Mike Oxbig

Close to buying one, any opinions.. good, bad, hate the damn thing??
Thanks

Richard Steinfeld

Mike Oxbig wrote:
> Close to buying one, any opinions.. good, bad, hate the damn thing??
> Thanks
>
2000 Sonata 6 cyl.
A decent car. Seems well built. Mfr used good rubber for door seals,
etc. Very little stands out as stupid, unlike my recent Ford. I
especially appreciate the fact that they (unlike a lot of cars these
days) put a drain plug on the transmission so you don't have to spend
$100 to have it pumped out by a special machine.

Oh yeah; the console between the front seats is stupidly contoured so
everything slides off it, like hamburgers and drinks. I wish that the
trunk wasn't shaped to look expensive rather than holding more stuff. As
with so many cars, including American, the lumbar supports are
worthless, being designed for little children. Seat adjustability is
good, but there's no way that I can be comfortable and still see the
speedometer -- the steering wheel blocks it. I'm about 5'11", and my
hair scrapes the sunroof housing. It's OK. Body sheet metal seems really
thin, almost as bad as a Whirlpool washing machine (which I've dented
with my thumb). However, the quality of the metal that I found when I
looked *underneath* the car was impressive.

I hate the damn plastic headlights (they're all scuffed) and I hate the
damn worthless deco "bumpers." But you'll get that crap with all cars
now. It doesn't have much personality -- not like my '62 SAAB or a
Citroen. Maybe I'm just getting too old -- old cars had character; now
they're just stuff to drive. Some parts are surprisingly expensive. The
drive cycles have been almost impossible to obtain from Hyundai; I did
get my hands on them, and they're totally insane -- I don't think anyone
could actually perform them without getting the cops on their case or
killed.

The service literature is all on the web (!!), but what I've looked at
is very spotty -- they need to hire a whole documentation department,
hopefully good American technical writers. They farmed out their manuals
to Helm, who charge blood money for them. If I actually bought what I've
downloaded, I'd be very angry at how poor they are.

As Consumer Reports said, the shifting is strange; you get used to it.
When the air conditioner cycles in my driveway, it can feel like I've
got a loose nut in the transmission. I'm getting used to these quirks.

Gas mileage is surprisingly poor, corroborated by others on this board
-- about 18-19 MPG for my 6, not much better than my big Ford Aerostar.
I drive on hills a lot. Handling is quite decent and neutral. I slogged
it hard on the windy California Coast Highway and was pleased. Power is
quite adequate. Now, I just can't understand where all those
miles-per-gallon are going.

I've only had it since February, so that's all I can say. Overall, it
seems like a good investment. I wish that it were made here by American
union workers, but a long time has passed since there was any US car
that I'd want to buy. The issue isn't price so much as sensibility.
American car makers are doing stuff like putting the clutch slave
cylinder *inside* the transmission, where you just don't want to think
about the whopping cost of a diaphram change. What a turnoff! Hyundai is
making a car more like what I'd want to own.

My Hyundai is high-mileage and I think it's weathered the miles well.
The quantity of miles indicate that the first owner tore up the freeway
with this car: easy miles. After 108,000, the car feels nice and tight.
I'd say that it's not a Toyota, but it's most of the way to a Toyota --
and that's saying a lot.

Is this what you want to know?

afob3

Uh was the above write up for a sonata or a tucson.

If you are interested in the tucson check out www.tucsonforum.net.
There is a large group of online owners there.

Personally I think it is nice. (I have one as a loaner while my santa
fe is getting checked out) I wouldn't trade it for my Santa fe
though becuase the tucson has a smaller cargo area. As a plus though
the tucson definately has more passenger room than the Santa fe IMO

hyundaitech

The engine in Richard's Sonata is almost identical to the one in the
Tucson.

Richard Steinfeld

afob3 wrote:
> Uh was the above write up for a sonata or a tucson.
>

Uh, (he hits his forehead with his palm): I didn't read one of the OP's
words. Well, hell: it's a good write up, isn't it? I mean, even if it's
the wrong car.

Richard

dave

'I especially appreciate the fact that they (unlike a lot of cars these
days) put a drain plug on the transmission so you don't have to spend
$100 to have it pumped out by a special machine.'

Reply: You still that machine if you want to get all the fluid out .
Theres alot left in there even after the fluid is drained via the drain
plug.

dave's a moron

Sure
Go ahead and drain out the fluid without changing the filter
Sounds like a really intelligent move to me
No doubt from someone like Oil Changers

(perhaps they should also consider having a drain plug on the torque
convertor like on my Mercedes)

Richard Steinfeld

dave's a moron wrote:
> Sure
> Go ahead and drain out the fluid without changing the filter
> Sounds like a really intelligent move to me
> No doubt from someone like Oil Changers
>
> (perhaps they should also consider having a drain plug on the torque
> convertor like on my Mercedes)
>
Sorry.
That's what I meant.
I believe that's what I caught in one of the manuals -- the Hyundai has
a drain plug on the converter (please correct me if you know that I'm
wrong).

The typical "fluid change" is only of the fluid in the transmission
itself, done messy-style by loosening the bolts that hold on the cover
and filter; the fluid seeps out around the edges. Most of the dirty
fluid remains in the torque converter for want of a cheap steel plug.

Richard

hyundaitech

Unfortunately Hyundai is one of the multitude of manufacturers who doesn't
put a drain plug in the torque converter. You do have a drain plug in the
pan or on the bottom of the trans, however.

So far, Ford is the only manufacturer of vehicles I've actually seen put a
drain plug on the converter.