Hello- I've narrowed my search to the Sonata and perhaps someone can give a bit of insight as to what I should be looking/listening for during test drive and when I look under the hood/check oil, etc. I really detest buying cars and I'll be going alone so if anyone has any tips on what to look for, I would appreciate your insight.

I found a 2009 and 2010 GLS at the same dealership, one has around 60K in mileage the other 70K. I only put about 7K on my current car in the last year.

How is the Sonata in snow? I have always run studded snow tires in winter and went just about anywhere with my FWD cars in the past, including 100 mile round trip to work in New England weather.

Thanks for any help/tips/information offered!

 

First, I would ask to have my own mechanic check the car out.

Tough New England weather is not bad if the roads are plowed, but a low to ground vehicle doesn't have much of chance on unplowed roads. If that is where you need to drive keep in mind a low vehicle gets lifted up when the snow builds up under it and now the wheels are off the ground.
Have had to dig out many low clearance vehicles because the snow built up under them. What about an SUV with 4/all wheel drive and higher ground clearance? They can ride just as nice as a sedan , but are much better in winter road conditions.

 

What hanky said!

In addition: even though you despise the process of shopping for a car I suggest to search AutoTempest.com for all '09 '10 Sonatas in your area. That's better than choosing among 2 on the same dealer lot. It gives you an idea about pricing levels and you have the confidence that comes from knowing your options. Also check Kelly Blue Book and Edmund's True Market Value. In my opinion KBB is high and TMV is low.
Get a Car-Fax or similar vehicle report. But don't expect a clean report card to be the ultimate thumbs-up. Ask the seller if there has been any body repair done. This is different from asking if it had an accident.
Asking the seller if (s)he is o.k. with your mechanic inspecting prior to purchase serves a double purpose: if the seller agrees is it a plus, if the seller says no you are finished with him ( her). Now take it to the mechanic and ask him to look for the usual but also for any signs of a body repair and the extend of the repair. If the seller should have known of a repair the previous + turns into a -. You see, not only do we learn about that car we also learn about the character of the seller.
On another forum the inquiring poster followed this advise and learned that the vehicle in question had a bent rear suspension even though the Car-Fax said; "no accident reported".

Good luck to you! Please let us know how it went.

 

There is no harm in being cautious, as a matter of fact if you ask a lot of questions you may find why the vehicle is really for sale.
Personally, I don't know too many people that just got tired of the way the car looked and wanted to trade it or unload it if it was performing well and had no problems.
A good part of the time, there is an underlying problem where something is coming up that is going to be expensive to repair or the vehicle has a problem that no one has been able to find and correct, but will show up later on as it is driven. Be especially aware of deals that are too good to refuse. " Flood cars" are cleaned up and shipped to various parts of the country for unsuspecting buyers.That is one of the things you might remind you mechanic to check for because flood cars can develop unbelievable problems due to corrosion in the electronics and hard to see wiring