Faults:

No problems at all, only maintenance items.

General Comments:

Prior to this car, I had a 2001 model that I drove for about 8 years, that had zero issues outside of normal maintenance after about 80k miles, so when I finally decided it was time to let that one go, I certainly had no qualms about another Hyundai. I test drove several vehicles at a local CarMax in 2009, originally not really thinking about another Tiburon, but I settled on a silver 2008 GT Limited with about 20 (not 20k) miles on the clock because I enjoyed the vehicle well enough, and it was very attractively priced considering the trim and non-existent miles.

Interior -

The interior of the car is competitive for its class of "slightly nicer than a basic econobox sporty coupes" - a definite upgrade from the previous "RD" model I had, and (personally) I think it is nicer than the 03 - 06 GK models as well, although tastes will vary. The older models had red accent lights, etc. where the 07 - 08s go for blue instead. The cabin is a very clean design of black with some well placed silver accents, although the roof liner is tan, which spoils things a little bit. The "Limited" model included red leather seats, which are an acquired taste, but in my opinion go well with the car. My model also had a sunroof, and it was a welcome addition that never leaked or failed to operate.

Over the five years I had the car, my biggest complaint about the car is how hard the leather seats wore - cracking, discoloring, etc. I take VERY good care of my vehicles, clean them obsessively (but gently with leather..) , etc. and these things looked 20 years old when I got rid of it. Apart from that, no real issues, but if I kept the thing much longer, I would have looked into Katzkin covers or something for the seats.

Lastly, the car has a TON of space for cargo with the rear seats folded down, but is definitely not a people mover - adult sized humans will NOT want to sit in the back seat for any period of time.

Exterior -

The exterior is the real selling point of this car - it is definitely a looker, and in my opinion the 07-08 FL/2 body style is the strongest design of the GK models from 2003 on, before the car was discontinued. The GT wheels, dual exhausts, revamped headlights and taillights, etc. all look great and flow very well. The car attracted a lot of attention, and I would get questions about it constantly since they aren't especially common, at least around here.

Performance -

The 2.7L is definitely under-powered, but not horribly so, and it is reasonably fun to drive, even with an automatic. The transmission was always relatively smooth, and does feature a manual shift mode that was occasionally entertaining, but mostly unused in my case. The car feels pretty nose heavy and the turning radius isn't great, but handles well overall as long as you are expecting a "sporty" car and not a sports car. I averaged about 22 MPG combined, which was disappointing, but not at all unexpected. The 2.0 model isn't much better on gas, so I don't feel like I made the wrong choice there. It handled decently in heavily snowed over roads with snow tires, but was always a little unpredictable compared to my previous vehicles.

Reliability -

Like my previous Tiburon, my 2008 had zero issues apart from typical maintenance items. Beware timing belt maintenance and plugs/wires around the 60k miles mark, as it is the only particularly expensive maintenance item you will encounter, and if you are purchasing one around that mileage, you would be well served to negotiate a healthy discount or have this performed prior to purchase.

Faults:

The trunk release didn't work when I bought the car.

Got terrible gas mileage for a car of its size. I mean for a little 4 banger, it pumped out only 138hp.

The thing only got 20 in the city and like 27 on the highway.

General Comments:

I bought this car, after finally explaining to my parents that the s**t box Mazda Protege they bought me, was making me want to drive it into a lake.

Now just as a little back story, I always loved cars growing up. More importantly, American cars and muscle cars, and I know enough to pick myself out a car I would like.

But my mom ended up calling our next door neighbor, who's a car salesman, and made him look for a car for me.

A couple months later, we get a call that he found something, and what is it but a 2008 Hyundai Tiburon GS red with a sunroof. I saw it and said, "hey I used one of these cars in need for speed." After taking it for a ride, I thought it was alright, but my mom apparently fell in love with it, and started saying we have a deal.

On the way over to the sales office, I caught a glimpse of a BEAUTIFUL 2003 Cadillac Deville with a brown canvas top. I stopped over to see it, and immediately fell in love with it. However my mom took one look at it, and said "It's an old mans car, NO!".

The first couple months I had it were good. It got me from A to B. But being six foot one, the car's comfort factor started to concern me. I had to take two other kids to school with me everyday, and honestly if I had to shut the rear hatch, I would tell the passenger in the back to duck.

Driving this car for long distances and short distances, is terrible; being 19 years old and complaining that my back is hurting, is not good.

To sum up the car in the performance department; it's a sheep in wolves clothing. It looks like it can go fast, and even looks like it's going fast standing still, but if you floor it, you're going to be disappointed.

After a year of owning this car, I'd had enough. Me and my dad took the car without my mom knowing, and traded it in on a 2002 Cadillac Deville. Let's just say my mom wasn't too thrilled seeing me come home. On the bright side though, I did walk out of the dealership with 1500 bucks in my pocket.