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Hyundai Accent Hatchbacks

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  • baberbaber Posts: 96
    The new Kia Rio looks like a nice car worth considering. It will have a 108 hp 1.5 liter engine, nice. I don't think I will get rid of my 99 Accent soon though. I have 23,000 miles on it, and it is still rattle and squeak free. I have the sedan, maybe the hatchback is more prone to squeaks and rattles. Anyway, I am very happy with my 99 Accent so far. Right now the Accent is the cheapest real car you can buy, but this may change when the Rio comes out.

    Scott
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  • poconojoepoconojoe Posts: 42
    baber,
    I recommend anyone getting an insurance quote from Proggressive, to get it in writing. I received a very attractive phone quote from them. Accepted it, and using my credit card to pay the down payment. Later, in the mail I received a higher premium. When I called them they said that I had an accident 2 years ago. I told them that on the phone when I was getting the quote. A fender bender with a $1250 payout.
    Anyway my rate came in $800 dollars more than the phone quote. Now I'm shopping for a new insurance company. Watch out for the bait and switch.


    BTW my 99 Accent has 30K miles and still squeak and rattle free. Getting 40MPG commuting mostly highway.
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  • bennj1979bennj1979 Posts: 8
    I think alot of the lower cost cars (economy cars) tend to squeek and rattle when it's very cold, for example, temperature plays a role in how parts move and if they're going to rub together or not. This is something not considered in the engineering of the cheaper cars, for good reason, obviously they are lower cost. The gentleman (or lady) above with the squeeks and rattles never stated where he/she is living, or the temperature at which they are operating the car - sounds pretty cold to me if you have to wait a more unusual amount of time until RPMs hit 1000. On my old Hyundai (1990) during a bitter Jersey winter, I had the same problem, doing an injector/throttle clean up did help some, but I still had to hold down the gas to warm it up, I'm glad to say, front wheel Hyundais are great in the snow, I never got stuck, and in fact, had plenty of ponies to get myself out of the average snow in, just don't try going over 25 MPH on the highway, that would be a bad idea.
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  • baberbaber Posts: 96
    Talk about cold weather makes me remember my first new car, a 1977 Honda Civic 5 speed. Even though my 99 Accent is 22 years apart from the Honda, I still tend to compare them. The 77 Honda had a 1.5 liter engine that put out about 68 HP. It used a carberator and had a manual choke. The engine ran terrible in cold weather, no matter how I set the choke. This is the reason I got rid of it after 1 year. The car did squeek and rattle more in cold weather until it warmed up. The car rode like a rock untill the suspension warmed up too. Snow and ice would get packed into the steel wheels and put the wheels out of balance too. We don't have a lot of cold weather here in Florida, but we did have a few days close to freezing. My 99 Accent ran great in freezing weather. I love the fuel injection, the throttle response is fantastic! The 77 Honda and 99 Accent both average about 35 mpg, but my 99 is an automatic the 77 was a 5 speed. The 77 had an AM radio, no AC or power steering. The 77 cost me $4500 without AC, the 99 Accent cost me $10,000 with AC a nice stereo and automatic. There is such a difference between economy cars of the 70's and now, it is really amazing. The new cars ride and handle so much better with better economy and lower emmissions.
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  • natron1natron1 Posts: 1
    does anyone know where to find performance parts for an Accent? I am considering buying one (price is right), but want to make sure I can tweak it.
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  • slava1slava1 Posts: 5
    I think, I might surprise you revealing that I live in sunny LA, CA. And still wait about 2-3 minutes in the morning for the tach to hit 1000.
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  • sheenacsheenac Posts: 2
    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?
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  • sher6sher6 Posts: 1
    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.
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  • sheenacsheenac Posts: 2
    Thank you for your posting, I think when it comes down to it, safety IS what is most important!
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  • aldagaldag Posts: 81
    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.....
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  • baberbaber Posts: 96
    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.
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  • stefannstefann Posts: 1
    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!
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  • sach1sach1 Posts: 22
    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.
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  • elantra00elantra00 Posts: 225
    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
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  • aldagaldag Posts: 81
    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.
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  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Posts: 2,228
    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.
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  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Posts: 2,228
    I was wondering if anyone that owns a 2000 Accent 5 speed with a tachometer would be willing to help me out. I unfortunately have an Accent L which lacks the tachometer. I am curious as to what rpms the engine is turning at certain speeds so I can tailor my driving. Currently, I am using only engine note combined with actual speed to determine when I shift. I think I am shifting too soon, but am unsure. My questions are: What rpm is the engine at when going 70 mph in fifth gear? At what speed is the car moving when you hit 2,800-3,000 rpms in second, third, and fourth gears with light to moderate acceleration. I currently shift into third when moving at about 25 mph and into fourth at about 38. Ideally, I would like to shift at 3,000 rpms to avoid lugging the engine too much. Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to help me out :)
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  • aldagaldag Posts: 81
    I also have the tachless version of the Accent, so I can't really say what the RPM's are at any particular speed. However, it sounds like you are shifting at about the right speeds, similar to what is suggested in the owners manual. I usually remain in first to about 15 mph, then second to about 25, then third to about 35, then fourth. Now the manual suggests fifth at about 45, but my feeling is that this is too early for fifth as there is reduced torque in fifth gear and the need to accelerate into highway traffic seems to be better satisfied by remaining in fourth until at least 50 mph, and then slipping into fifth seems to work well. The engine speaks very clearly when it wants to be shifted, the sound is not likely to be missed. As with most small engines, the maximum power and torque are produced at relatively high rpm's, so for power accelerations, holding it in the lower gear longer can provide an extra boost, especially with the A/C running. In fact, it might be a good idea when entering the highway to turn off the A/C for just a few moments so as not to over tax the engine and get maximum acceleration. I enjoy driving this standard shift Accent, as it improves my driving concentration and driving experience... :-)
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  • mmy2mmy2 Posts: 2
    I'm looking at a '96 Accent with 35,000 miles. this is a 4-door Hatchback with sunroof, 5-speed.
    The last offer was 4500. I have concerns about safety and reliability because this is for my son who will be driving to school 360-400 miles. ANY COMMENTS ON A 96 ACCENT?
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  • mmy2mmy2 Posts: 2
    The Accent is NOT a hatchback-sorry!
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  • photog0264photog0264 Posts: 314
    Currently I drive a brand new Escort ZX2 (see my frequent posts in the ZX2 forum topic 1886) . Fast, very sporty, comfortable and a great handler. Unfortunatly some twit broadsided me in the first 4000 miles doing approx $5500 in damage. At the moment until the repairs to my car are complete I am driving a rented smelly and underpowered automatic Escort sedan (Despite the name they are TWO VERY DIFFERENT CARS). At any rate though, it has got me thinking about how convienant it was when about 10 years ago and some imbecile ran a stop sign on me and I had the luxury of 2 vehicles.

    At any rate I am now thinking I should plan on going for a second vehicle sometime next year. Perhaps when the model year ends in the fall. As I see it my choices for getting a new Econo Zip Box are either a Hyundai Accent or the Geo Metro. There are some other used cars I may also through into the mix just to keep it interesting. The price range would be under $10,000 and feature a manual transmission. About the only luxuries I am looking for are Air Conditioning, a basic stereo, and a sunroof. Everything else is not required as I don't plan on driving this second car much beyond errands, bad weather, and emergencies.

    Does anybody have any thoughts about the Geo Metro versus the Hyundai Accent? Both seem to fit my bill for an Econo Zip Box with a hatchback and come in under $10,000. At the moment I am only in the earliest of planing stages. If my finances say no about this time next year. Obviously I won't be getting one. However this Escort I am in right now has me positively going nuts. And when I had the luxury it was nice...
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  • baberbaber Posts: 96
    The new Kia Rio should be comming out soon. It will have a 108 hp engine, so it should have pretty good performance. The Accent is a little underpowered especially with the AC on. The Metro is even slower and smaller inside too. I would take a good test drive on the Kia Rio, Metro, and Accent with the AC on just to see if you can live with them.

    Scott
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  • photog0264photog0264 Posts: 314
    I had not even considered Kia... To be honest I don't know a whole lot about them either. I now something new to look at. About a year ago I test drove an Accent but it was an automatic and it was on a cold winters day. At the time I pretty much wrote it off as being next to useless, because it was so slow. However I have encountered several people who swear by the Manual versions of these cars.

    As for the Metro a quick visit to the Chevy web sight has me now convinced it would be better to buy another ZX2 used as opposed to buying a new Metro. Do you realize you can pick up a BRAND NEW ZX2 for about $12,000? You would have several times the preformance and a lot more comfort all for about the same price as a new Chevy Metro.

    At least the Accent isn't trying to pretend it is something it is not. Still the prices of used moderate mileage Metros is very tempting. You can pick one up for only about $5000 and often still have a little bit of the original warranty on them. Though in fairness used Accents are also in the same price range and have an even better warranty.
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  • photog0264photog0264 Posts: 314
    My prefered second car would be a 2 Door coupe or 2 door Hatchback. I am single and live by myself and as strange as it may seem realy dislike driving sedans. All but the sportage convertible seems to be a sedan. Though in fairness I did rather like the look of the 2 door Sportage convertible. It is alas way outside my price range. On my next day off I think I may follow Scotts advise and go for a test drive in an Accent just to see. I am still months away though from getting anywhere near serious.
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  • zyriazyria Posts: 2
    I haven't visited Edmunds.com since I purchased my Accent 2 years ago...they really helped me get a great deal on my car - I ended up getting my 1998 Accent GS with AC and Cassette for under 8000$.

    Anyway, I own a 1997 Camaro Z28 and the 98 Accent GS, and I love both cars almost equally. The Camaro is fun and agressive but I do need a break from it sometimes, and the Accent is really the perfect break for me. It's small, quiet, inexpensive, and best of all, worry free. I've driven it for 29k miles (and being a Camaro driver, I drive my cars HARD) and there have been absolutely no problems with it. I love it to death, and if I could do it all over again, I'd definitely get the Accent.

    I thought the Accent was one of the better looking cheap cars when I got it...but I've changed my mind: I think it's THE best looking car under 10k. What else even comes close? Nothing. The Accent 2 door is both cute AND sporty. I think I even like my 98 design better than the new ones.

    The engine is lacking, but then again I'm a Z28 owner. Still, when I'm driving my Accent I'm not exactly looking to drag race - it's my commuter car - so I have no problem with that. I've heard complaints about resale, but I plan on driving this car until the very end, so that doesn't worry me. All in all, it's definitely got to be one of the best values around!
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  • cavicavi Posts: 1
    I'm about to purchase a new Accent and have heard
    the manual version is hard to shift, may not be
    worth the bother. My wife will probably be driving this car (after she cools off from me
    buying it), so if it's hard shifting I thought I
    better go with an automatic.

    Can any of you new owners of Accents tell me of
    your experiences of what you have?

    By the way, with the research that I've done so far on the Accent, it appears to be the best thing going for good economical driving (a big concern of mine with gas prices these days).

    Thanks a lot!
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  • sach1sach1 Posts: 22
    One benefit of hatchbacks, imo, is the versalite cargo-carrying with the rear seat down. Anyone got real-world experience they want to share re: how much stuff or how large an object they toted in their Accent N/B?
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  • sach1sach1 Posts: 22
    make that versatile.
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  • photog0264photog0264 Posts: 314
    IT sounds like you are in a similar position to me with a second car. Though your primary is a little more exotic than mine is. I love my ZX2 to death and I am moaning about it constantly since the accident. However in my case the objective would be relieve a little of the mileage of ZX2 and hopefully keep it new longer Another objective would be to have it as a backup to the ZX2 when it is sick and also get something that can handle snow and bad weather a little better. The Hyundai Accent 2 door hatchback seems to be strongest little car in it's category. I will have to visit a dealer on Tuesday, see what options are available and maybe take one for a spin.
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  • photog0264photog0264 Posts: 314
    Not to be argumentive but the trunk in my ZX2 is larger than the trunk was in my 1987 Acura Integra. Granted I no longer have the Vertical room that hatchbacks provided, but it does have the edge in Horizontal room. I also like the fact that I don't have to worry about the false back window deck sagging. Which seems to happen on most hatchbacks over time. I has done on all 3 of the hatchbacks I have owned.

    In your favour of your argument though. When it comes to moving odd size loads the very fact that you can pull out the rear false deck is tremendous god send. In a couple months time when I move to another apartment I have distinct feeling I am going to miss my old Acura Hatchback. Not the least of which is because the thing was so ragged out it realy didn't matter if I treated her roughly. Where as on my ZX2 which I had been babying until the accident and will be again after I get her back. A scuffed seat can and will produce a merry fit.

    In the case of the Accent part of the apeal is a tough little Zip box I can play a little rougher with. I also like the idea of a narrow wheeled manual car for driving in snow in AND the odd errand runs we all make.
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