I am thinking to buy my wife the above mentioned car. It has 67,000 miles on it and is being sold for about $8000.00, it is a one-owner car. The car is being bought through a used car dealer, not Hyundai dealer.

So, am I buying a can of worms or is this a reliable, easy to care for platform? I am able to do lots of my own maintenance and know how to properly care for my cars (got 6 so far).

I don't have any hands-on Hyundai experience but have a Mazda 929, a Volvo and an old Mercedes so I probably have all the right tools. Are the electrical systems fairly trouble-free on these cars? Are they know for "run forever" capabilities, i.e. can the engine and tranny handle running up to 250K miles without falling apart (assuming all correct maintenance and extra special care)? Will I come to love this car or want to drive it off a cliff :-)

Thanks

 

Hyundai is no different than what you have previously experienced. It is a reliable vehicle that shouldn't give you any trouble if it was and continues to be maintained properly.

I will advice you, that engine has a timing belt that requires changing every 60,000 miles. I would ask for proof that the timing belt was changed recently. If they can't prove it was changed then I would highly suggest you getting it changed ASAP because if it breaks it will cause internal damage. You are looking at a $500 job at a Hyundai dealer. Possibly less if you take it elsewhere. I would use that as negotiating leverage when finalizing a price. I'd ask to drop the price at least $500 unless they have document proof the timing belt was changed.

Also, the automatic trans fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles and requires SP-III fluid used mostly only with Hyundai vehicles. Do not use a "universal" trans fluid or you will cause damage to the trans.

 

Nova, Thank You!
I didn't know the thing had a timing belt and that kind of is a little off-putting. I assume it is and east-west motor and would be something of a PITA to change. I've done a few timing belts and generally not had issues but still you make a good point about knowing if it's been changed or not. 60K miles though, seems lowish. My mazda called for 60K changes, but it is an 89 with a north-south V6. The Volvo is 105K but an easy task.
Will drain and fill transmission fluid swap work OK on this car or drop the pan and change the filter too?

I was hoping for a timing chain but at the right price, I can put up with the belt.
Does this site have lots of repair/maintenance procedures?
I still might bite at this one for say $6500/7300 depending on the belt. My wife loves her old Mazda and this would be close to it from a type-of-car category.

 

Just drainig the trans fluid should be fine. As for repair procedures, we do post them The info comes from here: http://www.hyundaitechinfo.com Sign up for a free membership.

 

we've had pretty good luck with ours, bought it Jan 28, 2004. We changed the timing belt at 75k, and need to do the trans again. it is just over 108k
seems like we always bump the park brake when we get in, and the wife forgets to release it, burned up a set of pads. we expect to drive it for several more years