I had always heard they were somewhat junky and unsafe? http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Hyundai_Elantra/2011/ (title edit: hyundais - fwiw )
I bought an Elantra about 10 year or so ago, and still drive it, never had any problems with it at all.
America's best warranty, great bang for the buck, lots of safety features... http://www.hyundaiusa.com/research-tools/reviews-awards.aspx The uber-comfy Azera competes well with cars costing $20,000 more. For basic transport, the Accent beats anything made and can be had for around $7,000 new.
They are just nice damn cars and generally well built. I love working on them, gaps are nice and the fit and finish is generally good. Well built cars.
Guy I worked with is one of those guys that researches every purchase he makes and last spring sold his BMW 5 series and bought a Azera or whatever they are called. All he could talk about was the warranty this and that......... had it 2 weeks and sold it! I respect the guy, cause he is a genius in the field we work in, but I warned him that it wasn't a German luxary sedan he was used to. Said it just had that "cheap" feeling.
They are much better cars than they used to be, but that's not saying much. Why do you think they have these elusive 10yr/100k offers? You wouldn't think about purchasing a Hyundai otherwise, unless you're looking for something new and cheap.
I'd only buy the Elentra if it was $3k less than a comprable Honda Civic. Probably handles the value of any repairs in a worse case scenario.
Tell you what. 90% of Hondas and Toyotas get 300,000 miles with routine maintenance. Hyundais get about 90-120,000 miles. When they start routinely getting 300,000 call me and maybe then I'd buy one. Crap cars.
