And the Winner is..... (drum roll please)

[jww]

Today we signed the deal for our new car. It's been a blast shopping and even more fun negotiating the final deal (although my wife would disagree with me on that one).

We decided on the Hyundai Sonata GLS Premium which is a far cry from some of the vehicles we had been looking at. Why Hyundai you might ask. Well - after getting pulled deep down into the well of all the new cars on the market and wanting to test drive as many as I could, - we finally took the advice that we always see on these and similar boards. That is make a detailed and complete list of needs and wants as well as a detailed budget target. After having done that together, my wife and I decided to take out a Sonata the other day and both really loved it. That's right - we didn't just like it, we really loved the way it drove, how it handled and the ride.

Anyway - by the end of working it through we ended up with invoice +750 with PDI waived (another 1300 savings). There must be a good factory to dealer incentive program going right now. We chose the Crystal Silver, although perferred the interior of the deep maroon (Cinamon in Hyundai-speak) but not the exterior.

We also grabbed a block heater and hood deflector at cost.

In the end we purchased rather than leased. Just felt it was the right decision this time. We have leased the past 3 or 4 vehicles but I wanted to see a light at the end of the tunnel this time instead of facing car payments for the rest of my days :)

If you live in the Ottawa Valley and are considering Hyundai, make the trip to the Ottawa Auto Mall on Youville Drive in Orleans. We dealt with Mona as our sales rep, but it was Shelly Brown who really worked the deal with us. Shelly was fabulous, and nothing short of professional, with just the right amount of friendliness. I hope their service is as friendly as our sales experience has been. Best car purchase experience ever.

jww

[era174]

...

[jww]

congrats on your new sonata, jww!

How much is the invoice price?

Sounds like a pretty good deal (better thatn Hyundai USA's official $2,000 rebate).

(I asked the same question on cartalkcanada.com).
I was shown the Invoice on our car. It was 26733. This is right inline with my number from CyberCars.ca. If you want the report, post a message to me and I'll forward it to you.

I notice alot of people having to pay MSRP still. If you are serious, offer to take one out of dealer inventory - that might make all the difference to a good deal. We chose the Crystal Silver which has a blueish tint to it under certain lighting conditions. We actually prefer the beige interior treatment with the faux wood trim but didn't really like the cinamon exterior (deep dark metallic maroon) as it will always look dirty and will be more prone to fade over time (maroons and reds are notorious for that - even with clear-coat treatments and waxing).

Oh and btw - don't let anyone tell you that the 06 Sonata is an accordion in an accident. It actually has 5-star ratings from NHSTA for all but rollover - and that rating is only just a decimal place under 5-star. The 01-05 was 4-star.

jww

[era174]

...

[The General]

jww,

You have made a very sensible choice and I doubt that you will regret it. Keep us posted with occasional updates on your new ride.

Congrats.

[jww]

Congrats once more!

You made a super duper great deal indeed!

One of my friends is very interested in the Sonata (GLS Premium), but he complained his dealer's discount offer was not what he expected (just $1,000 and no PDI waiver). He would sign a new deal if it's close to your deal.

Could you send me the report? (I sent a message to you using this forum's message tool. I'm not sure that's what you told me to do.).

Done. Check you messages for the info.

jww

[stodge]

Sent you a message.

[jww]

Sent you a message.
I have responded. ...jww

[jww]

I brought home our new Sonata GLS Premium this afternoon. What a gem. We all know about the safety kit and class leading size, but I also have found some standard features that Hyundai are silent about in their literature.

1. A full trip computer including distance to empty, average speed, mileage, driving timer. I had this on the Altima - and you get used to relying on this information to adjust your driving habits (especially the live mileage reading).

2. Exterior temperature gauge included in the climate control LCD screen. Again - the Altima had this and we really appreciated it.

3. Forward adjustable headrests on the front seats. This makes for reduced driver's fatigue when your head is resting against the headrest on a long trip for a minute or two (just don't fall asleep :wink:).

4. Extra cubby-bin on the left hand side of the lower dash on the driver's side. I have always needed a place to drop loose change collected from parking - this is the place.

The first 3 are items that are not usually found in all cars, but often in full-trim vehicles. All 4 were a wonderfully pleasant surprise.

I think the thing that impressed me most was the way all the pieces fit together so niceley. Even the door panels lined up perfectly with the dash lines. This was one of my biggest beefs with our Altima. In fact, even after all the bad press Nissan had about the interior of the 02 Altima, you can still find fit and finish problems in 06 models. The headrest adjustment was something I have wanted for a long time. One of our older Volvos had it and we really liked that feature alot.

All the pictures show the headlights are projector beam halogens, but Hyundai doesn't really leverage how much nicer they are than reflector units. Brighter for the driver, but less glare for on-coming traffic.

So far, not a thing wrong with it. I love the way the trunk closes - you bring it down to about 30% closed with a grab handle on the inside, and it closes the rest of the way on it's own.

The one thing I would have appreciated would have been an engine immobilizer. The US models have them, why not in Canada??

I know that Hyundai are targetting the Azera as it's luxury sedan, but the GLS Premium is as entry level luxo as I have seen. BTW - the interior sound levels rival that of Lexus - Hyundai have really come up with a remarkable winner here.

Anyway - I'll start a thread on performance, driving and reliability updates in 2-4 weeks to let you all know how it goes.

jww

[amorak]

POST PICTURES!! 8) 8) :lol: 8) 8)

[jww]

POST PICTURES!! 8) 8) :lol: 8) 8)
Too much snow today - yesterday was too grey. Looking for a good day when it's clean :)

jww

[SyChO]

Hiya,

My friend leased one of those bad boys before summer and his is fully loaded with everything except for leather.

I must say, it is one sweet ride. You pay the price of a loaded Corolla and get a loaded Camry instead.

Very good decision. My dad is actually checking that car out (he swears to Toyota).

Enjoy!

[stodge]

Keep us posted on fuel consumption figures! :)

[jww]

Keep us posted on fuel consumption figures! :)
Current fuel consumption (as reported by the computer) is 12.0l/100km. Not too bad for a brand new 6 cylinder running in winter with accessories on (heated seats, heaters, defrosters, etc.).

jww

[Al 1959]

Keep us posted on fuel consumption figures! :)
Current fuel consumption (as reported by the computer) is 12.0l/100km. Not too bad for a brand new 6 cylinder running in winter with accessories on (heated seats, heaters, defrosters, etc.).

jww

12.0L/100 kms, is it a bit high for a Sonata? :shock:

I do better with my 06 4Runner with the 4L V6, average 10.5L/100 kms driving close to the speed limit and 85% on hwy... (same verified when filled up).

Just wondering... but great buy you made!!! :thumb:

[jww]

12.0L/100 kms, is it a bit high for a Sonata? :shock:

I do better with my 06 4Runner with the 4L V6, average 10.5L/100 kms driving close to the speed limit and 85% on hwy... (same verified when filled up).

Just wondering... but great buy you made!!! :thumb:

It's only a week old 06, and we run with heated seats on most of the time as well. I expect that it will settle down over time, but am not necessarily disappointed at this stage of the game. The number I am citing above is combined, and 90% of the driving so far has been running around Ottawa - no lengthy highway drives yet.

jww

[VolksWatch]

The Sonata is a nice car but I wonder how refined it truly is.

jww, please post some pics!

Stefan
Editor, http://www.VolksWatch.com

[jww]

With the cruddy weather lately, I have only been able to get one decent shot.

You can see it here:
http://www.cartalkcanada.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=42939.0;id=2517;im age

jww

[The General]

The Sonata is a nice car but I wonder how refined it truly is.

If you consider what you get for $30,000 in a Passat and what $30,000 will get you in the Sonata line-up, the Passat is at a clear disadvantage. The Sonata has leather, a sunroof, 17" alloys and power heated seats as well as a 235 hp V6. The Passat will get you hubcaps, cloth...

Granted, the Passat drives nicer and the 2.0T is great. Problem is that for most people, spending $2,000 more to get less content and less warranty is hard to swallow.

I like the Passat but I'm not prepared to say that the car is superior...

[VolksWatch]

I agree that the Hyundai trumps both the Passat and Jetta for bang for the buck. But I'm not convinced that the Hyundai's engineering, road manners, quality of materials, details and overall refinement are at the level of Volkswagen.

The Sonata's 235 horsepower out of 3.3 liters are a bit on the weak side.

But I'm sure jww will be quite content with the Sonata. It is indeed a handsome package and a great value.

Stefan
Editor, http://www.VolksWatch.com

[jww]

To me, refinement in a car is very subjective. If we mean quiet, good road manners, easy to get in and out of, and comfortable, then virtually every new car would fit this description. Some would include use of space - not whether the car is big inside and out but rather how it uses it's available space.

To me refinement is about the entire package, (drive, comfort, features, etc.) and how it matches up against it's target market. The Sonata is aimed at the mid-size family sedan market providing good (not great nor excellent) "driveability" and very high levels of safety. It does all this very well indeed. It's not a Lexus, but neither is it a Camry, Accord, Malibu, etc. Given this, I find it a very refined vehicle. It doesn't do everything with excellence, but it does do everything very well, which, when you mix in the price point, is virtually impossible to beat.

I wouldn't expect everyone to feel the same, and it's always valuable to see differing views and opinions.

jww

[pogs]

congrats on your new sonata, jww!

How much is the invoice price?

Sounds like a pretty good deal (better thatn Hyundai USA's official $2,000 rebate).

(I asked the same question on cartalkcanada.com).
I was shown the Invoice on our car. It was 26733. This is right inline with my number from CyberCars.ca. If you want the report, post a message to me and I'll forward it to you.

I notice alot of people having to pay MSRP still. If you are serious, offer to take one out of dealer inventory - that might make all the difference to a good deal. We chose the Crystal Silver which has a blueish tint to it under certain lighting conditions. We actually prefer the beige interior treatment with the faux wood trim but didn't really like the cinamon exterior (deep dark metallic maroon) as it will always look dirty and will be more prone to fade over time (maroons and reds are notorious for that - even with clear-coat treatments and waxing).

Oh and btw - don't let anyone tell you that the 06 Sonata is an accordion in an accident. It actually has 5-star ratings from NHSTA for all but rollover - and that rating is only just a decimal place under 5-star. The 01-05 was 4-star.

jww

What is cybercars? I have never heard of them. I have used APA in the past. They charge a fee. How come Cybercars.com is free? Why do you need to download their software?

In this day and age, I am not too crazy about downloading software from sites, that I haven't heard of.

Does anyone have anyone else have experience with Cybercars.com?

Just being cautious.

Thanks,
pogs :roll:

[jww]

Note that the link is www.cybercars.ca - not com.

No software download required.

I believe that they are free because they run a brokerage service - presumably receiving kick-backs from dealers for easy business.

jww

[pogs]

My bad,

I failed to read info on the website. I sent off a request for a CRV.

I'll let you know what I find.

cheers,
pogs

[jww]

My bad,

I failed to read info on the website. I sent off a request for a CRV.

I'll let you know what I find.

cheers,
pogs
You should get your report within a couple of hours. One of my inquiries took a day, but I think they had a service outage that caused a break in communication.

jww

[pogs]

So how did you approach the salesman? Did you show him the quote you got from Cybercars? I know that there are three major charges that you have to deal with. They are the price of the vehicle, admin fee and the frieght and pdi. So if I can haggle the price down on the vehicle, how can I get a discount on the frieght and pdi and the admin fee. The admin fee in my opinion is a money grab. Every dealership charges a different fee and they will only explain the details in generalities. However, bargaining over the freight and pdi, must take some great skill or luck.


I am looking at the CRV or Forester, so I am not expecting much budging on the extra fees.

One other question. When you get a dealer invoice quote from these services, I am assuming that it doesn't include the admin fee?

Thanks,
pogs

[jww]

The PDI discount, I think was a bit of luck. When they did up the deal, they used the dealer destination fee which is what is shown on the cybercars.ca report. I did show them the cybercars report, and that opened up the discussion where they were prepared to show me their invoice. What is not clear to me is how much the factory to dealer incentive on the car is/was. Hyundai US was showing up to $3K dealer incentives on Sonatas - and although I never was able to nail down what it was in Canada, there clearly was something there as the dealer didn't haggle at all with the concept of invoice plus cost. In fact, I suggested I would be prepared to payinvoice plus $500-$1000 and they simply came back with invoice + $700. That was acceptable to me. I took this as an indication that they were getting something from Hyundai.

The admin fee, I simply said I wouldn't pay it. We did haggle a bit, but what I did was in the end agreed for them to show the admin fee, but it came out in the front end of the price, so the end price showed a bit more. Also - I opted to take the dealer financing which they directed to a bank. I know that these always involve dealer incentives as well - in fact, Pathway Hyundai in Ottawa as a rule push to buying rather than purchase - I suspect it's because they get a nice kickback, but, hey, the rate was excellent and even my bank couldn't beat it.

The simple key, I think, was that the sales rep clearly realized she was out of her depth - she had no idea that I could get invoice costs over the web. I knew more about the car and the industry than she did - and instead of losing the sale, she brought in the cavalry right away. So - we dealt with the dealer finance manager (not business manager - very different type of role that supports the sales team and more importantly can accept/approve deals). Working with a decision maker made the entire transaction very easy. They knew where I was coming from, and they simply were very open as well. In the end, it took less than an hour to finalize the offer - which I thought was pretty good. I took forms home to fill out and brought them back the next day. Bob's your uncle easy.

jww

[GoldStone]

Hi Jww,

Like you, I live in Ottawa. Since I'm in awe of the great deal you made, I came up with the following plan:

- I will go to the same dealership: Pathway Hyundai in Orleans
- I will talk to the same manager
- I will request exactly the same deal: invoice + $750, freight&PDI waived.

It's not clear to me what you did about A/C tax ($100), metallica paint charge ($89) and dealer installed accessories (block heater etc).

Were they included in the invoice + $750 deal, or did you pay extra for them?

Thank you!

[XTrail1]

congrats on your new sonata, jww!

How much is the invoice price?

Sounds like a pretty good deal (better thatn Hyundai USA's official $2,000 rebate).

(I asked the same question on cartalkcanada.com).
I was shown the Invoice on our car. It was 26733. This is right inline with my number from CyberCars.ca. If you want the report, post a message to me and I'll forward it to you.

I notice alot of people having to pay MSRP still. If you are serious, offer to take one out of dealer inventory - that might make all the difference to a good deal. We chose the Crystal Silver which has a blueish tint to it under certain lighting conditions. We actually prefer the beige interior treatment with the faux wood trim but didn't really like the cinamon exterior (deep dark metallic maroon) as it will always look dirty and will be more prone to fade over time (maroons and reds are notorious for that - even with clear-coat treatments and waxing).

Oh and btw - don't let anyone tell you that the 06 Sonata is an accordion in an accident. It actually has 5-star ratings from NHSTA for all but rollover - and that rating is only just a decimal place under 5-star. The 01-05 was 4-star.

jww

But the real test is the IIHS test, the offset test is more realistic of an accident on a highway. NHTSA test is putting your car on a wall, alot of cars do well in this test. How a car reacts to different forces of the offset test is important.

[jww]

IIHS hasn't rated the 2006 Sonata yet.

jww

[jww]

Hi Jww,

Like you, I live in Ottawa. Since I'm in awe of the great deal you made, I came up with the following plan:

- I will go to the same dealership: Pathway Hyundai in Orleans
- I will talk to the same manager
- I will request exactly the same deal: invoice + $750, freight&PDI waived.

It's not clear to me what you did about A/C tax ($100), metallica paint charge ($89) and dealer installed accessories (block heater etc).

Were they included in the invoice + $750 deal, or did you pay extra for them?

Thank you!
My invoice pricing included the metalic paint, but as I recall the A/C tax and gas tax was extra. There was a bit of a mess-up with the block heater - the dealer forgot to install it. It's being installed on Thursday this week. I am also considering adding front and rear mud flaps. I have had them on most every car I have driven, and they make a big difference. I'll get them installed at the dealer and pay around 120 for the parts and labour (I am not inclined to drill holes in my new car - let someone do it who knows what they are doing).

I notice that MSRP has risen $900 and so that will likely be reflected in the dealer invoice.

Also FYI - Pathway Hyundai when they were operating as Acacia on the north extension of St. Laurent Blvd moved about 50 cars a month. They are now moving between 100 and 120 a month with the new location/facility. Not a bad turnaround indeed. President Greg Stewart knows the business well.

I think two of the key components that helped me ink my deal (and I know I am repeating myself, but I think they are important to note) were:
1. Not being emotionally tied to one car - but having narrowed my choice down to three vehicles, was happy and prepared to live with either one of them, and made sure the three dealers knew it.
2. Taking delivery out of dealer stock closer to month end. This is key - at the beginning of the month, dealers tend to be a bit less anxious about the month's sales prospects, but after the 15th they want to close sales for monthly revenues.

I didn't take an 'us vs them' approach - but wanted to work with the dealer in cutting a deal for both our benefits. I wouldn't charge in and say - "Here's the deal I want - period". We made 5 visits to the dealer, and drove 3 different vehicles thereby allowing us to build a bit of a relationship with the sales rep.

Good luck with your deal

jww

[GoldStone]

jww, thank you!

[jww]

jww, thank you!
u r welcome.

jww