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Hyundai Accent Hatchbacks

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Comments

  • syd44syd44 Member Posts: 1
    ----This would be my first car. I wanted to get info from previous owners. The car im looking at is a 1997 Hyundai Accent Hatchback. it is a 4cyl., automatic. it has 71k miles on it. power everything, moonroof, upholstery, tinted glass, no cd. the dealership is asking $4995. is this an appropriate price?? how much should be offering? what are some problems associated with this model and year? thanks alot.
  • treybradtreybrad Member Posts: 2
    I know there has to have been some discussion on this topic, but where is it? I have searched everywhere I know but can't find anything, it doesn't help that the t-h-c board has been down for a couple of days. The problem I am having is with the cd player. It is a 2000, 5-speed L hatchback and as you know, the goofy thing has a oval opening. I used to have a '97 and that was no problem. What I need is a dash kit. I have found the pictures of the car in Australia, but is there a kit available in the states? If not, can I get one from Australia or can I make my own? I have been to all the local shops and they have all never heard of a kit for our cars. Is there a place on the internet? Crutchfield doesn't have any... any help is appreciated greatly!

    Trey Bradshaw
    treybrad@home.com

    BTW: if this has been discussed just give the the message number. Thanks.
  • icebonesicebones Member Posts: 3
    I'm looking at buying a 96 accent. I relativly pleased with the little ccar, but it has 119k mi. and that concerns me a little. does anyone out there have any comments on how the engines hold up after they reach this point. It's a very clean little car and if I new it had the same reliability as a nissan I wouldn't think twice about it. I put 230k on an 81 datsun 510 and abused it badly, so thats why i mentioned that.
    any advise is helpful and greatly appreciated
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    Wew, let's see if I can help ou guys out.

    Snoopy, thanks for the info...that makes more sense why they only put a 1.3L in there...wow, 14K for an Accent...I just paid that much form my fully loaded Focus ZX3 last month !!!!! If you do harass Hyundai about your problems, let me know what happens. Good Luck.

    Destro2001...congrats, and good luck with your new Accent...that's a pretty decent price!

    Syd44...NO WAY is that a good price. Check out the book values on www.kbb.com, www.nada.com and here on edmunds. Unless the car is in PERFECT condition, that's a little steep $3K would be better. If your going to spend $5K, get a new 2001 GS or GL, they are way more refined than the previous body style, and a little roomier,

    treybrad...there is no kit in existence that I know of...if you order a HU from Crutchfield, they will give you the harness and tell you how to install it, but there will now doubt be cutting involved (I did this on my own, it looks kinda weird, but I couldn't live with the stock audio)

    Finally, ICEBONES....I have a 95 with 90K miles and I beat the living snot out of it...still runs great. Keep in mind that the timimg belt MUST be done every 60K miles or so on ANY Accent, otherwise you risk major engine damage. Buying one used, you have no way of really knowing wiothout having it looked at (this applies to you too to syd44). HOWEVER, it's not a super expensive job to have done (like $300). Anyway, my 95 (which was the FIRST model year) had only one recall, and was and still is 100% problem free. If the price is reasonable, go for it. Remember these models are STILL Hyundais, and don't have really good resale values, so don't pay too much !!!!

    Good luck everyone, hope I can help
  • occupant1occupant1 Member Posts: 412
    a 1997 Accent is only worth $4995 if it has less than 30K on it. You've got to get him down to about $3000-$3500 to be a deal. And remember, I bought the 1997 Accent I had for $1300, with 95K, as a repossession, and it wasn't TOO beat up until I wrecked it. Check the papers, the trader magazines, you'll see Accents for much less.

    As to the 119K mile Accent, mine had what, 102-103K when I got rid of it, it had been wrecked twice and beat to heck, and it still drove perfect execpt for the brake rotor warpage and the deployed airbags getting in my way. The 1.5L engine is fine, granted you've done the timing belt and kept the oil changed regularly. Have a mechanic look at it, the $60 is worth it if you don't know what you're doing, unlike me, I'll take the dipstick out and try to light it on fire. If it flames up fast, gas in the oil, has blowby, engine's worn out, if it burns slow, fine, if it won't hardly light, water in oil, needs work. Don't do this at home, kids, do it in the driveway, AWAY from the car, and not while standing in a pool of flammable liquid.
  • icebonesicebones Member Posts: 3
    thanks for the info, I've checked it out frontwards and backwards and aside from some very minor seepage it appears tight and drives fine. I check the oil, rubbed, smelt it, etc. It seems fine. I feel that the asking price of 3k is a little steep, but it is on a lot and not an individual. basically it's the best car i've found for 3k and under that's an auto, and my wife can't drive a stick so I HAVE to get an auto. The only other thing i noticed is that there is rust around most of the bolts and hood latch, but it doesn't display any of signs of being under water, it still seems sound. The dealer says that he's sold a few hyundais and they all seem to have that problems, can anyone confirm or deny this? Aside from not being able to resale it for that does anyone here feel that i will get 3k worth out of the car? especially compared to the 90-94's that I'm having to look at with similar mileage. I'm not worried about resale value but want to get at least a few years out of it if possible. Does ANYONE out there have an accent with 110k+ on it that can give me that kind of info. AS things sit now I'm going to get it, probably saturday, he guy says he will hold it till then since my work doesn't allow for any other time. anyway, that's what I would like to now
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    like I said, my 95 only has 95K miles on it, but it does not have a spot of rust ANYWHERE on the car. The only visible defects on my model year was that the drivers and passengers outside rearview mirrors have no paint left on them. They are not body color, they were painted flat textured black. This is a common problem with the 95-97 years (depends on the production date). It's something that a little can of flat black spray paint can fix !!!

    I would be leary of this dealer telling you 'they all have rust there'....THEY DON'T !!!! Unless you live VERY close to the ocean in really salty air, then I could understand that.

    And by the way, the price is still really steep. I'm selling my 95 to next month and the best offer I got was $1500, and my car has a new timing belt, new brakes, new struts, new tires...etc. Even with the AUTO trans, it's still steep...add $300 for an auto on a used car.

    Good luck
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    According to the NHTSA site, there have been five recalls on the '95 Hyundai Accent. One is a cold weather region recall and does not affect the entire country.
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    Yup, one was a wiring harness only on auto's and the other was to install an additional bracket under the wheel-well in case of the springs rusting too soon and damaging tires (only applied to 'snow-belt' states. The other three only apply to PR and fleet (rental) vehicles only.
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    Sorry, correction to the above post...the wiring harness was only MANUAL trans models, not auto's. I typed it backwards
  • secretblendsecretblend Member Posts: 9
    HI, just wanted to put down the update of my car. It now has 10,000 miles on it. I am averaging 35 MPG. It is running great. I had to have my driver side mirror replaced. Was replaced under warranty. Cruise control is working great. So far, I don't regret buying my car..
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    What I am about to say goes for anyone who has work done on their car and not just for Secretblend. If you have to have something replaced, let us know why the part had to be replaced.

    In other words, what happened to the mirror?
  • secretblendsecretblend Member Posts: 9
    since the day i got the car, the mirror handle would be all the way up and the mirror would be set a little too low for me to use it. When they replaced the mirror, they said the cable was broken. So they replaced it under warrenty and it has worked great since.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Now if anyone else has that problem, they will know what is wrong with the mirror so thanks for telling us.
  • boofyboofy Member Posts: 4
    Hello, everyone. I've spent a good deal of time the last two months researching economy cars (namely the Accent, Daewoo Lanos, Kia Rio, Saturn, Toyota Echo, and Dodge Neon). I was mainly interested in the Accent GS, but then was initially turned off somewhat by a few of the negative comments I read in this discussion board. So I decided to research some of the other cars I already listed here and found that every vehicle, no matter how highly some people thought of it, had its detractors as well. So I returned to the Accent discussion and found that complaints seemed to be fewer and further between than most of the other cars.
    So I looked into the Accent GS a little further and test drove it. I was really impressed by the little car. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of power it had.
    I also test drove the Lanos and Saturn. I liked the Saturn, but the Lanos was unacceptable. It seemed like a good deal until I took it out for a spin... My right leg was rubbing against the bottom half of the dashboard. And the Saturn was a little too expensive for me.
    So, I decided on the Accent GS. I liked the warranty, gas mileage, and the color of the only GS the dealer had left on the lot (coastal blue). I just bought it three days ago and I already have over three hundred miles on it. I really like it and I hope it gives me very little trouble.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    a recall only affect PR or a fleet vehicle? Aren't the vehicles sold that way and sold privately made on the same line.

    If I had a vehicle and there was a recall, but the maker said it only applied to fleets, I would demand an explanation as to why it didn't apply to mine.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Just remember to follow the break in guidelines. Much like children, how we treat cars early in their life affects how they act later in life.
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    Congrats....my 2000 is Coastal Blue, I think it's an awesome color. On a really bright sunny day, it starts to look 'purplish'. I found that both of my Accents are more than acceptable for the price I paid.

    And, majorthomecho, back in post # 510 you are the one that brought up the recall issues on the 1995 Accent. If you actually did go to the NHTSA website and READ these recalls, you would see this information. Look for "VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES SOLD TO FLEET OPERATORS ONLY."
    AND " VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES SOLD AND OPERATED IN PUERTO RICO."

    Both of those lines were quoted directly from 2 of the four recalls. Only ONE of those recalls affects ALL US Accents, and only models with manual transmission.

    Hyundai is a pretty big company with a couple production plants around the world. To assume that all cars are built on a single production line at the same time is a bit silly, isn't it?
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    by the way, anyone else that wants to check out your Accents or any other car...the web address is

    www.nhtsa.gov

    later
    V
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    I did not know what PR stood for, but I still have a question about the recalls being only for those to fleet sales (from any maker), but I think you answered the question for me. I guess you are saying that the car makers use one production line for all fleet sales?

    Like I said before, if a car (from any maker) had a recall that supposedly affected only fleet vehicles, I would call the dealer up and make sure my car was not one of them.

    A lot of people do buy former fleet vehicles as used cars. Not me you understand, but a lot of people do.
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    I'm not really sure if they use different lines, plants, or just a special run. However they do it....the vehicles are different. In NJ, I'm not sure about the rest of the US, if you buy a former 'fleet' vehicle that information HAS TO BE disclosed to you and will also show up on the title. If you buy a vehicle here, and a dealer or whoever sells it does not have proof that they disclosed this info to you, they are liable to buy the car back. Most rental compaines put these cars up for auction on their own, so not many dealers get their hands on them (at least here in NJ). I myself would never buy one, just based on the abuse these cars endure.

    Anyone with a used Hyundai can just call their customer assistance line, give the, the VIN and they should honor any recalls that were not performed yet. I don't have that number with me, but I'm sure you can easily obtain it.

    Hope this info helps....
  • icebonesicebones Member Posts: 3
    Well I purchased the 96 accent as I mentioned earlier, I am very pleased with the little car, handles well on dry and wet roads, etc. The check engine light did come on a few days ago though. So, being a "good owner" I took it to find out why. I took it to a local shop where my family has taken foreign cars for years, so I know it a good one. anyway, he tried to do a diagnostic on it, but said that his equipment couldn't talk to the engine computer, although it could talk to the air bag system, which he thought was strange. He recommended I take it to a dealer, and didn't charge me :) After taking it to a dealer, they had the same problem, didn't
    mention the bit about the air bag system though. They wanted to run a complete electronics check for around $235 on top of the $69.95 they were charging for the diagnostic. I hadn't gotten that done yet. Has anyone encounter this same problem, or has ANY recommendations for what it could be. The car still runs basically fine,a touch sluggish since the light came on. Any ideas?
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    Sorry to hear that....I forget, did you get this car from a dealer or privately?

    Anyway, even if it was a private purchase...depending on where you live, you may have rights to get the seller to pay for this. Unfortunately, there can be loads of reasons for the light to come on ! :-(

    First, I already checked for recalls on your year...there are none concerning this. Don't laugh...I had a 98 very breifly before it was totalled by a 18 wheeler while parked at my job. Althougth this was only a TSB..not a recall, I got my computer replaced for free for the same problem. The engine used to 'hicup' and the light came on while driving over 40. Not a big deal, just a little annoying. If this sound like what your car is doing...that may be the problem. Some cars only needed a new 'flash' to the computer program.

    If that's not it, try a few things.

    1. Make sure your gas cap is on tight..at least three clicks.
    2. Check your air filter.
    3. Get an oil change.
    4. Try better gas...or a bottle of dry-gas.
    5. Have someone check and/or replace the oxygen sensor.
    6. Replace the spark plugs and wires (tune-up)
    7. These cars have a coil pack rather than a distributor...I'm pretty sure that if they work at all, they are ok..but as a last resort, get that checked.
    8. Change the PCV Valve.
    9. Check for any loose, damaged or missing vacum hoses.
    10. Get the fule filter changed.

    Hope these tips help. Even if NONE of these are problems, most of them should probably be done if you don't have any proof of the maintenance that was done on the car. ALSO, the timing belt MUST BE CHANGED every 60K miles or so....VERY IMPORTANT !!!! If your not sure about it, GET IT DONE !!!!

    In all honesty, you should let the dealer do a full diagnosis. But if you REALLY don't want to pay, start with the cheaper stuff above first..and only do ONE at time so you know what it was.

    Good luck...hope this helps
  • warzonectxwarzonectx Member Posts: 26
    how fast do the Hyundai Accent go.can it go 120 if so email me at warzonectx@yahoo.com or post. and my name is matt.and is the Hyundai Accent chain drivin or belt drivin.
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    The Accent is BELT-DRIVEN.....the fastest I have ever driven mine is around 90 MPH....I'm sure it can go a little faster, but I think 120 would be pushing it a little too far.

    Why in god's name would you want to drive any car at 120MPH? People either die on crashes or pay really big speeding tickets for stuff like that.
  • panamaltd2panamaltd2 Member Posts: 162
    Hi, my friend is looking for a new car and because she has no real car knowledge she asked me to find her a car around the $10,000 mark. At first when she said this I had a hard time thinking of something good for that little money (personally I HATE the Kia RIO), then I remembered the accent. She said she will not have a hatch back and she must have an auto., A/C would be nice too. If you all could just tell me how you feel about your Accents..., what the dealers were like, how much you are paying, reliability... etc. I would greatly appreciate it!

    Thanks so much,

    -Sam
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    Look back though about 1 months worth of posts....there are plenty of opinions from me and everyone else here.
  • joecanejoecane Member Posts: 2
    I have just bought a 2001 GS silver option#3 my dealer told me that i had to bring the car to them at 30 60 90 thousand miles to make sure every thing is working properly and to keep my warranty in effect Can they do this legally Thanks for any help
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    NO, they most certainly cannot do this. You are allowed to do the maintenance yourself, or have another ASE certified mechanic do it. In order to keeop your warranty vaild, you must be able to prove maintenance.

    I have done all maintenace on BOTH my 95 and 00 myself...I just keep the invoices from the parts I buy for it as proof.

    It is a good idea to have a dealer occasionally check the car out while it is still under warranty, but it's not mandatory to keep your warranty. I would call Hyundai Customer Service (the number is in you owners manual), and report to them what the dealer stated to you. It IS NOT LEGAL, and they should know that the dealer actually had the b*lls to tell you this.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    I also post on the Rio board and I noticed this War guy asked the same question about top speed there. I think he is trying to find which compact car has the highest top speed. I knew the answer (because of Car and Driver) about the Rio, but I don't know about the Accent.

    I was not trying to be critical about the Accent or Hyundai with my questions about recalls and fleet cars. Like I said, if ANY car I have from ANY maker has a recall affecting just their fleet sales cars, the dealership can expect a call from me demanding they explain why not my car too. To just say yours was not a fleet car will not be good enough.

    As another poster said, the dealership cannot force you to come in for maintanence, but you need to keep the receipts proving that the work was done.
  • sfarkas2sfarkas2 Member Posts: 12
    I have had my 2001 GS up to 185 am/Jr (114.7 mph)and there seemed to be ample gas pedal left to go. It was stable, luckily I didn't get a ticket, nor did the reamer that I was following or the Honda accord that was behind me. The reamer guy did give me the look when I went by him though. Remember this unit has the 1.6l engine and I have the manual 5 with 14" tires, that may add to the top speed capabilities.

    On the comments on the break-in process. #519 Seems to me that there is a disconnect from mar to mar. When I purchased a new 200 honda civic BB (which unfortunately was stolen, driven like the dukes of hazard and had to be written off)I was informed that after about 200 kms (120 miles) to drive it a little hard. (not that it is a stretch for me) I was informed that by doing this, the vehicle would become 'used' to high revs and as such would treat me better in the long run. Does this make sense?
  • sfarkas2sfarkas2 Member Posts: 12
    Ok thats the last time I use the spell check. Let me offer the following corrections to my previous post.
    GS=GSi (the canadian version)
    185 km/hr
    reamer=beamer (BMW)
    mar=mfr (manufacturer)
  • occupant1occupant1 Member Posts: 412
    Warzonectx is just a mass poster. He asks about only compacts? How about the Lincoln Town Car? Ford Crown Victoria? This guy asks the same question in every forum just to get people to email him. He used to be under two other names. Edmunds needs to get rid of his new name, too.
  • destro2001destro2001 Member Posts: 15
    First a quick update on my 2001 GS. About 450 miles so far and running great. Although the engine is a bit loud, it seems to give me adequate power for the streets and freeways here in chicago. Very pleased so far.

    I have a few questions about tires and wheels b/c I plan on replacing the 13" tires/wheels at some point with 14" ones. Unfortunately, I don't really know anything about how it works so hopefully someone here can help me out.

    I looked at the Hyundaiusa site's Parts Catalog and they have a bunch of 14" wheels listed there for the Accent that I assume I could use on my GS. But I don't know what the specs mean: 5Jx14. I assume the "14" refers to the size of the wheel (and tire), of 14 inches, but what does "5J" refer to?

    As for the tires, what does a spec like: 185/60R-14 mean? I'm guessing that the "185" refers to the width of the tire, the "14" refers to the wheel size, and the "60R" refers to the thickness of the tire. Is this true? The 185/60R-14 tires are the ones that are listed for the GSi model. I read a post waaaaaay earlier in this forum that the 60R/14 tires aren't much bigger than the 75R/13 tires that the GS comes with. If that's the case, I wouldn't really want to bother with it, but is it possible to put 75R/14 tires on the wheels I referred to above (the 5J-14" wheels), so that it would actually make a significant difference?

    Thanks in advance for any help!

    Destro
  • pssonhnda1pssonhnda1 Member Posts: 20
    I beleive I hit the rev limiter (6000rpm) at around 185kph as well. ALthough at that speed staring at the speedo could be hazardous to your health! Hehe...

    98 accent, 2" exhaust, k&n cone filter with cold air supply, 50shot nitrous...racing suspension etc..

    Any hondas out there looking for a race?
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    You are partially right in your assumption about tires. The 5J stands for the 5" width of the rim. I would stick with 5j because wider rims may cause clearance problems with the suspension or wheelwell. As far as the 185/60R14 rating, the 185 means the tire is 185 millimeters in width and the 60 means that the tire's sidewall is 60 millimeters tall from the contact patch to the bottom of the rim. So what determines how big a tire is is the first # not the second. Switching to that size tire will make a significant difference as far as braking, stability, handling, and looks, but not a HUGE difference. You do not want to switch to a 185/75R14 because the height of the tire would be too much, causing mushy handling, slow steering response, and a speedometer that would be way off (it would read a lot slower than you were actually going). By the way, the original tires on the GS are 175/70R13, not 75R13. A rule of thumb is that for every 10 millimeters in width a tire grows, the height of the tire should be reduced by 5 millimeters to keep the speedometer as accurate as possible. Meaning that if you wanted to increase the width of the tire but not the overall size, than 185/65R13 would be the best choice. Now, if you are also increasing the size of the tire by an inch as in your case, than you should reduce the height of the tire by 10 millimeters. Therefore the 185/60R14 would be the correct choice, or for best performance, you could use 195/55R14. The kind of tire would actually make the biggest difference. A larger touring tire won't do much compared to an original size performance tire. Hope this helps your understanding.
  • destro2001destro2001 Member Posts: 15
    appreciate the info! However, are you certain that the tire/wheel size will make the speedometer inaccurate by getting bigger ones? I always assumed the speedometer and odometer were based on the number of turns the wheel makes, regardless of the tire/wheel size. Of course, I know nothing about how it really works. It's too bad if that's true, b/c then I guess I won't be getting 14" wheels and bigger tires then, which I thought would improve the look of the car a good deal (as well as other improvements for the car itself). Thanks again.

    Destro
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    Your speedometer will not be affected if you use 185/60R14 or 195/55R14. As long as you follow the rule of thumb I stated earlier, your speedometer will read accurately. I was simply stating that 185/75R14 WOULD affect your speedometer because the higher sidewall will cause the tire to rotate slower than the original size which thus affects the speedometer because it was calibrated for the original size. As an example, my sister switched from real small 14" wheels to large 15" rims on the back of her S10 without following the rule of thumb. She got a ticket for speeding, but she swore she was going 10 mph slower. She got out of the ticket because she took the truck in to have the speedometer checked and it was off by 10 mph because the calibration was off with the tires being too big. They recalibrated the speedometer for her and now it reads correctly. Just stick to the sizes I stated and you will get the affect you want with nothing you dont want :)
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    If you would like to really make a difference in looks and performance, you could go with 195/50R15 on 6Jx15" rims. That size would be ok for the Accent as well. Just don't go any wider than 6J.
  • dbwellsdbwells Member Posts: 44
    Destro2001 - what lngtonge is saying is correct concerning wrong-size tires messing up the speedometer, but I just wanted to add my two cents of explanation in case you still doubt. It is a matter of simple geometry. As you increase the overall radius of the tire, the circumference of the tire will increase as well. If your original tires have a 10 inch radius, they will have about a 63 inch circumference, and will therefore move your car forward 63 inches with every turn. If you increase the overall radius to 12 inches, the circumference would increase to about 75 inches, and will now move your car forward 75 inches on every turn. Therefore, by simply changing the units from inches to MPH, your speedometer will read 63MPH when you are in fact travelling 75MPH. You're right when you say the speedometer only cares about tire rotations. What it doesn't know is that the bigger tire is taking you farther with each rotation, and thus faster.

    So, as lngtongue has stated, the only way to increase the rim size and keep the speedometer accurate is to reduce the height of the tire itself, and in doing so keep the overall size the same or very similar. Hope this helps.
    DW
  • destro2001destro2001 Member Posts: 15
    okay I understand, makes perfect sense now, thanks for the help everyone. So basically, I can get bigger tires/wheels without any problems as long as I get my speedometer (and odometer) recalibrated to account for the bigger size. Would I get this done at whatever shop installs my new wheels? I'm also considering installing a power antenna (the screw in antenna doesn't seem to get great reception).
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    You won't need to do anything to your speedometer if you get the 5jx14" rims with 185/60R14 or 195/55R14 or the 6jx15" rims with 195/50R15 tires. Stick to those sizes and you have nothing to worry about! In fact, those are the only tire sizes I would consider for this car.
  • dahlquisdahlquis Member Posts: 1
    So, a small used car dealer near me is selling a 96 Accent w/49k miles on it, for $2900 (though perhaps I'll be able to talk him down a bit). Tomorrow I'll go drive the car, have it looked at, and perhaps buy it.

    Does this seem like a good buy?

    Also, the dealer told me over the phone that the Accent's 60k drive-train warranty would still be in effect if I buy the car--is he correct about this? How can I check to find out whether the warranty has been voided (through improper maintenence, etc.)? And are warranties transferable at all?

    Also, isn't a 96 warrantied for just five years? So, would the warranty last through Jan 1, 2002? More likely (I suppose), I need to determine the original date of purchess to figure out when the warranty expires. At any rate (unless I extend the warranty ($800=2yrs)), I don't suppose I'll be covered for long.

    Maybe I'm worrying too much about a small bit of remaining warranty; however when buying a used car, every bit of insurace is welcome :)

    Anyway, since a main attraction of Hyundais is the good warranty, would it just be senseless to buy one without such protection? Should I get an older domestic car instead?
    Thanks,
    Mark
  • perry40perry40 Member Posts: 94
    A used Hyundai may or may not be a safe bet ... same as most any other car particularly Domestics ... once bought a used low-milage 94 Excel that had been well looked after and I babied it myself ... turned out to be the lemon from Hell!! Saw an 87/88 Excel just a few days ago and let me tell you that here in the harsh climate of Eastern Canada, an Excel of that vintage is a rare animal! It looked aged, but it must have been a fairly reliable car to have gotten this far in our neck of the woods. So as with any used car, ya pays yer money 'an takes yer chances ... just have the thing checked over & check out the service history ... talk to the previous owner if you can ... after all of this, if the car seems like a good buy ... than the best of luck!
  • njbongonjbongo Member Posts: 66
    dahlquis, all I can say is this.....I have 2 Accents currently, a 95 (up for sale) and a 2000. The 95 has 95000 miles right now...and I beat the living daylights out of this car. It still starts everytime, rides great, and so far I have only done regular maintenance.

    When I bought this car, I expected it to be 'disposabe'. Turns out that it's still going, and I'm selling it to a younger guy I work, who just got his license, for anbout $1200 (which is a little less than book value). I'm only getting rid of it because it's the third car now....it really is in great shape. I'm not saying this is a direct reflection on all used Accents. However if this car was able to put up with the abuse of 3 different people driving it (one of them being me), thats gotta say something. The only thing I was obbsessive about is changing the oil (every 3K), that's it. This car went for inspection in Feb, 2001 and the emmissions were so low they hardly registered on the machine.

    I would say, get a mechanic to look at it..maybe do an emmissions test. That's usually a pretty good estimate of the shape the engine is in (as well as exhaust).

    If you are really worried about warranty, put down the $2000 on a new one.

    just my 2 cents.
  • pssonhnda1pssonhnda1 Member Posts: 20
    Hey Destro, I'm not sure what year you car is but I have a '98 with 15"x6.5" rims and 195/55/15 tires. I get a little rub over big bumps on the fenders. I also have the fenders rolled to help reduce this problem..not something recommended in salty areas. I agree with the others if you are going to a 15" rim then stay under 6" just for ease. I'm not sure about the new accents though as far as tire size is concerned.
  • pssonhnda1pssonhnda1 Member Posts: 20
    Hmm, I don't think I will ever again by a used car from any manufacturer. Although I can understand people can't afford a new car initially (getting that down payment is real tough), it is still worth it if you can. My little accent has taken a real pounding (I use it to race and drag with) with no real non-maintanence(spelling?) repairs. I have yet to actually break anything anyhow...knock on wood! I do think the build quality is a bit low, as far as finish. The interior roof fabric is comming loose for example. However mechanically the car seems very sound. A far cry from my poor little Pony that I drove till the seats fell through the floor and I managed to blow 3 engines in! Heh, oil...who needs oil?
  • destro2001destro2001 Member Posts: 15
    Thanks to all for their advice and info on tires. I've decided to get the 5J-14" wheels and 180/60R/14" tires... although probably not for a few years (when my current tires wear out).

    One more question though, has anyone with an Accent hatchback gotten the trunk cargo net? Is it much use? I'm wondering b/c there are these two hooks on either side of the trunk interior which seem to be for attaching the net. I may get one if it's useful, i.e. if it can do more than just act as a barrier.

    700 miles so far and very happy with the car.
  • secretblendsecretblend Member Posts: 9
    I got a cargo net from walmart and used the screws that came with it and installed in my car. It works great. The ones that came with the car is for the kind that you hang and it is a bag you can put things into, not a barrier. I was concerned at first about the screws into the plastic and wondering if it would hold or not, but it has been holding without a problem. Hope this helps
  • destro2001destro2001 Member Posts: 15
    that kind of net (the one that Hyundai makes for the car) sounds pretty useful, at least for putting groceries and stuff in it. I may have to get one next time I drive down to the dealer... Actually I went today to pick up my license plates, wanted to see the Elantra GT but the few they had were sold they said but I did pick up the tiny brochure. Looks nice, but I have to say I still think my GS looks better ;-)
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