My roomate bought his 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT used last year when his slow-dying VW Jetta stopped dying so slowly. He drove it off the lot with 22k on the clock, all the while the poor Jetta was spewing coolant on the dealer's lot.

My roomate isn't a car guy, I am. He originally wanted a Honda Civic, but he has a hard time saying no when salesmen start throwing numbers around. The silver lining was he at least bought the newer style Tiburon, which I've always thought looked great, despite the 'chick car' reputation. As I mentioned before, he picked up the GT with the V6 and the automatic transmission. I would have hoped for the manual, but from what I've read about the cars (after the fact), it seem the clutches don't last very long or hold up to any sort of abuse.

Style
I've got to say, this is a great looking car. Before it came out, seeing pictures on the internet, I was very impressed (not-so-subtly mimicks a lot of Toyota Supra styling). I can’t say the same for the previous generation Tiburon. Bug-eyed and ugly is one (nice) way of putting it.

The interior is nice in itself, very clean, somewhat classy, and uncomplicated. The feel isn't quite as nice as the look. The seats probably aren't real leather, all the controls are plasticy, but it does work well. This is an economy car, after all.

Passenger’s Impression
The first time I rode in this car I still remember just how impressed I was. Being a car guy, I’m immediately critical and weary of the Korean cars. They always offer what seems like terrific value, but early reports of cheap quality and reliability always seemed to do them in. I wasn’t sure what I was in for, but I couldn’t have been more impressed.

First of all, the tranny is silky smooth. I was fully expecting the typical clunky/jerky automatic transmissions found in economy cars. Not here! Even full-throttle shifts are smooth as butter.

The car isn’t overly quick (180hp from a V6 isn’t much to brag about these days), but it gets the job done. You would think it has to be fast for as much fuel as it burns, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. My roommate drives a lot, sometimes hundreds of miles a day, and he won’t get much better than 26mpg on the highway. Granted, he isn’t the world’s best or efficient driver, but it should still be better than that.

The ride is quite good, the suspension does a good job at soaking up the bumps of our famous PA roads. The cabin noise also stays pretty quiet on the highway.

One word for adults in the back seat: No! I'm short at only 5'8" and I have to contort my neck to get my head off of the rear glass. A few longer trips in the back of this thing were more than enough for me, thanks.

My turn behind the wheel
A few weeks ago I had to drive the car back to the apartment for him. I immediately noticed the gauges looked a bit cheap, but like I said, it’s a cheap car. The steering wheel was thick and surprisingly small, going for a sporty feel. The steering was weighted well, to give the car a substantial and planted feel. I can’t comment on any spirited driving because I’m not one to abuse another person’s car without their permission.

Again, I was very impressed with the transmission. One thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the extremely touchy gas pedal, especially from a stop. There was no real way to ‘ease’ away from a stop, which would be very annoying for a grandpa-driver like myself.

My apologies, Korea
After being around this car for nearly a year my “disposable car” jokes about Hyundai have started to subside (other than to annoy my roommate). They may still not be up to par with Honda, Toyota, Mazda and the others from that side of the globe, but they’re catching up fast.

From a reliability standpoint the car has been very good. He had the driver-side power window motor replaced, as well as a wheel bearing (after a small accident), both under warranty. He’s probably racked about 25k on it this year aside from sucking up gas like no tomorrow, it’s been a great car. Kudos to Korea and Hyundai, I think their new offerings (Sonota) are better yet.
Amount Paid (US$): 16000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: GT, Automatic