1995 Hyundai Accent L 1.5L 4 cylinder
Summary:
Bulletproof little car, fun to drive
Faults:
Driver door handle linkage broke, passenger door handle cracked.
Clutch had to be replaced at 130,000, but it was the original clutch.
General Comments:
This car will not die! I drive it all the time, both to work and on long trips, and it never lets me down. Other than the clutch, I haven't had to replace anything, and at 150,000 almost everything is original. The engine runs like new!
It's not the most comfortable car, but it gets the job done. Unlike some low end cars, this thing feels well built. It's lacking in every option, but what is has is well made and solid. The performance and handling are surprising, it can actually be fun to drive sometimes.
I get about 38 mpg out of it when I take it easy, but it doesn't do as well on freeways, because it's geared too low. I don't have a tach, but it seems to be revving pretty high at 70. It needs a sixth gear or taller fifth.
The Hyundai Accent is a great little car, cheap to maintain, fun to drive, great on gas, and mine has never left me stranded or even shown signs of something to worry about. It's a great buy!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th June, 2007
28th Jun 2007, 13:46
Ditto on the positive comments for '95 Accent, with some caveats. BE AWARE there was a factory recall to replace lower A-Arms. They were not rustproofed from the factory and WILL FAIL in areas with snow and salt. I speak from experience, my right front A-Arm broke in 2 pieces while I was driving just a month before the factory recall. The right front wheel folded into the wheel well. I (and Hyundai) are lucky beyond belief that I didn't roll it over or hit anybody or anything. But Hyundai replaced both A-Arms and fixed all damage at their expense, with no complaints.
Ditto also on the cheap door handles. I found this site while looking for a driver's side exterior door handle.
Great gas mileage - I consistently get 30 MPG in the city, and I drive like a maniac (YMMV), 36+ MPG on the highway, with a tailwind.
19th Jun 2007, 14:20
I loved the '96 Accent hatchback I owned for a short time. It had 108k miles when I sold it. Great little car, except the tranny went out at 103k miles. But hey, consider much more expensive cars can have the same thing happen, I wasn't really dissapointed or surprised this happened. The motor ran excellent and the few options it did have still worked great, like cruise control. I agree that they are surprisingly solid, well built cars. My only complaint on build quality was the insanely cheap door handles. They break far too easily and it's common.