The Chronic Curmudgeon

Cruisin' into grandpa-dom, I presume?

WHY did you not buy the Solara, as I suggested?

Much like a larger car -- which you apparently like -- it nonetheless possesses that certain "cool quotient" that Hyundai (with the notable exception of the Tiburon) lacks.

;-)

Because a base model Solara runs about $10K more than what I am buying with all the bells and whistles. And I can use that extra money for Europe, Vegas, the Keys, St. Lucia, or wherever else I decide to go this year.

And btw - no one who lists Journey, Nazareth, and "prog rock" as his favorites has any truck to bust on me about grandpa-ness.

It's called taste: Solara. Nazareth. Prog Rock.

But I never said I liked Journey that much.

So you bought this thing new? I'm thinking of getting a certified used BMW M3 two-door 5-speed with moonroof, leather interior, and really cool rims within the next 12 months.

Oh...and once I do, I'm gonna blast some Bad Company while cruising down the highway at a buck-10 on a sunny day with a supermodel riding shotgun.

God...I have such a rich, satisfying fantasy life.

Congratulations on the new wheels!!! Does that mean you're coming up to take me to the blazer?? (hint hint).

I can smell the cat puke already.

Wow...congrats on the new investment. I can see the young chicks flocking to your car already!

;-)

Oh...since you like da baseball...here's a story that might be of interest...

http://blog.dccc.org/mt/archives/003059.html

Nice set of wheels mudge. I thought though by the sounds of some of your previous postings that you would have joined many late 30's dudes and bought a Harley or 'tuther type of bike.

I still cant drive and Im 36...at some point going to have learn.....sniff

(imagine me shaking my head sadly)

A Hyundai? I'd be interested to hear how it's holding up in 3 or 4 years. I *know* that it won't be much fun to drive.

Best of luck with it.

From Edmunds: "The Hyundai Sonata represents an excellent value for family car shoppers. Even without its price advantage, the car still holds its own by offering a decent interior, lots of standard features and decent engine choices all wrapped in an attractive body. With the Hyundai Sonata's many improvements, midsize sedan shoppers will now have to stop at one more dealership before making their final choice."

From JD Power: "Hyundai Ties for Second in Initial Quality Study Corporate Rankings - Sonata Receives Award for Highest Quality Entry Midsize Car"

"Hyundai ranks second among vehicle manufacturers evaluated in the J.D.Power and Associates 2004 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). This No. 2 position,which is the automaker's best performance in the 17-year history of the study, is based on consumers' evaluations of their new vehicles after three months of ownership. The results of the 2004 IQS
indicate that Hyundai is among the quality leaders in the U.S. market.

The results of the 2004 IQS indicate that Hyundai is among the quality leaders in the U.S. market.

With initial quality this year that exceeds the industry average by 11%, Hyundai quality is greater than that of a majority of brands in
the U.S. market, including many luxury nameplates. And, with an improvement of
29% in initial quality since 2003, Hyundai is the most improved manufacturer in the
2004 study. From these results, it is clear that Hyundai is focused on continuous quality improvement.

Hyundai models perform well, with the Santa Fe and Accent finishing among the top three in their respective segments and Sonata taking the No. 1 ranking in the entry midsize car segment."

Any questions?

I believe GM is number one in those same J.D. Power rankings. And I actually would have suggested a Pontiac for you, too.

You don't know me, but I've enjoyed reading your blog, and somehow I feel that gives me license to weigh in ;-)

Much as I want to avoid being snobbish, I cant help remembering 'Glengarry Glenross', and Alec Baldwin's classic line to one of the guys who drives a Hyundai: "my watch costs more than your car!"

Jokes aside .. congratulations on the new 'acquisition', and good luck!

Kapil - it absolutely gives you license to weigh in! Welcome to the community, and I hope you'll weigh in more often.

As for the joke... nice. :-) Yeah, I still have the least expensive car in the corporate HQ lot... I'm surrounded by BMWs, Mercedes, Lexuses, and Porsches. And I think my boss's watch probably cost more than my home. But in the end, I got what I think/hope to be a nice car, and saved some money for the finer things (well, okay, maybe a trip down to the Caribbean isn't "the finer things," but it's what I want to do with the money I saved).

Thanks again for weighing in - glad you're here, and please feel free to chat again.

And you trust these studies implicitly? I don't put any more faith in JD Power than I do in Fox News (or ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.). All that matters is what *you* think of the car - if you like it, great!

Seriously though - if we're all still here in say, three years, I'd like a report on how the car is doing. Meanwhile, at the 2 year point, my BMW is doing as well as any of the string of Honda cars that I've owned (no problems so far). I still love driving it, too.

Fair point, Mike. I guess time will tell. All I can say is this: I picked up the car on Tuesday night, and through all of 36 hours anyway, I am loving it. I suppose that's to be expected, who doesn't love their new car when they first buy it?

But I have found myself digging the ride so far. And I'm pretty sure I'll dig the St. Lucia part of this. So I guess what it'll come down to is whether I still feel this way about the car in, say, 2007 or 2008.