What does owning a Korean car say about you?

[Speedbird223]

......................

 

[Ev0]

Nowadays, Hyundais are becoming some of the best deals in the automotive market. My mom's Santa Fe is a great car, and it was thousands cheaper than it's competitors, yet lacked none of the important features. Heck, it even came with a tiptronic transmission! Gone are the horrid Hyundais of the past. The only real problem they still have across their model range is interior quality, but if the new Sonata is any inication, this will very soon also be a thing of the past.

So, if simply buying what gives you the best bang for your buck makes you cheap, then I guess my family is cheap.

But, there are some horrid 'cheap' cars out there. Kia's entire lineup for instance. And, the new range of GM minivans. All of these vehicles are cheap, and that's all they really have going for them. Well, at least the GM vehicles have reliability too...

 

[RSCosworth]

I think Hyundais today are exceptionally well priced and good quality, so people driving a Hyundai are reasonable in my book.

My uncle owns a Kia Carnival. It was actually quite nice, but I haven't travelled in any other people carriers so I can't really tell. Kia drivers make me think they're just being cheap.
And those 'Chevrolets' (Daewoos) are just shouting a message "My owner is unforgivitably stupid and does not deserve to live." The problem wouldn't be even half that bad if they still were Daewoos.

 

[Omnis]

If Hyundai puts out that affordable RWD sports car, that would be totally cool. Kind of like a throwback to the old japanese cars. I think Hyundais are great cars, especially for the price. Nothing wrong with being Korean...as long as you don't suck.

My only complaint is the interior room. I barely fit even the sante fe. It feels like I'm squished into some kind of capsule. Next car show, I will definitely be at the hyundai lot to see any improvements. I like that new Sonata.

...Kia does infinitely suck, though. There's always two ends to the spectrum.

 

[TwinTurboJay]

Kia / Hyundia are viewed today like honda and toyota were went they first entered the north amereican market. Now, Japanese cars dominate in reliability and build quality, The Koreans are following that same tradition. Domestic car makers will have a future in just trucks and SUV's if they don't focus on the main bread and butter of the industry, the midsize family car.

 

[xcsti]

I laughed at a girl for buying a new kia and she got really pissed at me. Her response was "well at least I got the sport package unlike your POS!!" That only made me laugh more.

When I apologized I mentioned the "Korea is the next Japan" thing (which is quite true).

 

[1X83Z]

Korea isn't the next Japan: it's already taking over.

For the last ten years all I've heard is how Hyundai and Kia quality is improving and that "someday" they'll be a true competitor. Their original cars were awful, and they've improved with each successive generation. The new Hyundai Sonata proves that Hyundai's someday is today - the thing is built in the United States to United States standards. Making fun of Korean car owners is for the ignorant - assuming you aren't into handling, no matter what you own, if you bought new, a Korean car owner got a better deal. Performance enthusiasts make fun of Korean cars simply because Korean cars don't cater to performance enthusiasts. Car enthusiats know better.

 

[actionFigure]

Korea isn't the next Japan: it's already taking over.

For the last ten years all I've heard is how Hyundai and Kia quality is improving and that "someday" they'll be a true competitor. Their original cars were awful, and they've improved with each successive generation. The new Hyundai Sonata proves that Hyundai's someday is today - the thing is built in the United States to United States standards. Making fun of Korean car owners is for the ignorant - assuming you aren't into handling, no matter what you own, if you bought new, a Korean car owner got a better deal. Performance enthusiasts make fun of Korean cars simply because Korean cars don't cater to performance enthusiasts. Car enthusiats know better.

I think M5 got it right here. The people on this board are generally more concerned with performance, something that probably 95% of the automobile-buying population doesn't take into much, if any consideration when buying a new car. It's the same with anything, really, such as why I have a pair of reference-level Grado headphones sitting on my desk. Do they look better or cost less than anything else, or really sound much better to most ears? No, but to me, the extra quality was worth it. 95% of people just want something hassle-free and small that they can use with their iPod, and don't care how well it reproduces bass or if it has multiple drivers or blah blah.

Hyundai is becoming an inexpensive, quality option for people looking for just that: inexpensive, efficient and reliable automobiles. These aren't the people who are going to be at the track or drag strip every month trying to one-up everyone else, they are the people who need a big trunk to get them to and from the grocery store, school, or their kids' soccer practices without hassle and multiple trips to the dealer each year.

Edit: Thanks

 

[Omnis]

Yeah, and doesn't Hyundai have more American factories than any other manufacterer?

edit: you mean, WITHOUT hassle and trips to the shop.

 

[niky]

Kia, I don't know... but the Hyundai part of Kia/Hyundai is getting good enough to be noticed by Consumer Reports. Considering, they don't like ANYTHING that's not Japanese and doesn't last for 50 years parked next to an acid bath, that's something.

 

[xcsti]

Korea isn't the next Japan: it's already taking over.

For the last ten years all I've heard is how Hyundai and Kia quality is improving and that "someday" they'll be a true competitor. Their original cars were awful, and they've improved with each successive generation. The new Hyundai Sonata proves that Hyundai's someday is today - the thing is built in the United States to United States standards. Making fun of Korean car owners is for the ignorant - assuming you aren't into handling, no matter what you own, if you bought new, a Korean car owner got a better deal. Performance enthusiasts make fun of Korean cars simply because Korean cars don't cater to performance enthusiasts. Car enthusiats know better.

It was a car of the last generation, the sport package was your usual wheels tires and kit deal (pointless in my book). I knew I was wrong to laugh at her immediately, it was the sort of thing where I was expecting her to retort with all of the reasons it was a good deal (warrenty anyone?) but that didn't happen.

(oh and on a side her car does pwn mine)

 

[Gil]

I'm not a big fan of Kia's
But the best car I've owned was a 1982 Nissan Sentra.
If you look at the Early Hyundai Elantra (late '80's early '90's) you can see the similarities.
They are both powered by a 1.6L SOHC 4, that isn't very powerful but pretty rock-solid.
They look almost exactly alike.
I would consider a Tiburon for a daily driver, But I think the Scion tc has a better price.
And I think it's pretty rare that you can get a "Toyota" cheaper than a Hyundai.

But if you think about it, Scion seems to be Toyota's answer to be undersold by Hyundai, and Kia.

 

[Duke]

Owning a Korean car used to mean that your were poor. Now it means you're frugal.

 

[a6m5]

In my book:

Hyundai: Started out as the Asian Yugo(dont' take that literally), but today, a true bargain for their price. You get more than you've paid for. 👍 They are 7th or 8th largest automaker in the world..... if they keep up the effort, they should be right up there with the big boys soon.

Kia: Still questionable, but with its' tie with Hyundai, nowhere to go but up.

Daewoo: No improvement. I like'em even less today, because their new feature is "stealth". You see them in the U.S. as Suzukis and Chevys. 👎

The new Hyundai Sonata proves that Hyundai's someday is today

M5's most common phrase this summer. I swear, I heard this like three times from him!

 

[JohnBM01]

You know, I won't openly admit that I am a Korean car fan. I think the recent Hyundai Tiburon is one of the coolest cars out of the Koreas (assuming we're talking about South Korea). I like Hyundai's Santa Fe or maybe the Tuscon, this coming from a guy who isn't an SUV guy. Hyundais have a sense of style, or at least the ones available to America. I don't know how many GTPlanet members are from North or South Korea, so I don't know if there are any lovely Hyundais the world may not get.

Kia, Kia, Kia... I don't really know too much about Kia, but that Kia Rio is a pretty nice car. I seen it on the first season of "Sports Car Revolution" when a Kia Rio hatchback was being tuned to being a track star. I thought it was a big station wagon or something, but it was a pretty small automobile. I like the Rio among Kia.

I want to be passionate now, and say that there is a big reason why people tend to like Korean autos- value. I'm not "M5Power," so I can't validate any of this. But I haven't seen a Korean auto that sold for anything over either $35K USD or $40K USD. Maybe people don't want Mustangs, Explorers, Corvettes, or F-150s. Some people want a functional automobile that doesn't compromise value with performance. Some people aren't the performance type, and I don't think you're going to outrun a Mustang or a Corvette in a Kia Rio or Hyundai Tiburon GT. What does it say about the owner of a Korean automobile? Many will probably say that the person is someone who owns a mundane and dull grocery getter. You know, have a car without character or something like that. What I'd say about Korean car owners is that they are no different from owners of bigtime, big name cars. A person with a Kia Spectra is no different from the owner of a Ford Fusion or a Ford Five-Hundred. Korean car owners want a car that is every bit of fun and FUNctional without paying heavy prices for a speed demon people usually won't want to expose. Other than that, they are no different from anyone else.

 

[Funkshen]

Korean cars are cheap, affordable.. and most of the time reliable. But IMO they have the worst styling imaginable. There is NOT ONE Hyundai i like. as far as looks go.

And in Australia the "Hyundai Excel" is a common car to "rice" up.

And for people to put chromes, a cheap arse body kit on, and put there massive sub woofers in, is really making an ugly car..uglier. And IMO insults Car enthuasists who have natural taste.

Going off topic: My Next door neighbour owns a Kia Rio. (He's 19) He bought a "sports" edition i suppose, and it came with this ugly body bit, big spoiler thingy (if you would call it a spoiler), a bloody bonnet scoop, and 13 inch chrome wheels, and he put on this big arse muffler with a 5 inch tip. NOT a full exhaust system, just a muffler. (Don't tell me that wouldn't be the ugliest thing uve ever seen.). It makes my whole street look bad.
So as far as Korean Styling.. YUCK

But as for the daily grocery getter, and run around automobile.. Korean cars are a perfect solution. And why should it make your mother look cheap

 

[niky]

Used to agree about Korean styling, but their new minivans (err... Jumbo minis, whatever) and microvans are just about as good/plain/same looking as anyone else's. The Sonata is a major foot in the door for Hyundai in terms of entering the big boy's car market (better than the old Sonata and the XG350... XJ rip-off). Even the new style Tiburon is pretty cool in looks, drive and interior comfort (except the choice of engines you getis pathetically weak for such a cool package).

Kia is merely Hyundai's entry level arm. They're not supposed to make nice cars, just practical and affordable ones. In that, they're doing pretty okay.

Daewoo is in the dumpster. They sell them here as Chevys, and a LOT of new owners are complaining that their "American" cars are crappy in quality... nice debut for Chevy in Asia, GM. You blew it.

 

[Kutscher80]

Hello!


Like John said, I don´t think owning a Korean car says anything about yourself.

I do like the older Hyundai Tiburion (in Germany it is just called Coupe), that looks a little bit like a Viper

Have Fun

 

[Crash]

I think buying/driving a Korean car just says that you are generally a value concious shopper. I hate to admit it, but the new Hyundais are actually pretty nice. They might not have the best styling out there (in fact I think the Santa Fe is quite ugly), nor do they have the best performance, but overall, with their amount of equipment, they are a great bang for the buck. For many people out there, value, comfort and practicability is more important than pure performance. They get you from point A to point B relatively comfortably if not very exciting.

What I said above only applies to Hyundai and not Daewoos becuase Daewoos are pieces of ****. 👎

Btw, my parents are in the market for a new car and I think they are considering a Hyundai because it's a good value. I would much rather have them get a Mazda 3 though.

 

[Duke]

I actively like the current Tiburon and the new Sonata. While the overall level is not quite up to Honda standards (yet), frankly I think the new Sonata is much better looking than the current Accord sedan. If you could take all of the Honda-ness of the Accord (not just most of it) and put it into the Sonata, it would be a hell of a car.

 

[Mooman117]

I own a just under three year old Hyundai Accent and I did buy it because it was cheap (just £5000 at 6 months old with 6k on the clock). It is the second car i've owned. The first was a Fiat Punto and it was absolutely terrible. I was a student when I bought it and didn't know anything about cars then. It was three years old and in the two years I had it I had to replace the Exhaust (which dropped of half way down the motorway), the brakes, two tyres and on top of that the cylinder head gasket blew (which is apparently a common fault) which is a major repair.

In comparison the Hyundai's reliability has been excellent, literally nothing has broken and it still has two years warranty left.

I'm going to get a new Car in the next couple of months (now that I've finally got some cash) and am probably going to get a v6 Hyundai Coupe (Tiburon). I have considered a few different cars but I'd rather have the piece of mind than a ludicrously fast car that you drive that quickly on the roads anyway.

However, I was given an accent diesel when I took it for service once and it was terrible, noisey, slow and really harsh. Also, I got a Getz once as well and there not bad but the clutch pedal is really high and I end up with my knee the wrong side of the steering wheel.

I think the biggest problem with Korean cars is the depreciation, the one I got lost £3k of the £9k otr price in 6 months, so I'll probably get another car at 6 months or a year old.

 

[///M-Spec]

An upper management type where I work bought a top of the line XG300 (sp?) last year. Here's an older fellow, mid 50s, ex-Navy, conservative and established whom I had completely pegged as a domestic buyer for life. (his previous daily driver was a completely safe and unassuming S-10)

The guy could probably afford any number of mid-life crisis sports cars (Corvette) or a rolling roadblock such as an Escalade or Navigator.

But one day, the S-10 was gone and there was this Hyundai. He told me he loved it and thought it was great.

I guess I was pretty impressed that someone I would have pegged as an ultra-conservative, think-completely-in-the-box type would have made such a .... surprising and daring choice in a daily driver. Not only did he buy a sensible car, he bought one from a maker with little proven track-record (from his perspective).

So that's what I thought: I was impressed.

Then I remember that he served in the Pacific while he was in the Navy, and probably spent time in any number of Asian countries, Korea included.

But I was still impressed.

As for myself, I like the sporty entries, like the Tiburon. The econo-boxes don't do it for me at all, not because they're Korean, but because they're econo-boxes.


M

 

[TwinTurboJay]

Even though they have absolutley no blue-chip credibility, I am seeing more and more in our upper management parking spots...Of course I still view them as guys who know jack about cars, but thats just be being a little prejudice.

 

[Speedbird223]

Thanks for your comments, interesting reading for sure. Seems Hyundais are up and coming, Kia are a way behind but still up and coming but Daewoo just suck.....especially under the Chevrolet badge! Can't believe a Matiz and a Corvette are from the 'same company'

I think the biggest problem with Korean cars is the depreciation, the one I got lost £3k of the £9 in 6 months so I'll probably get another car at 6 months or a year old.

£9 for a car 💡
The fact you have to pay £2,993 for someone to take it away sucked though

 

[Mooman117]

Sorry meant "the one I got lost £3k of the £9k otr price in 6 months"

I'll edit the original post.

 

[skip0110]

From what I have seen, Hyundai can compete on build quality and features per dollar, but their engineering is not up to par. The Sonata has an all new engine, though, I believe. It sure looks sharp on the commercial (in agreement with Duke, much better than Accord or Camry). I just wonder if the engine sounds happy while doing its job and if they sucked all the saturated fat out of the suspension.