Sensible consumers are therefore prepared for the fact that parting with as little as the £7,495 asked for the entry level Hyundai hatchback isn't going to bag you something with the bells and whistles that come with Ferrari ownership.
Move up the range, however, and the headline-grabbing price starts to inflate towards the figure which you'd expect to pay for something more substantial.
And at the £9,340 price tag of the model tested here - the Getz CDX five door with a 1.4-litre petrol engine - you're firmly in the same territory of a much smarter motor.
Given that the Kia Picanto starts at £5,895 on the road and tops out at £7,635; and that the Proton Savvy starts out at £5,995 and goes up to only £6,995, should we be telling the South Koreans to "Getz lost"?
I suppose it starts well enough on the outside, an objet d'art which is never going to fetch as much as a Gustav Klimt, but still ticks the right boxes.
Triangle
In fact that's what it is a box with a triangle stuck on one end. Climb inside and it's equally exciting.
There's adequate space in the boot for the family shop and passengers in the back will be comfortable enough, if they are prepared to sit upright and rigid.
Driver and front seat passenger enjoy a similar level of luxury.
And the fact that the top of the gear knob came off in my hand - leaving me to guess whether I would end up reversing or setting off in third - tells you all you should know about build quality.
But, most annoyingly, nothing is where it should be.
You flick on the windscreen wipers (aren't they usually on the right?) and the indicators start to blink; you try to turn right and the windscreen wipers jerk into life.
In fact, the only feature which really seemed to warrant the price tag was the tilt and slide sun roof, which, conversely, worked as though it came from a much more expensive car.
I'd expected far more from the 1.4-litre engine: the Getz really needed to be pushed enthusiastically before it would perform.
Wobbly
It also felt a bit wobbly on the go.
It's hard to believe that this "new Getz" - on sale since last October - is actually supposed to be a slight improvement on the award-winning supermini which first went on sale in 2002.
The new bits are intended to appeal to younger drivers, but I think there are far too many stylish alternatives on the market for it to win the heart of too many teenage motorists.
Fair enough, you do get some good standard pieces of kit, including air conditioning, but I was left wondering whether I'd ever want to pay Marks & Spencer-money for a product which feels like it belongs in Netto?
I suppose one saving grace is the fact that it comes with Hyundai's famous five year warranty.
But even that put me in mind of the old joke that eating less and abstaining from alcohol doesn't make you live any longer, it just feels as though you have.
Buy yourself a Hyundai Getz and you will, indeed, benefit from five years of trouble free motoring.
But I dare say that it will feel like much, MUCH longer than that.
Tech spec:
Make/Model: Hyundai Getz CDX 1.4 5dr
Price: £9,340
Performance: 0 to 60mph: 11.2 seconds; top speed: 106mph
Fuel: 47mpg
EmissionsEMISSIONS: 141/15 per cent C02/tax percentage
On the stereo: Get(z) The Message by Electronic.
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