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2003 Hyundai Tiburon ( GT V6 and Base Styles)
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Revka
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1. The car looks stunning in person. Both black and red were far better looking than the white one I saw at the auto show. I'd like to see silver and blue in person, also.
2. The black interior looked okay, but I'd prefer a different color. I like the gray leather in the Elantra GT better, even though it's not perforated like the Tib and the Santa Fe. I'd like to see the cloth, since that's what I'd really prefer.
3. The "6" in the "GT-V6" emblem is red. On the red car, you can't see it from more than 4 feet away, so the car looks like a "Tiburon GT-V". Not a big deal, just weird.
4. (biggest gripe) - You have to select certain options packages to get ABS. Specifically (according to both kbb.com and hyundaiusa.com) you have to select either:
Base (4-cyl) Tiburon - 5-spd or Auto. You can only get ABS with the sunroof.
V6 - Auto - YOU CAN'T GET ABS?!?
V6 - 5 speed - You can get ABS only in the "Sprint" package, which includes cloth seats.
V6 - 6 speed - You can only get ABS in "UltraSports Package 3", including sunroof, big dumb spoiler, and leather.
Bottom line: I really like the car. If I could get ABS with the 6-speed it would be a very tempting package. As it is, the sprint package is pretty appealing. But why not just make ABS standard across the line, or at least make it a stand alone, $500 option? Having sat in a Tiburon with the sunroof at the auto show, it definitely cuts into the limited head room.
-Jason
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
I wish they will offer the 6 speed in the base 4 cyl cars. I have 2001 5 speed and it really needs a higher "top cog" for more relaxed cruising @ 70mph. Turning @ 3500rpm sounds a little busy, tho smoothe. My Tib has leather but in this Florida climate it probably is not the best choice as it gets a little clammy on those 100 degree/90% humidity days. Otherwise I think my 2003 will be a automatic. I do a LOT of driving and tho I like the 5 speed fun factor it's time to go auto for me. Never drove a 4 cyl A/T so if it's too tame I guess a V6 A/T will have to do.
ingtonge18: You bet your bippy they are marking-up the MSRP ! here in Fla they are averaging about $2000 over plus the usual add-ons, wax, pin stipes, "gold" pkg etc.
hudrahead
Also, it seems like the six speed is too much for the engine, or perhaps the engine is too little for the transmission. Five gears really would be enough. At times I thought I could be much more effective with one less gear and occasionally would just skip a gear so I wouldn't waste so much time. (Experiment with this; it's fascinating to see the effect on performance AND on the salesman if he rides along.)
The over all impression is of a really nice car, but not a great one. It feels as though it could be a great car, but it's not. Maybe you could tune it yourself to make it something special, or maybe Hyundai will sweeten it a little in Version 2.
The interior was a bit of a disappointment. It has a lot of odd bits that don't merge into a harmonious whole. I was especially irked by all the dummy covers that filled useless holes. Yet, I'd have to say that the quality of materials is good, and the fit and finish of several areas, like the hatch area, is very good. On the other hand, the moonroof cover rattled and vibrated constantly.
The infinity stereo was good, but again, not great. Maybe the head unit was the problem; you can't get a lot out of the speakers because the controls are very limited. Of course, I'm comparing it to an aftermarket unit in my Sonata, but I think you could do a lot more with those speakers with a better head.
Anyway, I feel I can definitely wait. There's no rush to get one. I want to see how the car fares in its first year and see if Hyundai makes any improvements or tweaks after 12 mos. or so.
One final note: the dealer had a $5000 mark up on the car, so it was priced at $25,492. It would have to be a much, much better car before I'd pay that kind of money. At $20,492, it's worth looking at. At $25+, it's a bad joke. When will these dealers get real?
don't know if you can post pictures in forums....
Steve...
Not had a chance yet to drive a 2003 four or six so cannot comment on the difference between the two. IMHO the four will be adequate for the average driver. The drive train is mostly a carry-over from the 2001's on the fours so I think there may not be much difference at all tho they did lengthen the WB and tweeked the suspension on both the four and six. The 16" wheels will no doubt help handling in any case.
The 2003 is a knock out looker for sure. I think Hyundai is being a little optimistic saying they think 80% of sales will be the GT. Personally I don't think the little bit of performance you'll get from the V6 is worth the extra money unless you are a "boy racer" type (not me for sure). IF I do trade for a 2003 It'll be a four banger with AT this time.
hudrahead
SharkRacing.com lists a "short throw" shifter kit so it may tighten up any sloppiness in the shifter. I thought I'd get a 5 speed just for fun when I got the 2001 but I guess my age and laziness has me leaning towards a AT next time around. Makes it a lot easier to handle that coffee and Dunkin Donut in the mornings LOL.
I doubt if the gearing on the 2003 will be any different tho I think a real over drive 5th gear would be most welcome to my way of thinking. Gotta admit that as geared it has a lot of punch in most any gear.
hudrahead
As far as reliability, I didn't have the 2000 long enough to truly test it, but it worked very well for me. I'd rate it as the second-best "small" manual I've had. Only the Nissan 200SX SE-R tranny was better. The Nissan manual was very sweet, although the car itself had a lot of issues, and I felt the Tiburon was a step up in most areas of comparison.
Still, the Tib 5 speed was flawless in the time that I had it (about a year), and I rode it pretty hard, first in a MI winter, then in SoCAl. In SoCal there were lots of stoplights and "dressed up" Civics and Accords to burn, so I worked the gearbox a lot. I could also catch some Mustangs, Celicas, Eclipses, and Camaros sleeping, and occasionally even a lazy Porsche. (You only have to "win" once, then decline another go. "No thanks, I proved my point at the last light." Nod, nod, wink, wink.) I didn't miss the SE-R at all.
hudrahead
But the thing that really struck me is that they added a line called "market adjustment" for $2000...bringing the total price of the car to nearly $3000 over the MSRP sticker that was next to it.
I asked the salesperson, and he told me that they jacked up the price because they're selling well. He asked what he could do "to get me in the car today" (how cliche). I told him to stop overinflating his prices. Needless to say, the conversation ended there.
Have others seen such BLATANT raising of the prices over MSRP?
Give them a year and things will return to normal (except the T-Bird which will be built in limited numbers for awhile) The Miata which commanded up to 5K over MSRP at one time now goes for invoice or less, PT Cruisers are coming out of the dealers ears and can be had for bargain basement deals and it'll be the same for the 2003 Tiburon as well.I simply refuse to play this game, it's crazy !! Around these parts they are "only" packing the MSRP price about $1000 in addition to the usual rip-off wax,fabric protectant & undercoat for another $1000 or so------all is up to bargaining tho and depending on who, what and where you may even get a decent deal if they think you are serious. They were doing the same thing just a few months ago with the Sonata while they were in short supply. Now that they are swimming in Sonatas you can get one for about invoice. It all boils down to supply and demand as it always has.
hudrahead
Anyway, here's my follow-up. I won't be buying an '03 Tib for 4-6 months, anyway. Do you think that supply will have caught up with demand by that time and good (fair) deals can be had?
-Jason
2003 Tibs have a (get this) $5,000.00 markup. Do I win?
Erik
ckiggins: I don't know what part of he country you live in but if you check out www.fitzmall.com you can get a quote on the discounted Hyundai prices. If not listed on the web they will quote you a firm price on the phone.
hudrahead
Hopefully by the time I go to buy (July or so), things will have stablilized!
hudrahead: I'm not in the PA/MD area of the coutry (I'm in MO), but I checked out the abovve website. Looks like they are being VERY fair on pricing.
As I said, I've only been to one dealer so far. (I should have known better, though...this is the same dealership that emailed me and told me that I need to come down and put $1k down on a Tibby now because in 4 months there won't be any available.)
When the time comes, I will definitely go elsewhere. There are 4 other Hyundai dealers in my area.
Fitzgerald Automall has a store in Clearwater. Fl. as well. They post the delivered price on all their cars and they are very low key, no pressure type guys.
hudrahead
Apparantly that dealer thinks that they're going to be in such high demand that I'll be on a 6-month waiting list. Puh. That's why he had one sitting on his lot that night for me to look at. Looks like he can't keep 'em in stock!
Hopefully it'll all settle down when my time comes...I want a fair deal. I definitely plan on using the 'net to my advantage.
hudrahead
I figured that he was just giving me crap. The salesperson got kind of pissy with me when, after my test drive, I told him that I wasn't buying today and that it would be a few months. He looked at me for a second and then says, "well then why are you test driving today?" in a pretty snotty tone.
My experiences with the Hyundai dealers in this area have not been positive thus far. Though, this one was slightly better in terms of pricing: they didn't have a "market adjustment," making the car $3k over sticker. But the dealer did add $1800 in dealer installed options such as ScotchGuard, paint protection and "Sound Guard," whatever the hell that is.
When th etime comes I think I'm just going to use the internet to buy and cut out having to deal with these shady folks.
hudrahead
I'm all about using the internet, believe me. If there was a way to order directly from the manufacturer, I'd be the first to do it.
Mr. BS Salesman yesterday told me that the insurance on the V6 was going to be very high because the GT was going to be classified as a "Type 1 sportscar." Know anything about that?
I don't think so. If anything, I would expect that the Tiburon would have insurance rates similar to that of a Cougar V6 (another V6 sport coupe)... I can't imagine the rates being that of a V8 car like a Camaro or Mustang.
On another note, does anyone know what the freight/PDI is in Canada on this car?
He came off withe usual man, these are HOT and IF you want one you'd better jump on this one tonight because I don't know when we'll EVER get another one, blah,blah,blah ! Ok,Ok let's take it for a spin and while we are gone get your appraiser to see what my 2000 Sonoma is worth on trade. I had already noticed the MSRP on the TIB was packed to $4000 over by the way.
I was impressed with the TIB and my better judgement was beginning to ebb (come on old boy get a grip here)so I said lets get something on paper. man,that sales rep almost began to slobber with anticipation LOL. Well, the sop trip to the "manager" was made and he came back with some figures on a slip of paper. They were offering just about "book trade" on the Sonoma in trade but did not budge on the bottomline Tib price. I shook my head and said "sorry you are $4000 too low on the trade". The guy looked shocked ! If you are adding $4000 ADP then so am I! He turned all red in the face and I guess he really didn't know what to say. The sales rep began to stutter as well. The manger just wheeled around, went back into his office and slammed the door LOL.
I told the sales rep that was MY final offer, but if he REALLY wanted to sell me a car to think it over and give me a call in the morning (today) I checked my messages a little while ago but no word yet. The day is still young tho. A little taste of their own medicine did not go down well. LOL
hudrahead
The dealer I went to on Saturday (Mr. No 4-cylinder) had 18 '03 Tibs. He was swimming in them. Lots of people looking, but no one buying. I'd be curious to see what they're actually selling for and if people are paying the ADP. Edmunds has the TMV at below sticker, but I bet that it doesn't include actual transaction prices as of yet...
This is too funny ! He said he'd "meet me half way" and only charge $2000 over MSRP but he also wanted me to come down $2000 on my price for the Sonoma LOL! So actually we were really still @ square one. They only have the one car in stock at the moment, and it's a no-no black (a black car in Florida, I don't think so)plus I noticed it has a dent in the rear bumper too.
hudrahead
I guess I can sort of see it if it's teh only one on the lot...but the guy I went to this weekend had 18 of them.
If you make them order one from the manufacturer, does ADM even become an option at that point? I mean, you can tell them you don't want scotch guard, paint protection, etc...most of the stuff they tack on as markups. Can you just deal off of MSRP sticker at that point?
hudrahead
I have a hard time paying for stuff I can't see, anyway...how do *I* know that they sprayed ScotchGuard on the seats and some kind of paint sealer on the outside? I just have to take their word for it...and their word isn't much. Certainly not worth what they want for it.
hudrahead
I'm surprised to hear that the new Tiburons aren't selling better. It might be the only affordable sporty car, as not everyone can afford a Celica GT-S. Maybe it's the stigma attached to cheap car manufacturers. But the car looks nice and seems to have the specs it need to compete, unlike the old model.
I pretty much got what I was expecting from the drive. The controls are pretty obvious. Acceleration was responsive, but it's no sports car. The car did feel a little heavy when compared to my 1999 Integra. The steering and suspension felt nice. It was the first time I ever drove a 6 speed manual, so I had a little hard time finding how to go in reverse (since the 6th gear is in the lower right), but then I saw the ring that's by the knob that allows you to go another notch to the right (and down) to go in reverse.
The interior, as many of you stated, is disappointing. The aluminum highlights look nice; the gearbox reminded me of an Audi TT and the speedometer/odometer area looks nice. But it's the stereo and climate control console that upset me. For some reason, that part didn't receive the aluminum touches (but the 2001 Tiburon did, according to her!). I also noticed the cutouts in the console. The first (leftmost) controls the foglights, but the other 3 are ostensibly placed for show. That was poorly designed and implemented.
Finally, the price. What is the markup, you ask? The car MSRPs for $19,997 before the destination cost. The dealership was asking for (after destination charge) $22,729 (and they claim these new Tiburons are flying off as soon as they receive them). That's a $2 - 2.5 k markup. Oh yeah, they do give you pinstriping and fabric protection for that trivial sum (sarcasm intended). The saleswoman was frank with me and said those cars won't be selling for MSRP or below until summer. I appreciated that honesty. Any other experiences?
BTW, I previously asked on the RSX vs. Tiburon discussion board if the Tiburon GT comes with a CD changer. The short answer is "no". It only has a single in-dash CD and cassette player. The 8" Infinity subwoofer in the trunk is decent, but I could only hear it after I opened the trunk. In other words, the sound system didn't seem to be all that.
I sat in the Tibby at the DC Car Show and I loved it. Yes it's "bland" but I hate aluminum-plastic crap ...
hud
Performance Acceleration
0-30 mph: 2.9 sec.
0-60 mph: 7.6 sec.
30-50 mph: 2.8 sec.
50-70 mph: 4.1 sec.
Quarter Mile: 15.6 sec. @ 88.8 mph
Handling
Slalom (700 ft): 68.2 mph
Lateral grip (200ft skidpad): .84g
Braking
60-0 stopping distance: 122 ft.
It performed better than TOYOTA CELICA GT-S.
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/archives/features/feature01_0302b.shtml#dyno
Methanol alone can't be it.? What is it?
The real shut-off isn't until 8300 RPM's, so there was a lot more to get our of that car!
Erik