Thinking About a Used Hyundai Accent Hatchback.

[Derision]

I'm never one for the little cars, but I've had no bad experiences with Hyundai's. My ex had both a 2003 Accent and then later a 2006 Sonata, and they were both unstoppable. My friend had an older Sonata (96? 97?) and it, too, was unkillable. And my girlfriend's dad had an Elantra (2001?).

Aside from being pretty reliable, they're also beasts as far as surviving. My friend with the older Sonata got smacked by a semi and thrown on the guardrail... and she drove home. My girlfriend's dad got rear-ended by a box truck in his Elantra, ripped the rear end off the car and... drove it home. My ex got T-boned in her 2006 Sonata and... drove home. In fact, the car recovered and was as good as new a week later.

In the days of crumple zones and all that... it's rare to find a car that'll actually SURVIVE an accident at all, let alone drive away from them.

 

[Uncletruck]

Hyundai has become a much more respected name in recent years, even having initial quality on some models rating better than Honda or Toyota. That is a great stride considering Hyundai was one of the worst quality cars back in the late 80's and early 90's.

The middle 2000's Accents are rated quite favorably by owners on carsurvey.org. It is an entry level econo-box, but the powertrain seems to hold up fine. It is knocked down mainly for cheap quality of materials, especially with the interior. So you'll get good mileage and a generally reliable car, just don't expect the overall quality of a Civic or Corolla. With that said 10 minutes before writing this post I was on my way home and the Erie police were pushing a mid 00's Accent out of the middle of a busy intersection. Most Accents I see are driven by young females, and it is probably their first new or newer car and they are out to drive the wheels off of it. So I would check over any used prospect of the Accent very carefully.

-UT-

 

[Derision]

I should also mention that the two Hyundais that I drove -- the 2003 Accent and the 2006 Sonata -- didn't have any trouble getting out of their own way, so to speak. In fact, the Sonata is a frikkin' MONSTER. The V6s in those things are capable of hitting 60 in six seconds, and they say the top speed is around 147.

Oh, and unlike most cars made these days... they have NO SPEED LIMITER and frequently break 150 on the test tracks.

Respectable, if you ask me.

 

[andrewmp6]

A galant is as big of a turd is a taurus is.What about a newer geo metro mid 90s or even a daewoo gm owns them now most of chevys tiny cars are just rebadged daewoos.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Daewoos are a no go, GM or not. In fact, I would not buy a new GM car either. They have gotten MUCH better recently, and the Cobalt is a giant leap forwards from the Cavalier, but if the Cavalier is the benchmark, they didn't set the bar too high. I want GM to do better, and think they will if they continue to improve. I just don't want to jump on the band wagon until I am sure it is going the right direction.

I am kind of conflicted right now as I need a better driver, but I also need to get my Cutlass assembled and painted to get my life back in order. I will probably wait a few weeks or a month before I make a final decision as that is how long it will take to finish the body and paint it, then get it put together. You have no idea how much G body stuff is EVERYWHERE in my house right now! I may wind up finding the perfect 91-94 Sentra project car of my most perverted wet dreams for cheap by then, and if I do, that is what I will get. After all, it likely would be cheaper in the long run.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I just read something that makes me wary of the Accent. It has a timing belt and not a chain, plus it is an interference engine, also a big negative to me. The 60k mile belt interval would be too much of a nuisance. Guess I will keep looking for an old Sentra then. Timing Chain> Timing belt. Plus old Sentras are pretty much unstoppable with minimal maintenance.

 

[srercrcr]

The Civic you liked has a belt too.
It would need research but the belt change interval has gone up to 90,000 on many models.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Yeah, I know Honda has a belt, but it's interval is 50% (one year) longer than the Hyundai. Still, it is why I have a preference for Sentras with the GA16DE engine in them over the Honda D series or B series. I also read that VW has a 40k interval on the TDI Golf, which if so, seems awfully short. Then again, if I got 40+mpg city from a Golf diesel and could find one with manual windows cheaply, I would probably take a chance on it.

 

[Chet Who?]

VW diesels have a 80k interval. And mostly because the water pumps and rollers are prone to fail.

 

[megaladon6]

actually the mk3's (this is diesels only, not gas engines) have a 60k, the mk4's a 90k which can be changed to 100k+ with the right tensioner and belt. the water pumps usually outlast the belt by quite a bit, but not enough for every other belt. but use VW spec G-12 coolant!!!!! it took me about 7hrs total to do the belt and pump in my driveway, it's pretty easy. but you should invest in the proper tools from tdiparts.com/metalnerd ($140) and the ross-tech scan tool cable and software for a laptop. (it's about $100 and better than the dealer scan tool) you don't NEED the tools or scanner, but trust me you want them.