Avoid the 03 for a manual, if the clutch is stock. And whatever you can find with the least mileage. For safety, speaking first hand - I spun into a guard rail at about 65, hit hard enough to bust the front and rear end, deploy the airbags, and total the car. I walked away without a scratch.

 

Well those years of tiburons are quite similar, i'm not an expert on the differences between them, but i have 06 GT manual, and i love it. One of the bigger differences in the front bumper which IMO the 05-06 looks better. Good luck on finding a tiburon!

 

06 for sure it looks the best and will prob have less miles and they fixed most of the problems with the 03-04

 

My 2003 has 83k on original clutch so far and I have put the last 13k on the car and havent had any problems but regular maintenance. Just keep in mind these engines with timing belts are recommended the timing belts being changed at 60k

 

Please dont believe the 03 myth that it is a ticking bomb... Hyundai tibs stock clutches are garbage..there are some lucky members that are still on there stock oem clutch but most have upgraded..the 03 was the only year to get a class A lawsuit on it , then hyundai claim to have fixed that issue but they were lieing and as you can see there are tons of members that have upgraded there clutches on there tibs (03-08 ) for that very reason , Yes i typed correctly there are fl2(07-08 ) that have clutch problem also....Now where it comes down to the best year i would have to say 2005-2006 because the facelift hyundai gave the exterior but i also love the rear and interior on the F/L2 (2007-2008 ) not so much the front end so its a tie for me on which is nicer lol

 

i have an 03 tiburon its my second car and i love it. never had a problem with it and just hit 80k miles

 

If you can find it 05-06. Nicer looking front end and it will probably have lower miles. As stated before, watch out for the OEM clutch and timing belt health.

 

if you have live closer i would have to you to check out mine since i am going to post for sale in the next couple of weeks

i have 04 gt but with stage 4 spec clutch, fidanza FW , k sport suspension with i/h/e, twm short shifter, blue tooth radio , front slotted disc rotors, new paint job, carbon hooded (but started to get those sun spot lately) ngm mounts front and back , tinted, and 17 rota bronze rims ..
they are all the same except the 05-06 has better front end headlights but as you can see i put the 06 headlights on mine
good luck

 

is she cute? lol.

nah, 05-06 models look better, and they got rid of the first-year kinks (ie clutches) by 05-06. they also added some desperately needed color to the interiors for 05-06. besides a facelift, they really didn't do anything spectacular to the cars from a drivetrain standpoint, so an 05-06 car is fine. (they were largely carryover b/w 03-04 and 05-06)

try to get one with under 60K, or over 60K with proof that the timing belt was done.

also, test drive a 6sp and 5sp V6 model, and see which one u like best. the 6sp is kind of a pain at times due to its shorter ratios, and the torquey truck motor makes very little use of the tighter spread. (i know cuz i have one)

also, props to your daughter for being a female who drives stick.

 

if you are going to get a used tiburon. get an 07 or 08. People are crazy if they pretend they aren't the best looking years...

 

I agree I like my 2008 GS 5 speed. I think it has more style and you can't stop looking at it.

 

Can't go wrong with either 05-06 or 07-08 if the miles are low and it's been maintained properly (and V6 of course). Personally I hate the 07-08 front bumper, but a Hana can solve that probem easily.

 

Exactly what he said lol! Had mine for only 2 months now, changed front to a hana, and have officially built my dream car. (My realistic dream car lol)

 

mechanically, there's not really anything worthwhile to differentiate the model years. Its mainly about the styling. I have an 04 and would do anything to switch to an 05 or 06 for looks. My favorite model.

 

Like others have said, go for an 05-06 if you can :3_nosthum

Also props to you daughter for wanting to drive a manual!

 

get her a scion tc

 

I gotta ask, why???

And I personally agree with most everyone else. The 05-06 model is what I would back. I absolutely adore my 06 in every way and I don't like the styling on the 07 08s. I think its the headlights.... good luck!

 

All I know is that I love my FL2. WAY WAY more than I ever loved my 03(with an FL bumper). And I loathe the FL headlights... They look very cheap to me. No... FL2 has a much better appearance. The styling is sleeker and a bit more balanced. The lines really got smoothed out with the last model. FL1 was a nice attempt to work out all the odd spots of the GKs but like I said, those head lights looked cheap. The chrome rings just made the GKs look sharp. And I hated the tail lights on the FL1s. And I know that I have way more compliments on my virtually unmodded FL2 than I ever did on my old tiburon. I had 2 03's (one stock and one with a facelift) and now have a 2007. But i'll also add that I've been around long enough to realize that not everyone has a sense of style... even though they really think they do.

 

Agreed I would only look at 07-08 when i was searching for a tib. not a big fan of the head/taillights of the previous years. But to answer your question if your year range is 03-06 I would definitely get 05-06. Otherwise I would normaly say 07-08

 

Well the 08s would seem to be the least problematic, they had 5 years to get it right. Something with low mileages which you're most likely going to find in a newer model. For me I like the 06, nice front bumper, tails even stock are cool, and has the nice leather/ red cloth seats. However the 07-08 look more like a dolphin instead of a shark. Just my opinion.

 

lol. ..i can see why you say this. ...to me the 03-06 gills look more sharkish and the 05-06 bumper looks more of a mouth

 

My 2006 Hyundai Tiburon GT V6 5-speed with 35,000 miles might be on the market and I live about an hour from you...

:3_wink:

 

OP, you should consider this as an option!!! :3_nosthum

 

Honestly i feel that PRtibby has my favorite tibby on this planet since the F/L front bumper is my favorite and the F/L 2 rear styling is my favorite. He combined them to make a perfect combo. The amazing thing is that hes done all of this to a 03 GK. its the best both worlds!!

 

Thanks for those kind words :3_chubby:

 

I have a 2006 Tiburon SE. Love it. Tough *** car. So safe.

I walked away from a 120 MPH head-on impact (Me: 50MPH - Them: 70 MPH), 7.5 hrs after the accident in my first tibby.

The car is a tank. That's why I found an exact replacement.

 

05-08 And V6 of course.

 

05-06 ftw!

 

04 was the first year they came with a car alarm I do believe as they were the most stolen car in _______ at one point....

 

03 is the best. Stop lying to the OP.

Also inb4gurldriverlolwut?

 

Uh my 2003 tiburons has factory alarms. is that a joke? lol

 

It's still on the top 10 list of most stolen.

 

Oh it is, is it?

Overall Top Ten 2012 so far:
10. Chrysler 300 HEMI
9. GMC Yukon
8. Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
7. Ford F-350
6. Chrysler 300
5. GMC Sierra 1500
4. Ford F-450
3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2. Ford F-250
1. Cadillac Escalade

Manufacturer Top Ten 2012:
1) Honda Cars - 127
2) Ford Trucks - 104
3) Chevrolet Trucks - 91
4) Toyota Cars - 63
5) Ford Cars - 56
6) Chevrolet Cars - 50
Nissan Cars - 50
7) Dodge Cars - 48
8 ) Dodge Trucks - 47
9) GMC Trucks - 27
10) Pontiac Cars - 22

Top Ten according to the NICB with model year most stolen:
1.Honda Civic (1995)
2.Honda Accord (1991)
3.Toyota Camry (1989)
4.Ford F-150 (1997)
5.Chevrolet C/K 1500 (1994)
6.Acura Integra (1994)
7.Dodge Ram Pickup (2004)
8.Nissan Sentra (1994)
9.Toyota Pickup (1988 )
10.Toyota Corolla (2007)

/research