at the plant can answer? Let me know.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    How do they plan to meet demand once the turbo, hybrid, and wagon versions come out, given they are having a hard time meeting demand now even with overtime?
  • hmma007hmma007 Member Posts: 19
    edited July 2010
    Lashawn, I hope you enjoy your visit to our facility. You won't see me because I'm hidden away in the Paint Shop but we have a nice presentation showing how our plant produces the finish on our cars. We're very proud of our cars and our entire plant (although I feel Quality Control is the best department :P ), I think you'll find it to be different than just about any manufacturing facility you've ever visited.

    Backy, we're working a LOT of overtime to meet the demand for our Sonata AND Santa Fe, there are some plans in the future to help us better manage our output.

    We're really excited about the Turbo and Hybrid Sonatas and some other possible surprises in store for the Hyundai family of customers.

    Bring the sunscreen and something to drink when you come to Alabama....it's very very very hot right now! ;)
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    I'm visiting the Hyundai Plant on Monday when I go home to visit my family. Does anyone have any questions they feel someone at the plant can answer? Let me know.

    Is the horn adjustable?
  • toysaxtoysax Member Posts: 28
    indeed! my sonata yearly premium is over $300 LESS than my previous car... a honda CIVIC!
  • toysaxtoysax Member Posts: 28
    My daughters BF is a service manager at a BMW dealer here in Jersey. He is very positive on the Direct innjection technology, and says that cleaning any carbon deposts is a relatively minor procedure. Now.. edmunds has written a review of the new Sonata 2.0T direct inject engine... and suggest that Hyundai is in the process of assuming a leading spot in auto motor technology
  • busterbritbusterbrit Member Posts: 27
    edited July 2010
    I noticed today that when you open the gas cap that there is nothing covering the little hole that you put gas into. My other cars always had a silver cover that pushed back when filling with gas. I feel like there was one on this car but its gone. Can someone confirm if they do or do not have anything covering this hole?
  • busterbritbusterbrit Member Posts: 27
    OK so my wife called me the other day in tears because she scrached my car. I hate that she was crying because I couldn't get mad at her.

    It's a 2011 Sonata with silver paint. She backed into a pole and put a scratch and small gash into the corner bumper. The gash is about 1/2 an inch and you can see the black plastic.

    What do I do? I hate seeing it but I don't know if its worth fixing. Even if I took it to a body shop how will they match it since the Sonata paint was done a special way?

    help....
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Hyundai sells color-matched touch up paint for their cars. If the gash isn't too deep, it's possible you could make a decent repair with touch-up paint. If you are nervous about trying that, you could take it to a body shop that preps used cars for sale (lots of dealers have their own shops for that), and they could probably do the job for a small fee.

    Then wait a few years, and after the bumper has accumulated lots of other dings and nicks (sorry, it happens), you can have it professionally painted, so it's like new again... for awhile. :sick:
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Most Hyundai's don't have the little door. Lot's of other cars don't have them either. I'm with you, the first time I noticed it on a car I went straight to the dealer. Checked a half-dozen new cars, none of them had it. Never really understood what it was for, anyway??? Woudn't keep water out in the rain without a cap, and the only thing I could come up with was it keeping some of the gas from sloshing out if you drove without a cap.

    Beats me. I know my '05 Elantra was the first one I noticed it not there.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    Get a bumper sticker that says "I love my grandchildren" or "Support our troops"
  • bez5bez5 Member Posts: 3
    edited July 2010
    Why doesnt the owners manual or maintenance log say anything about the spark plugs? How many miles until they are supposed to be maintianed/ changed?
  • bez5bez5 Member Posts: 3
    What highway and city speed will achieve the best MPG for the SE? For example, is there a range for each transmission speed that will allow the engine to work most efficiently?
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    I thought the insert was meant to cut down on fumes escaping the tank.

    FWIW my '10 Outlander doesn't have one either but my '99 Galant did. Maybe it's a way to shave off an ounce of weight & save 45 cents on production.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
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