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Hyundai Accent Hatchbacks

1769 messages,  Last post on Sep 24, 2012 at 8:34 PM

You are in the Hyundai Accent Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Accent, Hatchback

Messages Page 8 of 178

#68 of 1769 Wondering if it should be hyundai? by sheenac

Jun 07, 2000 (9:08 pm)

Hi there, I am an owner of a 1993 hyundai scoupe. I am so sick of doing repairs on it, so I went into my local hyundai dealer to see if they could help me out with a trade in for a newer hyundai since GM or Ford wont even spit towards a hyundai let alone buy one! Stupid...anyways...so I found a 1998 hyundai accent L model for $9,999 (Canadian). Nice colour, I hate red but this is like a maroony red, its nice. But this car! It is in good body and paint condition and only has 35,000 km on it, meaning warranty! Which is VERY good. But its got nothing in it! No anti-lock brakes, no power steering, no air bags, no CD, no air conditioning and no cruise! At another hyundai dealership, I found a 1999 Hyundai accent GT Sport for $10,900, with only 55,000km on it! Probably has the spoiler, possibly air bags, better wheels....any advice from you hyundai owners out there?

#69 of 1769 Accent Safety by sher6

Jun 08, 2000 (3:35 am)

For anyone who has any doubts about the safety of an Accent - my son lost control of his 1999 Accent and rolled it into a gully. He and his friend walked away from the car without a scratch. They were both wearing seatbelts. The car was demolished but the roof and door supports were solid through the crash. Maybe an Accent is not flashy but to me it looked like an $80,000 Mercedes when I saw my son safe and unharmed.

#70 of 1769 sher6 safety proof by sheenac

Jun 09, 2000 (10:20 pm)

Thank you for your posting, I think when it comes down to it, safety IS what is most important!

#71 of 1769 A good deal from Hyundai... by aldag

Jun 10, 2000 (2:46 am)

I bought my 2000 Accent Hatchback in February after my eight year old Dodge Shadow was totaled during a snowstorm by a maniac in a Honda Odyssey. The hatchback Accent reminded me very much of my Shadow, and so gave me a feeling of continuity. I now have about 4000 miles on the car with no problems so far. It makes a very interesting sound as the engine revs up, almost like a jet turbine. I bought it with the dealer installed A/C which cost an extra $899 which I did not feel was too unreasonable. For a small car, the A/C works remarkably well, producing very frigid air almost right away. Of course, this takes considerable power from the engine, but this is true of most small cars. (I call the Accent my "midget car".) It has a five speed manual which is fairly easy to shift, though the throw into second gear is fairly long. That just takes some getting used to. The tires are quite good for an economy car, very grippy. I remember changing the original tires on the Shadow almost right away because they had a tendancy to hydroplane at relatively low speeds in wet weather. But the Accent tires seem quite good. The fuel economy is remarkable. Even with $2.00 gas, I have yet to consume a $20 bill to fill the tank, and I seem to drive for weeks before I get gas. It will be most interesting to see how this car stands up to the test of time. I think the folks at Hyundai put a lot of thinking into this car and came up with much more than one might expect for an economy car.....

#72 of 1769 Cheapest real car by baber

Jun 11, 2000 (3:26 am)

I bought a 99 Accent sedan last September. Got 23,000 miles now with no trouble. Very happy so far, a lot of car for the money. Bought a 99 Elantra for my Wife. We have 11,000 miles on that car with no problems too. The 2000 Accent is an improvement, more room, nicer interior, fold down rear seat in the sedan now. My 99 has great fuel economy and it does have a great air conditioner.

#73 of 1769 A few issues test-driving new Accents by stefann

Jun 18, 2000 (2:09 am)

I'm on the verge of buying a Hyundai Accent 4-door sedan, stickshift. I've test-driven a couple of them, and I'm wondering if anyone can allay my following concerns:


BURNING BRAKES: on the models I've test driven on hills, the brakes smell as if they're old and need replacing. Is this normal for brand new brakes, and will it go away after a few hundred miles?


DIFFICULT SHIFTING: it's been kind of hard getting the stick into second and third at times. Has anyone else experienced this, and does it get easier as the car breaks in?


OIL ON ENGINE BLOCK: on one model I drove, checking under the hood I saw some oil around the oil cap. What's up with this?


INSURANCE: what's a good rate on the Accent, considering its somewhat questionable issues with safety? I'm 32, with good credit; this'll be my first new car.


What is everyone's general impression of the Accent?


Thanks!

#74 of 1769 my take on accent hb by sach1

Jun 18, 2000 (3:31 am)

the brakes may need to seat themselves if brand new, this will naturally occur after a few hundred miles. sounds like some service schlepp wasn't too careful topping off the oil and spilled some. I have the auto, so not much i can tell you about the stick shift. Overall, I am extemely satisifed with the Accent HB, (18,000 miles on a 2000 so far) almost went with a Focus but the steady stream of recall and service notices scared me off. Sounds like another fine Fix Or Repair Daily product out of Dearborn. You can't beat that Hyundai 10-year warranty either.

#75 of 1769 steffan by elantra00

Jun 19, 2000 (3:52 am)

all that stuff is normal. i have a hyundai elantra in 5 spd. when i first got it about 2 months ago, the shifter was tough to put in gear. this is because it has to break in. 2000 miles later, its smooth and easy. the smells you are smelling are just parts breaking in, seals sealing themselves up. after 1500-2000 miles if this is still going on, bring it in. oil around engine cap...guy probably spilled it putting it in. check under the car to see if its leaking, then you got a problem. i just realized, is this a new car or used car? if its new, then follow what i said above. if its used, i wouldnt get it. good luck

#76 of 1769 More Accent Observations... by aldag

Jun 19, 2000 (5:07 am)

I now have over 4000 miles on my 2000 Accent, so far, so good. Yes, there was a burning smell during about the first two weeks or so, but I have experienced this smell with other new cars and it goes away in a short period of time. I attribute it to labels and/or grease, or paint, or undercoat on exhaust components which burns away. The brakes work fine on this car, I am very satisfied with the stopping characteristics. There was a bit of oil on the plastic valve cover when I obtained the car, which I wiped off. It has not reappeared. The oil plug and oil filter were incredibly tight to remove when I did my first oil change, thankfully nothing was stripped. Shifting was a bit easier after break in, but getting into reverse is sometimes a bit finicky, which reminds me of the Nissan Pulsar I once had. The seats in this car I must rate as extra firm, like riding in a German bus. I usually sit on a "booster pillow" anyway, for better driving position.


The engine must be built to very good tolerances. It used absolutely no oil to the first oil change and the oil stayed very clear to about 1500 miles when the usual gradual darkening started to occur. The oil filters are commonly available as it seems the Hyundai uses the same oil filter across their product line and for many of the past years. That is very smart, I wish other car makers would do the same. I bought a wheel so that I can have a full size spare. I also bought a couple of spare belts, to keep in the trunk for emergencies, just in case.


As for insurance, I was driving an eight year old Dodge Shadow. My rates for the new Accent went up by only $76 annually. That seems pretty reasonable to me. The insurance company apparently treats the Accent as a sub-compact family car, that would be my guess, judging from the affordable rates.

#77 of 1769 stefann by lngtonge18

Jun 19, 2000 (6:40 am)

  Most of your observations were normal. New brakes tend to smell some when being broken in, especially if you are using them hard on a hill. Never use new brakes hard or u risk glazing them and loosing some of their effectiveness. It's possible what you were smelling was the undercoating burning off the exhaust system. My 2000 Accent smelled pretty nasty the first week or so that I had it. I only noticed the smell when I got out of the car or had the A/C on fresh air. I too had an oil stain around my oil filler cap. I find it odd a few people have mentioned this.
  As far as the stick shift is concerned, it is NOT one of the smoothest shifters around. It may get a little better once you break it in, but I have 2600 miles on mine and I still sometimes have grinding problems going into second and third and difficulty engaging first. I believe it is a design flaw as one guy has emailed me concerning his shifting problems combined with a noise that I have also encountered and he is now getting an entire new transmission installed. I hope I do not have to go that route. Anyway, the notchy, finicky shifter is not enough to deter you away from the car. You get somewhat used to it and I still enjoy the car despite it.

Messages Page 8 of 178

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