Blog post about my decision to buy an Azera

I've decided to buy a new 2007 Azera Limited. To help kill the time until I make the purchase, I posted a blog with my thoughts about my decision. The post also includes several video reviews, a couple of Azera commercials and an IIHS crash test video. Feel free to check it out.

 - Chris

 
Thanks for the collection of videos.
 
As a suggestion only, you might want to consider a 2008 over a 2007. Why?
 
There are some differences between the two model years:
 
The 2008 does not have the suspension problems of the older models,
and there is the standard equipment differences like XM radio,etc.
 
Also, the new NAV system is available.
 
There is a dealer in Streetsboro which is about 200 miles away from your area:
 
http://stores.ebay.com/Great-Lakes-Hyundai
 
That has a loaded '08 with NAV. listed for $27,111 which has an MSRP of $32,190.
That's $5079 off MSRP.
 
Isn't it worth paying only about $1K more and getting the current model
year that doesn't have the older suspension with its problems?
 
Something to consider. Good luck!
 
HTHs
 

 
 

That's good advice.  And it will be beneficial in the future when trade-in time comes.  A 2007 will seem older than a 2008.

Derrel, it's funny you should mention that about the 2008 models. I discovered that the 2007 models I had located several weeks ago had mostly disappeared by the time I was ready to purchase this week. I ended up selecting a 2008 Azera Limited Ultimate without NAV in Silver with black leather interior. I pick her up this Friday. I got a decent deal... $24,984 for the car (includes the $2000 rebate), and $27,165 out-the-door.

Thanks for the feedback!

- Chris

Congrats on the purchase.  Best of luck with it.  Happy motoring!

Hey everyone, "new" Azera owner here.  Had it about 3 weeks now, 2007 Limited (not Ultimate, boo) w/22k miles for $18k.  Pretty happy with it--I think most everyone buys a Hyundai for its overall value, and with that in mind, I got a great deal--you get a lot of the car for the money.  I wanted to post my thoughts for anyone else who's considering purchasing, and this seems like a good thread.
 
As some background, I had a 2000 Maxima that I loved (from '99 to '05), then a '94 Crown Vic that got me through grad school, etc., and now this Azera.
As far as meeting my expectations, I'd give the Azera a 7 out of 10.  The reviews I read were almost all very positive.  And I am positive about the car too...but someone who was discouraging me from buying Hyundai said that he'd heard that Korean manufacturing (not just cars, but all kinds of stuff) is from "the land of the almost-right."  And, unfortunately, he was more correct than I'd hoped he'd be.
 
The things that exceed my expectations: Noise--the engine is exceptionally quiet at idle, and at speed there isn't really much wind or engine noise that I notice.  Engine smoothness is comparable to--perhaps matches--the Nissan engine.  Power is always available, especially for passing.  Interior materials and feel (except the center armrest could use a little more padding).  Door closing is *so* easy and sounds so solid.  Safety features are so numerous.  Entry/exit lighting and the keyless works well.  Huge trunk, cargo net, and tie-downs.  I love that the trunk lid has an interior grab handle so you don't have to touch the paint to close the boot.  5-position seat heaters are great, and nice to have more than on/off or off/lo/hi control.  Infiniti stereo is great, with 2 caveats below.  Price--the only other car that even came close to giving me these features/size/performance at this price was an '04 or '05 Maxima with 50k or 60k miles (and off of warranty).
 
The things that fall short follow.  Some of these are nit-picky, some less so.  (As an aside, it bears mentioning that some of the positive features--like a quiet ride--cause me to notice some of the deficiencies.  For example, in my Crown Vic any suspension noise was par for the course in that car.  In a refined Azera, you notice even a small suspension clunk):
- The engine often idles just a little roughly for about the first 20 seconds when cold.  Again, I only notice because it's otherwise so quiet and smooth.  But it is noticable.
- The transmission is a bit slow to downshift from 5th to 4th or 4th to 3rd; 1st gear is a little too short unless you're really into the throttle  I suspect all this is in pursuit of fuel economy.
- The suspension is pretty good, firm & solid without being "sporty."  However, when you hit a small pothole or a non-flush manhole cover or other mild imperfection, you feel and hear the jolt more than I would like.  In this case, the Azera doesn't smooth the rough spot much more than my Crown Vic did, and isn't as comfortable as the '00 Maxima.  But the Maxima transmitted more of the small imperfections too.  Again, the Azera's otherwise quiet and smoothness makes you notice this imperfection more.  But overall, I think I prefer the Maxima suspension.
- The paint is thin on the bumpers, not sure about on the body.
- The "Auto" setting for headlights isn't sensitive enough, and you can't adjust it.  I like to turn my headlights on when contrast starts to diminish--long before I take my sunglasses off.  Especially since my car is grey and blends into the road color easier, I'd like to have the lights come on earlier. 
 
Interior:
- Related to the above, the electoluminiscent dash looks nice and is functional.  However, it's difficult to tell when your headlig

quote:

ORIGINAL: mulboy

Hey everyone, "new" Azera owner here.  Had it about 3 weeks now, 2007 Limited ( not Ultimate [?], boo) w/22k miles for $18k.  Pretty happy with it--I think most everyone buys a Hyundai for its overall value, and with that in mind, I got a great deal--you get a lot of the car for the money.  I wanted to post my thoughts for anyone else who's considering purchasing, and this seems like a good thread.


The things that fall short follow.  Some of these are nit-picky, some less so.  
In a refined Azera, you notice even a small suspension clunk):
- The engine often idles just a little roughly for about the first 20 seconds when cold.  Again, I only notice because it's otherwise so quiet and smooth.  But it is noticable.
- The transmission is a bit slow to downshift from 5th to 4th or 4th to 3rd; 1st gear is a little too short unless you're really into the throttle  I suspect all this is in pursuit of fuel economy.
- The suspension is pretty good, firm & solid without being "sporty."  However, when you hit a small pothole or a non-flush manhole cover or other mild imperfection, you feel and hear the jolt more than I would like.  In this case, the Azera doesn't smooth the rough spot much more than my Crown Vic did, and isn't as comfortable as the '00 Maxima.  But the Maxima transmitted more of the small imperfections too.  Again, the Azera's otherwise quiet and smoothness makes you notice this imperfection more.  But overall, I think I prefer the Maxima suspension.

Interior:
- Related to the above, the electoluminiscent dash looks nice and is functional.  However, it's difficult to tell when your headlights are on--the only indicator is if you always leave your foglight switch on--and then that indicator lights up on the dash when your headlights come on.  At night, when you get in the car the electrolum dash lights up like it does day or night, so you can't use a dark dash as a visual reminder to flip the headlights on.  I found myself driving lights-off at night (in a lighted parking lot) because of this.
- The stereo and HVAC display is LCD.  I wear polarized sunglasses, and LCDs can be difficult to read with polarized lenses.  So for me, it's a nuisance to have to tilt my head to the side in order to be able to read what station or track number is on.  Is it a huge deal?  No, but it's annoying.
- Driving position: this is a big car, and they emphasize the interior space.  Why, then, do I not have quite enough legroom in the driver's seat?  I'm over 6'4", and I could use another inch of room--even if they simply moved the pedals closer to the firewall, that would be enough.  Related, it's great to have a tilt/telescoping wheel, but the wheel needs just a little more 'scope. 
- The wood grain on the steering wheel looks great and is a touch of Lexus.  But I'd rather have leather all around, for better control/feel.  Also, Nissan puts a steering wheel heater in one of their Maxima option packages.  I test drove an '05 Maxima on a cold day--and that is a fantastic feature to have.  A heated leather wheel beats a cold polished wheel any day, and especially on cold mornings.
- HVAC: the "auto" function really isn't that helpful.  When the car is cold, if you press Auto it starts blowing out cold air.  That's not helpful, and just about any other modern car with an Auto fan control waits until warm coolant starts flowing through the heater core before incrasing the fan speed.  Also, I feel like I have to play with the temp setting a lot to make it comfortable.  If it's cold out and I set it to 70, it should pump out very warm air until the cabin temp rises to 70.  I have to bump up the temp setting to get that warm air.  The Auto HVAC

Two comments..

Just leave your lights on all the time... mine go off and on with the ignition, and it makes for safer driving.

Auto HVAC.  Mine does not turn blower on right away. So it does seem to wait for the coolant to heat.  My complaint is that I want a switch to turn off the air conditioning compressor, so it doesn't run in auto if I don't want it to. 

Yeah, I've thought about leaving the lights on 24/7, but...well, especially with HID's, I wonder how much faster I'll have to replace the bulbs (and the expense I assume is higher for HID).
 
On the trim level, my impression from lotpro.com and edmunds.com was that the ultra/ultimate/high-level pkg adds the adjustable pedals, rain-sensing wipers, and memory seats (and maybe something else).  I don't have any of those.
 
It also occurs to me (maybe from reading other posts around here?) that some things--like the auto-lights sensitivity--might be adjusted by the dealer or a tech.  I also thought that a drink might've been spilled--especially considering this was a rental model.  I want to pry up the plastic around the shifter and/or pull out the cupholders, but am hesitant to do so for fear of breaking any of it and/or causing looseness & rattles.

It's always interesting to see how people go about choosing and buying a car. Thanks for posting this.

thanks for posting your blog here... i really find it interesting and informational, esp. when it comes to choosing the car. however, why choose the azera 2007 than the 2008? i heard that this year''s model is much good than the previous year''s model, well good luck in purchasing your ride! :D