Got my new car today -- Hyundai Sonata GLS

There was a reason for the trade: My Toyota had a defect (they used a cheaper oil pump from '97-2001, that could cause the oil to turn to sludge even when you did proper mainenance as I did). Acting like an American auto company in the 50's, they didn't issue a recall, but instead would pay for repairs if a customer made enough noise (since it usually happens well after the 3-year warranty expires). In one of the few truly useful class action suits that did more than make the lawyers rich, they were forced to extend the warranty to 8 years. I've noticed some blue smoke on starting if the car has sat for 3-4 days, so the problem is coming, but the warranty expires next August (200. I didn't feel like fighting with them over whether it was already bad enough to fix (my dealer said no), and if I'm going to trade, it made sense to skip a year's price increases (especially with the gradually sinking dollar, which I expect to accelerate) or lose another year's depreciation on the trade-in value. When I took K out for a ride last night, she commented that it gives a much smoother ride than my Camry did, or than her fairly new Prius (we bought it in Spetemeber, just before the tax credit offer expired).

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
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We've got a 2000 4cyl Camry my wife uses. We bought it new and it has less than 40k miles. The check engine light has been coming on and I've just been disconnecting the battery to reset it and see if it returns. Well, it takes a few days but the light comes back on. There have been no performance problems and the oil seems ok. Due to it's low mileage and short hop trips we change it twice a year. I had heard of the sludge problem. As well, they are prone to false alarms generated by emissions components in the fuel system, gas tank, vapor recovery, whatever. I hate to take it in and trust a dealership to give me an honest evaluation and repair. But, if there's a warranty issue involved, they are the only ones you can go to. I've been putting this off for a year now but my wife is taking a trip to Michigan next month for some educational seminar. She'll drive rather than fly so the car needs to be reliable. I, too, tend to keep a car until it becomes a repair liability. The Camry has given no trouble. I had to replace the battery after 5 years but that's a normal life. Otherwise, no hiccups at all. Enjoy your new ride.