Korean vs Japanese Cars

[n25]

I've been eyeing the new Hyundai Accent ever since it was announced, however my friend keeps on telling me to avoid Korean cars as they are just not good for the money compared to Japanese cars. He states that the engineering on Korean cars haven't yet been at the same level with Japanese cars, as well as some other things such as performance and resale value among other things which always favor the Japanese manufacturers on all accounts. With that in mind, I wonder how Hyundai/Kia owners feel about this. How about Japanese car owners, are these always true? I'd really like to know your inputs guys as a newbie on cars I can't just rely on my friend's opinion regarding this. I hope to hear from you, thanks!

[Starex_Gold]

Isipin mo muna kung gaano karami ang recalls and issues ng Toyota

[jhnkvn]

Actually this is true somewhat. Before I purchased our family's first Hyundai unit, my brother was discouraging me from buying a Hyundai initially citing lower resale value (Camry = Accord > Sonata) and part availability. Ended up taking that into account but I still bought a Korean car. In the Philippine market, some Hyundai cars already have high resale value (Tucson, Santa Fe) and even Starex units which you can credit that brought Hyundai where it is today in the Philippines.

On a personal opinion, the Vios would still reign supreme over the subcompact category in terms of resale value and part availability. Unless nagkaroon ng major problema ang Toyota that would raise doubts about their quality, our ubiquitous taxis will always be the beloved Vios/Corolla. The 1.4L Accent has a "knocking" problem which is somewhat widespread at the moment. Some complain of the problem, some hasn't. Ewan ko nalang kung meron na bang "definite" fix.

At the end of the day, I still look at my Sonata and say.. "damn, ganda pare!". Kung nabanga man.. "shet, months bago yun bagong pinto dadating?!" versus just "weeks" for its equivalent on an Accord or Camry. Uniqueness has a price as they say

[n25]

By the way, my friend also said that as a general rule of thumb, a 2nd hand Honda/Toyota is better than a brand new Hyundai/Kia... in which I find a bit absurd since by logic most of the time older cars have more problems than newer ones regardless of the manufacturer. I'll never consider a 2nd hand car lately as we already have one (a Toyota Corolla 1.6GLi), and I'm not keen on getting a new Toyota either as honestly I'm not impressed on what's out on their plate now, and Honda's out of my budget. In short, I just want to be assured that I'll be ok if I invested my money on a new Korean car (or from any other non-Japanese brand).

[Ry_Tower]

Mali ata thread na ito. Hindi naman sila nag-aaway eh. Hindi mo rin kinu-compare.

[GTi]

Old notion yan. Korean cars of the 90s had dodgy build quality, poor performance and severe rust issues. But Korean cars nowadays are already better, or at least at par with the Japanese in terms of design, engineering and performance.

[tidus1203]

Your friend still lives in the 90's... Baligtad na nga eh, Koreans are UP. Japanese are DOWN. Watch stock prices of these car companies, the markets know which companies have a good future!

[n25]

That's what I'm thinking nung sinabi ng kaibigan ko yun, na he's just basing on old reputation. Anyway, wala naman kaso sa akin kung gawing taxi yung mabibili kong kotse since mas pabor pa nga yun as dadami spare parts. By the way, I'm not trying to bring out a flame war here, I just want to know if my friend is stating the facts regarding Korean and Japanese cars as it may affect my future purchase.

[kotiko]

I think your friend is still living in the 90's. That was the old notion about the Korean cars.

Today I believe Korean cars are already at par with Japanese ones.

If you look at Hyundai/Kia's performance the past ten years, you'll see that they've significantly improved.

Like what Starex_Gold said, those Japanese cars are currently hounded with recall issues!

[n25]

Hmmm, really? Parati ko ngang nakikita sa mga Vios na taxi na naka-angat yung hood, naiisip ko tuloy kung may overheating problem ang Vios.

[Starex_Gold]

Eto lang masasabi ko sa sinasabi niya about Korean Cars.

ang taong may--> "inggit" ay walang humpay kung..--> "makalaet".™ - R. Sotto, 2011

[junerski]

korean brands even warrant their cars longer than the japanese brands.. (5years as against 3years)

but at the end of the day, its also a case to case basis depending on the model of the car may it be korean,japanese,german,american... in terms of value for money,resale value,etc.

[renzo_d10]

sir Oliver, chesse, caramel or plain salted???

In chocolate flavor please ... :hysterical:

[dale323]

If were talking about Hyundai, yeah, very competitive talaga. Pero if Kia, medyo di pa rin ako bilib sa kanila. My officemate's Rio encountered aircon problem during the first 9 months of ownership. Ayun, binenta ng palugi. Balik Jap. brand siya. (Vios 1.3E). If only walang issues yung 1.4 Accent, i would've recommended it.

*SG: yung sa Accent 1.4 ba, A/T lang ba ang may issue o damay din ang M/T?

[jhnkvn]

Both AT and MT variants.

[Starex_Gold]

*SG: yung sa Accent 1.4 ba, A/T lang ba ang may issue o damay din ang M/T?

Alam ko pati M/T brad. Kasi yung unang nag reklamo dito sa tsikot naka M/T. Kaya 1.6 A/T na kukunin namin instead of 1.4 A/T.

Sabi ni Niky, try using Shell fuels.

[synysterG]

If were talking about Hyundai, yeah, very competitive talaga. Pero if Kia, medyo di pa rin ako bilib sa kanila. My officemate's Rio encountered aircon problem during the first 9 months of ownership. Ayun, binenta ng palugi. Balik Jap. brand siya. (Vios 1.3E).

ang isa pang problema ng kia is medyo abnormal pricing nila ng sasakyan. pero feature-wise, magaganda din. same din naman internals nila sa hyundai diba?

[Balisong]

Nice thread. I'm personally open to owning a brand new hyundai/kia. A lot of my friends and family are still stuck in the 90s with the negative korean car stigma. But the price differences aren't far from japanese cars though. I do hear that the CRDi engines of hyundai are more suited to the diesel than most of the japanese manufactured CRDIs. So to cut a long story short CRDI id go hyundai, gas I'd be open to hyundai/kia but would lean more on honda and then toyota since the prices are not too far.

[niky]

Nothing is perfect. Even modern Korean cars have their issues. Bushings, engine mounts, electronics. But this is the same as Japanese cars... the unfortunate Honda EP, with its gas tank straps, cam position sensor, etcetera... First-generation Jazz "kalampag", loose wiring and build quality issues... as well as the infamous CVT and CVTF finagle... Nissan Sentra (the old one) alternators and AC issues (Calsonic = fragile crap, and the alternator is undersized)... Mitsubishi electronics, such as IACV (which also affects Mazda...since they use Mitsu electronics on some of their cars)... the Toyota Altis... with the engine sludge issues... the D4D issue (though the last two, medyo related to maintenance and fuel naman)

That fuel issue is why I don't consider fuel-induced knock an issue... see the thread about a Toyota Innova experiencing hesitation due to poor gasoline... I've experienced a lot of bad things in various cars due to poor fuel... and the answer is simple. Change gas stations, d'oh.

No car is perfect. Hyundai isn't the best in terms of reliability, but they're not the worst, anymore... more like midpack. And they have killer warranties. ;)

If were talking about Hyundai, yeah, very competitive talaga. Pero if Kia, medyo di pa rin ako bilib sa kanila. My officemate's Rio encountered aircon problem during the first 9 months of ownership. Ayun, binenta ng palugi. Balik Jap. brand siya. (Vios 1.3E). If only walang issues yung 1.4 Accent, i would've recommended it.

*SG: yung sa Accent 1.4 ba, A/T lang ba ang may issue o damay din ang M/T?

OA naman niya. Our Crosswind, Sentra and Vanette all had AC problems within the first two years. We kept them, kahit medyo masakit yung price of AC repair on the Crosswind.

[n25]

That fuel issue is why I don't consider fuel-induced knock an issue... see the thread about a Toyota Innova experiencing hesitation due to poor gasoline... I've experienced a lot of bad things in various cars due to poor fuel... and the answer is simple. Change gas stations, d'oh.

If that's the case, I assume the knocking issue on the new Accents can be "solved" by changing gas stations too?