My favorite sports car! Luxury for cheap!

I bought my 2003 Hyundai Tiburon brand new in 2002. I previously owned the 2001, and as soon as I saw the new body style, I was drooling and knew I was going to get my hands on the 2003 as soon as I could.

The 2003's looks are crowd-stopping. I don't know how many gawkers I had the first time out of the lot when I took it home. It just looks like a sports car should. Hyundai went from rounded curves to hard edges all around the car and it made the car look lean and mean. No one I knew had ANY bad comments about the looks...the black, the one I had, looked even sharper. The tinted windows made it even more luxurious looking. My husband even begged to drive it!

Speaking of looks, even the inside was luxurious. The inside looked like a cock-pit style and you felt like you were going fast even if you weren't. I had black leather and the black on black was certainly classic, and hot (literally). There was SO much leg room and breathing room in the front seat--it was a drastic change from the 2001 model...it sold me instantly!

Had Bose CD, tape and FM system that was AWESOME! I had no problems with the 6-speaker system.

Again, the gauges were "futuristic" and looked sporty.

I bought the top of the line with all of the bells and whistles-- I had to--this was just a fantastic stock car! I had sunroof, sport package for the hatch (net for equipment). The air could blow you away and it was easy to control the climate in the cabin.

This wasn't my first Tiburon, as I said before, but this was my first V6, GT Tiburon. The very first time I got the car out on the road, I was impressed with the quick pick up and go. I could turn out in front of an oncoming car and still make ti without a problem. I had no problem getting up to 60 within a very reasonable amount of time. I love the power behind the car--although when I bought it, it was advertised as more HP than it really had.
I got pretty good gas mileage too...even though I drove the heck out of this car because it was just too darn fun to let sit in the garage! I had to drive 60 miles every other day, and it didn't break me for money ever on gas or repair. I didn't have any maintenance problems on this vehicle--ever!

This car withstood 2 people smashing into me. Yes, 2 different people had hit me the four years I had this car. Both had considerable damage, but the body stood up great--only cosmetic damage which is AMAZING considering how bad it looked after one hit--I thought for sure the body would be bent--nope! this body frame withstands anything! this car was built to hold up, I felt safe in this car!

The worst things (and I hate to call them worst because overall this is MY FAVORITE SPORTS CAR):

The ride was bumpy all of the time. It wasn't comfortable for long rides. This car was made to be in-town and driven to be noticed. The bucket seat, if driven for a longer trip, made my back ache, but I also had lumbar support when I needed it.

Small quarters in back. But, if you are looking at this car, you don't have to worry about that. (I eventually had to trade in my Tiburon for a family vehicle when I was pregnant with my son). We could fit the baby seat, but getting it in and out of the back was insane to even try, and we tried WITHOUT the baby in it! The hatch did begin to rattle. We just had to tighten it--anyone whose had a hatch knows that with a rough sporty ride, you will get hatch noise eventually!

It is low to the ground--as any great sports car is. When I was 7 months pregnant, I could barely roll in and out! but when I wasn't pregnant, no problem. My mom and dad had problems, but they are older.

It had a lot of recalls, but that's because it was the brand new style and that's expected.

I loved my Tiburon. To tell you the truth, I still wish I had it. The price was a STEAL for the car you get. If my son was older, I would be rushing to Hyundai to get another Tiburon....if you don't want to spend a lot, but you want a quality, luxury sports car that begs to be driven, get a Tiburon!