New owner of a 2009 Sonata..

Not sure why I bought this, other than the heavily depreciated price of a
used vehicle and the way it drove which was nice, not as nice as my old
trade-in Chrysler but nice indeed. My dealer overpaid me on my trade-in for
a car (2004 Sebring, 177 000 Km) that had frame issues and a massive timing
chain repair bill due soon

No issues with it this first week of driving. It's a GL premium. Fit and
finish are impressive, certainly ahead of the American Malibu and Fusion
which were tops on my list of vehicles to buy but tough to locate at my
price range. Exterior black paint seems low grade quality but this is an
ex-rental car and they must have washed the paint poorly. The car salesman
will be compensating me for my companplaints on the paint.

Handles nice, drives nice. First time in over 12 years I've driven a 4 cyl.
These engines have improved. Direct injection! Comfortable, tastefully
appointed, safety, excellent braking smooth shifting, nice interior
lighting. Shitty stereo sound but that XM garbage seems okay and at least
the buttons are nice and well designed and lit. But a stereo is the last
thing I car about in a car. Ipod docking station is nice touch. Heated
seats, leather wrapped shifter and steering wheel are nice touches. A/C
works wonderfully.

What a great used car. I'm very pleased with it. I would never buy one of
these brand new unless it was with cash. These cars lose their value
quickly and depreciate alot but Hyundai built a good car here. It's my
first import car I've owned ever and I'm impressed. I think I got Honda
type car for American manufacturer type pricing.

I was really after a V6 Fusion but since the American companies stopped
leasing, the used car pricing on American cars has gone up because there are
fewer of them available. The Sonata, used car price wise, fit the bill, and
I'm damn glad I bought it.

And yes, I'm spreading the word about Hyundai now...

 

One of the new Hyundai commercials brags about the high quality of the
paint. Could be that black is a tougher color to keep or it was damaged by
the rental company wash machines and chemicals. My '07 was silver blue, my
'10 is dark cherry and I'm impressed at the quality and depth of color.
We'll see in a few more years.

Depreciation was a consideration, but if you trade it for another Hyundai,
you will get a decent trade from my experience. Most times I drive a car
until it is ready for the scrap yard so depreciation means nothing that way.
More important, you save quite a bit on the front end. To get the same
features my Sonata has in a different brand, I'd have to spend an additional
$5000+.

Glad you're happy. Some models have the Infinity stereo and decent sound.
The fit of body panels is better than my Buicks, the fuel economy and
performance are both better (3.3l V-6). IMO, it is one of the best value
for an automobile around.

 

My daughter just purchased a similar 2009 Kia Optima LX. Got it for a
SERIOUSLY good price. She is downright giddy over everything in that car,
from Sirius Satellite (which was operational), to the space, to the smooth
and efficient 4-cylinder engine, everything about it.

And like you, she was afraid it would cost thousands more to get close to
what she got.