Hey all,

Happy to say I just bought a 2008 Hyundai Sonata V6 with only 54000 miles. (Three cheers for little old ladies who buy new cars, barely drive them, and sell them after a decade for cheap.) But, even though I'm 30, I've never actually owned a car before (lived in cities, stuck to subway/Zipcar/Lyft). So, I don't actually know what I'm doing.

I got it inspected and they were impressed with it, with the only issue being a "very small" oil leak. I'll take care of it once I finish running the paperwork through the DMV.

I doubt I'll put more than 5000 miles/year on it - I still live in the city and take the subway to work, so we're talking groceries, errands, doctor visits, and a couple trips a year to the next state over.

Any rules of thumbs, gotchas, guides, or anything else on taking care of this vehicle?

Thanks!

 

Change the oil every 3000 miles for conventional oil
Or change the oil every 7500 miles for full synthetic oil

Check all other fluids and top as necessary.
Check air in tires and treads on the tires.
Check the front brake pads. (usually the inspection will tell you if they need to be changed)

That's about it for now
Good luck