Hyundai vs. Honda

[xorbie]

get a diesel

[ChuckyB]

I recently went through the same debate. A 2-year-old Honda/Toyota vs. a 2-year-old Hyundai.

It all came down to reliability. Lemon-Aid says Hyundai has come a long way since the Pony days and has even surpassing Honda/Toyota.

In the end, my 2006 Hyundai Elantra hatchback saved me about $10K over what a comparable Japanese car was going to cost. Since February, mostly city driving, I've gotten 24 MPG. There's a ton of interior room and sufficient options (AC, CD, cruise, power everything).

I would happily recommend the Hyundai Elantra (after my first six months).

I plan to drive my car until it dies so the resale value is meaningless to me. A point to consider is that if you're paying an inflated price up front, of course it's going to worth more when you get rid of it. Consider how long you're going to have the car and the actual number of dollars you expect to "lose"...not the percentage drop in value.

[Homer]

I have a Hyundai with about 65k miles, zero issues thus far. I was planning to get a Civic since it has slightly better gas mileage and a higher resale value, but it was so uncomfortable that I couldn't go through with it. This was 5 years ago, so perhaps things have changed a bit.

[AceCR9]

I have a 01 Accent w/ 90k miles on it. have had to replace the brakes, but nothing else in the cars history.

I get like 34-37mpg on the highway

[unfrgvn]

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hyundai = low reliability and terrible resell value.

If you want a small car, I'd consider that civic, a toyota corolla, or a mazda 3.

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This is completly wrong, at least as far as reliability. Hyundai is consistantly scoring as one of the most reliable cars. I have a 2005 Sonata. I like it, especially when you factor in what it cost.

[DonkeyKongSr]

I may be biased* because my paycheck used to come from Hyundai, but the reliability, quality, and safety has come a long way for Hyundai/Kia (same company). With the cost savings, they are a great deal. Biggest drawback right now is resale value, so plan on keeping it for the whole 10 year warranty.

*However, I've seen tons of research that the public doesn't see that backs up what I've said in this post.

[TheRover]

[ QUOTE ]
I may be biased* because my paycheck used to come from Hyundai, but the reliability, quality, and safety has come a long way for Hyundai/Kia (same company). With the cost savings, they are a great deal. Biggest drawback right now is resale value, so buy a used one.

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[DonkeyKongSr]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I may be biased* because my paycheck used to come from Hyundai, but the reliability, quality, and safety has come a long way for Hyundai/Kia (same company). With the cost savings, they are a great deal. Biggest drawback right now is resale value, so buy a used one.

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Good point.

[fuzzwonder]

yes toyota's competition is hyundai. but as far as econoboxs are concerned, i consider both the be a couple rungs down on the ladder in the resale/safety/drivability categories compared to the civic. with that said, i believe all three have negligible differences with regards to reliability.
from the rental cars i've driven, both the corolla and hyundai bottomed out the scale in how they drive. cobalt drove better, and mazda, and subaru drove the best. never had a civic rental, but i've driven it enough.

as far as the crashtest scores (from safercar.gov) both the corolla and elantra trailed the civic in rear seat side impact by 1 star. everything else was equal.

it's all subjective after this, but just the reason above alone justifies the small premium i would pay over the other two. but in the end its what you priority is.

p.s. honda, no contest.

[fuzzwonder]

i may be biased. i had a 90 accord with 300k+ miles on it which i redlined regularly, and changed oil on every 10k or so. since i've owned it, i replaced the battery, clutch, belt, and the usuals like brakes and tires but over all it was bulletproof. it got >30mpg combined cycle till the day i sold it.