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Comments
John
A. Take the loan, save $1,000 and pay it off within a few weeks!!! Even if the dealer tells you you have to keep the loan for 3, or 6 months... It's not true. The contract allows you to pay it off ANY TIME, no penalty. I did it.
B. I'd get the V6 Sonata, over the 4 cyl. Accord. I (rather, my wife) have an '05 V6 Accord and a 4 cyl. Sonata. Believe me, the Accord is a great car, but it has it's own little annoying problems, as ANY modern car has... Just visit the Accord site, you'll read plenty of complaints there too...
C. Hyundai has a better warranty, and more safety features than Honda.
D. They REALLY are doing their best to gain consumers' trust, there at Hyundai, and they are doing a great job!
One suggestion I have for you is not to tell the dealer you intend to do this. they will give you the story about how you can't pay it off for 3 months (which is not true). So unless there are some specific California state laws regarding early payoff of loans there would be no penalties involved.
I did this in NY and had absolutely NO problem
We absolutely love our GLS V6, after 4000 miles it's still as tight & quiet as day one (and that's a very quiet ride, IMO). I'd strongly recommend the Sonata V6 purchase over the Hondas' 4 cyl. With the shiftronic feature you'll have a blast driving this car!
Both are excellent cars and have been trouble free since purchased. You can't go wrong with either one. Having rode many times in both, here are my thoughts:
Noise: The Sonata has the edge on quiet/vibration, both on freeway and driving around town at lights. The Accord is quiet, but the I4 revs more and transmits more vibrations.
Power: Sonata obviously, but not fair. The Accord I4 is the best of the best, and no slouch for an I4. I've never driven a I4 Sonata, so nothing to compare. Honda's appear to have a high Overdrive, so revs at freeway speed are close to the Sonata's if I remember correctly.
Space: I think head room on the Sonata is slightly better from a "feel", rear leg room is close with maybe a slight nod towards the Sonata. Trunk space goes to the Sonata.
Interior feel: Honda has the edge. Classier/Fancier Dash and instrument cluster. Interior has a better layout, but Sonata isn't bad, just not as fancy. Seat comfort, either is fine to me.
Leather: Accord can get a Black leather, which is a plus. Leather is maybe grainier on the Honda, not a negative, just different.
Styling: More personal perception than anything else, but I like the Sonata's appearance and stance more. It sits on 17s vs 16s, again.. very personal.
It all comes down to what you want. You mentioned the Accord is bulletproof. I feel no car is bulletproof, but obviously Honda has the market cornered for that perception in the USA. Your odds of having less problem may be better with the Honda.
I wanted to have a V6 after having years of I4 noise and vibration. I wanted a low purchase price vs the promise of a higher resale value 7 years later. I wanted a few more of the toys like dimming mirror, MP3 CD Changer and Stability Control. I wanted a 100K warranty without paying extra since I drive a lot of miles per year.
Good luck with the choice. You really can't go wrong with either one.
There is a very special place in hell for car salesmen.............
According to the loan officer who handle my paperwork, there are other state w/ much higher penalties than Florida. Any way I am not complaining about just $75, I still save a lot. But it is kind of deceitful and bad sale tactics to misinform the client even if it just a $75 thing. Again, you guys are lucky, I am lucky, but there are other states were the fees are not just legal, but they are higher than just $75. The responsible thing for us to do for those who are planning to finance the car just to get the rebate and then pay off the loan is suggest for them to check first their state law regarding Loan Prepayment Fees.
Just to be clear, is that the Hyundai Motor Financing form you posted? Mine (in MA, USA) had no penalties or fees for early payoff.
John
Honda Accords are a fine car, but have tranny problems and other costly repairs after the warranty is up, just the same as other makes. I know some people say they drove a car for 2 to 300,000 miles and didn't cost me a dime and i say they are full of ----. The motor or transmission might have gone that far without any problems, but there had to be other parts that had to be replaced. With all the computer chips and electrical components and moving parts that are not designed to last that long, you are going to be paying for it. Read the Accord boards like you did the Mazda 3 and they have problems to.
I would never tell someone to buy one make from an other, because i believe it is their choice. I feel that you buy what you can afford for the best value for your needs and if you get a 100,000 miles without too much trouble, then you did real well and it's time to get rid of it and get something newer before it does start to cost you more then it is worth. :shades:
Docs. It is the standard Form 553-FL-ARB. (The same format used in California)
Any way, yes my loan is w/ Hyundai MF. Not for long........ I am paying this loan in full ($75
fees included)next month.
I wonder how much the dealer gets in commission .............. the lady was very upset when I
mention my plans of repaying the loan in just 1 month. She call me several times 3 days later to
lower my % rate.
other states w/ different laws regarding this Loan Prepay penalties.
Of course it is up to Hyundai Motors if they want to exercise their right to collect the $75 which is the max they can get in Florida. Lets see, soon I will find out. But legally here in FLORIDA they can charge me that small amount, and the Loan Officer told me they will do it.
Again I am NOT complaining about the $75, is about the Sale practice of my local Hyundai dealer. (I was not the only there that night in the financing department surprised when the Loan officer invalidate the sales rep information. At the end of my 4 hour horrible buying experience
at Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa, the Salesman apologize and excused himself saying that he was new and that it was what his Sales Manager told him blah blah blah. By the way that minute issue was just part a tiny part of a bunch of things including their refusal to honor a previous
offer, pushing the issue of the extended warranty too hard, not finding the other key w/ remote, giving me a hard time for 2 hours discussing a price that was previously discussed over the phone and on a previous visit to the dealer, and having me waiting another 2 hours just to sign
loan papers and , etc etc etc. So Far I LOVE my car, but I hate every time I remember my experience at the dealer. (PTCDBS= Post traumatic Car Dealer Buying Syndrome)
Here's my testimonial to the quality of the 2006 Hyundai Sonata. My GLS 4 cyl was assembled in Alabama in Nov 2005. I purchased it Dec 27, 2007 and just went over 4000 miles. I'm racking up the miles because driving the car is a real pleasure. Not only do I drive it back and forth to work but also take it for a spin before bed time and in the morning before work. So far, haven't had any of the problems or heard any of the noises that others on this board have mentioned. Even though my Sonata only has the 4cyl 4AT combo, the power train is silky smooth.
John
"I can't drive 55" wasn't that a song? No I go with the flow of traffic trying to stay no more than 9 miles over the limit. Usually you are OK at that point. I have slowed down alot since I've gotten older. In my youger days it was "hammer down". I made it from The Wash DC beltway to downtown Orlando in 12 hours flat! I used a fuzz buster that saved me twice that ride no doubt. In city driving I stay within the limits for the most part.
I am in Florida and I paid my HMFC loan off in full the first payment they did not charge me any fees.
Check the Internet pricing. It is a decent one.........
Be careful! A lot of the complaints are duplicates. If you look carefully, the same people are complaining over and over in some instances. Look at the customer reviews, for example. Someone rates the Sonata very, very low, and has several reviews. He is obviously mad at his dealer, and is striking out wrecklessly. The 9.4 customer rating should probably be even higher.
In all fairness, I don't know if Accord, Camry, and Mazda6 have such duplicated complaints and reviews. I didn't look; here very well may be. In that case the ratings would not be skewed.
Sure, there are fair and legitimate Sonata complaints posted on this forum. However, there are remarkably few considering the number of Hyundai owners that post here.
Bob A.
But do keep us posted here as well.
So all in all, I'm still pretty happy. Just was wishing for a bit better.
I'll report back after having it looked at.
Same as yours, GLS 4, built in November --- ACTUALLY ON MY BIRTHDAY --- and purchased on late evening of Jan. 31 (one of the BEST days to purchase cars, btw...). I am very pleased.
The ONE and only complaint that I have, which was already addressed here, I believe, is the "dead spot" (some call it hickup) when shifting from 1st gear to 2nd. That has not improved yet, although I have only about 350 miles on the odometer (see, I just drive to work and back home, no taking it for spins...).
The other "wish" I have is that the tranny would have a 5th gear, which is prety custom on modern cars, these days...
...After all, every day cost me interest money... Maybe he'll be willing to get me free oil changes for the next 12 months? Maybe a set of mud-guards?... Wouldn't such an offer make sense?
Same can be applied to the survey... I don't think my dealership deserves a 10... But if they worry so much about it, let them make some "effort" to EARN IT, no?
What you guys think?
Basically calculate the invoive price and add the delivery fee. You can find all this info on Edmunds and other web sites. This is a fair price if you can get them down another 300 to 500 from here you'd be doing even better and I think that is possible. Then subtract out the rebates and thats basically the price I would pay. Don't let them charge you some crazy advertising fee, or 500 admin fee if they do lower your price to compensate.
Edmunds has a TMV price that I think is suppose to be the average price people are buying that car for. I haven't check the Sonata lately but I thought the price alittle high.
I tend to be very aggressive and don't mind the negotiation phase. I actually enjoy it! But there are quite a few buying services on the web you can go thru and they will give you actually dealer qoutes. I found the prices they gave me were reasonably especially if you don't care to fight with them. I would go that route.
I would just pay off the loan if I were you. I was talking to a Honda salesman because I had my wife's car in there. I discussed this with him and he said is nearly certain the dealership has already gotten something from Hyundai for you just taking out he loan.
As far as the survey that mostly affects your salesman I think. Although I guess it affects the overall dealership in some way. He doesn't get some kind of bonus if you mark it down. My salesman was really great and didn't want to see that happen to him.
Also the survey comes alittle soon. I think they called me on the phone if I am not mistaken and it was before I realized how screwed up my financing was with them.
But if the dealership calls me about the survey, I will tell them "fine, I'll mark it all 10 and bring it to you, but what can I get back as a reward?"... It won't cost me anything, yet I may get a few "perks" from them.... Yes, mud-guards could be nice (and "healthy" for the car)... Couple free oil changes too...
My dealership gives every other oil change free - at least that is what my saleman told me. I didn't push for more, although they did give me a free one for all the grief they gave me.
But sure, all that is negotiable. Tell them you want 3,5 maybe 10 free oil changes. It really doesn't cost them much. The oil and filter are probably less than ten bucks and the techs time a few more bucks.
I was talking to a Toyota salesman once and mentioned free oil changes and he said I am sure we can work something out.
I agree with almost all your post. I have a 4cyl Hyundai Sonata and can tell you the performance is excellent. It is about 6 ponies less than the Accord 4cyl but to me has plenty of power and performance. I got the 4 for the gas mileage. I get about 27 in the city. Honda like you said is not bullet proof as they would lead you to believe.
We bought a 2006 Hyundai GLS 4 cylinder in late December 2005 in the DC area. We love the car. Not a problem so far, although we just have about 1100 miles on it.
Here are some data on the purchase price and rebates:
$17,896.00 Cash Price
$554.88 VA Sales Tax
$100.00 Dealer Prep
$600.00 Freight Charge
$19,150.88 Total Price
LESS
$500.00 Rebate for 4cyl Sonata, and
$1,000.00 Hyundai finance rebate
$17,650.88 Balance after rebates
PLUS
$78.00 VA Registration
$10.00 VA Title
EQUALS
$17,738.88 Total out-the-door price
About three weeks after we bought the car we received a letter from Hyundai finance asking us for the first payment. We called up and said we wanted to pay off the entire balance, and were told we owed $17,859.26, which was $120.38 more than the out-the-door we thought we had negotiated when we left the dealer. On the other hand, we did have use of the $17k plus for nearly a month, so $120.38 didn't seem like a gouge. A week ago we receive a check from Hyundai for $34.95, which they said was an overpayment on our part.
Bottom line, the premium we paid to obtain the Hyundai finance rebate of $1000 was $85.43, which was not bad at all.
Good luck with your Hyundais!
head of sales, and the Denmark consumer affairs office,
if they have anything like that."
------------------------------------------
I bought my car at a local dealer here in Denmark.
Just from the beginning i have had contact/calls/correspondence with Hyundai Denmark head department, including the managing director (we have only one importer here in Denmark).
I have since i bought the car, had direct contact with the head technician, and it was him that gave "green light" for all the tryes to repair the problem. They have now, after all these attempts, came to the conclusion - That the car is build with this, what i call defect, and what they call: "place for improvements", and that there is nothing to do about it.
What i really would like to know: Can this problem be adressed, and something done about it.
Or do i have to make the choice: live with it, or cancel the deal (through the court)...
Several posters mentioned that, SUSPENSION, yet you ignore that. I wonder why your Hyundai dealer doesn't think that SUSPENSION may be the problem...
So, please mention it to the dealer, demand they check the SUSPENSION.
Remember, SUSPENSION.
The other "wish" I have is that the tranny would have a 5th gear, which is prety custom on modern cars, these days...
mamamia,
At the rate you're going, it's going to take you three months to break it in.
My only "wish" is that my seats were leather rather than cloth.
I own a 4 cyl Sonata, and am very happy. But when I drive my wife's Accord with a V6 engine, I can feel the difference... Am I disappoined that I bought a 4-banger? No. It serves me fine, and 90% of my driving (home-work-home) is on the expressway (I live couple blocks from the expressway, and my office is a block away...Ain't I lucky...), and I don't feel helpless confronting those big semitrailers... Also, no review of the Sonata that I read was complaining about the 4-banger being under powered.
So you make your own decision.