Hyundai Tiburon

revka

This is also a continuation of Tiburon Owners, News and Views. Hope you enjoy your new home. Thanks for your participation! ;-)

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revka

To further enhance your experience here at Town Hall, please check out the Helpful Links left side of the page. Currently you'll also find a direct link to Edmunds' Hyundai Tiburon new vehicle information. Keep your eyes open for other related articles and features in that area. Hope this is helpful.

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dougndo

Well, it had to happen. I tried to set up an appointment to view/drive a new Tiburon. Usually, salespeople froth at the mouth if you agree to an appointment. However, one dealership took the bizarre stance that the cars were too hot to hold for appointments. "We can't hold this car just for you to look at. We can sell it right now. Now, if you want to make a deposit with your credit card, we can hold it if you plan to come in and buy it."

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.)

revka

Someone just posted a message here asking why this discussion was moved to this board when it was considered to be a "sporty coupe", and before I could post this message, they deleted they their post. Anyway, here's my response:

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.

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dougndo

Today I stopped by a Hyundai dealer to look at the 2003, and they had one in the color I craved the most, blue. It was quite pretty to look at. Right next to it was a 2001, also in blue.

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.

visage

Well, we finally saw one. After being told they wouldn't arrive in Colorado until April or May I happened upon 3 of them at 2 seperate dealerships. My wife and I own a 2001 Santa Fe and a 2001 Tiburon and the notion of the same engine in the new Tib piqued our curiosity. Pictures didn't do the car justice. I could go either way on how the car looks now versus the 2001. What surprised me the most was that my wife actually preferred the look of the new one. We bought the 2001 Tib for her (but I like driving it too). What we both agreed on, however, was that the interior of the 2003 was preety poor. If they could have done some more styling by combining the interior of the 2001 with something new in the 2003 it would have been more appealing. I also didn't think the stereo was all that great, but I wasn't really playing with it as much as I should have. We did bring our own CD and from the get-go felt the 100 watt upgraded stereo int he 2001 was better. I even had the bass cranked up as far as it would go but didn't really notice anything. One note - the subwoofer is actually the new Infinity Basslink (from the looks of it in the trunk). I just purchased one (not installed yet) for the Santa Fe. I thought that was interesting. Two of the cars were in Boulder and both were GT's with the shiftronic. That was what we wanted to test drive. My wife can't drive a stick and I hate the thought of sports cars with automatics. Since driving the Santa Fe I really enjoy being able to drive both (manual or automatic). We were only allowed to drive 5 miles TOTAL. That was disappointing. But it was a FAST 5 miles. The car accelerated beautilfully without hesitation. It handled a little better than the 2001 in my opinion. After all of this waiting I took the car back, got out and realized I never even tried the shiftronic. It really took off. I can't imagine a 5 or 6-speed manual transmission.

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

visage: IF you do decide to trade the 2001 ( I have one too)on a 2003 please let us know what they offerd on trade. The usual price packing aside I bet they will insult you with their offer. If I do decide to go for a 2003 I think I'll just keep the 2001 out of the deal and sell it myself.

hudrahead

tsvisage

hudrahead: I spoke with the same guy that sold us the 2001 Tib. He said he only had 1 base model 2001 left on the lot and that with our silver Tib, leather, tinted windows and stereo upgrade he said they would do "very well" selling our car. I told him we were thinking about either trading it in or selling on our own because I could get more for it. We'll have to wait and see. We bought our current Tib in August and it has less than 4,000 miles on it. It should prove to be attractive either way. We paid cash for the Tib ($16,400) out the door in August. The salesman knows we don't need to buy the new Tib for any reason other than we like it. It is NOT a neccessity. That is why the plates on the Tib say, "WANT". According to Dr. Phil McGraw (my wife is a HUGE Oprah fan) when making big purchases you have to ask yourself, "is it a need or a want?" The Santa Fe was a "need" (not sure if I want to get plates that say that) and the Tib was a "want". The sales guy knows I refuse to pay MSRP. I did forget to mention that the loaded GT we test drove with the Shiftronic (no sunroof or ABS) was just over $19,000 (MSRP). So, no mark-up that I could tell. He needs to make the trade and subsequent sale VERY attractive to pull another couple of thousand dollars out of my pocket.

danmc1

I was not expecting to see one at a dealership until Mid-march, so I was pleasently surprised to see one parked outside the dealership showroom Saturday night.

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

hudrahead

it's just the same old story. Buying on emotion is NOT the way to go but the dealers play this to the hilt for the folks that just have to "have it NOW" for the next big thing in this case the 2003 Tiburon. We have all seen this before with the intro of the Miata and more recently the PT Cruiser. Things are back to normal with those cars and now all can be had for under invoice @ most dealers, The T-Bird is another example of the same stupidity people have in these cases.The T-Bird can be had already at some of the smaller "backwater" dealers for MSRP here in Floria & Georgia if you shop around. Not uncommon for dealers in the "big city " to mark 'em up. or try anyway,at least 5K over MSRP. I'd have to want a T-Bird pretty darn bad to pay that and anything much over invoice for a 2003 Tib as well. hudrahead

danmc1

By early summer we are sure to see some deals start to appear on these new Tiburons. My old clunker just needs to hold out for another 5 months.

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.

ckiggins

I stopped by a local dealer today to check out sticker price on the '03 Tib. The delaer added "fabric protection" and pinstriping after he received the car (I HATE when dealers do this...if I wanted those things, I'd ask you to do it).
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?

tsvisage

Why is ABS unavailable for the '03 Tib GT with the automatic? You can get it in the 4 cyl '03 (but you have to get the head room robbing sunroof) but it is not offered in the GT.

Has anyone ever heard of adding aftermarket ABS to a car?

visage

crikey

This happens all the time -- take the Acura MDX, Honda S2000, Honda Odyssey and for a while, the Nissan Xterra and PT Cruiser. The Honda products are still being priced WAY above MSRP because demand exceeds supply. As long as someone will pay the price that the dealer wants, the dealer will continue to raise the prices. It's all these "I want to be first in my neighborhood to have the car" people that ruins it for the rest of us.

curioushokie

Hi. I've been looking at getting the 2003 Tiburon when I graduate from college in a few months. Aside from concerns about the super small backseat, I've heard that Hyundai's in general have a bad/below average safety record in crash testing etc.
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.

seminole_kev

the larger hyundai's do pretty well I think. But the Elantra and Elantra GT have not been great. I know the Tibby's based on an Elantra platform, so I'd like to see some crash testing before I'd (me personally) bought one.

by the way, judging from your screen name, my team and yours played against each other in the Gator Bowl this year.

esto

I was just at a local Hyundai dealership test driving an Elantra GT, and saw that the
2003 Tibs have a (get this) $5,000.00 markup. Do I win?

Erik

robertsmx

I would never pay a penny over MSRP for any vehicle. That said, some vehicles tend to stay close to MSRP for a while (S2000, MDX and Odyssey are great examples), most don't. People were paying MSRP and were waitlisted (for V6) when the Accord was redesigned about five years ago, but I managed to get my car at $200 over invoice then!

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.

dougndo

Well, we left the Sonata in the garage and took the 2001 Tibby from LA to San Jose and back this weekend. I had not driven it on an excursion like this in a while, and I must say this car can really haul on the highway.

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.

lngtonge18

I wouldn't listen to what you have heard concerning the safety of Hyundai cars. Their cars have actually performed quite well overall. The Santa Fe is the safest mini-SUV in its class in the offset impact. The Sonata was rated acceptable in the offset and received 4 stars for the driver and 5 stars for the rear seat passenger in the side impact. The Elantra (whose platform the Tiburon is based on) got 4 stars for driver and 5 stars for front passenger in head on impact, and 5 stars for driver and 4 stars for rear seat passenger in side impact. The offset impact for the Elantra showed some inconsistencies in airbag deployment times (which could allow head injuries) and moderate knee/lower leg injuries. However, its structure was found to be very solid and was one of the few small cars to be rated good for structural integrity (the Civic and Beetle were the only other 2 to receive a good rating here). So, looking at all the facts combined, I see no reason to be afraid of the safety of Hyundai cars. In fact, they seem to be near the top in this area. Guess their cheaper prices doesn't show a lack of funding in the safety department afterall. The only thing marring the safety of any of their current cars is the late deploying airbag on the Elantra, but this problem has appeared on cars costing much more, such as the Infiniti Q45, Chrysler 300m and LHS, and Jeep Liberty. I would venture to say the Tiburon should continue the good safety ratings Hyundai has enjoyed in the past few years.

hudrahead

intonge: I guess safety, or lack of it, would not matter much to "dougndo" @ the speeds he was driving his Tibby. Hit something at those velocities and it's all over baby LOL !!

hudrahead

dougndo

Yeah, I was thinking about that as I drove, believe it or not. My biggest worry wasn't a collision, since obstacles were sparse, and we were all moving in the same direction. My concern was a rollover, which could be pretty likely if I lost control at those speeds. I wondered how strong the Tibby's roof would be in a situation like that.

Thankfully, I still do not know.

curioushokie

Intonge: Thanks for the detailed reply.

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...

dougndo

My girlfriend won a Cruiser Bicycle at the grand opening of a new Albertson's super grocery store. It turns out the bike is really a man's full size, but she wanted it anyway since she's never won anything before (except, of course, my heart).

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!

ckiggins

I know that Hyundai has had a bad reputation in the past for residual values, but is it still really bad?

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?

ooooooo48

it was supposed to replace my car, bu spouse got it and i got the tiburon(she dislike it because "it is too big").

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.,

luxy

It's funny to read about those huge velocities of 100 miles an hour dougndo raved about. If you ever get a chance to drive on any of European highways (not just German autobahn) those are pretty much average speeds- yes average and people will overtake you by handfull at speeds well over 120 miles an hour. I don't know about european crash statistics on highways compared to american but I don't think they differ much. So I guess the american and european meaning of word speed differ quite a lot. So, my point is that dougndo's fear of losing control of his Tibby was of subjective nature. Correct me if i'm wrong.

hudrahead

luxy:While in the Air Force I had occasion to drive in Germany. True, they do drive at very high velocities. The average driver over there is head and shoulders above the folks here in the USA. I would say they would not last more than a day over there, either get killed or run off the roads by the police.

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

dougndo

I've only been to Europe a few times and never with a Tiburon, but generally I have enjoyed the experience. While there are many things I prefer about the USA, the condition of many of our roads is not one of them. CA has a reputation (at least here in CA) of having some of the worst roads in the nation, although I also heard that about Michigan when I lived in MI and about Indiana when I lived in IN. Road condition has a lot to do with my comfort level, as it should with any rational driver.

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.

dougndo

Luxy:

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

Got any insights to offer on the Mini Cooper vs. Hyundai Tiburon vs. Acura RSX? Please join us in this new discussion. Thanks for your participation.

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dougndo

The March 4, 2002 issue of AutoWeek just come in the mail and the cover screams "GRAB HOLD." Underneath is the caption "LOOK OUT! Hyundai's Tiburon rocks the sporty car world." Gracing the cover is a fine picture of a red Tiburon GT.

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.

dougndo

Ooops! Of course, in normal English I would have said "just CAME in the mail." Fortunately the AutoWeek article has better grammar than my post.

hudrahead

dougndo: I wonder how much Hyundai had to fork over to Autoweek to get a rave article like that ? Seriously tho, that rag is THE bible of cars to a lot of gearheads. It will sell hundreds of cars for Hyundai just on their say so. On the downside, the sleezy dealers will figure that hoopla in Autoweek will be good for at least another $1000 tacked onto the MSRP. $25,000 2003 Tibby? Why not. Those suckers will pay it, right LOL ! Plus with each rave review their arrogance ratchets up yet another few notches.

hud

dougndo

Hyundai must've really ponied up the dough, because I just discovered a full page devoted to the Elantra GT right after the Tiburon article.

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.)

toyunki

Can't believe it? by toyunki

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/archives/features/feature01_0302b.shtml#dyno

Methanol alone can't be it.? What is it?

chem123

Possibly two turbocharged engines?

revka

You now have direct access to some of Edmunds' Hyundai Tiburon articles/reviews on the left side of the page. Happy motoring!

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revka

From Edmunds' Daily Headlines section, here's an article that you may find interesting: Hyundai Revs Its Engines With A Sporty Tiburon. (This is not a permanent link.) Hope you enjoy.

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woernerw

I am looking to buy the 2003 Tib and I am trying to find answers that the dealer has yet to be able to supply.
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

cdsims

The G force spoiler is taller but I dont know by how much.
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.

dougndo

I washed my 2001 Sonata GLS (the "Ebony Star") yesterday, and, as usual, my girlfriend came out to watch "my obsessive ritual" as she calls it. She's especially bemused at the time I take to hand wash each alloy rim. "That's a little excessive isn't it?"

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...

dougndo

I've seen the 2003 Tiburon commercial several times now, you know the one where the guy is in hell. I'd have to say I find both the general premise and the guy who portrays Satan as kind of irritating, if not offensive.

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.

hudrahead

dougndo: yeah, I'm afraid the general tone of that commercial will appeal to the "tuner" type crowd with the baggy pants and cap on backwards ilk. What ever happened to the good 'ole days (I'm 66)when sporty type cars were the venue of us "gray hairs" and not the hip-hop bunch. heck, I even remember the other guys in a VW bug waived to you or if you were in a MG TD a flash of the lights.

hud:):)

chem123

I'm 18 and the Tiburon commercial doesn't appeal to me in the least bit. Just goes to show that not all the people in a certain demographic share the same attitude--even if they are the same age.

mtjake

I am 6' 2. Has anyone this height sat in one with a sunroof? How is the headroom? I used to have a 2000 Mustang and I had enough headroom in that. How do these compare? Or should I look for something with more headroom?

lngtonge18

Car and Driver pitted the new Tiburon GT against the New Beetle Turbo S, Celica GTS, Eclipse GTS, and RSX Type S. The Tib made 4th place and I was pretty disgusted with the review. They were quite harsh even though it was cheaper then the others by at least $3500. It was the only car under 20k, whereas the others were between 23-26k. Considering the price difference, I don't think some of the remarks were warranted. One comment I find hard to believe. They said the doors had a junky sound to them when closed. The 01 Tib didn't have this problem so how can the newer more rigid Tib have a worse sounding door? They also complained that the 6 speed shifter required high effort. This was not found to be true of the old 5 speed (which they compared to Honda shifters), so maybe its still a better idea to get the 5 speed and give Hyundai some time to perfect the 6 speed. On a good note, the Tib V6 turned out to be pretty fast. 7.1 sec from 0-60 and a top speed of 132. That's faster then the Celica GTS and only 0.4 sec slower then the 210 horse Eclipse (though faster then the regular 200 horse Eclipse GT) . So all the balking about the Tib's low horsepower was premature and proven wrong. 7.1 sec is respectable performance. As I stated before the car even came out, 181 horsepower is plenty for this car.

hudrahead

Intonge: Yeah, I saw that issue, that crack kinda jumped right off the page. Ticked me off !! I was just leafing thru the mag at the news stand and saw that blurb. I just renewed my R&T for another two years too LOL!! Ihave a 2001 Tibby and the solid "thud" of the doors was one of the things that sold me on the quality of the car. 70K later they STILL thud and no rattle or "junky" sound. Does not make sense as you stated that the body solidity would take a step backwards. Musta been a fluke.

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:):)

rideraz

Just got a new 2003 Tiburon V6-Auto, dark blue, power sunroof and all that jazz. Got an internet quote and paid $18,659 for it, plus tax, titles, etc. which from what I've seen around is a pretty good deal. So far from what I've seen in my area, there are only like one or two driving around in the area which I live, which is pretty cool because everywhere I drive people look and are wondering what kind of car it is.

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

revka

and congrats on your new 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We look forward to hearing more about your ownership experience.

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
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

dougndo

My girlfriend's 2001 Tib got rear-ended yesterday by a guy trying to squeeze through a yellow (red, actually) light. Unfortunately, the traffic was all stopped for the next light, and he hit her while she was sitting still.

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.)