Hyundai Tiburon

This is also a continuation of Tiburon Owners, News and Views. Hope you enjoy your new home. Thanks for your participation! ;-)
Revka
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Revka
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My advice to them was to "sell it right now. I won't be coming by." (Actually, what I said was not quite that polite.)
The Tiburon is both a sporty coupe and a hatchback. One is simply a subset of the other, so it's a bit arbitrary whether we want to refer to it as a 3 door coupe or a hatchback. We've moved some of the discussions around to balance out some of the boards a bit. Btw, if you look at some of the other vehicles on this board, (RSX, Celica, MB C230, BMW Z3 to name a few), you'll see you are in good company. Let's also not forget that hatchbacks are back in style again. ;-)
To dougndo- Sometimes just calling back and asking to speak to another sales person will make all the difference. If that doesn't work, then it's to find a different dealer. Good luck with your test drive, and please keep us posted.
Revka
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Having owned a 2000 Cobalt Blue Tib and currently having a 2001 Super Silver Tib in the garage (it's my girlfriend's) next to my Sonata, I'm intimately familiar with the pluses and minuses of the soon to be vintage Tiburon.
What I wasn't prepared for, after all the talk, pictures, and specs for the 2003 was how little it moved me when I saw it in the flesh, especially next to the old Tib. The interior is an improvement, but not enough of an improvement. The high slab sides make the doors too high for casual arm resting when the windows are open. There are way too many unused holes plugged up with covers. The vents, the instrument cluster, the switches, and the sound system don't look like they were designed to be together.
As much as I could talk about the deficiencies of some of the materials in the older Tib, I'd have to say it's a much more organic and consistent statement. My arm hangs nicely out the window. There aren't numerous plugged openings.
As pretty as the new Tib is, it looked less pretty next to the older Tiburon, especially from the inside looking out.
We really liked the exterior (except for the side mirrors). Disliked the interior. I also noticed the hatchback opened so high I was almost on my tippy-toes trying to close it and I stand at 6ft. I then noticed the inside handle molded into the plastic to assist you with pulling the lid down. The spare tire was very easy to get to due to a tri-folded tire cover that fold back instead of having to completely remove the cover as in the 2001 Tibs. The hood was the best part. When opened there is no need for the bar to hold up the hood of the car. There are two, for lack of the right terminology, shock-absorber looking thingies holding it up. Very nice. At least until they wear out and smack someone in the head. All in all very easy to open and close compared to the slamming of the hood and trunk in the 2001.
Now my wife and are throwing in for consideration (because we weren't sold right away) the fact that you get a bigger/better engine, remote keyless entry, ABS, and side airbags making the car a little safer in our minds than our current Tiburon. We aren't sure if we want to buy the new one. If we do, I'm certain we will enjoy it but will we have made the right decision? Only time will tell.
hudrahead
I like the exterior a lot. The windows look pretty squat and the one thing that concerns me about them is visiblity and blind spots. I'll have to watch that when I take it for a test drive.
Wasn't able to see the interior, so I'll wait to comment on that.
Sticker Price was $17,500 while the MSRP is $15,999. (This was the 4-cyclinder car.)
Until I test drive it I won't know for sure but it I think I'll be happy that I held out for a 2003 instead of buying the 2001.
Dan
I hope Edmonds updates the Sats on the Tiburons Car Comparision Tool sheet soon. I would like to see alot of those blanks and N/A's filled in so I can compare the numbers of the 4 banger vs. the V-6 models.
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?
Has anyone ever heard of adding aftermarket ABS to a car?
visage
I went into the dealer the other day and they told me about all the safety features the new Tib had (std dual airbags, crumble zones, etc) but have just been worried you get what you pay for in terms of safety. I haven't been able to find much online, especially about even the 2001 Tiburon.
by the way, judging from your screen name, my team and yours played against each other in the Gator Bowl this year.
2003 Tibs have a (get this) $5,000.00 markup. Do I win?
Erik
It may be alright however if you don't care too much about your dollars, especially if the car tends to lose its value too quickly and/or costs a little more than average to own (maintenance and insurance over 4-5 years). Not sure where the new Tiburon will stand, but keep these in mind when dealing with the dealerships.
I'm planning to buy S2000 pretty soon myself, and have seen some going at MSRP now (a little lower for 2001 model since 2002 saw some minor changes), I'm hoping to pay no more than a penny under MSRP, but I have time, and S2000 is still a car that is among the best in holding its value.
I got into a "speed pack" running at 80-85 MPH. The leader, in a 2002 Civic EX (that weird mustard/gold color) was doing fine for a while, then pulled in to the right lane. I obliged by taking the point and the Tib blithely popped up to 95 leaving the Honda behind. I also dropped a silver Civic, but an Infiniti J30t, Solara, BMW 3 Series, Sebring convertible, and a Benz C class all said "Let's go!"
Unbelievably, this parade proceeded unhindered at 100 MPH for quite some time. The Tib was rock solid at that speed. It was poised and responsive. When an isolated rain shower popped up, I dialed it down to 80, mostly because the wipers were flying a bit and I was concerned about hydroplaning.
Soon after the shower stopped, the Infiniti pulled out and took over. I followed a few miles at 105 and even up to 110, but at that point I chickened out and let him go. By then, everyone else had fallen off anyway. As I toned it down to a steady 95 MPH, all of a sudden a kind of ratty looking XG300 came out of nowhere and passed me like I was driving in a School Zone. Zoom! He was gone.
We stopped at a restaurant to get a slice of apricot pie, and one of the old speed pack cars (Solara) pulled in a short time later. They didn't come in for pie; they didn't come in at all. They just drove past the Tib really slow, looking at it, then circled around the front, looking at it some more, with that look on their faces that says, "What the h*#@ is that?"
Now, let's get back to 364 days of sane driving.
hudrahead
Thankfully, I still do not know.
One of the reasons I asked was I had gotten a little booklet in the mail concerning car safety ratings (Injury/Collison/Theft). From 98-00 the Tiburon rating at 221/209/NA with 100 being average. So I guess that was something that caught my attention. Though the Hyundai dealer, while not knowing any kind of info on the '03 Tib (probably not available yet) was quick to point out a number of safety features it had. So we'll see...
I knew it would never fit in my Sonata, even with the seats down, but I thought her 2001 Tibby would hold it. So we drove over to pick up the bike, and it was even bigger than I expected. Of course, a cruiser is a one speed behemoth with absolutely nothing that easily folds or detaches, so the Tib had to swallow it whole.
Much to my delight, when we dropped the rear seats and moved the front seats up just a bit, the entire bike went in and the hatch closed easily. While it's no pickup truck, the Tiburon is quite a capable hauler when you need it.
In fact, in my former blue 2000, I once carried, in the original cartons, a PowerMac G4 tower, an Apple 17" Studio Display, and an Epson 5700i Laser Printer, plus loads of smaller boxes. Again, I got the hatch down without a problem, and everything went in without me putting on a gymnastics exhibition. Ah, the joy of the hatchback!
I'm considering the '03 Tib in a few months, but I don't know if I'm better off going with something like the Celica or Eclipse because the Tib won't be worth anything in 4 or 5 years.
Any thoughts?
I wanted GT elantra(only silver was available) but wife won out.
She likes the tiburon, but isn't totally crazy about it. Same feeling for me.
Depending on what Hyundai does in the next few years, no to mention us,we may just get a GT Elantra(for me) and maybe the larger tiburon?
Who knows?
i wouldn't even attempt to trade in 2001 tib for a few years. Car is 9 months old and 22,000 miles.
we'd lose about $4grand.
SOnata has another 2 1/2 yrs before we'll get it paid off.,
When a crash does occur tho it looks like a aircraft crash, total destruction and usually fatal but over all I think fatalities per mile driven are far below the US rate.
hud
Another factor of importance, I believe, is the etiquette practiced by drivers. I never had a problem in Europe with drivers who are too dumb or so determined to prove a point that they plant themselves in the left lane and refuse to move out of it regardless of the speed they are traveling. So here you have these bumpkins who are doing 55 mph who get in the left lane and stay there. It seems like you always catch up to them when they're next to someone in the right lane who's traveling 54.99 mph. I didn't experience this in Europe where drivers are pretty good about being in the correct place, although I was probably part of a similar problem in Britain until I got the whole backwards (to me) M-5 etiquette thing figured out.
Having said all that, I found just as many poor drivers in Europe, but better conditions, a more widely practiced driving etiquette, and the Chauvinistic belief (true or not) that they ARE BETTER DRIVERS certainly made for a carnival of fast driving. Still, even if I had a Tiburon in those European circumstances, I don't think I'd be comfortable taking it above 110 for an extended drive for fear of harming the vehicle. I don't think Hyundai built it for that.
We seem to be on the same path. When I got my driver's license in 1966, there was no educational requirement and only a cursory written exam followed by a simple driving test. That's it. That's all I've been required to do in the 35+ years since then. Here in America, the states make the driving laws, and most of them have very minimal requirements even today.
Even though it's a privilege, Americans see driving as a right, as an expression of our freedom that we want to get as early as possible. Even when the privilege is removed by a court, unlicensed drivers still take to the road in a defiant expression of "No one can tell me not to drive." Here in Southern California, unlicensed and uninsured motorists make up as much as one-quarter of all drivers.
This leads me to my final point, one that finally has something to do with the Tiburon. Many of these illegal drivers and many of our young drivers are driving woefully inadequate automobiles. They buy cheap junkers that can barely go down the road but can still kill or maim or destroy anything that gets in the way. As a driver, I fear these people who will scratch, dent, or destroy another vehicle while they feel invincible in their pieces of junk.
Whether I'm driving the Tib or Sonata, I don't have the same feeling driving amongst the dreck on SoCal freeways as I did driving among BMWs, Audis, VWs, Benzes, Renaults, Alfas, Peugots, and (dare I even say it?) Fiats of Europe. Even the Hyundais were, on average, in better condition in Europe.
As paradoxical as this sounds, I would welcome stricter driver laws here in the US. These laws would make it easier for me to enjoy a Tiburon and probably even drive it faster and more safely.
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
Inside, the magazine devotes four pages to the Tiburon. That's a lot of pages for AutoWeek, which surrenders two of those pages for another shot of the red Tib from another angle. There are five additional pictures scattered on the next two pages which include the main article and a sidebar article.
All in all, it's an impressive spread and a pretty fair treatment for the new Tiburon. You should check it out.
hud
I am almost stupefied by this. I read AutoWeek every week (for YEARS), and Hyundai hardly even gets a mention. Now, it has a cover, a lead article, and a feature article. What the heck?
And you're right, the dealers are getting the jacks out. (To jack up prices, of course.)
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/archives/features/feature01_0302b.shtml#dyno
Methanol alone can't be it.? What is it?
Revka
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Revka
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1. What is the difference between the low spoiler and the G-Force high rear spoiler.
2. Can you get the ABS with the GT V6 and the automatic. All I see is the GT V6 package with ABS but the packages all have standard trans. I'm getting too lazy for the 5 or 6 speed. ABS is an option on the base model but not listed on the GT V6.
3 What is a good price for the GT V6 Automatic & ABS?
thank you in advance
Walt
I dont know about the ABS with a V6 automatic. I didnt think you could get it on anything but the high end GT-V6 package that only comes with the manual trans.
I was looking at a GT V6 automatic that had no ABS (and I dont think it was a option on the automatic). It did have the sun roof and leather for around 19,000.
The thing that I didnt like the most was that I couldnt get the 17 inch wheels with the automatic.
Which means I have to spend another 1200 on aftermarket wheels and tires just to drive an automatic or live with the 16 inch ones which look way too small on such a slab sided car. Despite all this I am still thing about getting one.
Then, when the chamois and towels come out for drying and polishing, she goes on about how her 2000 Super Silver Tiburon doesn't need all that fuss. "It looks good even when it's dirty." She's partly right, of course, but her car is REALLY dirty, and I foolishly point that out.
Okay, so the next thing I know, I'm washing her car, and her alloy rims are so filthy I don't want to touch them with any rags that will ever touch my car, so I tell her "I don't do rims" on her car and she can find an old rag and clean them herself.
Well, when it's all done, the car looks great, with many smudges, dead bugs, and bird poops cleaned off. There are no water spots on the glass, and the Tib's shapely bulges are gleaming. She admires her car and says, "It looks nice, baby."
The only thing is, the rims are still filthy...
On the other hand, I'm getting old (51 this month), and maybe Hyundai's demographic surveys tell them that GenX will like this approach. Be that as it may, I'm glad to see the car being advertised but I wish I could say the ad gives the car a more positive spin. As it is, I end up focusing more on the goofy premise than on the car.
hud:):)
My five speed did not loosen-up until well after 10k miles on the clock. Now it shifts like a hot knife thru butter. That 6 speed will be ok once it gets a little use.I bet the 0to60 will improve as well. My Tib got better mileage and acceleration after the 10k mile point and the synthetic oil was good for almost 2mpg more on the highway. Synthetic is going into the tranny soon too.
hud:):)
I've been pretty impressed with the make of the car, the leather interior is pretty well made, I wish there was a button on the keyless entry fob to pop open the trunk, but that's not really a big deal. I'm pretty impressed with the sound system, although I think I will put my Alpine head unit to try to get a little bit more out of the speakers. The acceleration on the car is pretty good, not the best but it's all I need and more.
Anyway, just thought I'd post my thoughts, on my third day of ownership and real happy so far!
Kevin
Btw, you may also be interested in our ongoing 2003 Hyundai Tiburon discussion. For future reference, you'll find a direct link to this discussion in the Helpful Links on the left side of this page. Happy motoring!
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
The good news is that no one was hurt, and the damage to her car was light--mostly a bent license plate and some scrape marks. There were no tears in the plastic or even any exposure of underlying colors. His car, on the other hand, had a really messed up hood and bumper, probably because the front end dove when he slammed on the brakes.
Frankly, I was impressed with the durability of the Tib's rear end in this instance. I expected much worse. I had a similar experience with my Sonata when a crazy driver in an Aerostar pulled out from a side street into my path and smacked into my front bumper (driver's side) then continued to drive across the front of the car, scraping as she went. I expected a bent hood, broken lights, torn bumper cover, smashed grille, etc. What I found was a couple of scrapes; otherwise everything was perfect and in alignment. (BTW, she just kept on driving. I filed a hit and run on her.)