[Old Geek]

Hey,
Glad to find this forum. I've owned Hyundai's between myself and my wife. We've been impressed with their quality and their value. Great cars for the money.

Most of my adult life, I've owned a truck. Hearing about a Hyundai truck is terrific news. Depending on price, I'll get one.

 

[ToadVine]

Welcome aboard, @Old Geek (from, probably, an even older one).

There're quite a few folks here who like what we've heard, so far, about the Santa Cruz. Some of us have no prior Hyundai experience, so we welcome hearing about this manufacturer's reputation for 'build quality', 'fit and finish', durability, resale, and how the customer is treated by the manufacturer AFTER the sale.

 

[Old Geek]

Thanks for the reply. The wife bought a 2011 Sonata Limited. Drove 80K in 7 years. Sold it to her BFF. Bought an Accord. Had major problems with that, invoked the Lemon law, they bought it back, & she bought a 2020 Sonata Limited.

I bought a veloster in 2015. Kept it 2 years (didn't like the dealer) & sold it. I learned a lot about the relationship between the manufacturer and the dealer. Two very different entities. The dealership buys cars from the manufacturer. The manufacturer doesn't want to do much with the customer. The dealer is all that you can negotiate with. About the only time the manufacturer gets involved is when the dealer asks for their help (read Lemon law).

My wife's new Sonata is great. It's power, trans, & tech is head & shoulders above the Accord. What really convinced us was the way Hyundai treated her BFF. The 2011 died. Metal filings in the oil pan. Hyundai gave her (BFF) a new engine. Who'da thunk???

Good area, Research Triangle. I have kin there
BTW, orange seems to be the color of choice for Elements.

 

[HSC4ME]

Welcome and thank you for your honest comments. I'm part of the old farts crowd here being 60+ and like what I see, but I'm nervous about buying a new first year out model. Although I'm an early adopter of many things, major purchases like vehicles is not normally one of them. Typically I'm a third year out new vehicle buyer, so if I go through with this purchase of a first year out, basically new engine model (with no history - Theta III) and new Hyundai brand for me; it will be a first.

"...What really convinced us was the way Hyundai treated her BFF. The 2011 died. Metal filings in the oil pan. Hyundai gave her (BFF) a new engine. Who'da thunk???"

YIKES! That had me look up known problems with the 2011 Sonata which yielded the "...dubious honor of being the first CarTalk / CarComplaints Turd of the Week..." Engine failure before 100K miles is a HUGE fail for any manufacturer, even if they step up and replace it (typically with the same engine that has a known issue and will likely fail once again).

I had this problem with a 1996 Subaru Outback. Ticking noise at startup. Without going into details, Subaru installed a new engine which immediately failed as well. They put a third engine in, and I simple unloaded the car immediately and walked away from the brand completely...

A couple things come to mind. It appears Hyundai stands behind their 100K warranty if you can prove a problem and they don't blame it on poor maintenance by you. Second thing is that they honored that warranty for a second owner, so I'm guessing the Hyundai warranty is transferable. Do you or others know that to be true?

Getting more excited and nervous at the same time for this vehicle to hit the dealers for an in person inspection and test drive.

 

[Old Geek]

As to the warranty, I can't say. I was impressed with their response. I understand your statements about engine & manufacturers especially since your experience with Subaru. I am less concerned due to that warranty.

Yeah, I avoid the .0, too. Software, hardware, autos. I like the company. My experience with their products is good. And I love my wife's Sonata. I'm looking for heads up display, overhead view in reverse, and all the latest available tech features. As said earlier, the .0 is a concern. The test drive will determine a lot of the decision.

I relate to your "fleet". I've owned 2 of the three (Mini & CRV). Got rid of the Mini when it wasn't cheap to keep and the CRV when I wanted another pick up.

 

[HSC4ME]

I found a site that stated the warranty is transferable to a second owner with some restrictions. That's another check for Hyundai and their excellent warranty!