2013 and Earlier - Hyundai Sonata Prices Paid and Buying Experience

danf1

Advertising fees are legitimate. They appear on the invoice of the car which is provided by Hyundai. The dealer pays it and so will the customer.

bhmr59

I've seen the advertising fee listed on and added to the invoice price for a "grand total" invoice of orign invoice + adv. However, I've never seen advertising listed on or added to MSRP or the window sticker. The salesman I didn't buy from showed me invoice (including the $500 adv add on) and then subtracted that amount from MSRP to "show" that there was only $1150 of markup in the car. He offered to discount that by $500.

Danf1, does your dealership add adv fee to MSRP?

danf1

We do not add anything to MSRP here. Regardless of the car we refuse to mark anything up at all. Ocassionally we will add some extras to a car such as wheels, mud guards pin stripes etc... , but we don't put addendum labels for market adjustment, advertising, General managers vacation fund and so on.

nortsr1

I also, agree with danf'l....If the advertising fee is "ON" the sticker (Mulrooney sticker) It "IS" a legitimate fee.Some Hyundai dealers do "NOT" have this charge. Why???? ( I have to assume it is because of their location in the USA.) Perhaps Danf'l can explain it better. For example (backy) who posts here has said she does not pay an advertising fee ( I forget what area of the USA she is from).

frasierdog

"Advertising fees are legitimate. They appear on the invoice of the car which is provided by Hyundai. The dealer pays it and so will the customer."

When you buy a car you do not pay inventory tax, dealer prep, local administration fee or sales commission . So why is the advertising fee so special, because it sounds reasonable, and thus the customer will most likely pay it.

Between hold back, special programs and factory incentives, the customer will never know what the dealer paid. Invoice is not what the dealer paid for the car.

Can the dealer remove the advertising fee, yes. Can the dealer sell the car below invoice and make a profit, yes. Does the dealer want to, no.

danf1

My understanding is that if the dealer participates in the Hyundai advertising co-op program, then they are charged for advertising. It varies by region on exactly how much it is. The co-op program requires that we advertise specific vehicles and programs at any given time and spend a certain amount of money. We recoup about 15% of our own advertising costs through this program. The participating dealer is charged advertising on all of their cars.

bhmr59

Thanks for your reply Danf1. I value your informative posts.

As norts1 implied, there are many ways a dealership can arrive at the bottom line last price.The dealership I bought from in FL had a conveyance fee of $479.50 pre-printed on the sales form, which was about $100 higher than the Bridgeport guy's conveyance fee. I never saw the invoice on my car, so I don't know if adv fee was charged. What I do know is that I paid about $1500 ~ $1600 less in FL than the CT guy wanted. I forget the exact numbers, they're at my office. I didn't care about adv. or conveyance fees; only about the bottom line.

inlo

Good deals here in Phoenix, If you can get through the dealer's "so called" 1 at this price unit (bait and switch). I got a 2006 Sonata gl, 2.4L automatic with floor mats. MSRP was $19480.00. plus $854. desert protection package, and $399 window tinting. TOTAL $20733. After threatening to call dealership owner twice about bait and switch, Bottom line, I ended up with car for $12488. plus $299 doc fee and $299 desert protection package. Dealer also added $600 gap protection, and $2495 10 yr bumper to bumper warranty to contract that I will have to cancel and get the refund myself. Pretty good I think. Just takes a little attitude and hold your ground. And dont forget to cancel those unwanted charges within 15 days.

nortsr1

Let me get this straight. You paid $ 12,488.00, plus $299 plus $299, plus $600.00 plus $2495...which totals $16,181.00...for a car that was MSRP of $19,480.00. Where in the heck did the $12, 488.00 figure come from????...what the heck is a "Deset Protection Package???Why $600.00 forGap Protection??? and $2495.00 for that warranty....I think something is wrong here!!!! A dealer " DOES NOT" sell a MSRP $19.480.00 vehicle...reduce the price to $12,488.00, then throw on all those add-ons (whatever the heck they are supposed to be...(except to make up for the low-ball offer).
It seems to me that you received a good price for the vehicle...but....it sure was the long way around to get it. You threatening to call the owner of the dealership about bait and switch...do you really think that helped...Seems to me all they did was switch the figures around. The dealership owner is the one that probably put the LOWBALL ad in the paper in thje first place!!!
Please inform us if you get ANY monies back on that so called warranty or any other "unwanted "charges within 15 days. Don't hold your breath on that one!!!

frasierdog

My question would be what is the serial number of the car. I would bet the dealer sold you an early production car.

I have had several dealers offer me great deals, but the cars have been sitting on the lot for 3 months. The best deals will be given on cars sitting for more than 90 days.

I want an LX made in October or later. I have found the most recent serial numbers in 48500 range. This is the last 5 digits of the VIN. When checking dealer's inventory, I found cars sitting from June. Serial numbers for import Sonata's will be different.

inlo

My Sonata GL 4cyl is a made in korea car, (no dissapointments) last 5 on serial # are 83104, build date Apr 29 2005. This is how my "deal" rolled out. Had been calling and going into dealer for the advertised "1 only" unit for over a month, was told vehicle was always there until I walked into the door. Then it was just sold 5 min ago. Got salesman on phone while sitting in parking lot. He told me vehicle was there. Kept him on phone while walking into dealership. Sales says someone borrowed car and it should be back this morning. I said fine lets do all paperwork and I'll take car when it gets here. (salesman says, "your gonna buy a car without even seeing it?") I said yes. After a while they came back and said they couldn't find the add car. They didn't have any 5 spd on lot, but they could get me an automatic w/ floor mats for just a little more. After my mood change, and requesting the owners phone number to inform him of the way his dealership is selling cars, I ended up getting the 4cyl GL auto for the same price. I only financed for the extra $1000 rebate offered. Of course the $600 gap and $2495 are aftermarket and if you read the fine print, they can all be canceled. The finance guy said I have to keep the loan, gap, and extended warranty for 6 months, but I'm gonna cancel as soon as I know all paperwork has gone thru. Desert protection pkg is paint sealant (reapplied every 6 months for 3yrs and fabric sealant. //DEALER AD WAS MSRP $18495 - BIG DISC $4507 - HMFC DISC $1000 -MILITARY $500 = $12488//

bhmr59

On the Korean cars there will be a time delay in manufacture date compared to when a car gets on the lot due to shipping. My '05 was manufactured on 2/17/05 & arrived at dealership on 4/4/05. The delivery time for an American car should be less, but you may be too optomistic is expecting to get a car that was manufacured within two weeks of delivery to dealership.

ajac

So is $16,350 including tax, title and registration fees a good price for a Sonata GL 5 sp? This would be including the $1000 Hyundai financing rebate and the $1000 owner loyalty rebate. The price is based on $1000 below invoice on this model.

frasierdog

"...you may be too optomistic is expecting to get a car that was manufactured within two weeks of delivery to dealership."

The Alabama plant is making about 400 cars a day. If they sit for 2 weeks at the plant, Hyundai is going to need one big parking lot.

It should only take about 2 days to deliver a car carrier to my state.

The bigger Hyundai dealer ships have new cars. The smaller ones seem to have a problem moving the merchandise.

bhmr59

If you can get a car that fresh off the assembly line, that's great.

400 per day is about 9 per state (excl Alaska and Hawaii). If the production line is running 22 days per month, there would be about 198 cars per month per state (excl A & H).

Some states would be allocated more and some states allocated less. It could be doable depending on when a shipment is scheduled for your area.

Good Luck.

frasierdog

From what I have been able to deduce, dealers that have been moving product are getting more cars in continually.

Dealers with old stock get few in. This makes sense as a dealer which is unable to sell the cars it has does not want more.

The dealer nearest me is a podunk, poor excuse for a dealer. Dinky showroom floor, nonexistent customer parking, poor visibility and difficult access. I have been to the dealer twice driving the Sonata. I had to ask the salesman twice to give me a price. I doubt they will get my purchase regardless of price.

Hyundai dealers need to move upscale and quite playing the cheap card. A customers first impression is the showroom floor. Let KIA play the cheapest car on earth card.

backy

What is the price of the car before tax, title, and registration fees--that is, MSRP less dealer discount less rebates? Also, there is a $500 general rebate on the Sonata--did the dealer apply that one?

egarcia52282

My local dealer has offered this deal on the Sonata LX that we want:

$24,895 MSRP
$23,439 Invoice (includes $600 Advertising fee in Houston, TX)
$23,039 Sales Price (has $700 Hold Back)
$ 1,500 (Less Rebates)

$21,539 (Final Price) + TTL

Does anybody think this is a bad deal? I know I can negotiate more since the hold back they have is big and they are making profit there. How much lower do you think I can get the dealer to go down?

danf1

That looks like a great deal. The dealer has been very up front with you regarding what amount of holdback that they have. If those #'s are accurate, then they are going to make $300 max on this deal. Remember that holdback is not a fixed number. Dealers use some of it to pay interest on their cars, inspect them, pay someone to clean them etc... so the $300 is probably less than that now.

You can always ask for a lower price, but I wouldn't hold my breath on it based upon your numbers as they are. Look at it from a dealerships perspective. If you invested $22,700, how much would you expect to get in return for it? I would guess more than $300.

mike4954

Just signed for this deal 4 hours ago:

Sonata GLS 4cyl

$19995 MSRP
$!8496 Invoice
$2500 Rebates
$15496 Plus TT&L --Total paid with all rebates applied.

I don't know if I got a good deal or not. The sales girl wanted me to pay $500 advertising fee.I said no way and held firm on that. After about an hour going back and forth to the sales manager they finally agreed to my original offer of $15496 plus TT&L with all my rebates

backy

I don't know if I got a good deal or not.

I love it when people who buy a car for $500 under invoice say that!

mike4954

I think I said I paid Invoice. Not $500 under invoice!

bhmr59

Your description says you paid $15,496 (plus TT&L). If I add back the $2500 rebates to your purchase price, that gives a price of $17996 which IS $500 below invoice.

Did the $18,496 include the $500 adv fee?

dan42

Cannot find one dealer in the Denver metro area that has a 06 Sonata GLS 4Cyl. automatic. I am just wondering for those of you out there who have bought one, what price you have paid.

sw1191

I live in Phoenix and I just bought a 2006 Sonata LX with the pwr sunroof, subwoofer and in-dash 6 CD for $21350.00 before tax and license on 10/14/05. I got the jet black and just got to windows tinted today. I absolutely love the look and the drive of this car for under $25K you can't beat it!! Two months ago, I never ever imagined I would be driving a Hyundai, but I am happy with what I got.

mike4954

I'm sorry it should read:

Sonata GLS 4cyl

$19995 MSRP
$!8496 Invoice
$2500 Rebates
$15996 Plus TT&L --Total paid with all rebates applied.

They wanted me to pay an additional $500 advertising fee but after about an hour of deliberations they agreed to my original offer.

Sorry for the confussion

Sorry

buyasonata

I would like to hear experiences in greater Boston area. Looks like it's going to be a GLS V6 or maybe 4 cylinder (difference in reality)? Pls share final price and how you negotiated it? Confused about destination charge and advertising fees.

hotch41

This is a quote I received from a Hartford, CT dealer for a base 2006 LX Sonata (no sunroof:
Dealer Invoice, $22,161 (including $600 advertising) - holdback, $687 - finance and customer cash rebates, $1,500 = $19,974 sale price. The dealer will give me Kelley Blue Book trade-in of $18,100. So this comes out to be a balance of $1,874 plus TTL. Their doc fee is $299 (a bit high but I think this is a fair deal). The reason why I'm thinking about trading the Honda is the Hyundai warranty, additional safety features such as electronic stability control, 5-star crash test rating for both front and side (the Accord only received 4 stars on the side crash rating) leather, etc. I think the Honda drives a tad better, but I wanted to get anyone's opinion on this deal. THANKS VERY MUCH!!

backy

If you like the Sonata at least $1900 worth, go for it.

haefr

You might consider re-posting your reasons for considering this trade in the "Hyundai Sonata vs. Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry vs. Ford Fusion" discussions for a more balanced cross section of responses.

egarcia52282

Hi sw1191,

Which rebates did you get on this Sonata? What kind of tint and how much did it cost? I was looking for the same exact model/options in Steel Gray. Nobody has it, so I might opt to get a different color. Are you having any trouble with the Ebony Black?

Thanks.

billmd

I purchased an 06 GLS back in August. I am very pleased with the car. About 2 weeks ago I got a call from Hyundai doing a phone survey on my satisfaction. I expressed my many likes and a couple dislikes such as the annoying seat belt chime. The surveyor asked me to complete an online survey which I did. As I remember the survey was like a 1 is best 5 is worst type selections. I completed the survey very objectively using a lot of 2's and 3's. Questions related to the car, the dealership etc. Well last night I got a call from the sales person and from the sales manager hammering me as to why I "trashed" them on the survey. Apparently they don't get any points for anything under a 2 (very impressed) on the survey. He went on for a few minutes until I saw no further point in the conversation. I have bought many new cars and never had this experience. This dealership sure gave Hyundai a black eye. I can't imagine ever buying from them again. I will probably be very concerned about getting any service work done there. I think if I had it to do all over I would pass on the Hyundai. Go with something more mainstream.

backy

Wow. What idiots. What a missed opportunity to improve customer satisfaction. ("We would like to understand why you rated our dealership as you did so we can address your concerns.")

billmd

I agree, the thing is that I didn't rate anything real bad. For instance the dealerships showroom was a tad tacky and needed some decorating so I rated it average. They were trying to tell me that unless they get the highest or next highest rating that they get a zero. Sounds like internal strife between the dealership and Hyundai. Definitely something I don't need to be put in the middle of.

godeacs

I believe they expected you to give them top scores across the board, like most manufacturers (home builders do the same thing). Anything less than a perfect score counts against them. This is NOT unique just to Hyundai. Heck, even a 4 would be bad but to give them a 2 or 3 - whoa, no wonder they were upset....lol. BTW, I would be leery of going there for service too.

billmd

It is absurd to ask a customer to fill out a survey and expect the highest score in all areas. Like I say, thats between them and Hyundai. Apparently they prefer to take it out on customers rather than taking the issue to Hyundai. Anyway, buyers beware....don't fill out any Hyundai surveys.

godeacs

I agree the system is "whacked" but that's the way the game is played (and it IS a game!). Too bad you got stuck in the middle but being realistic, you have to know mediocre scores are not going to be received well by management - not when bonuses are based on these surveys. But to say that only Hyundai does this is dead wrong! All car makers have a similar program - that's how they reward their best dealers. Ever buy a house? They do the same thing and want to know beforehand if you feel you're gonna rated them less than top-notch.

billmd

If this is a game its one that I didn't ask to play. I didn't say that Hyundai was the only one that did this, they are just the only ones who have ever called me to hammer me about their survey scores. I have only purchased Fords in the recent past. Never heard a peep about any survey that I completed on both sales and service.

boltguy

You're "very pleased" with the car, but would pass on a Hyundai in the future due to dealership harassment. I think I'd try a different dealer first.

danf1

It sounds like you ran into a dealership that is not well managed. When my salespeople get a low score, usually they earned it. If I heard that any of them did what your salesperson did, there would be repercussions for them.

billmd

Yes I am extremely pleased with the Sonata but, there usually aren't that any other Hyundai dealerships in one area compared to other brands. So if you have a problem you are stuck or have to drive long distances. If I bought a Ford say and had a problem with the dealership then there would almost always be another dealership in the same general area. Thats what I mean about going more mainstream.

billmd

I agree. I talked with the upper management at this dealership today to try to get a sense of whether they felt this was an appropriate response. I did not get any sense that they felt they were out of line. Their rationale was telling me that they always averaged very high and they understood the emotions of the employees. What a crock! Forget about the consumer who just shelled out over 20 grand for an automobile. I have decided to take my service work to another dealership thats much further away. I will continue to spout my extreme satisfaction with my Sonata but I will be certain to condemn the practices of the dealership that I bought from. I am most pleased that Hyundai holds these dealerships to such high standards. I think more buyers should fill out their surveys more accurately.

lawrence45

Just paid $17,000 for 2006 GLS 4-cyl after $1500 in rebates. It seems it is difficult to find these cars as the one I wanted wasn't in stock and the dealer is locating one for me. I was going to pay cash but why not get the $1000 discount and then pay it off? I hear conflicting stories on the blog about financing. Some say you can pay it off after a month and others say after 91 days. My dealer said I can pay it off anytime. So I am assuming that I will make one payment and then pay the rest immediately. Is that the case? Is there a minimum amount that has to be financed? The more I put down the less interest I will have to pay, even though I intend to make just one payment. The first payment always has the most interest. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, is it a good idea to buy the extended warrantee- something that won't begin to pay off until 5 years from now? How much does it cost? Do you have to buy it immediately or can you wait until a future date? The Sonata comes with an active alarm system, not a passive one. Have any of you had the dealer install a passive alarm/ignition cut-off? What is the cost?

tom71

Do you find your new 06 Sonata quiet at freeway speeds?
Does the air conditioning work real well? I would hope so you
living in Phoenix.

Is your car the 4 or 6 cylinder mode?

tom71

I didn't know Hyundai offers an extended warranty for their cars. In my
opinion in this case forget the extended warranty, you don't need it.
The car comes with a 10 year/100,000 power train warranty; 5 year/60,000
basic warranty and five years emergency road side assistance. This genereous
package should more then be enough to cover your needs. If you car
should break down, the free emergency tow truck would tow your car to
the nearest Hyundai dealer. This is a plus in case your on a long trip and
should break down 75 miles from a Hyundai dealer.

By the way are you happy with the 4 cylinder Sonata you got?
Does your car have manual or automatic tranny?
Is it peppy enough?

tom71

I would think again about your idea of trading in your 05 Accord for the
06 Sonata. It sounds like your taking a depreciation hit on the Accord,
and though Hyundai is a much improved car company, Hyundai cars
depreciate in value much faster than Accords or Camrys. Though I haven't
driven the new Sonata, I've read it's very nice and handles well, but not
quite as good as the Accord. My suggestion is take a good driving course
and learn how to improve accident avoidance techniques better, to help
reduce the chances of you having an accident anyway.

tom71

If I were you, I'd complain loudly to the "Hyundai" customer relations
corporate office. Thats a load of crap you getting rude treatment on the
phone by the sales guys.

backy

You do have one year to buy the Hyundai extended warranty, so if I were you I'd wait until the year is almost up then shop around at different dealers to get the best price. When I did that on an Elantra I found a difference of about $200 from the lowest to highest quote.

One thing about the warranty is that it is transferrable, which the normal powertrain warranty is not (beyond 5/60k).

bhmr59

You probably accomplished more than you realize. Most owners/managers won't trash their employees to the public, but will let the employee know about the complaint. Get enough complaints & adios.

I live in CT, bought my '05 in FL six months ago. Last week while I was leaving a shopping center, I got a call from the dealership. My salesman has moved into management. His replacement called me to introduce himself and said to call him if I needed help/advice about my car, etc.

Obviously, I won't drive almost 1400 miles for service...one round trip is almost an oil change LOL. And I wouldn't drive 20 miles out of the way for an oil change. For other service work, maybe once a year(?), (would have to check the intervals) a trip of 20-40 miles, which could be an hour or so here, wouldn't be bad. Had my first oil change at local Hyundai dealer only about 6 miles away. Same place where the salesman was trying to pay for his kid's college by selling me a car. They treated me well. Except the grease monkey didn't thread the filter correctly. Called them the nex day (after only 15 miles) and they immediately took me in and corrected the problem.

Just wanted to post that O'Brien Hyundai in Naples , FL was great to deal with. AND, yes they got all "excellents" on the written survey. My salesman explained the importance of "excellent" vs "very good" for him. I could help him by grading him "excellent" if I was so inclined. I was, so I did.

lawrence45

Yes, I read here on the blog that Hyundai offers an extended warrantee making it bumper to bumper for 10years instead of just engine/drivetrain for years 6-10. Depending on what it costs I think it might be worth it, especially if one keeps his cars for a long time.

As for our new car, we don't have it yet. The dealer is locating one as we were specific as to the 4-cyl steel gray- we are in no hurry. It has an automatic transmission. I believe that the manual transmission comes only on the GL model. My wife (the car is for her) test drove both the I4 and V6 GLS Sonatas and found that the 4-cyl was very peppy and she couldn't really see a difference between the two but we live in NYC not on top of a steep mountain. If you are interested in a 4-cyl I would get the GLS rather than the GL. For a small difference in price there are some nice features you get with the GLS including fog lights, lumbar adjustment on driver's seat, automatic headlights audio controls on steering wheel (volume, mute and mode), trip computer, carpeted floor mats and supposedly a higher quality cloth for the seats.