1997 Hyundai Coupe SE review from UK and Ireland

Stupid flashing clock that irritates me - don't bother trying to repair cos they're unrepairable and it's a mission to even remove it (not just a wedgey out of the dash trust me!). Just get a clock from halfords and make - replacement is abiut £60 for a new clock from main dealer!

Rear wheel bearings went at 70k and cost £75 each to replace (part only as I did them myself).

Exhaust manifold cracked at the branch at 74k - direct replacement can vary as there are two types:

1 catalytic converter and manifold as one (you need to replace both in this case)

2 catalytic converter and manifold separate parts (you will see 4 bolts attaching the cat and manifold and in this case you can get away with replacing just the manifold which is much cheaper!).

Best option if the manifold has gone is to replace it with a stainless steel header and high-flow cat - much better and works out cheaper, not to mention the crack won't ever come back.

TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) went at 55k and cost £75 for a new one. Manifests itself by eratic idle and lumpy acceleration. Takes about 5 minutes to fit.

Spark leads and plugs needed replacing due to hesitation and lumpy pickup. Replaced with NGK plugs (only use NGK on hyundai's!) and Magnecor leads (makes all the difference). Lumpiness gone and now runs sweet as a nut.

Electric aerial broke and was replaced with a part from ebay (cost £15) - took an hour to fit myself.

Last, but not least - the washer jets sometimes decide not to work. I need to sort this as I'm more than sure its gunk in the washer bottle. In the mean time I use a syringe to draw water out and it seems to work for a week then blocks up again - very irritating!!

Watch out for parts cos there aren't many 'pattern' parts out there - main 'stealer' parts seem to be the order of the day for hyundai.

Car handles lovely and is a pleasure on long journeys. Engine gets a bit unrefined over 80 mph, but is tolerable. Also can be a little thirsty if your driving spirited. I've seen 20 and 25 mpg at times, but if you take it easy you can get good mpg.

Gears nice and positive, as are brakes. Got to remember that this is a late 90's car and as such shouldn't really be compared to new ones! I'm going to trade her in next year and despite its failings I'll be getting a mark 3 or 3.5.

Lots of nice gizmos in this car which I like - electric everything!