Re: Car Discussion Thread: New Hyundai Sonata
Car styling is a lot about personal taste, so one man’s love may be another person’s indifference. So take all opinions on styling with a pinch of salt and make up your own minds.
Now I am talking about US dollars (just to clarify to Canadian readers).
Coming to Sonata, I think its great value. At around $18k, you get pretty decent styling, and fair bit of goodies, and not to mention a long warranty. I believe Hyundai has improved by leaps and bounds in quality, during the last 3-5 years.
Another one that literally blew me away with its value proposition and styling is Kia Sorento. For an SUV to be priced at around $16k (with discounts etc), decent milage and a kick-ass styling, its a great deal. Its probably fairly under-rated due to Kia badge, otherwise its one sure Ford-killer. Anyone considering a compact sport-ute and not looking at Sorento is foolish.
Neither of these cars (or makes) compete with, what we usually call as luxury brands. You can’t compete a Volvo or a BMW or an Infinity with Kia or Hyundai. That doesn’t make sense. Apples and oranges. What Korean companies offer are low prices, decent styling, some basic bells and whistles and a car that is covered for 10 years to give you piece of mind.
If you are looking for anything specific in terms of badge-name recognition, power, or ultra-sophisticated trims/options, you need to look elsewhere. I am partial to BMW because I drive one, and I think there is no other car that I have driven, which provides better driving feel. I have driven turbo charged VW for 2 years, and granted it was a great car (light body and powerful engine), it was too compact. My requirements and expectations are probably different from, say, mad scientist. I drive a bigger/heavier and far more luxurious car with 4.4 litres of V8 and 282 hp, but I doubt if most people need that kind of power to feel satisfied. Most of my friends would rather buy an M5 than a 7-series, and that is the kind of personal choice a car buyer makes.
Regarding lease, I’d just add a couple of more ideas. If the guaranteed residual of your lease is lower than the market price at the end of the lease, you can always sell it directly in the market and pay off the lease and make a profit. Leasing company will probably be happy not to be bothered about re-selling the car. This is also true if you have driven a lot more miles than what you were allowed to. Secondly, lease usually makes sense for new cars, as you can get more car for the buck, but its not for everyone. If you expect a lot of wear and tear, excessive milage, want to modify the car a lot, you’d be better off financing than leasing. Get a car within your range and enjoy your time with the car.