Hyundai

[wuvvum]

Best laid plans and all that... Don't know if anyone else has found this, but if I buy a car on eBay planning to keep it for ever it usually turns out to have something wrong with it which I can't fix myself and so I end up punting the car back out after a couple of weeks, usually at a loss. Well sort of the opposite thing happened today.

 

I picked this up from Ely this morning.

 

 

It was tucked away in the spares section and not very well photographed, so I got it for a bargain price considering it's on a T plate with almost 11 months' test. I was planning to punt it out for a quick profit to help pay for my holiday. Only problem is that in a lot of ways it's the best car I've bought in ages. It's cosmetically imperfect (usual minor scuffs and dings, plus paint flaking off bumpers and bubbling round the rear arches) but it drives absolutely spot on, despite having 171K on the clock.

 

I'd never driven one of these before - it's quite a different animal to the original S Coupe. It's no Celica but it goes and handles more than adequately, and the steering is nice and meaty by Korean standards. It also has a full black leather interior (in pretty good nick), working aircon, cruise control and a Sony CD player. First impressions are that it's pretty good on petrol too, and it feels far better put together and far less likely to go wrong than the Laguna did.

 

So the long and short of it is that I'm now really not sure if I want to sell it. Of course if I keep it it means something else will have to go instead, which is a bummer.

 

 

As an aside, I saw my first Porsche Panamera on the way back from Ely, on the Mildenhall roundabout on the A11. It was black, so not quite as offensive-looking as the white one on Top Gear, but still pretty fugly. Absolutely humungous too. Fortunately, two cars behind was a tidy red Alfa 75 to redress the balance...

[scaryoldcortina]

Nice.. I had an X2 coupe a while ago that I got in similar "Oh, I bought it.." circumstances, but it was an OK thing.

 

WTF is the white thing parked behind it??

[wuvvum]

WTF is the white thing parked behind it??

My neighbour's 52 plate Maza 323F.

[eddyramrod]

My vote: keep hold of the Hunday. I nearly had one of those as a rental in Portugal in 2000 but I was too mean to cover the upgrade (considering I'd just "upgraded" anyway, to a 206). Later we had a Lantra estate which was a decent enough little motor. As the 90s Capri I think this coupe works well. Nowhere near as pretentious as the later models, but rather more attractive than the old S-Coupe. And really... if you're trying to choose between this and a Laguna... how many doors do you need? If you can live with 2, keep this and flog the frog.

[Guest]

I bet these are alright, the old Accent Coupe is a surprisingly enjoyable drive with its old Escort-like steering and ridiculously long throw on the gearbox.

[Cavcraft]

My vote: And really... if you're trying to choose between this and a Laguna... how many break downs do you need? If you can live with virtually none, keep this and flog the frog.

EFA I think the expression is.

 

Are we allowed to ask what the bargain price was? Weren't they the best selling coupe in the world for some time?

I'd certainly keep that over the Slagunda, reckon the Hyundai is quite a nice car.

[eddyramrod]

Cavette, I have two questions arising from your post:

1) What exactly is EFA?

2) How do you misquote like you just did? Most interesting, I didn't know you could do that....

[jnoiles]

Believe it or not there is a one make race series for these Coupes being started next year. They're loved in some circles.

 

Personally I think I'd keep the frogmobile. But then I associate breakdowns and expensive repairs with fun so maybe my opinions shouldn't be listened to.

[Formula Autos]

Nice cars these. I've driven a couple and have a friend who's got one of the facelifted versions of the one in this thread (the ones with boss eyed headlights). From what I can gather Hyundais are nicely put together cars too. The only 'fault' with them (if you could even call it that) is that they are perhaps a bit too honest about building them down to a price, in that often the interior trim and things like bumpers are a bit cheap or flimsy looking (the wheel trims and such on Accents in the '90s were absolutely crap - far worse than anything from Halfords and the like). The engineering seems pretty good though, and if looked after they seem to run and run to starship mileages. Ideal as shiters, especially given the depreciation they usually suffer.

 

It says a lot that Hyundai now put a five year warranty on their cars. Kia put a seven year one on theirs, and IIRC Kia and Hyundai are part of the same company now, aren't they? Perhaps VAG style parts/platform sharing even?

[Cavcraft]

Cavette, I have two questions arising from your post:

1) What exactly is EFA?

2) How do you misquote like you just did? Most interesting, I didn't know you could do that....

1) Edited For Accuracy

 

2) When you hit the 'quote' button simply change the text to what you like before hitting 'submit'.

[Milford Cubicle]

I like these, shame the facelift models are gopping horrors. (Sorry gtd2000)

[eddyramrod]

Aha, thank you. I'm old, it's easy to confuse me these days... mind it was when I was young too, so what hope is there?

[Albert Ross]

EFA = Ex "Fuckin" Actly

[Formula Autos]

I like these, shame the facelift models are gopping horrors. (Sorry gtd2000)

Yes Milf, it's hard to describe in words exactly what Hyundai did to the nice looking car at the start of this thread.

 

The headlights are what first caught my gaze when looking at my friend's car, but the most unresolved bit of styling is where the existing indicators are now left floating, seemingly unloved, twixt bumper and wing with no styling line at all nearby to justify their presence.

 

For those who aren't familiar with the restyled Coupe, here's a link:

 

http://paultan.org/2006/07/25/twin-engi ... dai-coupe/

 

I suppose you could call it striking. Each to their own though - some may like it.

[eddyramrod]

I can live with either model, for the front view; however the back end seals it for me, has to be pre-facelift. The later tail just looks so wrong from every angle.

 

(Opinions expressed are those of the author and nobody else, because I'm usually out of step... )

[dollywobbler]

Early ones are best for sure, but I really like the subsequent model, especially as you can have it with a V6. Mind you, I think they ballsed up the styling by facelifting that one too...

[Formula Autos]

So is the moral of this tale "Hyundais are good, but they always balls-up any facelifts"?

[eddyramrod]

As mottoes go, that one should be pretty reliable... just like a Hyundai really!

[wuvvum]

keep this and flog the frog.

The frog is flogged. Decided it was just too modern and too likely to go wrong in some unfixable (by me at least) way.

[eddyramrod]

Well played! I can't see you regretting it...

[CIH]

y'know the facelift has a grand total of 10 lights on the front. Ten.....

[trigger]

This shape is really ugly

 

 

Although I'd love the lastest shape, Reminds me of a cheap Aston Martin.

 

[retrogeezer]

yeh, those new ones are rather tasty aren't they...

 

and I also agree that the face and arse lift of the 1st shape was dreadful.....they tried to make the front look a bit like a Celica didn't they..

[Negative Creep]

That quad headlight one always looked like a bad Max Power bodykit, absolutely vile. Shame they never fitted a properly quick engine in them either

[gtd2000]

I like these, shame the facelift models are gopping horrors. (Sorry gtd2000)

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say

 

 

I actually don't mind the updated front end and call it the "spider face" as it reminds me of the numerous eyes that a spider has.

 

The ideal look would be the original front end with the updated Gen 2 rear light arrangement, I've seen this done on some US cars.

 

I've actually been considering one of the newer Sonatas ('05 on) of late but not found one for "shiter" money yet - cheapest are around the low 3's at present.

[retrogeezer]

Well, I guess it doesn't look so bad in silver!

 

what would the rear end change involve?? New tailgate/lights & bumper??

 

Here's a Celica for comparison:

 

[Formula Autos]

Is there anyone out there with the (not inconsiderable) Photoshopping skills to swap the headlights round so that the bigger ones are on the outside? I've always suspected that the car might actually look OK that way (and not entirely unlike the front of a Celica) - though there would still be indicator units floating aimlessly nearby. Maybe the indicators should be removed altogether (by which I mean the clusters, not leaving a car with no indicators at the front)?

[Drive-By]

My mate has one he has been working on for a while swapping in the 2 litre variant, could never understand how Hyundai could take a good Mitsu 2 litre and rework it to produce less than the original did??

 

130 horses from a 2 litre MPI hardly a performance coupe

 

utter shite top marks

[gtd2000]

My mate has one he has been working on for a while swapping in the 2 litre variant, could never understand how Hyundai could take a good Mitsu 2 litre and rework it to produce less than the original did??

 

130 horses from a 2 litre MPI hardly a performance coupe

 

utter shite top marks

I think you have to bear in mind that the Coupe is really a dressed up Elantra.

 

I think of it (and I think it was mentioned earlier too) as a modern day equivalent of the Capri by comparision to the Cortina.

 

Most Capris were not fast cars by any stretch of the imagination but simply looked the part - the same goes for the Coupe.

 

I remember considering buying a new Hyundai Tiburon back in 2001 when I first lived in the USA - the 10 year warranty appealed to me! I was quite underwhelmed by the performance and bought a used Nissan 240SX instead.

 

To be fair though I get 36mpg running around town all week and if I head out on to the motorway I get around 41/42mpg with a high of 47.5mpg on one occasion which isn't bad for a dressed up Elantra with more show than go as far as I see it.

 

I'd have one of those Celicas any day of the week - they look fantastic - pity they were not RWD.

[MK5 Escort]

Glad to hear the Laguna has gone. I'd be tempted to rattle can that corner of the front bumper to tidy it up.

 

I've always liked that shape of Hyundai Coupe. A very pretty and well proportioned car indeed. I remember the first time I saw one. I was on holiday in Devon at the time and I remember staring at a purple one parked up.

 

Hyundai absolutely ruined it when they revised it (sorry gtd2000!). It wasn't just ugly at the front, they somehow managed to also screw it up big time at the rear too and made it a dowdy, miserable looking thing.

 

The latest one is quite nice, but I still prefer the original.

 

As for messing up facelifts, look at what Rover done to the once very pretty 75...