Hyundai Sonata 2005 and earlier

ufgators

I want to know how the leather in the Sonata holds up over time. Does it crack, or does it still look like the day you bought the car? Thanks

astrol

The '00 leather is quite thick and tightly stretched over very firm seating frames. It has been bashed at times as being too 'vinyl-like' but I believe this is more related to the firmness of all the seating, front and rear, which can make it feel somewhat slippery. I do not slide when properly belted in but I often share the feeling. The '02 Seats are better looking with a better design and are a definite improvement.

Personally I prefer this more durable leather over the soft and stretchy. It may wrinkle here and there but it doesn't crack and has easy care.

nato1

A short story made long:

Today I am going to take delivery of my first hyundai. Last week I decided that my '94 accord coupe with 130k miles needed a new owner. It has been a great car for me, but recently my needs have changed, a 4 month old son will do that. I thought about buying another accord, but honda service left a bad taste in my mouth a few times, plus the upfront cost of the vehicle. Granted Honda is known for thier bullet proof reliability, stranded once at 105K miles, but seeing the latest postings about problems with accords, I decided to broaden my search. My Uncle (aka LANMAN) has bought many Hyundai's, and has been thrilled with them (sales and service). My quest started at RTE2 Hyundai in Leominster MA (pronounced LEM-IN-STER). They were excellent at the greeting, the show of the vehicles, and the knowledge of the different options. The first test drive was a base sonata with a V6 upgrade. It was nice, the price was mint, but I wanted to keep looking. The dealer came up with an excellent price with the trade. I talked to Uncle LANMAN, and yesterday we went to Nashua Hyundai, and they were excellent also and willing to deal, unfortunately, they didn't have a vehicle. So we kept looking and other area dealerships had a few sonata's between them all. It looks like there is a glut in the Northeast. I went back to RTE 2 and looked at another Sonata GLS, slate grey, V6, with the sunroof. We went inside, talked turkey, weaseled in the 10yr/100K bumper to bumper, and signed on the line. I couldn't have asked for a better buying experience. There was no BS. Everybody has heard the line, 'com'on, it's a great deal, you won't find a better one, and it's only today.' They didn't do this or even hint of disgruntlement.
Thanks,
Nate

har1bush

I was at the SF Auto Show today and they had a few Sonatas on display. It was simply awesome.... I thought the car looked pretty good in the pictures, but it looks even better upclose. I've overheard some people mention its "Jaguar-like" exterior and the usual "It looks good" comments. What impressed me the most was the interior. The one I was looking at had a black leather interior and it was top notch. Compared to the new Altima, the interior of the Sonata was so much better, especially in terms of feel and quality. Plus at less than 20K for a loaded LX, Sonata will intercept of a lot of Camry and Accord buyers.... no shame in owning a Hyundai anymore!

ufgators

I was curious to know the color of the one with the black leather. What other colors did they have there, and what one did you like the best?

har1bush

The one with the black interior was Silver... I think they had a gold Sonata as well, but I loved that Silver w/ black interior.... I think what topped it off was the wood-tone trim. I know its not real wood but it looks much better than some of the fake wood trims found on other cars. Those seats were also very comfortable and I was surprised a bit as to how big and wide the front seats were... very comfy.

ufgators

In another post, Hyundai's air bags were the topic of discussion. Some concerns were that they may deploy to late, and on the '02 Sonata, the side impact airbags did not deploy in two mentioned high speed side crash. Any insight?

dougndo

I read a lot of the other forums on Edmunds because I'm quite interested in cars and their owner's experiences. One that I've followed for its entirety is the Hyundai XG300/350 and another is the Elantra forum. Each model has a number of staunch advocates, but I notice some areas of disappointment and complaint as well. I haven't seen the same type of complaints and concerns here on the Sonata board, except for some transmission oddities.

I chose the Sonata as the best deal for me. It was more attractive and less expensive than the XG, and it was roomier, had more features, and rode better than the Elantra. Plus, at the time, the Sonata had an $800 rebate and 0.9% financing, which the others couldn't match.

Certainly I've been completely happy with the car and haven't experienced any of the problems mentioned on this board, and, by contrast, the complaints listed here seem to me to be much less than those showing up on the XG and Elantra boards.

So, whether I'm smart or lucky (or both), I'm really happy that I chose the Sonata over the other two cars. I still feel the Sonata is one of the two most underappreciated cars in the Hyundai line, and even if I start having problems tomorrow (because I shot my mouth off tonight), this is the best car I've ever owned.

Did any of you choose the Sonata over the XG or Elantra? Do you regret it, or are you glad you did?

drimple

My wife and I chose the Sonata over the Elantra, mainly due to the size of the backseat. When we were buying we didn't test drive the elantra because of the size numbers that I had researched on the web. My research proved itself true about 6 months after we bought it. We took our Sonata in for the recall and the 15,000 mile service and they gave us an Elantra for a loaner car. I had to lean the seat waaaay back just to have head clearance! I don't have a problem with head clearance in our Sonata without a sunroof, although I was scraping the top when we test drove a Sonata with a sunroof.

sgoertz1ny

After about a month of researching new cars, I decided on a 2002 Sonata GLS. I was only able to test drive the base model, but decided the GLS was more what I wanted. Now, a month later, I'm still searching for a GLS. The dealer still has none on the lot. What is the deal with not being able to order from the factory? Forget about picking a desired color or extra options. I'd just be happy to get one! Has anyone else had trouble finding the 2002 Sonata GLS? I've seen a few LX's, but I don't want leather seats because it makes my kid sick. Is there a shortage nationwide or just in NY state?

ufgators

I live in Florida, and it seems that the dealers can't keep them in stock very long. Plus, they are not getting very many to begin with. Before I go on the test drives, I have to call several dealers to see if they have the LX I want. The dealer already told me that they would have to order the silver LX I want, because they probably won't get them in.

hawksperch

You might want to check my post #29 in the "Sonata
owners - what did you pay " forum, and the few that are after that. My local dealer (south central PA) had 3 Sonata on the lot last Fri. We bought the only LX, there were 2 GLS - one of which I found out last night had been sold. The LX we bought had been on the lot for several weeks. We consider ourselves lucky that it was still available when we decided to buy the Sonata. When I went to Balto and saw how scarce these cars are, I was at the dealer ASAP the next AM and put down a deposit.

claywaterfill

I've seen the GLS at dealers here.

alhar

Thought I would check out the 02's this past weekend and was surprised to find the dealer had none on hand. Salesman mentioned he had called around various dealers trying to find a GLS for a customer but couldn't locate one. Tried to interest me in one of 2 01's he had.

nato1

I bought a 2002 Sonata GLS thanksgiving week. At the beginning of the week, area dealers (central mass and southern NH) had a bunch of them, lets say 15 between 5 dealers. On friday of that week the local dealer, RT 2 Hyundai in Leominster had 3 gls's left, they had 7 at the beginning of the week. I took the 3rd to the last one. The other area dealers had a few base models but no gls's or lx's, and these aren't exactly small dealers. Most of the dealers said that they had a few sonata's coming in, 1 or 2 for the rest of the year, but they already had a deposit.
I really think that the bottom line is really helping sell the Sonata's especially with the warranty. Consumer confidence is still falling, and with the latest reviews of Hyundai, people want the most bang for the buck and looking for it. Ford is having serious quality problems (taurus and focus) and the warranty/vehicle cost doesn't fly. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are good cars but once again the warranty/vehicle cost doesn't fly, especially since most of thier base models are more expensive than the gls or lx. If you haven't noticed, Daimler-Chrysler has up'd their warranty to 7yr/100k miles, we all know that other big 3 (Toyota, Honda, Nissan) can up their warranty and still be able to sleep at night. Chevy, Daimler-Chrylser, and Ford.. well..

Just for curiousity, I'd like to know how the sonata sales are stacking up against every one else.
Nate

ufgators

How do you like it so far? What is the color and what options (if any)did you get?

rswillis

I am about to give up on buying a Hyundai! After doing much research and test driving an LX, I signed an agreement with Tom O'Brien Hyundai in Quincy, MA. on Oct 11 for a pearl white LX with moonroof. They said at the time it would take 2 days to get that color. They had 2 blue LX's at that time and they have not gotten any other LX's sinse. Am I the worlds biggest chump, or is there anyone else out there that has been waiting 7 weeks for a Sonata?

csandste

Look at it this way, the shortages may be indicative of increasing demand which is indicative of more and more people realizing what a good deal these cars really are. If this keeps up, the incidents of high depreciation will be a thing of the past.

hyundaima

well yu certainly are not the only one who's been duped by a cunning dealer. Forget about the "agreement"; you need to check other dealers' lots frequently. The truth is these dealers have no say over what kind of models they get.

nato1

rswillis:
I got my Hyundai at Rt 2 in Leominster (978-534-9999), They claim to be the #1 sonata volume dealer on the east coast. I know it's a little bit of a hike from Quincy, but when I was there on Monday (nov 26th), they had an lx in white, ask for Ryan.

I am very happy with my new sonata. It is the slate grey, with the gls black interior.
Options:automatic, floor mats, sun/moon roof, moonroof deflector, cargo net. So far 450 miles in 5 days, and a very happy camper.
Thanks
Nate

ufgators

Is there a way to lock the trunk from the inside of the car for valet or other purposes?

nato1

If I remember correctly, the latches on the back side of the rear seats can be set to disengage the interior release.
Also (side note), if your like me and when it is zero outside and trying to defrost the windsheild, you really don't want the a/c on. If you hit the a/c button after the defroster button is pressed, the a/c turns off.
Nate

carspy01

Hi, everyone!
Something completely different:
Usually, I seem to be pretty well-informed (some of you know me!) but I need some info. In some European countries you can buy the new Sonata with a package of leather seats - like our LX - but INCL. (!) heated seats. I remember it took a few months for HMA to equip the Santa Fe LX with heated seats, too. I could not get any info from my sources, but does anyone know? Thanks.

ufgators

I wanted to know how the car performs in winter. Is the traction control useful in the snow? I come from Florida, but may be moving up north somewhere soon. Just curious to know!

hdcse

Traction control is secondary to proper tires, as is all else, for winter driving. I, for one, wouldn't waste my money on it, but I must emphasize I'm in the minority when it comes to this option. The best thing you can do is to is to get a dedicated set of winter tires for northern winter driving. I highly recommend Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 tires. And make it easy on yourself: Contact The Tire Rack (www.tirerack.com) and order the tires pre-mounted and balanced on steel rims for your application. These tires take the fear and anxiety out of the worst winter conditions. You will swear by these tires.

nato1

I would agree that blizzak tires are 10x better than mud/snow all season's, but for absolute max traction studded snow tires on all fours (I recommend winter master) will get you from point a to point b, even if it was snow pack on ice. Granted your ride quality will suffer a bit, but when you rip past the all-wheel-drive suv going up hill with 6" of snow, you'll have a little smile. Remember the commercial of the volvo s70 sports wagon blistering through fresh snow? the little caption at the bottom said vehicle equipped with 4 studded snow tires.

Dedicating a set of rims (preferably steel) is the best option. Aluminum rims have a problem with winter. Salt and sand. If you get a little sand in the bead of the tire, the protecting paint gets chewed and then the salt starts corroding the rim, then you start to get slow leaks. plus it is real hard to hammer a aluminum rim back into shape when you slide into the granite curb. My opinion (along with hdcse) is to get steel rims for winter. Wether it's blizzak, ice-grip, studs, you'll be very happy.

For the past 10 years of driving in central mass, I have had studded snow tires in the winter. My '94 honda accord had no problems going up the steepest hills. Now that I have a 2002 Sonata, I can't get steel rims. I tried tire rack, but they only have 14". I also tried NTB, and Town Fair Tire. SOL. The dealer is $150/ea. I may have to get cheap 15" aluminums.
Does anyone have 15" steel rims that they would like to sell? or where I can get them?
Thanks
Nate

dougndo

If you think Sonatas are hard to find now, you might want to read this quote from AOL news. While the Sonata is not specifically mentioned, if they stop making them, they can't ship them. So the supply might get a lot tighter once the cars currently in the export pipeline are dried up.

<<STOPPAGE THREAT AT HYUNDAI

Hyundai cautioned exports might weaken ahead of a year-end seasonal rise in demand if talks with unions over working conditions and wage increases failed to yield a compromise.

Hyundai suffered a four-hour stoppage at three production lines after unionised workers staged a partial walkout on Thursday and Friday, spokesman Park Song-woo said.

"If the union proceeds with a scheduled one-week strike next week, the company will have a production loss of about 27,000 units," Hyundai said.>>

ufgators

How recent was that story, and have the negotiations been successful since then? I am looking to buy a sonata somtime this month, and I have yet to see the one the I would like at 2 different dealers. I hope this does not effect their ability to get the one I want!

ufgators

Does the cruise control automatically turn on when you press the set acceleration button on the steering wheel, or do you have to press the other button to the left of the steering wheel? I have heard people complaining about the location of this button, what do you all think?

rhard49

No, like almost all Cruise controls I've seen you have to turn them on with the button and do the rest with the steering wheel controls. The spot is a little arkward, but its something you turn on then control from the steering wheel. The cruise works well acceleration and coast seem to work in 1 mph increments, so if you live in a congested area you can still drive with the cruise buttons going up and down by taps or holding it for continuous acceleration or coast. This is my first car with traction control I wish you had the option of turning that off, while you can, it resets itself every time you turn the car off. I'm not sure I like the brakes deciding weather I have wheelspin on acceleration.

dougndo

The story on the potential stoppage at Hyundai was current as of 12/2. I checked a few Korean news sites and saw no further information. Since there were plenty of headlines concerning other labor strikes, I think something would have been there. I'll keep looking for a couple days to see if anything shows up.

nato1

The cruise on/off button placement isn't the greatest, but I really haven't found a vehicle where it was in a great place. It seems that all the manufacturers are putting them all in the same generic area. The cruise for myself works very well, up and down the hills without any intervention.

ufgators

I am interested it getting the traction control, but I haven't test drove a sonata that has it. Does it affect the driving performace also, or just the braking? Do the brakes not stop as well?

astrol

The location of the system button is a general pain but at least it is illuminated. Once activated, has always proven to be quite accurate in our '00 GLS. My wife does not use it even on long trips but hey, that's her decision. I, on the other hand, will use it even for short stretches on familiar ground. Like a dummy, at night I still find myself looking in the rear view mirror for the glow from the brake lights when the car is scrubbing off speed (like on a steep downhill). Maybe one day I'll learn!

As to the T/C, it is still possible to find your tires chirping away on take-off. The system really doesn't prevent wheel spin as much as controls it if it presents a problem. I like it a lot. It can take the X-factor on dry road turns like fine gravel or an unknown spill and neutralize it almost unobtrusively. As far as bad weather goes, this is the safest car we've ever owned. The car has yet to put a foot wrong. Anyone whose ever lost a front wheel driver in the snow and ice knows that the sudden slide can be far worse than any rear driver because of the complete lack of a predictable steering counter movement. IMO the Michelin Energy's and the T/C-ABS make an effective team.

pr0tagonist

gah!

sonatava

A few weeks ago I got an offer from Hyundai about test-driving the 2002 Sonata, and having the dealership sign the postcard, which will entitle me to a $50 gift card from Amex, or a $50 gift certificate from giftcertificates.com.

Well, since Fairfax Hyundai was 5 minutes away, I figured what the heck, even though I had wasted my time there when shopping for my Sonata and my aunt's Santa Fe. This time was not much different. The salemen were like, "Oh, you don't need to actually test-drive the car for us to sign the card". Gee, great customer service. I told them I still wanted to test a GLS, and they got around to setting one up for me.

I must say, the 2002 is a really nice car. I like the stiffer seats, the power trunk release, the second/rear dome light, the electronic odometer, the tighter turns because of the standard sway bars, and the overall look. I went for the test drive being open to trading in my 2000 GLS pkg 10, but decided not to. The 2002 seems a bit smaller on the inside, and has too much of a "sportier" look, compared to the "simple elegance" of the 2000. I'm also very attached to my combo cassette/CD player which is only available on the 2002LX (nope, I don't have a CD-burner yet). The trunk also seemed shorter or smaller. About the comments about the shifting problems between 2 and 3, I noticed it really didn't want to shift manually (shiftronic) between those gears unless I gave it alot of gas.

ufgators

I thought that the 2002 models did not have a rear dome light or rear reading lights. Is this the case? Also, can you explain more about how the automatice switched between 2 and 3? Thanks

nato1

The rear (actually center) dome light is an added 'upgrade' for the new models. Most vehicles only had a center dome light. I don't have rear reading lights on my '02 gls, but I do have front reading/map lights, front dome light and the center/rear dome light.
I too have noticed the 2nd to 3rd shift slippage in my '02 gls. The engine rev up about 500 rpms between shifts. It only happens when it is cold, and honestly it doesn't bother me. They own it for 100k miles. If it breaks, they will fix it. The funny thing though, it doesn't slip anywhere near as bad when using the shift-tronic.

sonatava

Oops, I meant I noticed that the shift between 2nd and 3rd was slow even though I gave it some gas while in the standard automatic mode. Using the shiftronic made it easier, but it almost seemed like the car had to reach a certain speed, which I guess might be part of the idiot-proof design of the shiftronic.
The second dome light is actually in the center, and is a nice improvement for those with the moonroof option, since the previous year models only had the front map lights if the car had the moonroof option.

astrol

Actually, the trunk is almost 1 cu.ft. bigger. It just looks smaller from the external design lines. It also has the power port. Now that they have finally gotten around to fixing the dome light situation in moonroof models, this car is practically perfect. Only time will tell about the Shiftronic. That's why I'm sticking with our '00 GLS for now. I hate dealing with first year runs of anything, even a remodeling of a proven car.

ufgators

I will take your word for it. I thought I remembered in the model I test drove with a sun roof the the doom light/front reading lights were in the front of the car, and there was nothing in the center. You mentioned it was an upgrade, do you have to get a certain model to get it, or is it an option?

nato1

The dome light is a model year upgrade. It's on all trim levels of the sonata, just that the previous model years didn't have it.

blerner2

Today I made the decision to make an offer on a 2002 Sonata. The dealer had only 1 GLSV6 on the lot and an LX that was due to come in.

The GLSV6 included Pkg 5, Mats, Mud Guards and a roof deflector. I offered $17,200, which I though was fair but was willing to go up some.

The LX was similarly equipped. I offered $18,200 for the vehicle.

Bottom line is that dealer wanted $18,100 for the GLSV6 and $19,600 for the LX. These amounts excluded any state sales tax, tag/title fees.

The dealer wouldn't budge off of those prices. While I love the New Sonata, I basically told him to take a hike and I ordered a new Focus ZTS at invoice plus got full holdback back from the dealer.

In summary, due to the relative scarcity of these vehicles, good deals will be hard to come by. Good luck to those of you negotiating on this vehicle.

seegrams8

just bought a '02 GLS month ago,love the car.Some minor things I've noticed is that the auto trans. seems to miss-shift,mine also doesnt always go into reverse.You have to put in drive then to reverse,the dealer replaced a trans valve but didnt solve problem.I'm disappointed in trans. as it hinders performance.The gearing ratio also seems out a whack.Also does anybody else have a problem with the heat/ac control buttons changing sporadically.Other than the things mentioned,I am very pleased with the car - great firm ride,lots of extras couldnt afford on other models,like the styling !

ufgators

Is the problem consistently noticeable, or does it just happen occasionally? Also, would the average person notice (someone who is not so good with cars) as much as someone who is very good with cars? Thanks!

dougndo

As promised, here's the latest on the situation at Hyundai Motors in Korea. It looks like you might be wise to purchase right now if there is any stock available at local dealers, or you can take the long view and wait until the uncertainty is removed. Of course, if it occurs, no one knows how long a strike might last, how soon models become readily available after the strike, or what economic effect a strike will have on prices.

I'm neither a financial advisor nor an automotive industry analyst, so you'll have to make up your own mind. I'm just providing you with this link:

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2001/12/11/200112110062.asp

This might explain some of the spotty shortages and present a scenario for what could develop into long delays waiting for Hyundai vehicles once the distribution pipeline runs dry.

The report also shows that Hyundai doesn't have to chase Honda anymore in the US market. Now Honda must chase Hyundai for US sales.

csandste

Now for a question that I could probably answer with a little digging...

Is a PT Cruiser an import?
Is a Corolla an inport? The California ones? The Canadian ones?

My assumption is that these figures look as good as they do because of Japans switch to American assembly lines. Am I right?

claywaterfill

I was under the impression that those figures were the complete sales figures for the manufacturers. Since the Camry is made in Kentucky (the biggest seller), I don't believe Toyota could possibly sell over 560,000 Japanese built cars and trucks in this market. I'm sure the figures are total--not seperated between US made and imported vehicles. I would also be willing to bet that "American" cars made in Canada or wherever are still considered domestic.

nato1

I am curious as to why a focus zts? (zx5?)
The elantra gt wasn't an option?
Thanks

claywaterfill

I also thought the move from the Sonata to the Focus was strange. I'd like to hear how that came about.