Question on cars

[LennG]

I have a question that maybe someone or several can advise on.

I drive a Subaru Forrester and love the car. I bought it at 11,000 miles and now have about 110,000 on it and have it for about 7 years. I love the Subaru and was thinking of buying a new model come Fall.
I saw an ad in our paper on Sunday advertising Hyundais and have read decent enough reviews on some of their cars. What I did see was that even a low-mileage car was about half the price of a similar Subaru Forrester. Now I know the Subaru is probably a better car, but is it that superior to warrant that type of price tag?
I am looking for a similar type of car, a small SUV size-wise about the same as the Forrester.

Any recommendations or negatives I may be missing.

[MightyGiants]

Used cars have lots of variables (including mileage, remaining warranty, and condition).  I would suggest subscribe to Consumer Reports or using only Kelly Bluebook or Edmunds to assist.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

One of my "rules of life" is to "never make a suggestion to someone buying a car" (if something goes wrong with it, you will be blamed for life). My others are, "financial investing advice", "marital advice with a potential divorce looming", or "buying a house". My standard response is "good luck, I hope it works out for you"

With that said, all I can say with limited authority, is that cars made in South Korea (Kia and Hyundai) have had tremendous reliability results the last couple of years. Many articles I've read, say that Korea is doing to Japan, what Japan did to America concerning the automobile, back when Japan started marketing cars in the states. Japan made better quality, more reliability, for a lower cost to Americans. It forced U.S. car companies to improve their quality and to abandon the old "planned obsolescence" business strategy that peaked in the 60s and early 70s. As time went on, American cars started to improve (they had no choice if they wanted to survive), and the cost of Japanese cars rose over time where they are finally in equal price ranges. But now you can buy a car made in South Korea that has the quality of Japanese cars, but at a much lower cost to the consumer. Biggest cost to foreign cars is parts replacement. Anyway, Korean cars aren't a Yugo, or a Chinese or Russian car. They are right up there with their Japanese counterparts, but don't have the same resale value for now

With that said, it's all up to you, Lenn. There is always a risk when buying a used car...even a new one. A friend of mine bought a new Toyota Camry in the 90s, and it was in the shop more than it was on the road for the first year. He called it a "Camry from hell", and would never buy another Toyota. Meanwhile, the Camry was "Car of the Year" and rated the most reliable vehicle on the market. Buying cars, is sorta like drafting an NFL QB. It's a crapshoot!

[MightyGiants]

One of my "rules of life" is to "never make a suggestion to someone buying a car" (if something goes wrong with it, you will be blamed for life). My others are, "financial investing advice", "marital advice with a potential divorce looming", or "buying a house". My standard response is "good luck, I hope it works out for you"

With that said, all I can say with limited authority, is that cars made in South Korea (Kia and Hyundai) have had tremendous reliability results the last couple of years. Many articles I've read, say that Korea is doing to Japan, what Japan did to America concerning the automobile, back when Japan started marketing cars in the states. Japan made better quality, more reliability, for a lower cost to Americans. It forced U.S. car companies to improve their quality and to abandon the old "planned obsolescence" business strategy that peaked in the 60s and early 70s. As time went on, American cars started to improve (they had no choice if they wanted to survive), and the cost of Japanese cars rose over time where they are finally in equal price ranges. But now you can buy a car made in South Korea that has the quality of Japanese cars, but at a much lower cost to the consumer. Biggest cost to foreign cars is parts replacement. Anyway, Korean cars aren't a Yugo, or a Chinese or Russian car. They are right up there with their Japanese counterparts, but don't have the same resale value for now

With that said, it's all up to you, Lenn. There is always a risk when buying a used car...even a new one. A friend of mine bought a new Toyota Camry in the 90s, and it was in the shop more than it was on the road for the first year. He called it a "Camry from hell", and would never buy another Toyota. Meanwhile, the Camry was "Car of the Year" and rated the most reliable vehicle on the market. Buying cars, is sorta like drafting an NFL QB. It's a crapshoot!

I think it might be my father that said it (I heard it so long ago that I don't remember who said it) but the quote was-  "when you buy a used car you are buying someone else's headache"

[Ed Vette]

See if there is any history on the used car you have an interest in. Of course not everything is reported but my Corvette dealer reports to CarFax.

https://www.carfax.com/?partner=BNG_0&click=sem&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=71700000046294452&utm_term=p39953786396&&msclkid=56a9d556d1eb1bf6d8c3b3f7e30aad49&gclid=56a9d556d1eb1bf6d8c3b3f7e30aad49&gclsrc=3p.ds

https://www.beenverified.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BV_VIN_SEA_PRP_CAR_Exact_B&utm_term=carfax&utm_content=&matchtype=e&adgroup=Carfax&device=c&b_adgroup=Carfax&b_adgroupid=1337006533700486&b_adid=83562955292640&b_campaign=BV_VIN_SEA_PRP_CAR_Exact_B&b_campaignid=384604651&b_isproduct=&b_productid=&b_term=carfax&b_termid=kwd-83563152603043:loc-190&msclkid=11c74a1c6ad9198f8bbf2cbd5838a59e

If the car was a demo, used by an employee of the dealer, they tend to be more reliable. If they picked up the car at auction, I beware because it's possible the dealer who brought it there, didn't want to sell it themselves for some reason.

Look into any 2023 leftovers. They are discounted. I got a new Lincoln 2023 this year for 8 grand less than the same car in a 2024 year model.

[LennG]

 I understand the Carfax thing, I am not looking at any one car in particular at this time. I was more or less wondering if I should even consider the Hyundai.
I have checked consumer reports, and I know one person's love is another one's headache, so I can't go by one person's particular love or hate of a particular model or company.

Ric, thanks for the detail. That was something I was interested in. Going to a dealer, you can't get any honest info on any particular car as they are just interested in selling them.

I'm going to wait until the Fall, when the new models come out, and see if I can test-drive something.

Thanks all for the advice.

[MightyGiants]

I understand the Carfax thing, I am not looking at any one car in particular at this time. I was more or less wondering if I should even consider the Hyundai.
I have checked consumer reports, and I know one person's love is another one's headache, so I can't go by one person's particular love or hate of a particular model or company.

Ric, thanks for the detail. That was something I was interested in. Going to a dealer, you can't get any honest info on any particular car as they are just interested in selling them.

I'm going to wait until the Fall, when the new models come out, and see if I can test-drive something.

Thanks all for the advice.

[Sem]

I understand the Carfax thing, I am not looking at any one car in particular at this time. I was more or less wondering if I should even consider the Hyundai.
I have checked consumer reports, and I know one person's love is another one's headache, so I can't go by one person's particular love or hate of a particular model or company.

Ric, thanks for the detail. That was something I was interested in. Going to a dealer, you can't get any honest info on any particular car as they are just interested in selling them.

I'm going to wait until the Fall, when the new models come out, and see if I can test-drive something.

Thanks all for the advice.

I'm a Honda/Toyota guy so I don't have any first hand experience with Hyundai.

I think Hyundai started selling cars in the US back in the mid 80's. At that time I recall them having a reputation of being very unreliable. I hear they've continually improved over the years, but I've never owned on myself. My good friend bought, (or is leasing), a Hyundai Palisade and he's very happy with it.

That's all I've got, Len.

[Bill Brown]

I am on my second Hyundai Sonata. I leased the first one because it was an inexpensive option at the time I needed a vehicle. I ended up enjoying it and went with a second lease on another one after 3 years. When that lease ran out I took the buyout for far less than any other vehicle I researched. I am very happy with my decision. I only put on about 4 to 5 thousand miles a year so I hope it will last me for several more years.

But whatever you decide I hope you end up happy.

Bill

[T200]

I understand the Carfax thing, I am not looking at any one car in particular at this time. I was more or less wondering if I should even consider the Hyundai.
I have checked consumer reports, and I know one person's love is another one's headache, so I can't go by one person's particular love or hate of a particular model or company.

Ric, thanks for the detail. That was something I was interested in. Going to a dealer, you can't get any honest info on any particular car as they are just interested in selling them.

I'm going to wait until the Fall, when the new models come out, and see if I can test-drive something.

Thanks all for the advice.

Len,

We bought two Hyundais for our son when he was living with us. They were reliable but ended up getting totaled in accidents.

The quality and candy they put in them are better but the longevity and durability still fall short of Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Subaru. I believe they still do their 10 year/100,000 mile warranty.

Waiting until Fall/Winter is a smart move. If you love your Subie, I'd stick with that brand. Very reliable and you know what to expect from them. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Subaru.

[LennG]

 Thanks, everyone for lots of great info.

As I said, I will be waiting until Fall to really start looking but based on several 'opinions' here, I will, at the very least, take a look at some Hyundais, and give one a test drive. If nothing else, it's a good comparision.

[bamagiantfan]

Hyundai and Subaru passed Toyota and Honda as the most reliable cars about a decade ago and they have not looked back. I have to rent cars often and I try to select different models where I can. The Subarus and Hyundais ride the best and the interiors are far more intuitive than many of the other cars on the market. There is nothing worse than getting in a rental car and taking 10-15 minutes trying to figure out how everything works and where all the controls are.

Like you I am considering a Hyundai with my next purchase. That's probably the best endorsement I can offer. Just know that with the low price tag comes a low resale/trade-in value.

Also, I think your Subaru still has 100K left in it and trade-in values are not good on cars with over 100K on them. It is probably worth more to you than the dealer so sell it yourself or keep it as long as you are willing to and then sell it on your own.