This is NOT a sponsored post. This is simply a passionate testimonial based on our family’s experience. Neither Hyundai of Cool Springs nor WAY-FM were aware of this post until after the purchase of the vehicle.

Our family now has a “new to us” family vehicle and we are all 4 very excited about it! This past Memorial Day weekend, we traded in our 2006 Honda Accord for a 2013 Hyundai Elantra.

Everyday for a couple years now, I have been hearing commercials for Hyundai of Cool Springs on my favorite radio station, WAY-FM (both of which happen to be right around the corner from my office).

By default, my wife and I have been Honda people for as long as we’ve been married; nearly 8 years now. So while I was hearing about the Hyundai brand on a daily basis, I was already set on replacing my wife’s Honda Accord for a Honda Fit.

However, in addition to the radio ads I kept hearing on WAY-FM as part of the Business Impact Partnership, something else magical happened that lead to my conversion from Honda to Hyundai…

A couple of months ago while getting both of our Hondas maintenanced, I candidly asked my mechanic of several years now (at Firestone Complete Auto Care in Cool Springs) a question that only he could legitimately answer as a non-biased 3rd party expert on the subject:

“What is the best car company as far as dependability, maintenance, and value?”

This was his immediate answer:

“If you were asking me this question 3 years ago, I would have said Honda. But now, Hyundai has really stepped up their game. The next time I get a new car, I would like to get a Hyundai for myself. Plus, Hyundais are actually more affordable than Hondas these days.”

I value his opinion very highly, as he knows exactly which cars have the most (and least) trouble. That was a major turning point for me.

Not to mention, back in 2014 while our family was having our house built, there were 4 occasions where we got to review Hyundais for a week at a time, here on my blog. We drove the Hyundai Sonata, the Azera, and the Sante Fe twice; first in May, then again in December. (To read those posts, just click on the bold red title above the “flashback” pictures.)

Hyundai Santa Fe in May 2014

Hyundai Azera in May 2014

2015 Hyundai Sonata in December 2014

2014 Hyundai Santa Fe again in December 2014

Then last week, my wife told me she found a great deal on a 2013 Honda Sonata, after browsing the website for Hyundai of Cool Springs. So I drove there the next day to check it out. Within 30 minutes, I was offered a deal that I felt would be foolish to turn down.

However, by the time we test drove the Sonata as a family a few days later, my wife just wasn’t feeling it. When I turned around to the back seat and asked our 5 and a half year-old son Jack what he thought about the car, he apathetically shrugged off my question with, “I don’t know.”

I could see the Sonata just wasn’t the right ergonomic fit for our family, or for my wife in particular; this was important as the new vehicle would be her commuter car from Spring Hill to Nashville every day once she returns to work from maternity leave.

My wife then revealed to me she had also seen a 2013 Elantra on the website too. We mentioned this to our sales professional, Corey Carpenter, who was happy to show us the other vehicle. He assured our family he was there to help us choose the vehicle that was truly right for us. We never once sensed any bit of pressure from him, which gave us confidence throughout the experience.

You can imagine how this story ends. Before we even made it to the stop sign as we began our test drive of the Elantra, we all knew as a family that this was our car. When I asked our son Jack this time, he instantly responded, “I love this car!”

Based on the fact our month-old daughter Holly remained asleep during the ride and didn’t make a peep, I assume she approved as well.

Obviously, the Sonata that we originally came there for is a great vehicle, I think it’s just that perhaps the Elantra somehow caters more to my wife and me as Millennial parents (both born in 1981). We liked the smaller, faster-feeling, more concise feel of the Elantra.

My wife keeps saying how nice, classy and clean the Elantra is. She loves the seat warmers, the mocha interior, the rubber floor mats, and the tinted windows.

As for me, I especially love the wheels and the way the car handles.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that like any vegan/vegetarian family, the first place we drove our new car was straight to Whole Foods, from the Hyundai Cool Springs parking lot. Typical.

And that, is the story of the conversion of our family from Honda to Hyundai. Please keep in mind that neither Hyundai Cool Springs nor WAY-FM had any idea I was going to write this blog post. Again, this is not a sponsored post.

This was no random decision to buy a Hyundai; nor was it a random decision to replace my wife’s vehicle. We had been planning this new car decision for nearly a year, ever since last July when we found out we were going to have another baby.

So financially, we already had the money in the bank. We were just waiting on the right deal on the right vehicle.

The next move is replace my 2004 Honda Element, which I’ve owned for over a decade. We have our sights on a Hyundai Santa Fe; which is one of the company vehicles of WAY-FM. But first, we must build up enough in savings account like we did for the Elantra. Hopefully in about a year or so, we’ll be ready for that purchase.

I love the Hyundai Santa Fe because while it still feels like a smaller SUV, it has a 3^rd row seat.

To think, it all began in 2011 when my wife started listening to WAY-FM on the way to work, telling me how funny The Wally Show was and that she really liked the music. From there, I began listening to it as well, soon making it the main station I listen to.

That set everything else in motion.

If you have any other questions about our family’s experience, just leave a comment. I’m pretty good at getting back to my readers in the comment section.