The saga of buying my 2018 Hyundai Sonata

"LJ909" (lj909) 04/23/2018 at 11:22 • Filed to: None

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So I bought a Sonata. Brand new. And surprisingly I don’t regret it. And boy did it drain me. Mentally and physically. Its a tale that involves cars I was coming in on being sold, the frustration and trade in of the Sonic, a rival Hyundai dealer trying to trick me into signing the car to keep me from leaving, missing nearly 2 days of work, etc. But it all ended with me having a car that made sense.

Yes this is the actual dealership I took my Sonic to.

It all started with the Sonic. I was done with it. Not even 2 months after replacing the ecm and a coolant hose for nearly $600 bucks, the car started leaking coolant on my way to work. I took it down to my local Chevy dealer and they told me that it would be about $350 to replace a coolant hose and 2 collapsed heater hoses. I raised the question frustratingly of why weren’t these hoses seen before when they replaced the one they did with the ecm not even 2 months ago? I got a bullshit answer of something about leaks not being seen in a hose until another leak is patched blah blah. It made sense because of course it did. It had to so they could try and get more money out of me. But suffice to say I didn’t do it. So I talked to the service adviser that was helping me out and they agreed to let my car sit there for 3 days until I sorted things out.

So I got a rental to get to work. On every single night I got home, on every break I was looking for a car online. Emailing internet manages, taking calls. I had to get a car. There was no question about it now. I wasn’t putting anymore money into the Sonic. I had already made that decision to myself abundantly clear. And for it to be a small car, the fixes on it with high miles wear and tear weren’t cheap and I couldn’t understand why. I drove a Sonic. Not a Traverse or Impala. It was a small commuter car.

I eventually settled on 3 different cars. 2 were sold the day previous to when I was going in to get them, one came out to be way too much for what it was and the last one was actually 2 separate dealers for the same car: my Sonata.

The first car was one I had been wanting for awhile, this Equus. A one owner 2011 that had just under 60 thousand miles on it for $17 grand. It was a fantastic deal. And for it to be 7 years old with just under 60k on it meant that it was babied and the owner didn’t drive it at all. I had everything set to go pick it up. But being in the business before I called the morning before I went to the dealer. I was told the car was sold the previous afternoon. I was pissed. But moved on to my backup.

The second car was the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I had posted here a few weeks back. I thought the car had sold because it wasn’t on the dealer’s site for a week or so. But then all of a sudden it had popped back up. It was a ‘14 with 66 thousand miles. It was so cheap because it had been involved in a minor rear end accident. The damage was repaired so well I couldn’t even tell. The dealer took my info and I was set to come back the following morning. Called the next morning and the car had been sold. The sales guy that was helping me hadn’t even been aware that it was. Whatever. I moved on.

After doing some numbers on my Sonic it became apparent to me that I was looking for the wrong cars. I needed to be looking at new cars, not used. My realization came a couple must haves:

I needed rebates. Good ones to make up for the negative equity that my Sonic was bringing over.

It had to be reliable for my commute, good on gas,roomy(for my son) and have a least some tech (Bluetooth, USB ports etc)

So I started looking at family sedans. The Fusion and Malibu were already out because, well I just never liked them. The Passat was out because VW. Charger/300 were too big and too rental grade for the price that I wanted and Chrysler’s affinity for 72,84 and 96 month loan terms. I don’t really like the Mazda 6 so that was out as well. That left the Optima,Sonata,Accord and Camry.

The Camry was too new for rebates and the ones that I did find that had rebates were on the LE. I wanted an SE. The LE was too...Camry. The Optima was out because shitty Kia dealers. Honestly, I visited and contacted about 3 different Kia dealers to compare pricing and there was this buy here pay here feel to them. It was a turn off. That left the Sonata and Accord.

Now the Accord didn’t have rebates. Honda is notorious for not really doing them, rather going the lease deal route than cash on the hood. But sales of the Accord are down right now and I thought that the Socal helpful Honda dealers would want to move some metal. I was wrong. Many didn’t wanna budge on price with a glaring price overlap between Civic hatchbacks and Accords. And there was a weird difference in pricing here locally as well. I noticed that most dealers in the inland valleys had base model Accords for just under 25 grand. But out west in the LA and coastal areas, many had pricing for just over 22 grand. So I worked with Long Beach Honda. But they severely lowballed me on my trade: $650. KBB had my car sitting at $1600-$2300 Blue Book value. So I tried a Sonata with the local Hyundai/Mazda/VW dealer group near me.

Punkasses

It got kind of better. They were willing to go to $2 grand on my trade and take 8% off my current apr. But we weren’t agreeing on the payment. So I walked. As I was in the process of leaving to go to In N Out, I hear the sales girl calling after me. They wanted me to come back so we can try and get closer on the payment. So I did. Here’s where the bullshit began. As I was sitting there waiting for numbers and watching James Comey on the View, I saw out the corner of my eye that the sales girl pull a black Sonata around, one like I told her I wanted. But I didn’t ask her to pull the car around nor was I aware I was about to take a car home. But I had an inkling of what was up. So I just waited. Keep in mind I had already been here 3 hours and I called my job telling them I would be coming in later so I was ready to go. But I indulged them because of the need.

I spotted the sales girl and asked her what I was waiting for. She says “oh it’s just some papers they wanted you to sign.” “Excuse me, but what am I signing?” I asked. It tripped her up. They were trying to get me to sign for the car already. I hadn’t even agreed to it. I was going to come back because, like I told them in the beginning I was shopping around. At that point they had the sales manager come out and politely say just come back when you are ready. We shook hands and I never went back. That whole ordeal emphasized why I hate the car sales business.

Theres actually a hidden trunk release on the back in the emblem

From there I went to a dealer that had been trying to get me in since November. They gave my $2500 on my trade, cut my interest rate in half and I was done in less than 2 hours. I settled on an ‘18 Sonata SE and it’s pretty great. I’m not just saying that either.

Hyundai piles in the value. This is a base model mind you, but it doesn’t have base model features. Some of the standout features it comes standard with are blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, backup camera, a 7 inch touchscreen and both Apple Car Play and Android Auto. A base leatherette seated 3 Series requires either of those to be added as a $300 dollar option.

So far the car has been fantastic. It easily returns 30 mpg and the ride is comfortable and quiet. All in all I think I made a good decision. Not to mention you can’t beat that warranty.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 11:50

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I’m kinda surprised that it doesn’t have push to start.

Chuckles > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 11:56

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Congrats on the new car. The new Sonatas look pretty sharp.

Party-vi > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 11:59

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Good deal. I had such an easy experience with the car I just bought. Came in on a Saturday, they had the car I wanted there on a Tuesday and I picked it up with no hassle. Even beat my NFCU quote for financing.

Party-vi > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/23/2018 at 11:59

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In my car it’s overrated. I don’t get why I need to have the clutch in if the car knows I’m in neutral.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Party-vi 04/23/2018 at 12:03

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I like PTS, I keep all my keys in my bag (man purse, whatever) and don’t have to dig around for whatever car I am driving.

LJ909 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/23/2018 at 12:09

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That was the next trim up. I didnt need all that.

LJ909 > Chuckles 04/23/2018 at 12:09

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Thanks. Yea they are a looker, especially on the Sport trims.

Wobbles the Mind > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:10

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Ugh, what an ordeal! I’m happy you ended up with what was right for you.

LJ909 > Party-vi 04/23/2018 at 12:10

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Damn. What did you end up buying?

LJ909 > Wobbles the Mind 04/23/2018 at 12:12

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Thanks. Yea it was really draining. Im glad its over though.

Party-vi > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:15

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‘17.5 Mazda 6 Touring. I could have done better on pricing but everything out the door was under $25K and that makes me happy.

LJ909 > Party-vi 04/23/2018 at 12:19

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Thats pretty good. Congrats. Im glad you experience was easier than mine from the get go.

Party-vi > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:23

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I think knowing what I wanted helped. I told the sales guy I wanted a 2017.5, touring, manual, not white, and anything else would be a waste of my time. I’m really digging the interior of your car - everything looks very modern and crisp.

LJ909 > Party-vi 04/23/2018 at 12:33

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Even that doesn’t help sometimes because alot of sales people don’t really bother going through the effort of finding exactly what the customer is looking for.

But yea the redesign for ‘18 really made the interior of the Sonatas look great. Everything is modern easy to use and quality as hell. Most of the top of the day is soft touch plastic.

functionoverfashion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/23/2018 at 12:38

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My 2012 Volvo has it, but you still have to put the key fob in the dash. But once it’s running you can take the fob out. WTF? You also have to press the brake pedal to start the car. Why?

functionoverfashion > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:39

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Well done, looks like a very nice car. Your patience and persistence is admirable. Most car shoppers I’m sure don’t go to the lengths you did.

Stapleface > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:42

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Many moons ago I worked in auto sales. The manager was a first class tool. He had the same philosophy as what you’re describing. It really didn’t matter what you wanted, he wanted to sell you what he wanted. You weren’t even allowed to let the customer pick the color of the car. It was either do you want a light color or dark color. I lasted three weeks there before I told the guy off in the middle of the showroom.

Arrivederci > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:46

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Congrats! Sorry the experience sucked. Had similar experiences at the Kia dealer when in the process to buy my wife’s Sorento. Ended up buying it out of state so everything important was handled ahead of time. That’s honestly the way to go when buying something new (or very nearly new).

Chariotoflove > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:54

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Car buying is kinda the same for me in that I start shopping when my current car is at or reaching the fatal flaw state. So, no shopping for 10 years, followed by a desperate search for a new one, then back to years of no activity.

Also, everyone has heard about the shitty-ness of Kia dealerships, but I have bought two from two different dealerships now. Both were fairly painless. I must have got lucky.

Under_Score > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:54

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How about the Altima? The newer ones are nice and a new one is coming out soon, so deals should be good.

LJ909 > functionoverfashion 04/23/2018 at 12:56

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Thanks. I only had patience because the need was there, otherwise I would’ve shut the bull down real quick.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 12:57

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Ugh! Stealerships living up to their name. But there are always good ones out there. Congrats on a solid value-for-money vehicle.

LJ909 > Arrivederci 04/23/2018 at 13:02

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Thanks. Its sad you have to go that route to avoid dealing with these dumb ass dealers. Im glad you got what you wanted.

LJ909 > Chariotoflove 04/23/2018 at 13:05

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Thats exactly what I do. Chill for a few years until the car starts pushing 150 thousand miles and thenon to the next one.

Yea I should have avoided them all together. I dont know why I had hope that it would be different. I could only image how it would be going in on a Stinger or K900.

random001 > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 13:08

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I like those when i see them. They seem to be very nice cars. I’ve been where you were, in a pinch, and it sucks.

LJ909 > Under_Score 04/23/2018 at 13:09

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I have a disdain for the Altima. I find it numbingly boring. Not to mention the CVT sucks. And Nissan’s,especially Altimas, seem to have bad paint quality that starts to peel and deteriorate 5 years into ownership on the roofs and hood.

LJ909 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 04/23/2018 at 13:10

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Thanks. Say what you want about the Sonata but it really was too hard to ignore its value proposition.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 13:13

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Did you look at the Optima as well? I know they’re pretty much identical underneath, including the infotainment but I’ve found Kia interiors to be better in certain models.

LJ909 > random001 04/23/2018 at 13:14

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They are. The redesign for ‘18 made it look less boring.

Chariotoflove > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 13:18

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When we got the Sedona, the salesman looked like a real polyester car salesman, big smile and all, but he was square with us. The only annoying thing about our buying process was when the finance guy tried to sell us the usual extras, but they all do that. He was only mildly pushy.

When I got the K900, the whole thing was a breeze. The salesman was cool, the dealership was helpful. From first sight of the car to purchase was maybe 4 hours. I’m not sure what parallel dimension I fell into, but Kia is good here.

LJ909 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 04/23/2018 at 13:18

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I did. I actually preferred the Optima over the Sonata for one reason: the pano roof. Hyundai got rid of the pano roof option on the Sonata for the ‘18 refresh in the name of weight savings and fuel economy. I had wanted an Optima EX with the pano roof. But the shittiness of Kia dealers turned me off. And with the refresh of the Sonata, the infotainment is actually really easy to use now.

LJ909 > Chariotoflove 04/23/2018 at 13:22

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Yea you got really lucky. I hate finance those universally. I dont want gap or your shitty extras. But Kia dealers here suck. I just went in on an Optima EX and left within an hour of being there. It was just to sketchy for me to deal with. Hopefully in a few years when K900 prices have come down more I’ll find one and it’l’ go smoothly.

Amoore100 > functionoverfashion 04/23/2018 at 13:23

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You don’t have to put the key in the dash—back in the early days of PTS people complained about needing a place to put their keys so that slot provided that while doing nothing else. I usually ignore it as such in the ‘12 XC70 I regularly drive and the fob lives in my pocket. Brake pedal makes a bit of sense—Honda won’t even let you start a regular key-barrel ignition vehicle without the foot on the brake and in our Vo’s the button without the brake gets you in and out of Acc mode.

random001 > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 13:34

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I very much agree with this. I think you made a good call.

Under_Score > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 14:09

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I saw a c.2007 Altima with paint fade down here. It’s really bad on Civics from that time, too.

functionoverfashion > Amoore100 04/23/2018 at 14:50

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I’ve tried to start the car without putting the fob in, once I discovered you could take it out with no apparent consequence. But it says “INSERT KEY” on the dash and won’t do anything (much) until you do.

I wonder how our ‘12 XC70's are different in that regard. Because I’ve tried more than once with no success to start that car without the fob being inserted in the dash. Maybe it’s something that changed mid-model year?!

I feel like the car being in Park should override the need for the brake. Manuals are another story, but speaking automatics, it seems unnecessary IF you’re already in Park.

Amoore100 > functionoverfashion 04/23/2018 at 15:17

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Hmmm, is yours perhaps the pre-facelift?

Mine has the (below) cowled infotainment screen setup and it seems like they might have changed it mid-model year.

I always thought it would be nice if inserting the fob charged the fob batteries as in some BMW’s, but no such luck from what I hear.

I think the brake to start for push buttons systems makes sense otherwise there’s no practical way to access the ACC mode (though on a standard key-barrel ignition it’s obviously redundant). I’ve heard on push button Nissan’s you basically have to do a double push to start since the first push is to access ACC mode, so I think the brake to start is an elegant and subtle solution relatively speaking.

AestheticsInMotion > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 16:59

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Sounds like you got everything worked out pretty well.

I think if I ever buy a car over 15k I’ll just call up Tom and have him deal with the dealership shit

Khalbali > LJ909 04/23/2018 at 21:26

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Grear looking car! I’m leaning towards an elantra sport for my next DD, but I really love the redesign on the sonatas too, just don’t think I’m ready to give up a stick and don’t need that much space.

LJ909 > Khalbali 04/24/2018 at 03:22

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Thanks. From what I saw on the Elantra Sports theres good deals on those too. The one on the showroom floor when I was there had 5 grand off sticker.

functionoverfashion > Amoore100 04/24/2018 at 09:55

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I’ve heard on push button Nissan’s you basically have to do a double push to start since the first push is to access ACC mode, so I think the brake to start is an elegant and subtle solution relatively speaking.

That’s a good point. That kind of answers it for me; I have very little experience with automatics at all, let alone push button starts.

But on our XC70, it’s like the second image - it’s a facelifted/updated model in every other way. I tried again last night to get it to start without the fob inserted and all it does is tell me to insert the key! Weird.

Khalbali > LJ909 04/24/2018 at 13:18

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Yeah that’s what I’m looking for, in a similar situation as you although my current car is ok for now, I feel its gonna need more work than I’m willing to put into it and I’ve definitely outgrown it so I just want something new with a nice warranty that can absorb some negative equity.

LJ909 > Khalbali 04/24/2018 at 14:36

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Definitely check the Sonata out then. It’s solid.

TechJunky > LJ909 05/18/2018 at 12:08

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I really like the new front end of these. Very sharp! And the value really is great on these. I had a ‘14 Kia Optima EX several years ago, and the features that had were amazing. Heated and cooled front seats, heated rear, leather, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, navigation, etc. and returned 30+mpg regularly. The mid-level Sonata had essentially the same features at around the same price, I just preferred the look of the Optima at the time (it’s reversed now).

LJ909 > TechJunky 05/18/2018 at 12:18

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Thanks. But yea I was in the same boat. I loved the look of the Optima. It had been sharp, and got really sharp when the Sonata had got its boring previous redesign. Now its reversed. The front on this thing is really striking, especially on the Sport trim. But the features on both you cant beat for the money. Some luxury brands dont even come with the standard features these things come with.