A friend of mine wants to buy a car really bad but still likes his old car and doesn't want to part with it. It is the dangest thing. So the other day he went down in the parking lot and looked at my Azera. "He said sure is a pretty car." I said "here are the keys take it out for the day." HE did and returned it later on in the day. He really like the ride and the feel of the car and that is when he said "I went up to the dealer today and looked at the Sonata. You know the one that is loaded up for $24,500.

I told him that I looked at that car before I bought the Azera. That Sonata is a great car but for an extra 1000.00 bucks you can get a Azera Limited with more stuff on it. He likes the Sonata so I told him to contact the owner of the dealership who he knows very well and have him work out a price on the Sonata model you like the best.

He just doesn't get it. This Sonata is loaded with more options than the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord and is several thousand dollars less. I told him just wait a few more years and Hyundai will be pushing these guys to the limit as they are gaining market share of the other car companies. Hyundai offers more car for the money and the quality is far better than ever before.

He said I think you may be right as the fit and the finish is great plus the car does have plenty of options. Now he thinks he may buy one before the end of November.

I origionally went to the dealership for the Sonata and test drove both and decided on the Azera. One thing I had to check was the size. The Azera looks bigger then the Sonata. But, I went to the specs site and saw they were the same length/ width/ height (give ot take an inch). These are the same dimentions as the Accord and Camery but the Azera has so much more room.

When test drove the Sonata it was a "car" I could not in good concience buy a Sonata without test driving the Camery and the Accord. Again, "cars" Not much difference, a commodity item.

However, the Azera was a differentiation. So much better. Your friend cannot go wrong with the Sonata or Azera but if he wants all the options get the Azera. If he is fine with a V6 and a sun roof and cloth seats then get the Sonata. It is almost pointless to get a luxury version of the Sonata when you can get the Azera for slightly more.

IMHO

Wow your right on. I told him the same thing today. If your going to purchase a Sonata at $24,500 why not buy a Azera at $25,500 and get plenty more for your money. Now he is looking at the Azera. Much better choice!