So, have been looking for a new car for the missus for the last month or so every weekend. We never really thought of a Hyundai due to the stigma attached to them from years back with the excels etc. Took one for a test drive Friday and was impressed enough that we ended up signing a contract after reading a few reviews on my mobile.

I can't really find anything bad about them on-line from proper reviews and even in comments on said reviews other then typical LOLHYUNDAI type ones. I couldn't imagine a car maker offering a 5 year unlimited k warranty unless they were actually reliable.

Have they really improved that much or have they always made an OK car? We got a 2009 auto with 20,000k's on the clock for under 19k (with 4 years warranty form Hyundai and 3 years used car warranty from Zupps on top) and the list of features that are standard are pretty crazy for the price of the cars. Anyone own one/had any experience with one? The dude didn't give us the cooling off period form so I believe we've got a week to change our mind unless we take delivery.

Paging mission


My parents in law bought a brand new i30 diesel slx manual last year

i've driven it a few times now, and it is the best car i drove in 2009
Nimble, doesn't sound like a truck, comfy seats, electric everything. This hyundai is worlds ahead of the old excels etc. They really are good cars now.

did you get the diseasel or the petrol? sx or slx?

last edited by hardware at 12:21:37 25/Jul/10

We were really looking at spending a bit less and getting late 00's Astra or something.

Heh, maybe less to buy, not less to maintain.
Timing Belt + Interference Motor = $$$

4.5l/100K for diesel
Yes they really are freaks on fuel. I did northside -> toowoomba and back again on a third of a tank, which I believe is about 17L for 360k or some such

last edited by hardware at 12:32:18 25/Jul/10

We've had an i30cw (the wagon version) CRDi manual for about 14 months now, bought it new.

I never thought I'd buy a Hyundai but the wife liked it and insisted I go have a look. I went to the showroom ready to rubbish it and tell her politely 'What were you thinking?'

Obviously I was surprised and we bought it and I have no regrets. Just a good all round 'basic' car. Cheap as s*** to run, good safety features (such as ESP), we get 4.7l/100km on the freeway with two adults, 3 kids and the boot chockers of s*** while it still has plenty of go (255nm @ 1900rpm), extra weight really makes no difference to it....

I haven't driven an auto or petrol version so can't really comment on that but I'd be safe to say that it certainly wouldn't be a bad buy. The small car market is so competitive that they all will be fairly similar overall.

USB stereo is win!

Wasn't the i30 Australian's best selling small car in like March this year/last year or something? from what i've heard they're fairly popular, especially amongst the ladies

s***

The main thing that gave them a bad reputation wasn't exactly the reliability but the build quality of the interior was pretty shoddy.
But that has come a long way in recent years.

reliable, decent, and boring as s***.

It'll take a few more years yet to lose the stigma of Hyundai but i quite like their current range.

they are no daewoo

I drive a hyundai, they're great.

I know someone withan i45, it's amazing, you don't need a key to open or start the car HOLY S***!!

Timing Belt + Interference Motor = $$$

Gotta love interference motors... not. Surely if you regularly service the timing belt it shouldn't snap though, right?

Hyundai have always been good cars that would just keep on going and going and going no matter what you did to them, it was just anything non mechanical would fall apart, especially the window winders on the 2 door excels.

This dude I know buys cheap s***boxes from the auctions and this excel he had was falling to bits. Dash lights wouldn't work, s*** was falling off everywhere inside but it went pretty hard and he gave it a flogging.

Surely if you regularly service the timing belt it shouldn't snap though, right?

My old man has a widebody camry, bought it new. Replaced the timing belt at 100k just like the schedule said, then at 173k (73k later) the belt snapped just whilst driving around the suburbs. Fortunately, the camry motor is a non-interference (ie clearance) motor, so no bent valves for him.

They say you should change the timing belt on the astra every 60k, which for most people is every two or three years. I dunno about you, but i'd rather not spend $600 on a new timing belt every two or three years if I could avoid it.

Only thing I've ever had to replace on my excel was my alternator last year. Otherwise, it's been fantastic.

Haha, well without looking into the service costs etc the Astra was the car I liked most for interior and drive at the time. Was a CDXi or something though so had a bit more in it then the CD. The GF didn't like it for blind spots and the annoyingly placed key right next to the short stubby digital indicator stalk with extra buttons on it you accidentally pressed when changing lanes. The Hyundai's interior was also pretty fine and it drove great (other then the center display LCD thingo that looked funny thought my polarised sunnies and the auto box holding gears a bit long when you let off the gas).

Mmm, now just gotta decide if we should can this one and shop around to save a grand or so heh, ended up being $18990 and could probably find one closish to that in a 2010 model.

PS, why are the new Suburu's (well, the hatches) so horrible and old looking inside?

other then the center display LCD thingo that looked funny thought my polarised sunnies

Funny you mention that.

Last summer I bought a pair of new sunnies. The day I went out was hot as f***, got my new sunnies and went back to the car - which by that time felt 40+ inside.

Put on the new sunnies and looked at the screen to see the temp and it was all black and s***, I thought the extreme heat had f***ed it up, I was spewing :(

Turns out I bought polarised sunnies without knowing it, and the screen was fine.

I thought I'd never get used to it and I nearly took the sunnies back, but now it doesn't worry me...

Don't know about the i30 but wifeys Getz lasted for years with no problems. My dad bought a new Getz last year and it's awesome .. comfortable, cheap to run, hasn't had a fault.

i dunno but the i30's seem alright. had a girlfriend's excel which had done 500 000kms which was running well. Had the usual paint fade. rarely serviced etc. Brother has a getz which hasn't had isssues. Another friend has a getz which he likes.

anything small hatch and manual from hyundai should be alright.

I just bought a new Jeep but I was very close to buying the Santa Fe. The finish on the Hyundai was superb, especially the interior but the Jeep has a sky slider so that won me over. If I could afford two I would buy a Hyundai.

Haha, I tried talking her into getting a late Cherokee so I could get rid of my Jeep and go down to 1 car between us but then ... I remembered I wanted reliability also hehe.

Yeah I weighed up the reliability issue, there was quite a few problems with the KJ but the KK has a few improvements, that's not to say there won't be problems but it's so far so good, besides, whilst it is still under warranty there shouldn't be a problem- I'll sell it when the warranty runs out.

I don't mind so much for my car as I've got a bloke in Redcliffe who imports parts cheap as hell and I never really drive it but we need one car that'll always just be get-in-and-go heh.

well I'm my own mechanic so it'd only cost me the cost of a belt so $30 every couple of years to save me $3000 in repair costs seems kind of worth it in my case. Which reminds me, wonder when my timing belt is due.

Licensed? If not it might void your warranty.

Hyundai have always been good cars that would just keep on going and going and going no matter what you did to them, it was just anything non mechanical would fall apart, especially the window winders on the 2 door excels.

Haha I concur with this. I had a little old '95 two door excel and it never skipped a beat.
Every second time the window winder was a breeze to wind up, but every other time you needed proton pills to roger ramjet that bastard up into place.

gotta love the guys who put 6" cannons, sideskirts, spoilers, 18" wheels on them.

Then drive around thinking they are in fast and the furious making turbo sounds with their mouths

pics pls charlie

Charlie get the diesel instead of the petrol.