I paid $600 for my XG350, put about $1000 into it to fix water pump power steering leak and ball joints. My question now is how much life can I expect out of this car? It's got 181k... Also, It seems like the alternator doesn't provide enough power for the car as the lights dim with the radio on. Is this normal?

 

Of course, it isn't normal for the radio to dim the headlights.
You are right the alternator isn't providing enough power.
But, it is better to test first. Check the voltage of the battery with engine off.
Should be around 12.5 volts
Then start engine and check voltage at the battery.
Should be around 14.5 volts
(if you don't have a multi-meter then buy one.)

If the voltage check do not met the specs then clean all terminals and grounds
Then check voltages again. If it still doesn't meet specs then replace parts as necessary.

How much life is in the car?
Don't know. Can't see or hear engine running.
Can't see the suspension. Can't inspect the steering.
Don't know transmissions at all.
But, we cross our fingers and hope for the best.
Good luck

 

The engine runs great. Smooth as butter. Transmission doesn't seem terrible. Sometimes it thumps at downshifting. Is this a problem with XG alternators in general, or is mine on the fritz. Would I be crazy to drive an 02 XG from Utah to Georgia?

 

Don't know about the alternator being a problem in general.
But, rust and bad grounding points are somewhat common with Hyundais
As far as I know or have read about.

Crazy to drive from Utah to Georgia.
Wish I had the opportunity to do that
I once drove from NYC to San Francisco in about a weeks time.
Just numb from driving all day. And peaceful sleep.
Did that back in '92 with a '77 Datsun 510.
And it took less than two hundred dollars in gas back then to go 3000 plus miles
Gas was cheap. And it was a small car

Oh, do I think it is crazy to do that drive to Georgia?
Yes, I do .... LOL

 

Hahaha... It's for a woman 😀 I'm debating if I should sell it and fly or just go for it.. I love the car lol it's fast as hell and just drives smooth.. but I also don't want to be stranded in Nebraska... Rust isn't a big problem in Utah because they don't salt and it's been a Utah only car.. I don't know if I have any other major problems with it that I'm aware of. It threw a code for the throttle position sensor and I reseated the harness and that went away, but I'm thinking about replacing it anyway (~$70 on Amazon)

 

Got a '04 xg350. Paid 3.5k had 50k miles. Put 2k into it. See my thread...

I will tell you that the transmissions are clunky. BUT I improved mine by doing a transmission flush and using the CORRECT transmission fluid! It need to be the import stuff or even better hyundai fluid. Good cars in my opinion but they are old, and age is also a killer.

 

My thread is: 'Rough Idle and stall on cold start'

 

And yes it some times slams down when shifting. Especially when shifting to 1st manually.