Why pay more for the same car?

Hyundai has been slowly shedding its "cheap" label that followed it around for years. Starting with the 2006 class of cars, Hyundai has become a legit car manufacturer that can keep up with the likes of the Honda's and Toyota's for a fraction of the price.

I bought my Sonata used in February. My wife and I were looking for an affordable car in a 10-14K price range with low miles. We started with the usual lineup: Accord, Camry, Passat, Altima/Maxima, Malibu, etc. I mentioned the Sonata to my wife and she initially scoffed about it being a crappy car. I pulled reviews and other opinions and convinced her to consider it. We drove an Accord, saw the price. Then drove Maxima and Altima and saw their prices. Then my wife actually ran into a deal on a Sonata and we flew to the dealership to check it out.

When we got there we were very happy with what we saw: A beautiful car that is stylishly designed with every feature we wanted in the lower half of our price range. We were estatic! Took the car on a test drive and found it to have GREAT acceleration and it was quite comfortable. Best part though was the warranty that transferred...we got the remainder of a 5 year, 60K warranty so we still had half the warranty remaining on the car. Talk about easing any of our nerves about the car breaking down!

We've had the car now for 8 months and are still thrilled with it. It just recently became our "second" car as we traded up to a crossover SUV for car number 1 with a baby on the way. That means this is now MY car and I couldn't be happier. The Sonata got us everything we wanted for an amazing price. It has a strong, stable V-6 engine that can keep up with the best of em, a stylishly designed interior, steering wheel controls, power moonroof, comfortable seats (though lumbar support could use some work), etc.

This car is now MY car as we have bought another new car (see my Saturn VUE review) and my wife took the SUV. Honestly I feel great driving around in this car. It has GREAT acceleration that keeps up with the best of them. I formerly had a 06 Grand Prix and while the engine isn't QUITE up to that level, its still got a lot of kick to it. The seats don't do much for my lower back so I am disappointed with the comfort overall for those long trips. One annoyance I have is that everything on the steering wheel is the opposite of the American cars I have owned in the past (stereo controls and cruise) and there is no way to control the stations from the steering wheel. Ultimately it doesn't matter because I have a Sirius stereo but I would find this annoying if I didn't!

Its now reaching the cold, snowy months here in Minnesota and I feel very safe in my Sonata. The ABS brakes and stabilizing systems both help to keep the car moving straight in those slippy moments. I haven't run into any product quality moments with the car yet, so everything is still working like new and I am very happy with my purchase! Its made us a believer in Hyundai and they are only getting better. They continue to put out cars with the longest warranties, best prices, and most features. I saw the new Genesis recently and I couldn't be more impressed!!