2013 and Earlier - Hyundai Sonata Prices Paid and Buying Experience

lightfootfl

Re: the LX V6 Sonata
Is the alarm system on the car strictly a noise device or is it an actual theft prevention unit?? In other words with the key off and car locked, is there a device that prevents the vehicle from operating, or is it just an alarm? Please advise as this is an important thing to me. Thanks, van :confuse:

94hawkskin

Actually, if you look at the College Rebate it says that it is not applicable with other HMFC rebates. Meaning if you take the 1,000 HMFC rebate then you are not suppose to qualify for the College Rebate. I guess most dealerships miss this point though. So if anybody gets a dealer that will give you the rebate that is great, but if they don't then don't be mad.

own2sonatas

Just purchased a Golden Beige 2006 Sonata V6 with Sunroof (MSRP $22,345.00) for only $16,523 after rebates, or $19,523 before $3,000 rebates ($1000 manufacturer, $1000 HFMC, $1000 loyalty). With tax, license and doc fee ($45.00), our out the door price was $18,185.00. Best buying experience ever!!

Worked directly with the "Internet Director" at Peoples Folsom Lake Chrysler/Jeep/HYUNDAI near Sacramento, CA. Before you buy some place else, I strongly recommend that if geographically desirable, you contact this guy first. He was very professional; there was absolutely no pressure, and he made the entire process a lot of fun.

Good luck!

danf1

The alarm does disable your starter when it is armed.

averigejoe

It all depends on the condition and value of your trade-in. Hondas can be sold for a boatload of money as private party sales. Almost irrationally high prices often.

mamamia2

Yes, that's true in general. I just found it hilarious that the dealer would sign a contract, offering me a premium price of $5,000 for a car that he has never checked, nor even seen....

I practically traded in my car for the same amount of money I could get by going thru the hassle of selling it myself to a private party.

manjoh

My buying experience left a lot to be desired. The price given by the salesman and the sales manager were not what I eventually paid. While I know I could have refused some--or all-- of the add-ons. The part that really got me was that when I met the financial guy, he already had all of the paperwork read to go. So I ended up paying more than $2,500 above the price given by the sales manager plus the applicable taxes for warranty related items. While two of them covered tires and interior, I paid $1593 for enhanced warranty on the car which I felt should have been covered under the 5/10 year warranty provisions. Obviously, the Koreans have learned how to manipulate the US advertising market, as I feel the warranty info is simply not up to their advertising.

backy

What a horrible experience! I would have run from that dealership as fast as my legs would have carried me, if they had tried a stunt like that on me (having all the extras already added to the paperwork). Shame on them! Hopefully this warranty you bought is the Hyundai extended warranty that extends bumper-to-bumper coverage to 10 years/100k miles and is transferable. It's a pretty good warranty, but IMO $1600 is too much for it. You might check the details on the warranty to see if there is any "early termination" clause, since you don't get any benefit from the warranty for five years.

Thanks for relating this story as it is a good lesson for other car buyers.

mamamia2

This sounds FUNNY to me.......

A. I bought the SAME extended warranty -- but it was offered for $700.

B. While we can agree that you did not get the greatest deal on your extended warranty ---- WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU AGREE TO BUY IT, IN THE FIRST PLACE???????

Who FORCED you to buy that extended warranty??? Who FORCED you to buy those "other" warranties (Never heard of an extended warranty for tires and "interior")....... Why would you agree to ANYTHING added to your contract, beyond sales tax, license and Doc Fee?

You don't have to run out of the dealership, just say "no, I'm not interested in that warranty, thank you."

The fact your dealer is a scam artist is one thing. The fact you ALLOWED him to scam you, is yet another....

BUT, in ANY case, what does THAT have to do with "the Koreans"??? Do you think the rest of them, Toyota, Dodge, BMW, Ford, or Chevy dealers, are all honest and trustworthy?

Sorry, you can only blame YOURSELF.

stockmanjoe

Just finance through HMFC and get the $1,000 rebate and then pay the car off in cash immediately or refinance with another bank immediately. Who cares if he gets his commissioon. I told my sales guy exactly what I was going to do. He didn't seem to mind - what can he do?

averigejoe

I'll bet the dealer's contract had ample weasel words in it to protect him if your trade-in had been different from how you represented it to him.
Was that $5000 price the same as the Kelley BlueBook private party price for a car like yours in its present condition? If so, you probably have made a pretty good deal.

mamamia2

You may be right about the dealer able to protect himself against me showing up the next morning with a clunker... I don't know.

According to the Kelly book, my Accord is worth approx. $5,300 when sold to a private party, and a trade-in value of about $3,500.

Of course, selling it on my own, I could have asked for $5,300, spend money advertising, go thru the agony of dealing with potential buyers (which can be really a hassle), and hope for the best...

So naturally, I have a good reason to smile, you must agree with me...

...And in addition, by trading-in my old car, I saved couple hundreds of $ on the sales tax of the new Sonata...

sfosri

Sorry It is Rosevelle Hyundai in Roseville, California. I should have been more specific. This is part of Planet Hyundai.

zipzapzoom

last week when I took delivery of my GLS V6, the dealer only gave me the temporary registration for 20 days, which cost him $5 in NJ. But he has collected $242 for the registration, title etc. Has he taken me for a ride? Also I dont seem to find the paper related to Title in my name. The only papers I have of the ownership of my car are the HMFC finance contract and the 20 day temp registration. Is that how it is or has he cheated me after aving charged $242

backy

If this works anything like it does in my state, the metal plates will be sent to the dealer and they will call you when they come in, and you go there and they attach them to the car. As for the title, that takes some time to process, and it is mailed to you later.

You could call the dealership and ask them about this if you are concerned--they do lots of these transactions.

zipzapzoom

thanks Backy....I just talked to my dealer and he confirmed thats how it happens. Once the plates come in they will call me to come in and have the plates installed.

stockmanjoe

Military rebate is 500.

nooffal

Hello everyone, I'm new here, and reading the forum has been helpful!

I am in the market for Sonata but even though it is a great deal, the GL is at the top of my price range. Having said that, I am interested in getting a 2006 Sonata GL with the only option being an Automatic Transmission.

I live in the Louisville, KY area and have been in the opening stages with 2 local dealers. My question is, what is a good fair OTD (out the door) price on an 06 Sonata GL w/Automatic Trans?

Sales tax is 6% here and I believe the main dealer I have been talking to wants 140 for tag and title. I believe they said there are no other fees.

They gave me an initial offer of $18,724 OTD (with tax, freight, 500 4cyl rebate and 1000 finance rebate). From what I've seen here, I think I can do better, no?

If so, what should I counter offer with? I'm not looking to "rob" the dealer, but I do want a good price!

backy

Invoice on the GL automatic is $17,957, including destination (freight). Let's say $18k to make things simple. 6% of that is $1080, so that's $19,080 with tax. (I am assuming Kentucky figures sales tax before rebates.) Less $1500 in rebates and adding the $140 in fees is $17,720. There is also "holdback" involved of 2%.

So if I were you I would counter with no more than $17,700, and ask for the floor mats also (you will want them to help protect your carpets). That leaves the holdback for dealer profit plus any other "hidden" incentives they may get. If they balk (meaning they let you get up and walk out and don't try to stop you), you know it's too high for them. Wait a day or two to see if they call you back, and if not you can always up your offer a bit. Also try the other dealer.

nooffal

Thank you for the suggestion. However, isn't tax determined off of MSRP, not Invoice? If that's the case, then tax would be higher, affecting my final offer.

Can anyone confirm this?

bhmr59

In most states sales tax is based on the amount you pay before rebate. MSRP doesn't enter the picture.

bobad

Hello noofal,

Just for comparison, I just paid $18,600 OTD for a GLS V6 with no extra options. My tax was 8.5%.

Good luck!

mamamia2

isn't tax determined off of MSRP, not Invoice?

The government is not interested in what a merchant is asking for, but in the final sale price.

So if you have a trade in, you save on tax. BUT for whatever nasty reason, REBATES are exluded, so the tax is calculated on what you pay for the car BEFORE any rebate.

stockmanjoe

I thought the floor mats came with the Sonata without extra charge? Mine did.

94hawkskin

Not on the GL. Only GLS and LX get free floor mats unless the dealership is nice.

94hawkskin

And boy are the Floormats needed. With this light gray interior any kind of dirt shows up 10 fold. I had my car in Iowa and the snowy dirt mixture really showed up. Not a problem to vacumn out, but was glad I had floormats.

backy

I know this has come up before, but just to clarify... in some states (like mine), sales tax is calculated AFTER rebates are applied. Your dealer will know what to do--or you can look up your state's policy on their Department of Revenue web site.

ctc1

Seems high I paid 17600 for 4cly GLS OTD here in NJ. Got internet pricing from several dealers and my local dealer beat it by a few dollars. Price includes 6% sales tax 4 year reg. and doc fees. Keep plugging away at price you can do better ,use the internet it works.

kyfdx

Kentucky for instance.. tax is paid on 90% of MSRP..

backy

Wow! That's like, "How dare you get such a good deal on a car! We will make you pay for your insolence! HA HA HA HA HA!!" :mad:

bhmr59

Does that tax on 90% of MSRP apply if someone buys "the newest, latest, greatest, hotzie tottzie" apply, even if someone pays $5000 over MSRP?

kyfdx

Yup.. 90% of MSRP...

stockmanjoe

Just FYI, in Tennessee military personnel pay no sales taxes on new cars they purchase in the state!

bhmr59

I knew TN was a great state. Hopefully other states will follow suit. I'll mention this to my state representative.

nooffal

Thank you everyone!

One other question: can someone comment as to the charges required to maintain the warranty? I have from 2 seperate people just today that the savings on the car and warranty are nearly completely negated due to the very expensive maintance schedule required to keep your warranty valid.

Can anyone comment on, post, or link to the maintanence schedule? I heard much of it was completely unneccessary. Is this true?

backy

Were those two people salespeople for other brands, perchance?

I don't know where you heard that much the factory-recommended maintenance on the Sonata was "completely unneccessary", but that is not correct. The maintenance outlined in the Sonata's owner's manual is similar to that of any other mid-sized car. There's a "normal" service schedule and a "severe" service schedule, as on many cars. "Severe" service means a lot of short-distance driving, driving in very cold weather, etc. The maintenance includes items like regular oil/filter changes, inspections, automatic transmission flushes, coolant flushes, air and fuel filter changes, spark plug changes... the kind of stuff you'd see on any car. One good thing about the '06 Sonata is that it has a timing chain, vs. a timing belt (which typically has to be replaced at high cost every 60k miles).

All you need to do to keep the warranty in force is do the factory-recommended maintenance. (Some dealers will try to sell you additional services; you can just say "no, thanks" if you don't want them.) And you don't have to have service done at a Hyundai dealer. You can even do it yourself, but be sure to use Hyundai parts (or OEM-spec) and save all receipts so you have some proof the work was done. And actually, lack of maintenance would void the warranty only if the lack of maintenance could have caused the problem. So if for example you didn't do regular oil changes and there was a problem with the power windows, that would still be covered. But it's best to do those regular oil changes because the powertrain warranty lasts for 10 years/100k miles for the original owner.

bhmr59

Check your owner's manual.

Additonally, much of the maintenance, such as oil changes by be done by yourself or a local gas station/garage...just be sure to keep an accurate log, with receipts, in the event a warranty issue comes up. (If dealer charges $30 for oil change and a local guy charges, you can go to the local guy. Just be sure you have the records to show the work was done.)

nooffal

Thanks for the comments. In regards to the poster 2 above mine, it was actually 2 friends/acquitances, not sales people. I'm not sure if they were going by the "severe schedule?"

Anyways, thanks for the thoughts. However, is there an online version of the maintance schedule so I can view it prior to buying one? Thanks!

backy

Edmunds.com has this for most cars as well as estimated costs based on local labor rates.

These friends own '06 Sonatas, then? Or at least a late-model Hyundai? If so, you could ask them to look at their owners manuals.

stockmanjoe

BHMR59:

Thanks that is a great idea. I am going to do the same thing maybe they could make a federal law and cover all the states.

It sure helped me out sales tax in Memphis is 10% and my Pilot was a 30K car!!

own2sonatas

Anyone ever heard of this before???

Just got word that Hyundai rejected our Owner Loyalty rebate because it had already been paid on our 2004 Sonata within the last year.

We purchased the 2004 Sonata "used" in September 05 from a Hyundai dealership. The previous owner apparently traded it in on a new Hyundai and received an Owner Loyalty rebate.

How were we supposed to know this? And should it affect us? We understood the rules to be that in order to qualify for the $1000.00 Owner Loyalty rebate, you must be a current owner of a Hyundai, which we are.

I told the dealer I hope they can work it out with Hyundai, since I'd hate to see them lose another $1000 on our deal!

danf1

They just started doing this recently. I had one of those come up and after a "friendly" conversation with Hyundai, the problem was solved.

Either way, it shouldn't affect you. A good dealer will resolve the problem internally or through Hyundai. There really is no way to know if your car was used if you didn't buy it new, and Hyundai has not provided us with any way to find out prior to a sale, so I wouldn't be concerned about it.

own2sonatas

Thanks, Dan! I hope they can work it out internally as they gave me a great deal ($16,523 sales price after $3,000 rebates on a 06 Sonata V6 with sunroof, MSRP $22,345). I really do hate to see them lose any more money.

leo15

i am currently looking at a 2006 sonata LX v6 with the options pkg. (sunroof and premium sound, cd changer) I currently have a price of 23k otd. is that good? leo 15 in Birmingham, Al

backy

Can you break it down for us? That is, what is the MSRP of the car, what is the discount off of that from the dealer, and in addition what rebates will be applied (there's at least five possible rebates on that car)? Also what are the taxes and fees you will pay? Thanks.

leo15

MSRP is 24345,doc fee,tag and destination charges 1040 tax 822 total 26207, rebate 1000 total 25207. discount 2207 . leo15

bhmr59

The 6 cyl's have a general $1,000 rebate plus a $1,000 rebate if financed through HMFC. You should be able to make that deal better by financing with HMFC and thus getting another $1,000 rebate. You can pay off the loan/refinance a/s/a/p and still save close to $1,000 after factoring in what you pay to HMFC for interest from purchase until payoff date. [Don't believe any bull the dealership may give you saying you have to keep the loan for 90 or 180 days in order to get the rebate.]

backy

The discount ($2207) is pretty good, it's more than the markup over invoice. Some buyers have reported getting an even bigger discount under invoice, so you might try a counter-offer to see if your dealer can move at all (there may be some direct-to-dealer incentives). Also check into the HMFC rebate as mentioned before--an easy way to save almost $1000 additional.

mamamia2

Also, if you wait till the very end of the month (I mean the last EVENING of the month) -- you'll find the dealer much more flexible and forgiving...

...And if you live in Illinois, or nearby, there is an extra $500 rebate for the annual Auto Show all thru February.

backy

Usually. Depends on if the dealership has already reached its targets for the month. I've heard that buying a car a day or two before the end of the month can work also. Maybe be prepared to visit a number of dealers, to find one that has not achieved its targets for the month.

The auto show bonus is a great deal for those who can take advantage of it. Mine is next month.