Job worries? Hyundai has a deal for you
Posted
Jan 05 2009, 11:38 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Are you confident that the ailing economy will rebound quickly? Apparently Hyundai is betting that you aren't. Under the new Hyundai Assurance plan, if you buy or lease a new Hyundai and lose your job within a year, you can take the car back without credit hassles.
Depending on what the car is worth at the time, you may not even owe another dime.
This may be what it takes to get nervous buyers into showrooms. Of course, there are a few little hitches in this unusual marketing approach. Among them:
- The Hyundai Assurance benefit is worth up to $7,500 and is based on Hyundai's determination of what your vehicle is worth "based on the average of your dealer's appraisal and the values from leading industry guides," the company says. That amount is applied to what you owe. You pay the difference if it's more than that.
- You have to finance or lease the car to qualify.
- The offer is limited to those who involuntarily lose their job, get transferred overseas, become disabled, lose their driver's license due to physical impairment, are self-employed and file for bankruptcy -- or accidentally die.
Robert Farago at The Truth About Cars wrote about Hyundai Assurance and got plenty of feedback from readers. Many said it sounds like a good deal.
"One of the reasons why consumers have cut back spending so much is fear of what will happen in the future and this program tries to address that," reader "Acd" wrote. "... It certainly stands out among the clutter of toe-tag-athon clearance events."
Some readers said that considering the depreciation of Hyundais, $7,500 would probably cover what you owe if your down payment was a decent amount.
"Excellent marketing," "Buickman" said. "Something GM will never learn."
Related reading:
Who makes the highest-quality cars?
Auto sales crash and burn
Car sales: The Achilles heel of auto bailout
GMAC is giving your money to subprime buyers
