Hyundai Coupe - Cool or Naff?

MadsL

Help me nail a buying decision

New Coupe FX 2.0 (can't afford the 2.7!)

mike65

Is that the one that looks like a Ferrari wannabe?
Well its kinda cool for a Far Eastern car but I'd feel like I should be wearing a gold medalion and an Elvis wig if I were in one...:ninja:

Found it (I think)



Mike.

MadsL

2.0-Litre, 140 bHp. 16-Valve DOHC
Auto 'Manumatic' transmission
Sport-Tuned Fully Independent Suspension
Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
4-Wheel Disc Brakes
15" Spoke Alloy Wheels
Four Front Airbags
Air Conditioning Power Windows, Locks and Mirrors
Full Leather interior
Cruise Control
Remote Fuel Door and Trunk Releases
Electric Rear Window Defroster w/Timer
6-Speaker CD Player
5 year warranty


All for less than 30K

Silvera

I think it's somewhere in between cool and naff - edging slightly towards cool.
However, I still wouldn't buy one. I prefer cars with a bit of strength in them - i.e. not far eastern cars.

The previous model is definetly naff - the design was (is) too fussy for my liking.

Blitzkrieger

I can't forgive it for being called the "Coupe". Why not just call it the Hyundai Car ffs.

I hated the styling of the old model, and though I'm kinda neutral about the new one, it's a lot of car for the money. Perhaps more importantly, women seen to love it.

Stephen

Anyone remember the Fiat Coupe? I thought those looked cool, but... they're fiats, weh.

MadsL

A friend of mine had an X1-9 for years, went like stink and we called it the X-1 Swine...great car for a hairdresser Porsche.

BoobeR

I'm not too fond of the new Hyundai Coupe myself either, well it's an alright car, pull the birds alright but more importantly its an alright looking car, but bit too pricey for the name?

Ahaha thats one funny looking car, the X1-9. must be very old, looks like it was made the same time as door wedges.

MadsL

too pricey for the name

err...what else can you find me for <30K, sporty looking - must have automatic (gf american) with a decent amount of bhp.

Seth Brundle

sporty or sporty looking?
anyway, sporty, less than €30K, auto (paradoxical having an auto sports car!) and decent BHP.
Get a BMW e30 (80's model) M3 (the best M3 so far!)

ButcherOfNog

Never liked the look of the old Hyundai Coupe, love the look of the new one. Not much power tho for 30k

Turner

KBannon is that your car ??

I tried getting an quote on a e30 M3 (80's model) giving my age as 50 with 30 yrs driving and nobody would quote me.

Ya feck the Hyundai, get a M3.

Seth Brundle

no I have a red 89' 320i SE but am planning on getting an e30 M3.
If you want a good M3 ask on www.bmwcarclubgb.co.uk/forum
Killian

unkel

Nice car for the money and the 5 year (!) warranty must be comforting. If it was my choice buying a new car for under €30k, I'd go for a Skoda Octavia 4x4 RS 180BHP with a few extra's :cool:

kdevitt

I can't undertand people spending 30K on a car like a Hyundai Coupe... imho its a horrible piece of equipment, they openly tried to rip off Ferrari and the Supra with the new styling, and failed...

sorry, really hate these cars - might be something to do with one of our finance guys who bought one and now thinks he has a ferrari. Either way - buying a new car only means you're the sucker who takes the hit on depreciation - there are 98-99 Hyundai Coupes in the Autotrader for 7-8K!

If you were prepared to go second hand like Killian said, there was a 1999 BMW 328i Convertible for sale in Joe Duffys for €27K I think...

MadsL

....I can't undertand people spending 30K on a car like a Hyundai Coupe

Err..because it is a company car...30k is the limit.

kdevitt

ugh...hates that... still can't understand whay anyone would pay €30K for a Hyundai...

anyway, if you have to buy new, for your 30K I'd go for an Alfa 147 2.0 Sportivo - just under the 30K mark... and a lot classier

The Skoda Octavia mentioned below would be a very nice alternative too...

MadsL

I need an auto (reread my post) the Selespeed is more than 30k...

for an Alfa 147 2.0 Sportivo - just under the 30K mark... and a lot classier

It's a FIAT hothatch...not much class about that.

The Skoda...not bad but I was hoping to avoid the 'fleet' look.

commuterised

Originally posted by MadsL
must have automatic (gf american)

very poor excuse,

teach the poor girl how to drive....

Gmodified

Hyundai will not hold the value. Waste of time

You can consider 406 coupe which at leats has room on the back and still looks cool

taken from buy and sell:
Hyundai Coupe 16 '98. 16v, 45k mls, NCT & taxed, fsh, Sony stereo, 17"/15" alloys, elec blue, Price: €5,600

Hyundai Coupe 2L '97. 49k mls, green, alarm, e/m, e/w, immob, c/l, taxed to 08/03, NCT to 07/04, c/coded, e/s/r, 10 CD changer, Price: €6,500 Conn and Leinster, Web

Hyundai Coupe FX Sport 1.6 '97. Red, e/w, e/s/r, e/a, e/m, a/b, alloys, rear spoiler, alarm, tax, NCT, 70k mls, immac cond, Price: €6,350
Republic of Ireland

I know it's older model but will get you thinking

kdevitt

Sorry to disagree (thats what forums are for i suppose) but if its coming down to whats classy, the alfa, despite its underpinnings, has more class in its two front wheels alone than the hyundai ever will....

The 147 is widely acknowledged to be the best built Alfa in years - especially important for them since the 156 is/was a heap of ****e reliability wise...

If you still consider an Alfa to be a Fiat then its obviously not the car for you !!

You consider a Golf? You could get 1.6 or 1.9 TDi and have a bit of fun with the options list??

MadsL

The Golf is still fundamentally a hatchback, bear in mind that the gf's American - her fav car is a Dodge Viper - hence the search for something coupe like. 4 seats, auto, with a bit oomph..that doesn't look like shopping trolley.

The 147 is widely acknowledged to be the best built Alfa in years - especially important for them since the 156 is/was a heap of ****e reliability wise...

Exactly, they still need to prove themselves. Although I'd love a Spyder.

Blitzkrieger

Originally posted by MadsL
- her fav car is a Dodge Viper -

OMG! I like the Viper too but point her at the fav car sticky for jebus' sake.

flav0rflav

A sports car is not supposed to be a rational choice, and the Hyundai is way too rational.

kdevitt

christ - my girlfriend is lucky to get inside my car - let alone have any say in picking what I drive!!

Seth Brundle

Can I repeat this to her Ken the next time I see her?

kdevitt

Yep!!

She hears it from me most days anyway - she wants me to get a red S2000, I want a Techno Violet M3 Evo... or maybe a Black S2000...

Shes not even allowed touch the stereo in the car... proper order!!

KEGZ

The V6 is the only one worth a fukk in my opinion but i'm gonna go for a test run in it anyways just to see.

KEGZ

muffinhead

NAFF, NAFF, NAAAAAAAAAAAFFFFFFF !

sorry but I hate this car!

it is like a nissan micra (granny-mobile!) putting on a ferraris body and trying to convince us its a sports car:D !

unkel

Originally posted by Gmodified
Hyundai will not hold the value. Waste of time

It's a company car, so depreciation does not matter at all - in that case I'd buy a 156 1.8 TS Sportivo right on budget. Spend another €300 of your own money to have the chip tuned to give about 160 BHP and you will be driving one hell of a car. My best m8 has one exactly like this and it seriously rocks. Similar enough performance as 320i (at €45k 50% more expensive!) The car is very heavy on the juice and you kind of have to get the higher octane as well, but I take it the petrol is part of the company car deal. :cool:

Originally posted by Gmodified
You can consider 406 coupe which at leats has room on the back and still looks cool

Beautiful car I grant you. Starts new from €40k plus, so not possible on budget of €30k. The 406 coupe is way overpriced for its capabilities as has been the case with Peugeot coupes for the last 40 years. Guess you have to pay for exclusivity.

spuddy

Originally posted by kdevitt
Sorry to disagree (thats what forums are for i suppose) but if its coming down to whats classy, the alfa, despite its underpinnings, has more class in its two front wheels alone than the hyundai ever will....

Not to mention how aganisingly pretty it is (esp the 3 door model in red/black with the 16" alloys imo) there's nothing that comes close.

did anyone see clarkson reviewing the 147 gta last sunday? he spent the most part of 15 minutes saying how awful it was to drive & how the whole thing would probably fall apart after 5mins, but at the end of the day, he still wanted one. And it wasn't just clarkson who was smitten, so were all the other presenters, and if given the choice between a focus rs, golf r32 and the 147 gta, it'd be the 147 they'd all go for.

it's quite a car that can have that effect on three different people, it's something that only a few car manufacturers can do, Alfa is one of them, Hyundai is not.

i don't think its something however some people get & the fact that i have to explain leads me to believe you are one of these people So go ahead, buy the Hyundai, enjoy your 5 year warranty & your automatic gearbox, but every now and then, when you spy a 147 gliding past, know you're missing out on something very, very special.

Gmodified

, know you're missing out on something very, very special

Yeah, you definitely will be missing this continuous service and frequent visits to garage which come standard with ALFA

Praetorian

My neighbour has that Hyundai model. It's actually a fairly nippy car. It would beat my m8's 2.5 litre Beamer (with turbo) 0-60 no problem. I think it's quite light though. However, I wouldn't be sure about its road holding compared to the beamer.

kdevitt

The fastest Hyundai Coupe (the 2.7 V6) is a relatively sluggish 8.2 secs 0-60 (sluggish for a 2.7 litre anyway), the 2 litre is well over 9 secs

The old 325i BMW (E30 -1983 - 1991) does it in slightly over 7 seconds, the E36, 1991 - 1999, and E46 ,1991 - present, does in in little over 7.5 seconds...

The Hyundai won't come close in any comparision - handling, build, acceleration... and if your mates 325i has a turbo theres going to be even more distance in between them... unless its a diesel of course?? Or hes telling the porky pies and its actually a 316i badged up as a 325i???

mickey_t

What about a Lexus IS200?? Its a fairly classy car.
Its a good alrounder and has the reliability too. As for Beemers, I think they're a bit over rated. Got a spin in a '02 320 and there was very little poke in it. Maybe you'd have to go for a 325 if you were going for any of them! As for the Hyundai - I don't know - its probably a decent car but €30k is a lot to spend on it...

herbie747

Originally posted by mike65
Is that the one that looks like a Ferrari wannabe?
Well its kinda cool for a Far Eastern car but I'd feel like I should be wearing a gold medalion and an Elvis wig if I were in one...:ninja:

So true. When I see someone driving one, it's like they're saying "I wish I had a real sports car".

Just like when I see someone driving a Polo, it says to me: "I wish I had a Golf".

Look and this heap of crap:


Now that's real wannabe-cool car.
People who drive 80's BMW's need to realise that it doesn't make you cool just because it says BMW on it. Everyone knows you can pick one up for €500 in Buy & Sell. The design looks so dated too- but I guess they can still say to people that they drive a beamer even if it is a 20 year old banger.

kdevitt

The fact that the M3 in the picture above is one of the best handling and performing cars ever put into production is obviously lost on you...

:rolleyes:

If you can find one for less than €10K over here please let me know...

ColinM

... doesn't exist yet, but if it did, I'm afraid it would definitely list the Hyundai Coupé in the "naff" section. It really doesn't matter that the current model is less ugly than the previous model. The fact is, Hyundai is not a marque that inspires awe or admiration. The Hyundai Coupé is a "Rolox Watch" of the car market - a cheap immitation. Ferrari, Lancia and Alfa Romeo are names synonymous with effortless style and panache, excitement, luxury and class. It doesn't matter that FIAT owns or owned them - they have a pedigree and racing history that easily distinguishes them from marques such as Hyundai, and make notions like corporate structure merely incidental.

Having said that, I don't like the styling of the Alfa 147. I think the styling is pandering to the mass-market Peugeot 206/Ford Focus/Civic hatchback design trend.

I've always admired the 406 Coupé - clean and unfussy classical lines. Designed by the Italian design house Pininfarina, and it shows!

Oh yeah - and if you're going to buy a sports car - for the love of god - don't buy one with an automatic gearbox!

Hellrazer

Been watching this thread for a few weeks now and working for Hyundai for 2.5 years now I have to say that the coupe is a "love it or hate it car"
The new model in my opinion is a cash in/copy of the Celica...............But............. for reliability you cant go wrong---these things give no problems whatsoever.And if I was buying one Id stick with the 2.0l version(purely down to running costs) put a Nice body kit on it,18-19 inch alloys get it turboed and super chipped,and get the rev limiter taken off.
Then performance wise it goes through the roof.We have one customer who has done all the above and his 0-60 is somewhere around 4-5 seconds with a top speed of 140+.
And what else do you want for €35000 including all the above.Based on car being around 29000 with the kit already fitted and another 6000 to get it chipped,turboed etc.
The 2.7 is the way to go and if its a company car Id definately recommend one since you are not paying insurance/petrol costs.The auto one is a great drive and fairly nippy for an automatic.
Hyundai are up and coming in Europe and this year alone they are fifth in new car sales to date.The Santa Fe(Jeep) is the biggest selling SUV in Ireland and The US.

herbie747

Originally posted by kdevitt
The fact that the M3 in the picture above is one of the best handling and performing cars ever put into production is obviously lost on you...

:rolleyes:

If you can find one for less than €10K over here please let me know...

The fact that the "M3" is a dated looking, box-shaped, out of style, overpriced, wanna-be-cool mobile is obviously lost on you...

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by herbie747
The fact that the "M3" is a dated looking, box-shaped, out of style, overpriced, wanna-be-cool mobile is obviously lost on you...

Given that I first mentioned the M3, may I ask what type of car you drive?

kdevitt

herbie - you're an idiot

mike65

Originally posted by herbie747
The fact that the "M3" is a dated looking, box-shaped, out of style, overpriced, wanna-be-cool mobile is obviously lost on you...

Herbie you may agree with me on the Hyundai but I can't agree with you on the E30 BMW which was the last great 3 series
and which I nearly bought into (only a 2 litre, mind) I just could'nt find the right mix of quality and price not to mention location but thats another thread....anyway back to the main plot, MadsL
have you tested the coupe yet?

Mike.

herbie747

To be honest, I haven't got a clue about the M3. Never heard of it until now.

Originally posted by kbannon
Given that I first mentioned the M3, may I ask what type of car you drive?

I drive a Mazda Xedos 6, 2.0 V6, '97.

spuddy

Originally posted by Gmodified
Yeah, you definitely will be missing this continuous service and frequent visits to garage which come standard with ALFA

..but so what? the point of my last post was that despite all its failings, the Alfa 147 has that certain cachet, that heart-over-head effect which no Hyundai could ever come close to mathching. Besides, those visits to the garage will be less frequent with a good mechanic. gerry campbell from ti autos on cowper st, dublin is excellent, he's been servicing alfas for the past thirty years so there's not much he doesn't know about them at this stage.

Chimaera

The E30 M3 was a bit special alright - 238bhp from a naturally aspirated 2.0 4-pot engine. Funked up suspension to match then. Quite quick too, being much lighter than the current E46 M3.

the Alfa 147 has that certain cachet, that heart-over-head effect

No it doesn't - it's downright ugly at the front, and the back is only ok. The Hyundai may be a hyundai, but it's a pretty shape, especially in darker colours, and handles quite well. What more could you want from a budget sportscar?

People seem to give Alfa's a great deal of leeway because it's an evocative marque, and once did make great cars; but that was the 60's, and between then and now, they've gone a long way downhill, and are only starting to climb back up again. When Alfa Romeos start winning group tests regularly and develop a reputation for reliability, then I might change my opinion of them, but until then, they don't rate any high than hyundai in my book.

spuddy

Originally posted by Chimaera
..they don't rate any high than hyundai in my book.

thats your opinion of course and you're perfectly entitled to it, i however will stay on the 147's side as in my opinion Alfa Romeo is in a class of its own

kdevitt

I've heard horror stories about the Alfa 156 from several people I know who owned them (past tense!!), but the 147 has aparently shaken off the niggly problems Alfas suffer from...

Its a nice car - especially the GTA version, although one gripe I'd have is that it looks too much like a Fiat Bravo...

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by herbie747
To be honest, I haven't got a clue about the M3. Never heard of it until now.

How can you participate in a discussion where someone wants a sporty car (or a hyundai coupe ) if you never heard about the M3?
The original M3 which has already been discussed was / is an excellent sports car - designed for the track and was the track equivalent of the Impreza Turbo in terms of race performance!
Furthermore, the E30 (the 'dated looking, box-shaped, out of style, overpriced, wanna-be-cool shape'!) is still desired (yes you may find some in Buy & Sell for nowt but you also see some in Autotrader for €8K (and Im not talking about the M3).
They are a cult car with a huge following globally which will last for years. Since I bought my car (a 320i SE) about 3 years ago i have been asked to sell it about 5 times - how many times has that happened you?
K.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by kdevitt
herbie - you're an idiot

For gawds sake the M3 is a motoring icon, a legend. Its boxy because everything was boxy then. Get a grip will ya!

The lastest Hyundai couple is a nice car. By all accounts (including the man tiff himself) its a tidy handling car with decent go. I don't see how it would see which way a 2.5 bmeer went unless the bmeer was sick though. The Hyundai doesn't inspire passion for me though. The first two versions are pig ugly though. :eek:

The Alfa 147 isn't a coupe, so why compare it to the Hyundai? That makes no sense. Its a lovely car to look at. Which is just aswell because you'll be looking at it (not moving) a lot.

The 406 is nice. Not worlds best handling car but decent all rounder. The diesel makes a great tourer. Ronan Keating has one so it will never be cool again though

Personally though they quite common the BMW coupes are the best. Handling is superb and with the right wheels and colours it can look fantastic. Bit pricy though. Theres a diesel one now too the 330d. ww)

herbie747

Originally posted by kbannon
How can you participate in a discussion where someone wants a sporty car (or a hyundai coupe ) if you never heard about the M3?
The original M3 which has already been discussed was / is an excellent sports car - designed for the track and was the track equivalent of the Impreza Turbo in terms of race performance!
Furthermore, the E30 (the 'dated looking, box-shaped, out of style, overpriced, wanna-be-cool shape'!) is still desired (yes you may find some in Buy & Sell for nowt but you also see some in Autotrader for €8K (and Im not talking about the M3).
They are a cult car with a huge following globally which will last for years. Since I bought my car (a 320i SE) about 3 years ago i have been asked to sell it about 5 times - how many times has that happened you?
K.

But your car looks really out of style too! And she ain't no M3. It's 14 years old- I'd say the interior is a real eyesore. Sorry but old cars do nothing for me. The newer ones are better in appearance and design, better engine technology and performance, etc!

Do people just approach you on the street and ask to buy your car? Maybe they're taking the piss.
You can pick up a '93 320i SE in Buy & Sell for €4000, so why don't they just get and '89 themselves for €1000?

Buy & Sell
"BMW 320i '88. Red, taxed 8/03, NCT 6/04, driving like new, Price: €1,000 Contact: 087-6624485.
Web"