Misfortune strikes again (parents need a new car) ... NEW CAR'S HERE!

[Eye of the Tiger]

Ehh...you know me and how I absolutely must have four doors

I dunno. I'm still so confused. The VW looks to be an awesome deal. I could certainly get used to it.

The two side doors plus the bonnet and boot = four doors.

[Madman]

The Hyundai Azera is a better car than the old S80. More Room, better MPG's, much more reliable, Better ride.........shall I go on? If you're intent on getting a S80, get a Five Hundred or Montego.

The Five Hundred/Montego has about as much in common with the S80 as Rosie O'Donnell has with Cindy Crawford.

Madman is a badge snob.

The badge has nothing to do with it.  It's all about the car it's stuck to.

There is a vast difference between a car that's built up to a standard and one that's made down to a price.  How exactly does the wallowing HyunKia offerings better the first generation Volvo S80?  I've driven plenty of S80s and I can honestly say there isn't a more comfortable car to be had in it's price range.  The HyunKia pair strike me as little more than glorified Korean Buicks.

Also consider resale value.  A big, expensive Hyundai/Kia makes Lehman Brothers stock look like a good investment.

Ok so the Azera turned out to be pretty much the perfect car for them, and the 300, not so perfect. (I believe the first word my dad used was "unwieldy")

But it's not quite that simple. Earlier, my dad found an ad for a neat little VW that appears to be quite a deal. We took a look at it, and it's everything we hoped it would be (I might do a short write-up later). However, he's wary of piling the miles on it, so my mom came up with the idea of taking over the Cadillac payments and driving it, while I buy the VW for myself.

Interesting proposal...

Now you're finally talking some sense!  That 2.7 Turbo is more addictive than sugar-coated crack!  They MUST buy this car!!!  If they don't, then they are damn fools and you can tell them I said so!


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[TBR]

"Also consider resale value.  A big, expensive Hyundai/Kia makes Lehman Brothers stock look like a good investment."
As opposed to the S80 the OP posted that lost more than two thirds of its value in four years?

I haven't driven the cars in question, so I can't really say too much, but the Azera has been highly praised by most magazines, the S80 hasn't and never was.

[Madman]

"Also consider resale value.  A big, expensive Hyundai/Kia makes Lehman Brothers stock look like a good investment."
As opposed to the S80 the OP posted that lost more than two thirds of its value in four years?

I haven't driven the cars in question, so I can't really say too much, but the Azera has been highly praised by most magazines, the S80 hasn't and never was.

There were several glowing reviews of the S80 when it first came out.  I sold a loaded S80 T6 to a customer who bought it based solely on a review he had read.  I think it may have been in Car and Driver?  Anyway, there were plenty of rave reviews at the time.

Cheers,
Madman of the People

[TBR]

Well I never read one of those.

[Vinsanity]

There were several glowing reviews of the S80 when it first came out.  I sold a loaded S80 T6 to a customer who bought it based solely on a review he had read.  I think it may have been in Car and Driver?  Anyway, there were plenty of rave reviews at the time.

Cheers,
Madman of the People

That was in 1998. The Hyundai received its praises in 2006. That's a lot of time for a car to catch up and move on. I'm not saying that's what the Hyundai did with the Volvo, but when I test drove an S80, my impression was that it felt exactly like a turbocharged version of my dad's old Mitsubishi; nice, but nothing too special.

In any case, I'm thinking I'll pass on the Audi. It's a swell ride, no doubt, but I've come to realize that I'm as attached to my Caddy as one can be to an inanimate object

My dad seemed to favor the Hyundai over the Audi as well. He doesn't like the idea of making payments on a car out of warranty and about to turn six years old.

[2o6]

The Five Hundred/Montego has about as much in common with the S80 as Rosie O'Donnell has with Cindy Crawford.

They have a lot to do with each other. The Five Hundred uses an updated version of the Platform found on the 1st gen S80. Face it, the Azera is a newer, better car.

[Madman]

They have a lot to do with each other. The Five Hundred uses an updated version of the Platform found on the 1st gen S80. Face it, the Azera is a newer, better car.

Not so much an "updated" version of the Volvo P2 platform, more like a "dumbed down" derivation of it.  Ford had a difficult time in de-contenting the P2 in order to get the Five Hundred/Montego down to a low enough price point.  This was why Ford decided to stretch it and position the car in a higher size/price class than they had originally intended.  Instead, Ford filled the gap in their product range with the Fusion/Milan, a re-skinned Mazda 6.  This was a much cheaper platform and was able to better serve as Ford's volume-seller.  Building it in Mexico helped drive down costs even further.

Ford salesmen are telling potential Taurus/Sable buyers they are getting a Volvo at half the price, but that's stretching the truth waaaaaay too far.  Ford's version of the P2 has been so debased that it is barely recognisable as a Volvo-derived product.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[Submariner]

That was in 1998. The Hyundai received its praises in 2006. That's a lot of time for a car to catch up and move on. I'm not saying that's what the Hyundai did with the Volvo, but when I test drove an S80, my impression was that it felt exactly like a turbocharged version of my dad's old Mitsubishi; nice, but nothing too special.

In any case, I'm thinking I'll pass on the Audi. It's a swell ride, no doubt, but I've come to realize that I'm as attached to my Caddy as one can be to an inanimate object

My dad seemed to favor the Hyundai over the Audi as well. He doesn't like the idea of making payments on a car out of warranty and about to turn six years old.

That's too bad.  The Audi is gorgeous.

[Vinsanity]

That's too bad.  The Audi is gorgeous.

It's a shame, I admit; the Audi is a lovely car, but unfortunately, it brings with it a sense of apprehension:

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2003/audi/a6/100180799/cto.html?setzip=92782&vdp=off
vs.
http://www.edmunds.com/used/2006/hyundai/azera/100673112/cto.html?setzip=92782&vdp=off

[Vinsanity]

I helped them take home the Hyundai today. Here are a few quick pics:


My dad taking in his latest acquisition


the n00b kissing my car's butt

I took it for a quick spin around town, and it reminds me a lot of the old Q45, but with a much more cooperative transmission and surprisingly with better steering feel (the Q45 always felt lighter than it should have; this feels a bit like the CTS). It floats over crests, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It actually corners flatter than one might expect.

[FordSVT]

He doesn't like the idea of making payments on an Audi out of warranty and about to turn six years old.

Me neither.

[2o6]

I helped them take home the Hyundai today. Here are a few quick pics:


My dad taking in his latest acquisition


the n00b kissing my car's butt

I took it for a quick spin around town, and it reminds me a lot of the old Q45, but with a much more cooperative transmission and surprisingly with better steering feel (the Q45 always felt lighter than it should have; this feels a bit like the CTS). It floats over crests, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It actually corners flatter than one might expect.

Really cool. I've always liked the Azera.

[CJ]

Congratulations!  I love the Azera.  I tried so hard to get my mom into one before we got the Accord.  The response was much like Madman's.  "It's a Hyundai."  And you guys got it in the white, which is a rather nice color...and rare-ish.  Not too many were ordered in that color.

[Vinsanity]

Thanks. To be honest, my mom had some apprehension about the brand as well, but my dad was actually pretty set on getting an Azera that he did a good job convincing my mom that the Audi would be too high-maintenance and the Chrysler too nautical.

The car is very Toyota-like in its transparency/operation, but its handling is not nearly as fumbly as the Camry.

[Laconian]

What kind of fuel economy have your parents observed?

And what was the out-the-door price?

[Vinsanity]

I believe the mpg readout reported 25.x mpg on the 60-mile trip to their house in light-medium highway traffic through the hills.

OTD price was $15,1xx including taxes and fees.