The Sonata offers sharp styling and premium tech at a price that undercuts the Accord, but the 2011-2019 Theta II engines were catastrophic, seized motors, oil consumption, and rod bearing failures between 60k-100k miles, with dealerships often fighting warranty claims. The 2020 redesign brought fresh looks and the 2022+ SmartStream engines show real improvement, but depreciation still reflects the older models' sins. Walk past anything pre-2020; current-gen buyers get genuine value and a 10-year warranty, but you're betting Hyundai has truly fixed what broke.
Two generations, two completely different stories. The 2007-2018 Altimas earned their brutal street reputation with CVT transmissions that failed around 100k miles even with proper maintenance, steering column locks that stranded owners in parking lots for $900, and dashboards that melted in the sun while Nissan looked the other way. The 2019+ redesign fixed the catastrophic mechanical issues and added segment-rare AWD, but arrives so damaged by its predecessors that resale value craters and nobody trusts the nameplate. Nissan's decade of subprime financing flooded roads with neglected examples driven into the ground, turning 'Altima driver' into a cultural punchline that obscures the current car's actual competence. Pre-2007 models with the VQ V6 and traditional automatics are legitimately durable. Anything 2007-2018 is a transmission time bomb. The 2019+ is a rational midsize sedan at a discount, but you're buying a car everyone assumes is terrible, plan on keeping it forever because resale is punishing.