When I first became familiar with the car maker known as Hyundai, it
appeared to be more of a joke than an actual means of transportation.
I would most often encounter Hyundai cars as beat up wrecks
chugging through the car auctions I frequented. These cars were
often used up and worthless at far less than 100,000 miles, and in
some cases at less than 50,000 miles.

When I first became familiar with the car maker known as Hyundai, it
appeared to be more of a joke than an actual means of transportation.
I would most often encounter Hyundai cars as beat up wrecks
chugging through the car auctions I frequented. These cars were
often used up and worthless at far less than 100,000 miles, and in
some cases at less than 50,000 miles.

So when I heard a few years ago that Hyundai had introduced an
unbelievable 10 year and 100,000 mile warranty, I thought there must
be some catch. Maybe, I thought, the 100,000 warranty only applied
to the paint job or the seats, and not to that engine, which from my
experience had been incredibly unreliable.

However, I soon began to hear about all the quality awards Hyundai
was winning, and the stellar reviews Hyundai owners were giving. I
was amazed that a car that only a few years ago was one short step
away from being a Yugo had gained so much quality so fast.

And so, being in need of a cheap yet reliable car to shuttle me back
and forth to work I started giving Hyundai another look. On a visit to
my local Hyundai dealer, I was amazed at the fit and finish of the cars
on the lot, and at the low prices on the window sticker. Some of the
Hyundai models I looked at were priced lower than $11,000, definitely
in my price range.

Being partial both to small cars and to saving money (some might
even call me cheap) my interest was immediately drawn to the
Hyundai Accent sitting on the leftover lot. A quick test drive proved
that this car was no slouch. I was surprised at the pep and pickup of
this little car, and parking it sure was a breeze, even for the parallel
parking challenged like myself.

The bottom line was that I was quite impressed by this cute little
number, and after some serious haggling it was mine for a little over
$10,000. I of course verified that the 100,000 mile warranty did in
fact cover quite a bit more than the seats and the paint job, and the
car has continued to perform remarkably well.

The decision to buy a tiny little car like a Hyundai Accent proved an
even better one when the price of gas rose so quickly. This car, even
though it is an automatic, gets between 35 and 40 miles per gallon,
making all those Hummers on my tail look just a little bit silly. I may
not be able to haul an army division around the neighborhood, but
there is more than enough room for myself and my family.

So if, like me, you used to think of Hyundai as a bad joke the Koreans
were playing on us dumb Americans, it may be time to give them
another look. I cannot think of a single brand name that has made so
much remarkable progress in such a short period of time.