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Comments
The Hyundai name still equals bad resale due to the reputation of the older vehicles and because it is often seen as the car you get when you can't or don't want to spend the money on what you really wanted (Toyota, Honda).
I have heard that the newer Hyundais have improved quality, but since they are still pretty new and low mileage, they haven't been around enough to show long term reliability or change perceptions.
So, resale/trade-in prices will have to be cheap or people will just buy a used Honda or Toyota instead. This causes poor resale value.
I stopped in at my local Honda dealer last night to look at the new Ody and saw a '05 CRX EX AWD stick shift on the showfloor. Sticker was $22,200. The Tuscon GLS with V6 and automatic, plus all the other standard features, is $100 less. Fuel economy is about the same. The Tuscon has the V6, automatic, stability, SACs, and longer warranty for the same money as the CRV. For the price of a CRX EX automatic you could get the top-of-the-line Tuscon LX with leather etc. etc.
If you buy a car with the intent of selling it in 2-3 years, yes, it makes sense to get a Honda or Toyota because of the better resale value. But if you plan on driving the car for several years, Hyundai makes a lot of sense because of the feature content, quality, and warranty for less money.
As part of my research of course I checked resale prices because as everyone should know depreciation is the hidden and often the most costly part of owning a car. What is said regarding automobiles (not SUV's) by Hyundai is true. They are great values when they are one or two years old.
However the Santa Fe is proving to be quite different. I shopped the net and the dealers to check the actual selling prices as well as lease residuals, and I found that I can purchase a new 2004 model with rebate for less than resale prices! Real world residual is similar to the 4 dr Camry (one of the best). In my case I believe it better to buy new and know what I am getting. I have read where as many as 1/3 of all cars resold within the first 3 years of new have sustained major damage in some way and have been repaired. Makes sense. CarFax is not perfect, and I also remember the 10yr/100,000 warranty is not transferable on Hyundais.
We are replacing a '98 Nissan Sentra with 170K miles showing, and if you plan to keep a car as long as we do this is an excellent choice.
If there are big rebates and other discounts that make the sales price of a new one around the same as the book value of a used one, then the used car sellers have to lower their prices to compensate.
Discounting on new vehicles causes worse resale value down the road.
Saying "I'll get a new one because the price is close to the same or lower than used after the rebate" is based on a fallacy.
If new cars are greatly discounted, then used car sellers must reduce their prices enough to make them attractive or they will be impossible to sell.
BTW, I stopped by my local Hyundai dealer today and got a good look at the Tuscon. They had two LX samples, both FWD. Inside and out, these are sharp vehicles! The interiors were especially well done. They are the nicest interiors yet from Hyundai, IMO. Very classy with the brushed metal trim and chrome accents. The leather surfaces were also nicely done, and looked much richer than the $21 price would indicate. I didn't have time for a drive, but if the ride is as solid and smooth as reviews indicate, Hyundai is going to sell a lot of these little SUVs, with the price of a loaded V6 the same as a 4-cylinder Honda or Toyota model. The main competition could come from Ford and Chevy, with the Escape and Equinox offering a V6 in the same price range or less (Equinox under $18k in today's ads).
Normally, negotiating a price is fun. I normally buy near the end of the model year, but I didn't want to wait. This is the 3rd car I've purchased from this particular dealer. The Edmunds TMV showed the average discount only $144 off sticker! The dealer said they couldn't negotiate until the model was out least 6 months old. They also swore there was no dealer holdback for this model, and the only other Tucson they sold went for full price (an Escape trade-in). The dealer only wanted to give me the $500 loyalty rebate. After an hour of "negotiating," I was able to get $339 off the list price. With my 02 Elantra GT trade-in, it was $14,653.52 out the door.
The shelf is a bit awkward, although you can open it and push it back a little farther, but you feel like you are forcing it. The good news is, there is a light at the top and the side--a little better than the GT.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
It looks very sharp from the outside. The styling and the exterior looks better than my 02 cr-v.
I wasn't too impressed with the interior. I hated the thin cheap hard hollow plastic dash and wasn't impressed with the seat cloths. Couldn't find the comfortable sitting position either in the new tucson.
I did rap on the dashboard and found that, yes, it is hard plastic, like on many other cars these days to save weight and cost. Since I don't ever go feeling the dashboard on my cars, except when I'm in the dealership, that is not a problem for me. I think the dash looks fine. The look and feel of the controls is much more important to me, since I do touch those all the time, and I liked the look and feel of the Tuscon's switchgear.
The fabric on the GLS was typical low-nap velour. It wasn't the best cloth interior I've ever seen, but far from the worst.
There was more room in the back than I expected. I appreciated that Hyundai provides a removable rubber cargo mat to protect the cargo bed, at no extra charge. I wasn't so keen on the rigid cargo cover, and in fact the salesman noted himself that he would prefer a window-shade type cover. Well, that's easily fixable if Hyundai gets enough complaints.
A little background...it's a 50 mile trip one way with 16 of that at 65mph and the rest at 75mph (interstate).
I've been told by both the dealer and the customer service at Hyundai that I need to wait until 1500 miles for the true mpg to kick in, but with 900 already put on it, I find it difficult to believe that I'm all of a sudden going to get 6 mpg more.
I traded in a Grand Prix for the Tucson, Grand Prix got 29mpg consistently with 16" tires, 3.8 V6 engine, approx 16.6 gallon gas tank. We got the 2wd Tucson, 2.7 V6 also with 16" tires, approx 17 gallon gas tank. We were expecting to put in approx 1 tank of gas more/month with the Tucson over the Grand Prix - at this rate I'm looking at 2-3 times MORE in gas cost/month for the Tucson.
Also more background...there was a huge problem with the deal/purchasing of the Tucson due to a really rotten apple at the dealership we purchased it from, so my confidence in this vehicle has not been that good from the start, already feel like we've been lied to enough, I'd like some straight answers.
In reading these discussions, I see a few of you have bought this vehicle, any feedback from fellow consumers would help.
I am enjoying my Tucs immensely. I even find myself going home the long way just so I can have a longer ride! Last weekend, we drove about 150 miles north to my husband's home town. I love the Tucs. I love sitting higher than a car (as high as some other full size SUV's) and seeing what's ahead of me (except when I get stuck behind a semi, of course!). I previously drove a 4-cyl (former Elantra owner), so the pickup on the 6 is a real treat! The turning radius is great. The car is quiet. I can adjust the seat to feel good, as I have lower back problems. I didn't even realize that the wiper blades, set at one of the interval settings, speed up as the car speeds up! I guess the only feature I wish I had was the outside temperature indicator/compass combo like my husband's Sport Trac has. But for the money, I think the Tucs is a great SUV
Couple questions.....could some of you who've purchased or seriously priced share the specifics of your deal. I'm hearing a variety of things from "nothing off" to "just over invoice". Experiences, numbers, and some info from owner would be welcome with my sincere thanks! Ironically--some of you state you have 6 or more Tucson's on the lots. Here in PA--the most I've seen on any lot is 2--one in the showroom and one unprepped in the back with the other new arrivals...
The first time we test drove the Tucson, the sales manager said that if we came back that night to purchase it, he would take $1000 off the sticker price, so that leads me to believe that there is "room to move". Our sticker was just over 21K and that included a sunroof (2wd), however, the sunroof thing was part of the "odd" deal.
As far as in stock vehicles, our dealer told us that every Hyundai dealership had only gotten a couple in the last month, I'm guessing those people who live in large metro areas have dealers who've gotten more just from the amount of volume they do.
Hope this helps.
Buying experience: I suggest you find and go to the highest volume dealer, choose a day late in the month, and arrive about an hour before closing, telling them you will give them 1 hour to do the deal. I always ask to speak directly with the sales manager when I first go in, and make sure he/she knows that I know exactly what I want and know exactly what I want to pay ($ over invoice. Print a copy of the "carsdirect.com" target price and take it with you. Never act indecisive or timid; they will pounce on any perceived weakness. Can you tell I used to sell cars? I paid $300 over invoice and made them show me the invoice. Forget the sticker - deal only from invoice. You will find that info at carsdirect.com also. Remember transportation costs are not negotiable, so the target is $300 over invoice, then add in the transportation cost (listed on window sticker). Always be prepared to standup and say thank you and walk out. You can always come back tomorrow. That is the only way I truly I know I got my best deal. They hate to see a qualified customer walk away. Also remember that if you have a good credit history or can pay cash they need to know that up front. So many customers at this price point cannot come up with the funds to actually buy. Good luck.
Good luck shopping!
Steve, Host
B
http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadtest,view,Hyundai.spy?art- id=31441
The WEB SITE provides very minimal information. In fact the forum on Edmunds is more informative than www.hyundaiusa.com . My biggest complaint is Hyundia's lack of information on the 4WD drivetrain with Shiftronic, the Electronic Stability Control and the Traction Control Systems. These all sound like great features but little or no details are provided by the manufacturer. No mention on ground clearance or towing capacity, I assume there is no towing capacity since there was no tow option (???).
THE DEALER: There is too much to criticize but to summarize: high pressure, high initial pricing (started out at 25000 ! for the LX with package #3 and within 1 minute I had him down to $23,300) its obvious they will try to get what they can but to go 5% over MSRP... thats just greedy. Its obvious that there would be more room to negotiate price down from $23,300 but it will take a few more visits if I actually decide to buy the Tucson.
Hands-on and Test Drive:
1) I was very impressed with the safety features, roof mounted side curtain air bags and seat side airbags! all Standard. The middle seat in back also had full cross shoulder seat belt.
2) The back seats fold down completely flat and flush with the rear cargo area! I wish American cars did that! The back of the seats had a thick ABS plastic covering to protect the seats from cargo stored on the seat backs as well as add a friction free aspect to the expanded cargo area when the seats are folded down. In addition the seats lock down when folded. The front passenger seat also folds forward completely flat as well as recline completely. In all cases I never needed to remove the headrests while configuring the various seat positions.
3) There is a half width but full 16" diameter spare tire accessible from the inside cargo area. A decent compromise when space is a premium.
4) Dashboard lighting very nice, test drove at night and I found everything either by touch or visual fairly quickly. Back lighting was light gold tint. Much more soothing than the typical green lighting. The only instrument light slightly obstructed from view was the left seat heater switch from the parking brake. All other instruments were well lit and visible. I wish the RPM gauge was bigger and more to the center but this is because I only drive manual vehicles.
5)Transmission, SHIFTRONIC. Overall shifting manual was smooth and typical of most automatics I've test driven lately, but the SHIFTRONIC was nicely layed out. With the shifter in DRIVE, just lean the shifter to the right and a display indicates the gear the car is in. Then either press shifter up or down to up/down shift. The gauge displayed the current gear as you dropped through the gears. My impression as a manual only driver was that I was straining to hear the engine in order to feel when to shift and since the RPM gauge was not very notable I found the shifter to be cool and mechanically sound but more of a nice feature than a necessity for most drivers. I would need to drive the car more before determining if its worth the potential wear and tear on the transmission for the feature.
The dealer said since the trans. is on a 100K warranty, use the shifter and save the brakes! Okay so I'm still bitter about the sales folks but this is the kind of nonsense that comes outta these guys!
The electronic stability control on or off did not seem any different but a 10 minute test drive wasn't enough for me to tell how improved the car handled when this feature was enabled.
6) Power was sufficient for most commuters but considering the 19/24 MPG I expected more power as I punched it from a red light. Similar to the Subaru Forester 165 hp which is about 300 Lbs lighter.
7) Seats: comfort(front)was average nothing negative to point out only wish they offered power seats. The back seats I thought were very comfortable considering they were back seats. After all how many people sit in the back seat of their own car? I was impressed plus the back seats reclined back as well.
8) The only issue I found to be bothersome was that when I hit bumps in the road the rear end shocks sounded like they were clunking. Not sure what I was hearing but my 1998 forester with 185000 miles still is quiet over the bumps.
OVERALL if you can pull off invoice on this car with a good rate or invoice and cash back bonus in a few months, then this car is a great value. I was impressed with the overall design and build quality considering the price. I might actually get one if I loose my interest in a 2005 jeep liberty limited (loaded) is 24475 with all the incentives.
just like sonata and optima
and here are some info of next hyundai's engine
theta:2.0 144PS, 2.4 166PS sonata
mu:2.7 TG(next XG)
lambda:3.3 233PS, 3.8 sonata,TG,BH(first luxary brand??)
tau:4.6 343PS, 5.0 373PS
First Drive: 2005 Hyundai Tucson
Steve, Host
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
TOWING CAPACITY
With trailer brake 1,500 lbs. (2.0-liter)
2,000 lbs. (2.7-liter)
Without trailer brake: 1,000 lbs. (2.0-liter)
1,000 lbs. (2.7-liter