1989 Hyundai Excel GL 1.5L from North America

Summary:

Economy car

Faults:

Nothing major has had to be repaired on the car.

The seam in the drivers chair on the right side has started to come apart, but will be sewn back up.

Sometimes loses 4th and 5th gear when shifting into 5th, don't remember what was supposed to be the problem.

General Comments:

Car is quite reliable.

Not to slow, still has most of its original Horsepower.

Upgraded stereo to 540 watts.

Increased timing for more performance.

Handles quite nicely.

Little on the heavy side for a compact.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th July, 2004

1989 Hyundai Excel GL 1.5 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A good cheap first car

Faults:

These are things that are wrong with the car and I haven't fixed them yet.

I have 3 broken engine mounts.

A major Oil Leak.

A broken CV joint.

Saggy back springs.

Worn struts.

A few cracks in the dash.

Paint is fading in places.

The seats have faded.

These things I have done to the car:

Had the radiator flushed out.

Replaced the plugs, leads, air filter and fuel filter.

Had a wheel alignment as it was drifting to the left quite dramatically at one stage.

Replaced the windscreen, due to large crack.

General Comments:

I found this car very reliable for the first 3 years of ownership, but now it needs a lot of maintenance.

The car is very good on fuel.

The interior is good. It's very roomy for a small car.

The car handles quite good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th December, 2003

28th Mar 2006, 19:31

OK then your excel sounds OK,

A good friend of mine has one the same year that seems to go good still, thing is it's painted in HOT PINK, but that aside the car seems good enough, she's going to sell it thoguh, I may even swap my Laser for it if possable.

1989 Hyundai Excel from North America

Summary:

A great bargain with few worries

Faults:

I just bought this car. The guy told me it was in perfect condition and half way home it started smoking like cray. It's burning oil worse than any car I've ever seen. Now the guy won't return my phone calls. Despite this, I want to keep the car! It drives perfectly and purrs like a kitten. I'm wondering it it's worth it to get the motor rebuilt? Or maybe put a better engine in? If anyone can help me with any suggestions please email me at LoriLeeM2002@yahoo.ca.

General Comments:

This car purrs like a kitten.

The paint is still brand new looking.

However it burns oil so badly it blinds drivers behind me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd August, 2003

22nd Aug 2003, 14:44

It might be worth it. Call around to some places and get some estimates. Like call a dealer, and some private mechaincs. But I would deffinatly do something soon, other wise its going to stop burning oil and and just quit.

16th Oct 2003, 19:22

My dad has a 1989 Mitsubishi Precis which is the exact same car with a different name on the outside. The Oil filler cap on the valve cover even says Hyundai on it. The car has about 63,000 miles on it and it also burns a lot of oil. There was a Technical Service Bulletin from Hyundai about the valve stem seals being updated. This could be the cause of your oil burning. The seals can be changed with the head still on the engine by using a compressor to hold the valve up while changing out the valve stem seals. Any mechanic should be able to do this job for you in just a few hours start to finish. I would not jump to replace the engine if it has less than 100,000 miles on it. If the valve guides are worn then the head would have to be removed. The problem will return relatively quickly without replacing the valve guides if they are bad. If the engine doesn't have too many miles on it I would try just the valve stem seals first and see what happens. The car is not constructed very well. The plastic used is inferior in my opinion. However, it does seem to be reliable in spite of these details. I have a 1977 Toyota Corolla with 304,000 miles and a 1979 Toyota Celica with 256,000 miles that hardly burn any oil and still run strong. I don't see the Hyundai Excel making it to this many miles without a lot of TLC and a large purse. Good Luck.