Looking at getting a hyundai coupe S3.. opinions?

AtreuS

AtreuS

AtreuS

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After 10 years of pretty trouble free focus motoring its time for something new. As a single man i want a 3 door car of course, and i do like the look and styling of the hyundai coupes ( new gen ).

I have about 6k to play with and there are plenty of nice low mileage full service history examples about.

Now i know a couple of mechanics through friends and they seem to think they are good reliable cars and pretty cheap for parts and maintenance.

Of course i am only going to consider the 2Litre + models as the car is heavy and the 1.6 is not upto the grunt required.

As for performance i am not a speed demon, i just want something that comfortably cruises at 70 and is no slouch at low speed acceleration.

I have been driving a mk1 focus ( 115bhp) for ten years and find that just fine.

So does anyone have an experiance of these cars or am i looking at lemons ! ;)
 
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lemonade said:
Hyundai's are reliable and well put together. Don't expect the car to be fast or rewarding to drive though, nice enough car to travel around and look stylish.
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Yes i have driven one a while back and i found it comfortable and fast enough for me. Its the reliability that interests me most. Online reviews seem very positive, just things like the odd suspension part and warped dics seem to crop up but these are usually because people use cheap OEM parts.

I am going to have a look at this one tomorrow, 1 lady owner ( apparently ) from new.

http://www.carringtoncars-stockport...ai-coupe-2-0-se-3dr-stockport-201508196182042

a lot less than i was going to pay but i like the looks of this one body style wise and why spend 4k more just for a newer model. This is has very low mileage and full hyundai service history and has had the belt changed already.
 
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Warped discs can happen on any car, suspension can wear down quicker due to rough use, although quality parts make a huge difference.

I don't know any common faults with these cars, every car model pretty much have one or two common niggles. but the engine and gearbox should be solid on these. We have a Kia(Hyundai underneath) in the family and its been bulletproof, very easy to work on too, its a pleasure to service it as everything is laid out conveniently and easy to get to.

My main criticism would be the paintwork is extremely thin and some of the metal don't seem to have any rust proofing, a simple chip of the paint and the metal starts rusting in a few months. Not sure if its model specific or if every car in the range is treated to the same level of paintwork, Hyundai's might have better quality as they are supposed to be more upmarket than Kia's.

The one you linked looks like a good example, you can get them cheaper if you were buying privately.
 
The exhaust manifolds are prone to cracking, the paint is of a low standard and so is the metal so rust can be an issue.

Should be pretty reliable and cheap to run though.
 
How old r u op? The old shape looks like an old mans car IMO. Plus there's no point looking like a sports coupe if it can't even shake a normal hatchback off.
If u have upto 6k Have u not looked at Fiesta or Focus ST's?, or even the 2.0 Zetec S Focus? Or other sportier hatchbacks?
 
^ He said his not after something very fast so his not going to be racing chavs in tarted Fiestas, but rather something more stylish and interesting looking, a Fiesta/Focus is anything but a stylish looking car!
 
I had a 2005 facelift coupe and loved it, the 2ltr version, the 1.6 is underpowered and gutless.. being 6f2", my only issue was headroom, even with the seat lowered all the way down... i had little over an inch head room.
Fuel wise, drive it nice and you can get around 38mpg average from it.
The boot is massive when you drop the back seats. corners well and easy to park.
But see for yourself, go test drive one.
 
Sorry just got home.

I am 41 so i guess i am an old man :p

And yes i considered a focus ST but to be honest i find them too chavvy for my liking. Also far too much performance for my style of driving.

What is the power like upto 50 mph from a standing start with the 2L engine stark? is it fairly smooth or is it rapid gear changes and high revs?

I considered the celica but not too many good examples locally...
 
It's smooth enough just not got much go and is fairly soulless really.

Just depends what you want it for - if it's just for a car that looks quite nice and in coupe form it'll be fine.

If you want to chuck if down back roads look elsewhere
 
Well the one i quoted looks like a nice car BUT the 2 reviews of the garage online puts me right off lol.... bad reviews is an understatement! :D

I shall bide my time and see if another newer one pops up locally :p

In the meanwhile i guess taking a couple out for a spin wont hurt
 
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I have driven the 1.6 fairly extensively. To be honest, its genuinely not that bad. I've heard it does 180km/hr, and the acceleration, whilst not awe inspiring is sufficient. I can only imagine the 2litre+ being even nicer.

Hasn't cost me a cent in running. Looks nice, boot is extremely practical, and whilst the back seats are a bit cramped, its usable when needed.

MPG its not that great, though I grant I've got an extremely heavy right foot and predominately city drive. Was amusing booting it to 7k rpm on a cold winters morning and watching my predicted miles left drop like a brick. :D

Make sure it has cruise control, and buy a bluetooth player for the music.

To be honest, they are fine cars at the right price.
 
My wife has had a pre-facelift Gen 3 coupe for several years, and it's a surprisingly good car to drive. The very best bit about it is the handling; it has fairly firm suspension with almost no body roll which makes it quite a fun car in twisty B roads. For a coupe it has a generous sized boot and a reasonable amount of room in the back unless you are going to be putting full grown adults in there on a regular basis.

The 2.0 SE is definitely the best of the limited choice of engines; the 2.7L V6 is very thirsty and not much quicker in standard form, and the 1.6 is lacking in power without enough gain in economy to make it worthwhile. Economy on the 2.0L is reasonable if not outstanding; high 30's easily doable on longer trips, and low 40's if you stick to the speed limits. Performance is adequate rather than exciting, but it's got more than enough power for high speed motorway cruising with enough left for quick overtakes.

The one problem you need to be aware of is the clutch, which can have a ridiculously short life on cars used mainly in city driving etc. When we were looking for my wife's car, we saw several that had either had a clutch change by 50k, or badly needed one. The clutch on my wife's car lasted to 70k, still pretty poor for a modern car. However, apart from that it's been very reliable and cheap to run. I changed the timing belt myself but it's a straightforward job on these with plenty of access so shouldn't be expensive even if you pay a garage to do it. All the usual consumables are cheap and easy to source.
 
Dogbreath said:
My wife has had a pre-facelift Gen 3 coupe for several years, and it's a surprisingly good car to drive. The very best bit about it is the handling; it has fairly firm suspension with almost no body roll which makes it quite a fun car in twisty B roads. For a coupe it has a generous sized boot and a reasonable amount of room in the back unless you are going to be putting full grown adults in there on a regular basis.

The 2.0 SE is definitely the best of the limited choice of engines; the 2.7L V6 is very thirsty and not much quicker in standard form, and the 1.6 is lacking in power without enough gain in economy to make it worthwhile. Economy on the 2.0L is reasonable if not outstanding; high 30's easily doable on longer trips, and low 40's if you stick to the speed limits. Performance is adequate rather than exciting, but it's got more than enough power for high speed motorway cruising with enough left for quick overtakes.

The one problem you need to be aware of is the clutch, which can have a ridiculously short life on cars used mainly in city driving etc. When we were looking for my wife's car, we saw several that had either had a clutch change by 50k, or badly needed one. The clutch on my wife's car lasted to 70k, still pretty poor for a modern car. However, apart from that it's been very reliable and cheap to run. I changed the timing belt myself but it's a straightforward job on these with plenty of access so shouldn't be expensive even if you pay a garage to do it. All the usual consumables are cheap and easy to source.
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Thanks for the info. Out of interest how much is a clutch change roughly?
 
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