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Low End Sedans (under $16k)

3871 messages,  Last post on Dec 30, 2011 at 10:54 AM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota ECHO, Chevrolet Aveo, Kia Rio, Nissan Sentra, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris, Kia Spectra, Suzuki Forenza, Sedan

Messages Page 341 of 388

#3397 of 3871 Love my 2000 Accent/4 dr/automatic by good4u

Feb 24, 2006 (6:36 pm)

I haven't had any regrets in buying my 2000 Accent with 45K from a local small dealership in May of '04. Paid $4500. It now has 70K, and not one problem. It runs great and has a ton of room for a small car. The only thing I did to it was install a CD player. The overdrive is AWESOME, too! It really saves on gas.
This car is so much better than our piece of garbage Plymouth Voyager we bought brand new in 1998.... that is the family vehicle, and it's a lemon!!
Hyundai makes reliable cars!
I hope this is helpful for all of you buying a cheap, used car. You get more for the money, and save on gas!
The only thing I would change would be Power windows/locks, but those are luxuries. It's a reliable and quiet vehicle whether going 25 MPH or 75 MPH! Great car, and surprisingly, it's a tough cookie! My co-worker accidentally rammed into it with her Blazer. Not one single scratch on my Accent. Her bumper fell off, and she had dents. She pushed my Accent back 4 feet, too! Things bounce off of it! (although I can't guarentee EVERYTHING will bounce off of it, don't try that on a daily basis!)
Anyway, looking for a small car that has a good turning radius, excellent foot room, and top-notch gas mileage? (oh, did I mention it's INEXPENSIVE?) GET THE ACCENT! You won't be sorry. I wasn't. I think next time I'll get an Elantra, which is one size larger. But, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY ACCENT!
Just take good care of yours, and you'll love it too!
Hyundai----- YOU GUYS SURE DO KNOW HOW TO MAKE A LONG-LASTING COMPACT CAR!
They make American automakers look like trash.

#3398 of 3871 Re: Love my 2000 Accent/4 dr/automatic [good4u] by nippononly

Feb 24, 2006 (10:12 pm)

Replying to: good4u (Feb 24, 2006 6:36 pm)
Wow, we should put that to music! It is an accolade worthy of a Hyundai commercial!
 
Just kidding good4U! I am glad you like your car so much. these little cars are great, and it would be cool if more people in the U.S. started realizing that.
 
Any idea what mileage you are actually getting?

#3399 of 3871 Re: Love my 2000 Accent/4 dr/automatic [nippononly] by good4u

Feb 26, 2006 (8:37 am)

Replying to: nippononly (Feb 24, 2006 10:12 pm)
We've figured out that our Accent (at this time) gets about 34MPG in town, and maybe 38MPG on the highway...... about 41MPG if overdrive is on.

#3400 of 3871 Accent and Rio - crash tests by backy

Feb 26, 2006 (8:51 am)

I noticed something interesting--and distressing--while looking at the NHTSA crash test scores today. The Accent's scores have been posted, and they are better than those of the Rio: 5/5/4/3 on the Accent, 4/5/3/3 on the Rio. This continues a disturbing (to me) trend where Kias built on the same platform as their Hyundai counterparts have worse crash test results than the Hyundais. It started with the Elantra and Spectra and continues now with the Accent and Rio. It's also not a good sign that the scores for the Accent for side crashes have gotten worse in comparison to the previous design (although frontal scores have improved). It would be nice to see improvement across the board.
 
It will be interesting to see how these cars fare in the IIHS crash tests.

#3401 of 3871 Re: Accent and Rio - crash tests [backy] by alpha01

Feb 26, 2006 (9:56 am)

Replying to: backy (Feb 26, 2006 8:51 am)
I wouldnt really read into the NHTSA tests, there seems to be significant inconsistency in tests of the same cars, without any explanation. For example, in the past, as follower of Toyota vehicles, the previous generation Camry without side airbags has scored anywhere from 2-4 stars for the driver, and 5 to 3 stars for the rear passenger; I'm not aware of any modifications by Toyota, and certainly, since the vehicle started with a 5 star rating for rear in '02, I dont know why they would modify to decrease the rating?
 
Bottom line: For me personally, I have very little confidence in the NHTSA testing.
 
~alpha

#3402 of 3871 Re: Love my 2000 Accent/4 dr/automatic [good4u] by mwqa

Feb 26, 2006 (10:13 am)

Replying to: good4u (Feb 24, 2006 6:36 pm)
Everyone I've talked to likes their Accent. It's a very popular car up here! Solid, cheap to buy, cheap to run... highly recommended.

#3403 of 3871 Re: Accent and Rio - crash tests [alpha01] by backy

Feb 26, 2006 (12:23 pm)

Replying to: alpha01 (Feb 26, 2006 9:56 am)
The NHTSA only tests a car if there have been changes that could make a difference in crash tests. That explains, for example, why Toyota didn't test the 2006 Camry, and why on the 2005 model it ran only the frontal impact test, which did have a different score from the 2004 test.
 
It's clear that there were changes to the tested Camrys from 2002-2004; for example, the weight of the test cars went up almost 200 pounds between 2003 and 2004. Also, it is possible that one year, a score was right on the borderline between two star ratings, and the next year the score was almost the same but it fell into a different star category. This might have happened between 2003 and 2004 for example. The 2003 front side TTI was 73 and for 2004 it was 70. That might have been just enough to put the 2004 into the 4-star classification. I've seen this kind of thing on the IIHS tests also. The line between classifications has to be drawn somewhere, and there's no such thing in these tests as "almost four stars" or "just squeaked into the Good category".
 
As to why the side impact score declined a lot between 2003 and 2004, maybe you could ask Toyota about that.
 
I prefer the IIHS testing myself, but we don't see very many cars get low scores on the NHTSA tests and then get high scores on the IIHS tests. The reverse does happen, though, which makes sense because the IIHS tests are more severe than the NHTSA tests.

#3404 of 3871 Re: Accent and Rio - crash tests [backy] by alpha01

Feb 26, 2006 (12:55 pm)

Replying to: backy (Feb 26, 2006 12:23 pm)
The weight of the Camry did not change by 200 lbs during those years. The weight of the test cars may have changed based on trim, but looking through the manufacturer brochures and a few comparison tests, the Camry weights did not change when holding engine, transmission, trim line consistent.
 
I do not know about the methodology behind when NHTSA tests vehicles, but even ASIDE from the side impact, the Camry received varying between 4 and 5 stars in the frontal during those years as well. Now, if that WAS the case, the IIHS would have had to retest based on THEIR methodology.
 
"I prefer the IIHS testing myself, but we don't see very many cars get low scores on the NHTSA tests and then get high scores on the IIHS tests. The reverse does happen, though, which makes sense because the IIHS tests are more severe than the NHTSA tests."
 
Ok, well that pretty much sums up why the NHTSA tests clearly dont provide a full picture.
 
IMO, the frontal tests compliment each other as the IIHS has stated- the NHTSA test is demanding of restraint systems, and the IIHS test demanding of structure (and restraints). However, the NHTSA side impact and IIHS impact do not have this type of relationship; the NHTSA test does not expose weaknesses that the IIHS test does not, while the converse is true.
 
I just dont think I'd really be concerned with the NHTSA side ratings for the Accent and Rio....
 
~alpha

#3405 of 3871 Re: Accent and Rio - crash tests [alpha01] by backy

Feb 26, 2006 (1:55 pm)

Replying to: alpha01 (Feb 26, 2006 12:55 pm)
Not concerned? OK, show me any car equipped with side bags and curtains (as the '06 Accent and Rio are) that got three stars on a NHTSA side impact test and also got a "Good" score on the IIHS side impact test. I haven't found any yet.
 
P.S. As I noted, it was the test car weights that changed on the Camry. That is curious in itself, because I would think that Toyota would want the crash test car to be the lightest weight possible, all else being equal, since weight plays a role in the frontal impact results.

#3406 of 3871 Re: Accent and Rio - crash tests [backy] by alpha01

Feb 26, 2006 (8:18 pm)

Replying to: backy (Feb 26, 2006 1:55 pm)
Backy,
 
With regard to the Camry weights, your comment was
 
"It's clear that there were changes to the tested Camrys from 2002-2004; for example, the weight of the test cars went up almost 200 pounds between 2003 and 2004."
 
Your statement led me to believe you were expressing changes made to the Camry resulted in a weight increase, and affected the ratings. If I misread it, I apologize, but I feel this is a logical interpretation.
 
"OK, show me any car equipped with side bags and curtains (as the '06 Accent and Rio are) that got three stars on a NHTSA side impact test and also got a "Good" score on the IIHS side impact test. I haven't found any yet."
 
Touche, point taken.
 
~alpha

Messages Page 341 of 388

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