VW was once the name associated with the people car. The original Beetle offered an outstanding value as a very reliable car that almost anyone could afford. VW has since abandoned this market in hopes of going more upscale.
In todays market what would be considered the peoples car? It looks like the car most closely matching this at least in the U.S. market. would be the Hyundai Accent. A stripped down version with no air and a 5speed sells for around $7500 and includes a 5 year/60000 mile warranty and a 10year/ 100,000 powertrain warranty. There is nothing else on the market right now that can touch this kind of value that I can find. The Accords and Camrys offer a good quality car, but their prices are high. I saw a loaded Camry with V6, Leather etc for a sticker price of $29,000
The reason I was looking at cars was that the wifes car is getting older and will probably be in need of replacement soon, although I would rather spend the money on VW restoration. :o) We were thinking about Hyundai, but unfortunately she would want something a little bigger than the Accent like the Sonata that also costs more. Does anyone here own a Hyundai and have they been reliable?
Bill Berckman
67 Beetle Pictures at