Hyundai Sonata (Page 1/1)
mickeyswing52 OCT 05, 08:06 PM
Looking at a 2013 or 2014 Hyundai Sonata. It look`s like a very nice car with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. It is suppose to get between 35 to 40 mpg. Anyone have any likes or dislikes. Thanks
carnut122 OCT 06, 07:40 PM
They have pretty low resale values, so you might come out OK if you're buying used.

[This message has been edited by carnut122 (edited 10-06-2014).]

Fiero84Freak OCT 07, 12:20 AM
The new ones have come a long, LONG way from the old Sonatas. A long way. I owned a fourth gen over a decade ago. That was right when Hyundai was switching over from mostly Mitsubishi drive gear to an engine largely of their own design. That car was an utter pile, but I did put over 110,000 miles on it with no major hic-ups until I got T-boned one night by a young kid who never saw the red light.

I considered buying a sixth gen after having driven a co-workers Sonata Theta turbo which puts out around 275 HP from a four cylinder. It's a really great car, styling and ride-wise. The drivetrain is supposedly very similar to the Mitsubishi Evolution X's engine in construction and uses some Mitsubishi Evo components, hence the high out-put figures.

The only advice I can give you which I don't think has changed all that much is yes as mentioned above beware of sharply declining re-sale value, and the other is their warranty is pretty good on paper but in practice it can sometimes be really adverse. I used to have to leave my car at my local Hyundai dealer for DAYS upon DAYS to perform warranty or recall work. Most of the time it was because so many other people had their cars in that it would push my service back. My local dealer was one of the largest in my state. Online reviews do wonders nowadays so I'd take that into consideration, as having a really good warranty does you no good if you can't get the car serviced properly or it's in all the time being serviced.

I believe the second-owner warranty has some degree of carry-over. It's something like 5 years, 50,000 miles if I remember right for non-certified Hyundai vehicles for the second owner. You may check with your dealer for the full details.

[This message has been edited by Fiero84Freak (edited 10-07-2014).]

thesameguy OCT 07, 01:52 AM
IIRC the shorter 3 or 5 year bumper to bumper is transferable, but the 10 year powertrain is not.

A good friend has a '13 Optima Turbo. It's a very nice car, but not really a dynamic car. For getting around, you could do way worse and they're an amazing value, but nowhere near as engaging as a lot of other cars. FWIW, that seems to be the downfall of the current crop of Hyundais and Kia - good looking, good materials, good build, good powertrains - but lacking in the dynamics many other cars yield. Personally, I'd take an Optima/Sonata over a Camry or Accord, but I might also stretch to something like a TSX or Passat or something. Maybe.
Lilchief OCT 08, 07:35 PM
An old gf had a 13 sonata, bought new. Had cheap tires and a lot of road noise. Didn't like the sudden cut off on the lights.
turbo86se OCT 19, 08:54 AM
My girlfriend has a '11 Sonata Limited. Drives nice, looks good, but personally isn't for me. Couple things I've noticed at 40k, there is a loud clunk while driving from the right front suspension, from the start some interior trim wasn't installed properly, and the center console armrest is broken. Brakes are horrible. She loves it though. I did drive a new Elantra as a rental out in NE last week. Much better driving experience. Handled well, and brakes were great! I tell her she should opt up for a newer Maxima, those are sweet!!
gkeyes OCT 29, 02:37 PM
My wife and I just '14 back in August. It has been a great car. she drives mostly in town and is getting 30 MPG. I waxed a guy in 2005 celica the other day in it. Wife wasn't real happy I was racing her car. but who cares I won right?