Faults:
Radio shorted out in the dash and blew out all of the fuses for the dash lights at 25 miles. Dealer replaced all of the fuses, but could not replicate the problem. Two weeks later and another 40 or so miles; it happened again. I took it to Best Buy, and they showed me that the ground wire had been improperly placed, and would continue blowing fuses. Replaced with an after market head unit, and it hasn't happened again.
3,500 - Window cranks on both windows broke off; dealer replaced under the bumper to bumper warranty.
4,000 - Hydraulic lifts for the hatch leaked and would no longer hold it open. Replaced under the bumper to bumper warranty.
7,000 - Coil pack failed, causing the engine to misfire; dealer replaced all of the coil packs on a TSB.
8,000 - Windshield wiper bolt sheared off on passenger side; replaced under warranty.
14,000 - Synchros in the transmission failed, causing it to pop out of reverse while trying to back up. Hyundai America informed me that I had voided my warranty and it would be out of pocket. This was the last time I brought my vehicle to the dealer. My friends and I have done all maintenance since.
25,000 - Noted that it was burning a quart of oil between changes.
30,000 - Sway bar linkages failed.
50,000 - Noted the car is burning 2 quarts every 1,000 miles.
55,000 - Intake manifold gasket/O-rings replaced, and fixed an oil leak.
60,000 - All brakes replaced (first brake job on the car).
70,000 - Synchros failed again, had an independent mechanic look at it. The fly wheel fitted to the car is too light for the transmission and gets too hot, causing it to melt (plastic!?). Replaced the entire unit with aftermarket parts (stage 2 clutch, heavier flywheel, etc.)
80,000 - The car was hit by a truck on the front end, causing over $5000 worth of damage by putting a small dent in the hood, breaking the bumper cover, both headlights, and cracking the motor mount/radiator. Fixed all the issues in my garage for $850, and am still driving it with the marked title.
General Comments:
Honestly, I didn't know what I was going to think of this little beast when I got it... It was ugly as all hell compared to some of the cars that I had considered, and TINY. But I was quite surprised to find that over the years, I have become very fond of my little car (I even named her).
It's had it's fair share of little bugs, but nothing that I haven't taken care of, I have just found over the years that you need to put up with the little crap, because that's what the dealer charges the most for!
All of the work (minus the gaskets and synchros) has been completely scheduled.
It most certainly will not earn cool points, it won't go much faster than 80mph (and even that is pushing it), and I would never have more than 2 people in it at a time, but I typically get about 36mpg on the highway, and you absolutely cannot argue with that in today's economy! The 5-speed (up until the rebuild) is kinda clunky, and is not nearly as precise as it could be, but if you are good enough at driving a standard, it shouldn't give you any problems.
In my opinion, you couldn't find a cheaper, more reliable car for $8,000 new, unless it was still 1972. I cannot wait to buy the new 5-door model that just came out later this year! I will be handing this car off to my little nephew!
