A new Mazda sedan you say? Nope. Is it a new Audi? Not even close. Perhaps an Acura?
No, what you’re looking at is the new 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The little Korean company is growing up. Get ’em while they’re still cheap folks, these guys are going the way of Honda through the 1970’s.
Via Autoblog.
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My prediction: In 7 years, when their warranty claims on the 100,000 mile warranty start to climb through the ceiling, they bleed red and go bankrupt. The warranty is a great sales ploy, but I remember the earlier Hyundai’s all too well. They couldn’t make an engine back in the 90’s to save their lives. Unless they’ve learned some new tricks on how to keep rings and valves and tranny’s from going bad, they’re writing a check I don’t think they’ll be able to cash.
The reason Honda ascended to the status they did in the 70’s and 80’s is that they made an unstoppable engine. I’ll wait to purchase a Hyundai for at least a decade.
The Santa Fe’s are nice, though, I must admit. If I had to buy a car tomorrow for a teenager, not expecting to keep it for more than a few years, I would buy a 1 year old Santa Fe. The depreciation hit on them is so high that they are an absolute bargain used.
I have a friend who’s a service manager at a GM dealer. He’s worked in the same capacity at another GM dealer that sold Hyundais as well (and Daewoo, Mitsu, Isuzu, and Suzuki. He’s worked at dealers for just about everyone except Ford I think.) He was pretty impressed with Hyundai, and he’s a pretty straight shooter about car stuff. He works at a GM dealer and advises everyone to avoid GM cars. If he didn’t get such a deal on the cars (and service, of course) he would never buy GM. The only other makes he’s made any strong, broad recommendations for are Honda and Toyota.