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Comments
I've driven both these cars. I liked the Sonata's price tag for what you (seem to) get. Little unsure about owning a Hyundai for the long term just yet.
I don't get the appeal of the Azera. Once you get into the higher dollars for a vehicle, Hyundai is low on my list. The Azera just seems plain Jane. Stick with the Sonata.
I agree. The Sonata seems to be a lot for the buck, but I think people have a 7' ceiling when it comes to how much money they'll put into a Hyundai.
~alpha
I can't understand why that something that was available in Korea 8 years ago, and is now available on the Korean Elantra, is not available here.
Comments to me should be made in email, not here.
We are talking about specific cars, not economies.
The News & Views board is for opinionated conversation about these kinds of things. The Sedans board, where you are, is about sedans. If you don't like a sedan in this class, speak to the features and attributes of the sedan. Not the economy that you perceive is behind it.
I am going to continue to try to save this discussion for a bit longer. It has been a long-running and useful conversation, and it is a shame for a few to ruin it for the rest. But we are on our last legs - not threatening, just sharing the reality with you.
When someone makes an off-topic post, as in a post not about the vehicles themselves, you people who want the discussion to continue need to not respond and instead make every effort to right the listing ship instead of taking the bait. You are the ones in control of the future here, not I.
Sorry for the harsh reality. I really am. But it's up to you; I cannot make this work with so many of you posting every which way but on-topic
I am debating between buying a Saturn ION for about 10,900 or a 1997-98 used Honda Civic (70,000 miles) for 7,000. I would appreciate any input on which is the better deal.
Anyhow, to get away from the "Sonata Midsize Forum" for a little bit which is what the forum has been for pages on end. Has anyone seriously looked at the VW Passat? I had a chance to see a white one and they are on sale at dealers near me to clear out the 06 models. They have a ton of nice standard features and don't even come in clothe!! I sat in the baseline Value Edition with a friend of mine and honest too goodness didn't know it was leatherette until the salesman told me. We then sat in a leather model and noticed we liked the firmer feel of the leatherette better!!! Good stuff, real good stuff. The outside is as bland as a piece of wood though.
What are the prices on these '06 Passat VEs, and how do you suppose the leatherette would feel in the summer (i.e. I wonder if it breathes)? The Passats have very good safety scores (IIHS "Silver" pick) in their favor, but reliability has not been a strong suit. Maybe the new model will be better there.
Not everybody loves Hyundais. These boards do seem to attract the Hyundaiers tho, that's for sure.
But where are the Fusioners? I test drove one twice cause the first drive was uneventful. The second time was about the same. I give it a B- when it comes to taking on the others in this comparo. But this is a tough class to hang with. I gotta hand it to Sonata LX tho. A much better run at CamCords than the Fusion.
At the same time, every car has merits and downsides, at least mass produced cars. Just as much as there are room for improvements on the Sonata, the same goes for others; every single car mentioned in here.
Just as an aside, from talking with current Sonata owners and examing the car on a personal basis many times, the build quality on this car is superb - a clear indication how far Hyundai has come from the past, on its full-line. Numbers speak for themselves, as more and more people praises Sonata and Hyundai - competing exceptional well in respectively classes of their lineup.
The Passat is a little upscale for this general forum but I havce been seeing some attractive pricing in the Sunday papers that perked my interest so I wanted to see what everyone thought of it.
When a car is treated like it is created by God, Himaelf and the majority of people would sacrifice their first born instead of admitting that the car is not the end all, be all, of all things. When someone can compare the car to any other car, a Civic, a Mazda3, a 3 Series, a Rolls Royce Phantom. When this happens instead of trying to shine a flash light in the effort to bring light to a universe with no sun (a pointless venture), I will counter with sarcasm.
Sometimes just rolling your eyes works too.
So did you want to discuss the Passat or not?
Man - who likes those funky button controls? Too metro for me. Also - funky name - Passat - probably means 'overpriced' in Slovakian.
~alpha
There is nothing wrong with attracting "Hyundaiers." I could turn the tables and also say that there are a lot of people who like to bash on Hyundai. Perhaps that's the reason why some people who actually drove, bought, and enjoy their Sonata's are coming to its defense.
If there are a lot of Hyundaiers, then Hyundai must be doing something right with the Sonata. It doesn't scream, "Look at me! I'm sportier and Mazdaish like the redesigned Camry." I think it looks tastefully handsome from the exterior without trying so much and looks inoffensive in the interior. I personally think this is a great vehicle for the money and even if price was similar to the other makes, I might consider it because I like the exterior so much!
Here's one vote for the Sonata as a "Hyundaier."
As I said, there is a lot of overlap in pricing in these cars, and the Passat is available in the mid-20s range into which a lot of mid-sized car sales fall.
And note it is on the masthead of this discussion.
Here is another vote for the Sonata
I beg to differ. One of Sonata's biggest attractions is that you do not have to sacrifice your first-born to own a quality car.
However, I think the Sonata should only be compared to $17-$22,000 cars. It should not be compared to $30K cars, although the quality stacks up to some. Just look at the JD Power and CR ratings. The VW's are abysmal, as are the (cough!) BMW's and Audi's. When we bought our Sonata, our goal was to buy the safest, roomiest, all around best car we could find for $18,000 OTD. For those bucks, everything was either way too small, rough, noisy, and under powered. Then we drove the Sonata. We were delighted that we could afford a car in this class. After comparing features, quality, and prices, we almost felt like we stole the car for $18.6K OTD. (Ya, we went $600.00 over budget)
Would I rather have an Accord or Camry? Probably, but while we're fantacising, I would wish to be richer instead of wishing for a nicer car. If I were richer, I may not look at any of the cars in this class.
There are 3 'trim levels'.
$26900 standard
$29000 standard + SR
$30500 'XLE' trim ( SR, Navi, Leather + Htd Seats )
That's it ..tops - unless you want accessories.
These are roughly the same prices as the Prius and the Prius is still flying off the lots. The top trim level of the TCH is $1000 under the XLE V6 - ICE version - but the TCH get 37-39 mpg from real world reports.
V6 power, XLE/Lexus amenities, Corolla fuel economy, normal maintenance ( free in some cases ).
What real-world mpg reports are you referring to? I didn't think the TCH had been available for very long--or is it available yet?
Who cares anymore about why someone bought their Sonata? We have all heard your love stories already. Do you talk about it everyday when you say goodbye to your children for school and around the dinner table at night and right before they go too bed? You guys got a great value, no doubt, but it is not the be all, end all car and some people on here would like to talk about the attributes of other cars without having to go through the mundane and repetitive love stories of Sonata owners. There is also a Sonata board. When does the want to share ones opinion become inconsideration? I'd say right about now. :mad:
It is not equivalent to a BMW. If you buy a Bimmer because it is a Bimmer, you are not foolishly spending your money. You just have other things playing a factor besides value. Same goes for the Camry, Accord, Passat, Fusion, Mazda6, and all the rest. There is a solid reason to buy one over the other. Safety and quality are so close these days that many consider them a given. Some love style, some love performance, some love quality, some love image, some love the best combination with some compromise. The Sonata is the latter of all of those. If you prefer one of the others, that does not make you a foolish buyer as some have posted many many times over. It is the same as picking red paint over silver. The silver will obviously wear better, but some of us fell in love with the look of the red and may not be keeping the car that long anyway. Is trading in a car every three or four years the best thing to do with your money, no. Does that make you a foolish buyer (again as some Sonata owners have posted over and over again), NO. It makes you someone who chose what you wanted over what was most economical.