Automotive

are korean cars reliable?

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  • Sep 29th, 2005 6:51 pm
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Deal Expert
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Jun 12, 2003
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Markham
Xtahse wrote:dont you guys see that the new 05 Hunydai Sonata is a rip of the 05 Honda Accord Sedan?
the back looks almost identical! like 95%

I think generally all cars will last very long if you well take care of it!

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except GM cars.. muhahahaha
no offense, but I just don't like GM (why are there cars so ugly looking?)
:cheesygri
yea, the accord thing has been mentioned already

i also think all cars will last long if taken care of properly, my dad's Dodge Shadow got 350K before it died
ShadowVlican
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Xtahse wrote:dont you guys see that the new 05 Hunydai Sonata is a rip of the 05 Honda Accord Sedan?
the back looks almost identical! like 95%

no offense, but I just don't like GM (why are there cars so ugly looking?)
:cheesygri
yes and the 05 Accord Sedan tail lights is a ripoff of a 96 Buick Regal. love how the import fans fail to mention that :)
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Deal Guru
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Mar 23, 2005
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Midland
Xtahse wrote:dont you guys see that the new 05 Hunydai Sonata is a rip of the 05 Honda Accord Sedan?
the back looks almost identical! like 95%

I think generally all cars will last very long if you well take care of it!

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

except GM cars.. muhahahaha
no offense, but I just don't like GM (why are there cars so ugly looking?)
:cheesygri
I'm a big fan of the new Hyundai, but I have to admit that the new Cobalt 2 door is very nice looking. If it was called a Honda Civic, people would be raving about its looks.
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Jul 19, 2005
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gordholio wrote:I'm a big fan of the new Hyundai, but I have to admit that the new Cobalt 2 door is very nice looking. If it was called a Honda Civic, people would be raving about its looks.
hmm i dont know about the cobolt...chevrolet's grills are so ugly...and they need to get some nice rims for their cars. also like you said im a huge fan of the new generation Hyundai as well, i mean the prices are great, packed with standards that no other vehicles have and they are comfortable as hell.

please dont look down on them until you have tried it for urself...you will see and feel the difference in their new line ups.
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Feb 3, 2005
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Hyundai is actually making great gains in quality over the last couple years. Their new CEO is a quality nut, so it's showing through in new car quality ratings. They are on pace to catch up with the Japanese in quality. I don't own a Hyundai and have no plans to buy one - just passing on info.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/200 ... port_x.htm

http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.as ... d=&teaser=

http://www.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/04/29/korea.hyundai/

There are lots of rankings and articles on new vehicle quality out there... (google is your friend)
Newbie
Jul 14, 2005
6 posts
why worry when the reputation seems to be alright nowadays
+ they back you up with one of the longest warranty.
anyone whose value conscious should get a hyundai

they give you more options for less + the longer warranty.
that should make up for the difference lost in depreciation.
also with this long warranty most hyundai vehicles will outlast it's
first owner and will provide coverage for the next owner also.

I dont know which hyundai you are thinking of getting, but
the new Tucson looks really nice!! I think it looks better than a rav4
or the crv.

I have never owned a hyundai but their latest offerings makes me wanna
get one. i really like is the hyundai Getz. I hope they bring that
thing over to canada soon..
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Jun 20, 2003
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Toronto
ch1zo wrote:so blurry...
u got a better image?
or the exact URL to this link?

i prefer the way tucson looks...and drives
its smoother and i think overall nicer.
i dont like the sportage...if i was going kia i would definetly go for the sorento.
Sorry for the blurry image; it was linked to the JD Power website directly, where it was blurry too. This is the link to the full .pdf news release.
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Feb 24, 2004
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korean car.. ummm so so
actually yah they are pretty comfortable! my aunt has a 2004 sonata..

korean chicks.. ummm AWESOME!!
hahahaaha

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Aug 31, 2005
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everybody has ripped somebody else's design in the auto industry
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Aug 12, 2005
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One way to look at is, is that Korean cars like Kia's and Hyundai's makes up for quality and any reliability problems with a 7-10 year warranty. Their strategy is to push their cars onto the market to sell, and penetrate whatever market they are after. Even if their cars are reliable or not, with a warranty period much greater than any competitor, it would be hard for a value conscious customer or someone on a budget to say no to that. Even if something does go wrong, they'd have the warranty to back it up.

Toyota's, Honda's, and so on so fourth don't need a large warranty period because they've already proven themselves in the market. People know they are reliable, well, at least the two i've mentioned.

They are more or less taking a familiar strategy to penetrate the automobile market. Over time, I would assume that Korean car manufacturers (Kia / Hyundai) will also decrease their warranty periods once they prove themselves on the market.

I also believe that many people on this forum, and many others, are basing their opinions on how korean cars have faired in the past (not very good). Toyota's and Honda's have been known to be reliable and such for quite some time now, and it's easier to grasp the image of japanese cars > korean cars in that sense.

Just because of Toyota's and Honda's proven track record, I would most likely purchase a Toyota or a Honda over a Hyundai or Kia with a reasonable price gap. However, that is not to say, the current Hyundai cars have improved greatly since their past lineup and should be a fairly decent competitor to japanese cars in the near future.
Deal Guru
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Sep 14, 2003
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Here's my take on the entire debate:

Car companies offer their cars very much like stocks on the stock market: there are periods of highs, and periods of lows. When Japanese cars came on the market, they were underpowered, poorly designed, and generally, poorly considered compared to the North American market. Over time, they improved their product, gained industry respect, and are now considered the best vehicles on the road. So, their stocks have gone up.

NA cars have done the opposite. They rested on their laurels while other car manufacturers improved their products. Now, they've lost their edge on the market. The stock has gone down.

With the addition of the Korean cars to the market, they are in a very similar fashion to those early Japanese cars. They too are on the rise - increasing in reliability, value, and design.

So, which car would you chose? If you're looking purely at a value proposition, I'd either consider the Korean offerings, as they are continually making strides to improve, to match the Japanese offerings (trying to increase their stock price), or *gasp* consider the NA offerings. NA car companies are improving their products because they have to. If they don't they risk completely falling off the map, so to speak. As a result, you want to hit the stock that's about to rise, not fall. While I don't see the Japanese cars as falling any time soon, they don't have any place to go. They're already at the top. Thus, you're going to pay a premium for them. Best to invest when the stock is low, and increasing.

Just my 0.02...
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Sep 5, 2002
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My reply is: Why take the chance ????

Its your hard earned money so dont fool around to save a few thousand bucks.

You want a small car ? Get a 2005 Civic, 0 down, 199month, or a Corolla, Matrix, etc.

Larger car, Accord or Camry, or if you move up a notch get a Maxima.

But dont take chances on that Korean junk. Maybe the Sonata is nice, I guess so. But for $2,000 more you can get an Accord which in 10 years will retain about 50% of its value.

Or ask again in 5-10 years and see how the Korean cars are holding up resale wise and mechanical wise.
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Mar 22, 2004
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Dibble wrote:One way to look at is, is that Korean cars like Kia's and Hyundai's makes up for quality and any reliability problems with a 7-10 year warranty.
5 years not 7 or 10. 5.

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