vegasdriver

Some years ago, few would buy a Huyndai.
Reliability and looks were a problem for this "new" asian carmaker.
Lately, they have been coming up in ratings and looks.
Their new product line is sharp!
Perhaps, Kia is where Huyndai was some 10 years ago!
So, do you think their is still a negative image or a stigma if you will, in owning a Huyndai?

hotbox05

about one of the new hyundai's looks good.

they copy others styling almost dead on. kinda sad. theyre good cars now. i still wouldnt buy one but they're buyable. just not by me. lol

Geotpf

Kia is now owned by Hyundai, and most of the cars are rebadges of Hyundais at this point.

Hyundai is definintely making quality improvements and is increasing the status of it's nameplate.

Biznox

Hyundai = Kia

Both = crap

They are better than they were, but that is like saying horsesh!t doesn't smell as bad as dogsh!t.

It's still ****.

Forget the meaningless JD Power surveys. Look at resale value. Hyundais and Kia's still depreciate like crazy. The brands still get no respect. It's going to take more time for Hyundai to distance itself from the horrendous garbage they built less than 10 years ago. They are on the way though, I'll give them that. We'll see if the Hyundai's sold today don't fall apart in 5-10 years, then people may start to trust them....

For now though, the smart money goes to Honda and Toyota. You'd be better off with a 2 year old Honda or Toyota than a brand new Korean car.

ReverseGTR

Wow, you people have short term memories, it was like 40 years ago when Japanese cars makers such as Mazda, Nissan and gasp even Toyota were just starting to distance themselves from the cars they made that would seem to rust within weeks compared to their domestic counterparts. Why else would Toyota's American marketers be at such as loss to the point of making their commercial taglines "Oh what a feeling."

Korean cars have improved quite a bit and thanks to associations such as JD Power, magazines like Consumer Reports and online reviews the word is spreading a whole lot quicker. Also, with Chinese cars coming out in a year or two Hyundai, Kia (who is owned by Hyundai) and even Daewoo won't be considered at the bottom of the heap for long.

SilverRSXJezus

Right...

LIke what ReverseGTR said, Hyunda is in the exact place of Toyota/Honda decades ago.

Right now, their quality is improving drastically, which can be reflected in the JD power and CR ratings, but stuff like resale and "image" will take a longer time, in my opinion, since it'll still be hard to convince buyers immediately to see Hyundai as a good brand, even if they are reliable and such.

BLKScion

^^agreed.....just give them time, all car manufacturers have been in this position, now that quiality and safety are dramatically improving, just give it time, i think within the next 10 years, maybe even 5, Kia, and Hyundai will be considered some of the top affordable cars avaliable

jthebear

I am glad that Mazda and Nissan were mentioned. They really are quality brands also. In the meantime, look at what is happening to American car companies. They are falling apart. Now don't get me wrong. I am very happy I bought a Scion. But what happens if no one buys American cars? Will we all be standing in line to get jobs at Walmart?

Hyundai will benefit from the Chinese cars. I can see it......buy a Hyundai.....it is better than a Chinese car.

Muchpeace,
Jerry

TheScionicMan

I disagree. Toyota and Honda had more image issues than reliability issues to overcome when they came here. Everyone was very "Buy American". It was their reliability that overcame the image, unlike Hyundai and Kia that were hurt because of it.

Biznox

I disagree as well. Toyota and Honda were building quality cars from the beginning. They didn't have the sturdy construction of their American counterparts, but they were well-engineered and reliable Neither of which applies to Korean models of even 5-10 years ago. Early Hyundais were garbage through and through. In the case of the Koreans the image problem was well-earned.

I will give them credit for having improved leaps and bounds though. Just look at the new Hyundai Accord-wannabe, whatever it is called. Very impressive. Still not as good as an Accord, but close enough for most people probably and that says alot.

vegasdriver

Regretably, I have to say that Huyndai has surpassed domestic brands.


If I had to choose say between an Accord or 06 Sonata, I would have to weigh out a few things asides from performance.

Depreciation-Accords' is unmatched
Reliability-Accords' is unmatched
Warranty- Hyundai tops it
Insurance- Sonata not stolen nearly as much as old Accords.
Looks- would put both equal
Jones factor-to keep up with the Jones, Accord would be
more appropriate/more status, but personally
I the Joneses.

emiller

Im not sure about their reliability from the past. Say 20+ years ago. Sure those cars would run forever but not always run great. Id say the important mechcanical stuff they had it down early. As far as the body and anything not mechanical it wasnt that good even for the day. They rusted out fast and lots of things broke. It did take them awhile to get that stuff down and not lose the mechanical quality but they did it.

For Hyundai and Kia their early stuff was and still is very cheap. They made lots of crap that had horiable reliability. Its harder to over come bad images when you cant at least claim the car worked good even if it doesnt look good. I guess from what I read they have greatly improved quality and in time people will forget the past but they need to make an effort to keep up with they are doing. I havnt been in a Kia or Hyundai thats new for a few years so Im not going to judge on what they make now. My friends mom has an older Kia though and its a pretty good very cheap little car.

oldmanatee

Not all Hyundai's are Korean cars... A few roll off the line here in Alabama... does that make them American made?

I was at the plant a few weeks ago and wondered why there was a line of Accords parked at the gate...It was a line of new Hyundais instead. Ifr they didn't think they'd last 10 years, they wouldn't warranty them for 10 years.

I'd give them a second look if I were in the market.

peteyd

Id buy a hyundai...That new sedan is nice as is the sonata and the tiburon

TheScionicMan

Cuz you're going to need it...

SilverRSXJezus

Toyota and Honda cars a couple decades ago weren't reliable as they are now, I think...somewhere around the level of the Hyundai/ Kias of now. But they improved over time.

Biznox

Thats incorrect.

They have improved over time, everything has, but they were always far more reliable than average, whereas Hyundai was always well below average until very recently..

ReverseGTR

I don't think it was reliability that made Japanese automobiles but the balance of fuel efficiency and realiability.

At one point up until the early 90s Citroens, Peugeot, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, MG/Rover (who pulled out by the late 70s) among the obvious competition from Germany. Now for the most part European cars were and still are fuel efficient but unfortunately (with the exception of the German cars) they weren't too realiable or at least less than the Japanese competition as well as more expensive.

When it came down to it the reason why Japanese cars rusted faster than American as well as European cars pretty much came down to the paint or lack of that coated the body as well as how the metals were or not tempered. It was pretty much a trade-off for why they were cheap.

And South Koreans cars were pretty much the upmost example of how to make an incredibly cheap car, with the exception of the Yugo.

So what it came down to, at least in the 1980s was this.

American cars great for: raw performance and not rusting so easily.

European cars or the cheaper models would be great for: fuel efficient with decent performance but still a bit pricey for what they had.

Japanese cars: mechanically realiable, fuel efficient and very well priced.

Korean cars: cheap

So the situation now is that some Japanese cars pretty much moved up the later to what European cars were, while the ones that are left in the US moved even more up class. Korean cars are now what Japanese cars were and American cars have for the most part stayed the same.

Biznox

Korean cars are just now becoming what Japanese cars were years ago, yes, I agree with that.

American cars have made more dramatic advances in reliability than any other and now some models are better than European brands and closing in slowly on the Japanese.

Tomas

Hmmmmmmm...

Well, at this point I'd rather by a Kia than a Renault or Fiat...