No genesis yet, but thinking of buying a 09 3.8l

[Benjammin5150]

Car is an 09 3.8l with 110,000 miles. Seller wants $5000.00.
I've heard pretty good reviews of these cars and I definitely like the style, but after browsing this forum there seems to be a lot of threads about tranny problems. Are the transmission a weak point of this car? I've also heard that the maintenance on these cars, especially the transmission, is pretty spendy. Just looking for more input, thanks!

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

If it's in good condition and you keep up with the maintenance it could be a good daily driver for a few years, depending on how much you drive. I bought a 2011 4.6 with 125k miles in July and love it. It has a different transmission than the 3.8. If you can, ask if the seller is the original owner and if they've ever serviced the transmission.

 

[Benjammin5150]

If it's in good condition and you keep up with the maintenance it could be a good daily driver for a few years, depending on how much you drive. I bought a 2011 4.6 with 125k miles in July and love it. It has a different transmission than the 3.8. If you can, ask if the seller is the original owner and if they've ever serviced the transmission.

He's not the original owner, I think he's the second owner. I'll definitely see if he has any maintenance records.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

If you have a good mechanic you trust, take it by to have them look at it. It's worth the inspection fee to have them look it over to make sure you're not buying a ticking time bomb. It should take about an hour once they get to looking at it.

 

[Gunkk]

I've said this before and will say it again... these cars are cheap to buy, but very expensive to fix (think Mercedes and BMW). Do not own one of these cars out of warranty, unless you're very good with tools or the $5k is throwaway money. If anything major fails (engine, trans, HECU ABS modules, head unit, ECU, etc.), you're looking at a $3k minimum fix at a dealer. All OEM parts are monopoly sourced from Korea by HMA. There is no secondary parts market outside of salvage yards and ebay. HECU bleed needs the dealer flush machine, for one example.

That said, I've had good experiences with both my cars over the last ~9 years. But I've had (and needed to use) the original 5/60 and then extended HMA backed Hyundai Platinum Protection Plan to replaced failed ABS HECU warranties on both. Both times the failures caused complete pedal-to-the-floor or partial loss of brakes, requiring $2500+ to fix, fortunately without accident and both 100% covered by warranty.

So for $5k, it might be a great car and worth the risk. Or it might be a turd and a waste of $5k.

Something to think about: people usually don't get rid of old cars that are working fine.

 

[homeofstone]

Note that the 09 3.8 has solid lifters and they will need to be checked and adjusted as the engine ages. Its in the 09 owners manual.

 

[Ernie3647]

I don’t know what the price difference is but “my” opinion is.. although generally Genesis has made good cars I think the early days of development were a refinement period for Hyundai. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying they weren’t good cars but there was a learning curve. If you could find and swing let’s say a 2011 instead you might fare better at that point. They had a better idea by then of the right direction towards a well executed luxury car. Considering all things are verified mechanically of course.

 

[Benjammin5150]

Thanks for your time and honesty everyone. I'm going to pass on the genesis and go with something economical and proven reliable like a corolla.

 

[Ernie3647]

Wow that's quite a shift in strategy but only you know what works best for you. Good luck.

 

[homeofstone]

Don't count out a Hyundai Elantra maybe 2013 or 2014 , the limited trim is nice and beats the Corolla.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[Benjammin5150]

Don't count out a Hyundai Elantra maybe 2013 or 2014 , the limited trim is nice and beats the Corolla.

I like sonatas but the 2011-2013s have major engine defects. I really like the 08-10 v6s simple and economical. Good cars.

 

[homeofstone]

Elantra not Sonata