Originally Posted by Lone Wolf 75

As someone who's had first-hand experience with Hyundai past and present, here's my take:

I had a cousin that bought an '87 Excel. It had an engine fire and was toast. At this point they were not a car I would ever consider.

I test drove a Hyundai Tiburon when they first came out, around 1998. I though the car reeked of utter cheapness - the doors had a tinny sound when shut, not a sold thunk. The CD player slot was barely thicker than a CD and looked like it would eat them. Plastic on the inside was awful, hard and cheap. Needless to say, I didn't buy it, and still wouldn't consider them a 'quality automaker.'

Fast forward to 10 years later, I was in California for work for a year, and had a long-term rental. I had just returned my first long-term, which was a 2007 Pontiac G6 Sedan. If you want to have a long discussion about pieces of crap, I could probably write a novel about this car. My only choice was another G6 or a Hyundai Sonata. Knowing I had likely hit rock bottom with the G6, I opted for the Sonata. I was really impressed with the car. I jokingly called it the Hyundai Accord, since it looked like last gen's Accord sedan. The car handled very well and felt like it was built well. They had a lot of little nicities in the cabin that I thought, "Wow, what a nice idea," like the USB-in on the stereo, that allowed me to play MP3's right from the stereo without having to fiddle with the Archos. If I were looking for a family 4-door sedan, I would consider the Sonata. Sure, the styling is bland, but I think they are built pretty well.

I briefly looked at the Genesis, but ended up with the 370Z. The Genesis is a cool car for the money, but is not as sharp as the Z, in my opinion. However, if I couldn't afford the 370Z, I think I would consider it.

I'll say that I think Hyundai has really come a long way. They are finally at the point where they are learning how to manufacture a reliable and well-built car. They can do it for cheaper than the Japanese because they borrowed styling from Toyota, Honda, etc., and don't spend a lot on styling and r&d. Now that they have proven to be successful, I think they are starting to branch out and soon you may see Hyundai develop its own design. Granted, they do not have the reputation of Nissan, but they do not have the history either - 25 years ago they did not exist in the U.S. Market.