Faults:

Gearbox started to whine at 135K.

Exhaust fell off, mid section.

Oil and coolant leaks.

Radiator replaced.

Major rust in its final years.

General Comments:

A very reliable and comfortable car for the money, this budget sedan done me well for many years. I bought it used in 1996 for little cash.

Not a very common sight on the road, the Stellar was Hyundai's attempt at a large family car, and it was not bad. Apparently based on an old Ford Cortina. I rather liked its boxy look. As 1980's as it gets.

GSL was a good trim level for its time (electric windows) but it did not have power steering, I believe this was only available on the 2.0 models. It was very heavy to turn when parking, the only thing ruining an otherwise OK driving experience and comfortable car.

Nothing special to drive, but the 1.6 petrol had just about enough power with the 5 speed box. I never calculated the miles per gallon accurately, but it must have been doing around 30 mpg or a little more, acceptable for its time. I kept it serviced on time.

Most of the problems I had were due to age and miles, it never left me stranded by the side of the road. A rare, unloved but reliable cheap car typical of its time. I have not seen one on the roads in over 20 years, there cannot be many left here in the UK. Not exactly a collectors item, but I would love one again for nostalgia.

Faults:

Since the car had sat for several years mice had gotten into some of the wiring harnesses and some needed to be rebuilt.

Rear wheel cylinders were shot and leaky.

Starter died but was easily rebuilt.

The switch for the fan had broken so it was either going full blast or not at all.

General Comments:

When I first saw the car at a local grocery store add I thought that it would be a cheap car to buy and drive. I had no idea that stellars were rear wheel drive. as soon as I saw the car myself I absolutely fell in love with it.

It was incredibly clean and in near perfect condition, and had so few miles.

Despite the slight lack of comfort and performance the car was so much fun to drive in the winter. It would slide around snow covered roads with just quick shot of gas in second gear.

Other than a few minor problems the car was very reliable, and very efficient on gas, as well as the small amount of oil it burned.

Being my first car and a standard I just loved driving it every where, even out on country roads, it would just stick to the gravel at 130+ with nothing more than 4 all season tires on it.

Faults:

Got the car for FREE from a nice lady up the street (after I chased her down to her house while going for a walk with my g/f - I'm a Hyundai fan!) Her father had given it to her (an older man) because he couldn't drive it anymore (too old I guess) She said she would sell it to me when she's done. I got it for free 4 months ago, but:

-The pads were wearing into the rotors

-front bearings were, well, dry at best

-It ran on two cylinders

-It burned (and continues to burn) oil

-One tie rod and ball joint were totally shot, as well as one strut was blown

-rear oil seal caused the drum to be lubricated, negating it's functionality.

Not a problem, pads and rotors were sourced cheap, as well as bearings. Seal was cheap to fix too. I replaced both tie rods and ball joints myself (also not too expensive) and was lucky enough to have two good condition shocks from a parts stellar I owned when I was 18. After a cap and rotor and plug wires, the engine purred to life.

Other major problems that surfaced over time:

-Trans output seal failure, due to center bearing failure. This was the single most expensive thing to fix ($200 + $50 labour) While I was at it, I drained the ATF and cleaned the strainer. Works marvelously now and doesn't leak any ATF.

General Comments:

Once I fixed all the (obviously neglected) items, the car runs very well.

I love this car. Fully loaded power everything (full instrumentation too) I took it to NYC (Long Island, from Toronto) and it cruises along at 130 KM/h no problem. The lumbar support (adjustable) is somewhat painful on the max setting, but if you remove it to the lowest setting it's OK. The car is in VERY good condition with little rust (front of hood has two almost-holes, and bottom of door corner is slowly starting to go, but will take years if untreated) It's rustproofed now anyways.

The 4G63 is not as potent as it is in a Talon, but it pulls OK. It's a heavy car, so the engine could have been larger (the 4G64 or a G54B would have been nice) - also not the greatest fuel consumption... get about 400, 450 K to a 50L tank. Pony gets 500-600 on a 45L tank.

No complaints, love it. So far I paid $800 in parts and spares, and if I take care of it, I'm aiming to get 5 years out of it!