Should I buy Hyundai Accent
 

Hi all, I need to buy a car to commute to work and I like the look of the accent, but mostly I like the price. My only concern is that a couple of friends have warned me about the reliability of the Hyundai in general. Presumably most on this forum own a Hyundai Accent. What would be your recomendation?


Thanks

.Cesar

the reliability image is something hyundai has been trying to shake for years now. in the past, yes they had some major issues. we're talking 15 years ago now....

before '95 their cars sucked, period.

between 95-1999 the accent was better but had some issues with the auto transmissions.

2001 and on the accent started to become a good solid car and has only gotten better over the years.

they're cheaper than others, but they're trying to change their image. lowering the price is a good way to make a few sales and do just that. i've got a 5spd 2004 accent and i've been quite happy with it. got it off the 1st owner almost 2 years ago with about 80-85,000 kms on it and so far all i've had to do to it is spark plugs, 1 oxygen sensor (those wear out on any car), and two odd issues - clutch bearing (cost me $40 for the bearing, i do all my own work) and i had to replace the flex pipe on the exhaust. for some reason it rusted through at one of the welds....the rest of the exhaust is in excellent shape.

with any car you're going to have some issue here and there. i've put nearly 60,000kms on it since i've gotten it and i really can't complain - its all silly trivial stuff.

one word of advice - test drive it first, especially if you want an auto. personally i find the auto trans very slow, much better with the 5spd. you might be ok with it but i couldn't put up with the auto myself.

Should I buy Hyundai Accent
 

Thanks for the feed back. Im actually considering the 2010 accent hatchback 5 speed. It looks good and the price is right. I guess what I'm looking for is some confidence building before I take the plunge. Take for example a toyota corolla, those cars are known to be reliable. I just don't like the look of it or the price. I would apreciate some more feed back, I need more encoragement to take the plunge.

.Cesar

I agree. Anything after 2000 is going to be reliable if it was maintained properly. And any new Hyundai will be as reliable as the maintenance the owner gives it.

Should I buy Hyundai Accent
 

Base an the responces and some research I do done on the accent, I think I might just go ahead and purchase this veicle. In anyone has anything else to add, please do so.


.Cesar

a 2010 accent is about as reliable as it gets, great car! the engine has variable valve timing which also helps a bit with power output. if they handle anything like my 2004 you will be happy with it. and yes cheaper than a toyota and the new ones probably have a bit better reliability even.

my 2004 is a solid reliable car, but it does have its quirks...still trying to chase a few ghosts out of it. a 2010 should have those extremely minor problems taken care of. mostly its just little quirks that do not affect driveability in any way.

Should I buy Hyundai Accent
 

Its good to hear some positive feed back. I know that in the scheme of things $10000 is not lots of money, but still I want to make the best purchase possible. One of the complaints I heard about the accent is that its a bumpy ride. Does anyone have any opinion about that point?


.Cesar

in the grand scheme of things, $10,000 IS a lot of money to me! i would do exactly what you are - research any way you can and make an informed and intelligent decision on your next car! in fact thats exactly what i did before i bought my accent. figure out what you want and what 'sacrifices' you're willing to make (ie. smaller car, no cruise control, etc.) and decide on what you want to buy from there.

as far as bumpy ride well i'd have to say that yes its a bit of a rougher ride than most cars but thats a bit of a two edged sword. the accent has a stiffer suspension than most cars which can give you a little bit of a bumpier ride. on the upside stiffer suspension means MUCH better handling. and i have to say its not terribly bad, just a little bit less smooth than other cars.

on the other hand a friend of mine has a new nissan versa, i've driven it a few times and absolutely hate how it handles. the suspension i find overly soft. sure you get that smooth ride, but it does not grab the road/corners anywhere near like my accent does and i get very little 'road feedback' through the steering wheel. i like to feel the road a bit more so that i can better predict the conditions and how i should be driving - living in canada thats an important thing.

Should I buy Hyundai Accent
 

I agreed $10000 is alot of money. I was just being prudent since there are lots of people out there that can afort more. One of the last concerns I have about the accent is the gas consumption. I have read mix on the accent's MPG. Some attribute it to a defect on the cruise control.


.Cesar

i don't know anything about a defect with the cruise control, but if you sign up (free) on www.hmaservice.com you can check the TSB's for anything like that (technical service bullitens). also that site has ALL the tech info that the dealer mechanics use. very useful, and i know of no other car manufacturer that freely gives repair info.

now to be fair here, the accent is not a top notch car for fuel consumption - but its damn close. the biggest strength of the accent is that you get a better value for what you pay than anything else right now. doesn't mean its top notch, but it is for the price.

now a new one will be different from mine, i drive an '04 GSI (2 dr. hatchback), 1.6L with a manual transmission. i have tracked my gas mileage and i find an average of over 35 MPG. i have even had up to 40 MPG with it.

that being said, the variable valve timing will eat a bit more gas once it kicks in (should you rev it higher), the auto trans eats a bit more, and i often coast in neutral with my 5spd. there are other factors, so i can't say for sure what you will get i can only offer my experience.

Should I buy Hyundai Accent
 

Zero_Gravity

Sice you have a 2004 accent, I wanted to inquire your opinion in terms of power. I did a test drive of the accent and found the acceleration a bit slow. What is your take? I'm thinking I should test drive it again, before I make the purchase.

my take on it (i test drove an auto, similar model) was that the accent with the automatic transmission is agonizingly slow. it was downright painful.

getting a 5-spd manual makes a HUGE difference! it'll never be fast by any means, but its far better. the car is not built to be fast, its built to be economical. my personal opinion is that the piddly little 1.5 and 1.6L engines just do not have the power to run an auto transmission and give you any decent acceleration at the same time.

for me i can live with it, i plan to build up a toyota supra for something fast. might as well do it right and go for gobs of power and torque i figure. keep the accent as a cheap DD

i just bought my accent last feb, 2013 and experienced very low power after 6 months. they said the spark plugs already needed change. there was no warranty considering that i just had my car for less than a year. labor was free though but still i had to pay 2,200 pesos for the spark plugs. btw mileage was only 8th plus kms.

That's not a lot of miles on plugs. Did they do anything else or just replace the plugs, and did that cure the problem?

Hopefully, nothing is damaged in your car.

I've heard that Gasoline Direct Injection engines need to stay away from 10% ethanol blends. Go to pure-gas.org to find rare gas stations dispensing 100% gasoline(ethanol-free). Run your gas tank low, just before you fill on 100% gasoline, to get as much ethanol out as possible. Over a number of tanks, your mpg will go up 5% to 8%. Some drivers report 9 to 10+% using 100% gasoline. Ethanol needs higher compression ethanol engines to get the efficiency out of ethanol. Extra power will be less noticable, but careful observation may detect extra smoothness, quietness & a trace extra low rpm torque.

If pure-gas.org shows no 100% gasoline near by, look carefully at airports & marinas, for unadvertised fuels behind hangers or on small fuel docks you may have to walk to. You may have to carry gas cans to fuel. I would do such, to stay away from ethanol.

This is NOT rocket science. Gasoline engines were designed & built to use 100% gasoline & that is what you need to use. Even the EPA uses the equivalent of 100% gasoline to get the best mpg ratings for gasoline engines sold in the U.S.

For what it's worth, I ought a beater 99 Accent and it's consistently been reliable, easy to work on, and practical. No mechanical issues whatsoever and I average 38 mpg. The stick shift makes a difference.

I would suggest anyone buying a accent for the first time to go for its good sedan looks, excellent space and comfort,low maintanence and performance..

I purchased a 2010 Hyundai Accent about 6 months ago. So far I love my car. Im getting close to 32mpg in my car. Most of my miles are hwy miles. So far ive only had to replace 2 spark plugs in my car that went bad. Seems to be a issue when I got on the interstate. I rarely drive the interstate but the two times i did and i had to get on my car to merge in to traffic my plugs failed. I bought them from Advance Auto and my fiance replaced them. It was only a hundred a piece for them with a lifetime warranty. Ive had no other issues since.

I just recently got back from a trip out of town where I drove on the interstate and I had no issues at all. I have a local Hyundai dealership here and Im finding their prices are pretty reasonable.

I just bought a 2012 accent GLS sedan. Though I cannot contest to any longevity issues with the car, having this be my second hyundai I will say the accent with the automatic in it is plenty quick even compared to the Honda civic. Just dont expect acceleration like a V6 and youll be fine.
The build quality is superb much better than any eco car I have tested while looking for a commuter car. The styling is great, and the economy is top notch. A ten gallon tank and more than 400 miles per tank puts a smile on your face at every fill up.
Of the two hyundai I have personally owned I will say also that hyundai dealerships have been very helpful, and straight forward with me.
In fact the lack of customer service, backing their warrantees, cars, or their customers is why I have backed away from anything made by chrysler.

If you do your shopping, for the price your looking at you might be able to get a much newer car for close to the same money. I would think a 2011, or even a 2012 accent might be possible. And the 5 yr 60K warrantee would still be there for your piece of mind.

Just my 2c

I just purchased the 2013 hyundai accent and I must say I am having fun driving this car. Its not as fast and powerful as my V6 montero but it is very economical. It uses much less fuel for the same mileage and it certainly has a great interior. The suspension is stiff but it handles the road very well. For its price i am happy with its features and reliability.