Faults:

Driver's door handle broke.

After about 3 years, a few noises/rattles developed inside the car.

General Comments:

My 1996 Accent sedan has been an extremely reliable car. I have had it for just over 5 years now, and it has 113,800 miles on it without any mechanical problems.

It has been inexpensive to maintain, because all it has required is oil changes every 3,000 miles and the factory/dealer recommended service every 30,000 miles.

It averages a very nice 34 miles per gallon with the automatic transmission in 60%/40% highway/city driving.

It has been a great car for the money that I paid... great value. Even though it is not fast "off the line," it feels "peppy" once it gets going.

Faults:

The windows don't roll up, spring project.

Rear tire "toe-in" creates mild wear pattern, essentially not fixable, noticed @ 11 months and 18k, not a believer in rotating rear tires on a "FWD" at least not every 6k, last time the car would be touched by dealer.

Dealer replaced a bad clutch master cylinder @ 6 months and 11k.

Alternator adjust bracket broke due to an alternator bolt mysteriously missing the nut, @ 16 months and 30k, first visit to the parts department.

Rev limiter works, but speed governor is inoperable, no complaint.

Radiator likes to run one pint low.

General Comments:

Learn to maintain this car yourself and the car will maintain you.

Fuel filter @ 40k, 70k.

Spark plugs @ 40k, 75k.

Plug wires @70k.

Front brake pads @ 70k.

Air filter @ 40k, 70k.

Battery 3.3 years, 80k.

Timing belt real soon!

Those rotors and wheel hubs look like quite a task, but still running down the highway.

Faults:

Ignoring normal maintenance such as tires, struts and brakes:

The car had a tendancy to always lose its alignment (I needed to perform 8 alignments on the car).

The wheel bearings in the front of the car went bad after 60,000 miles.

The alternator died around 60,000 miles.

The transmission stalled out on several occasions.

The oxygen sensors went bad after 60,000 miles (there are two of them in the 1996 Accent, apparently).

The rotors warped after 19,000 miles (95% of which was highway driving).

All of these problems occurred despite performing the manufacturer's maintenance schedule.

General Comments:

The car cost $12,000 new, and taught me the hard lesson "You get what you pay for." The car's performance is acceptable (but not great) around town, but is actually bad enough to be dangerous on the highway (e.g. merging with traffic was a matter of luck). I sometimes wondered if the "92 HP" motor was "92 Hamster Power" instead of "Horsepower".

On the bright side, the seats are comfortable and the A/C works quite well. The car also handles well and is fairly efficient on gas (which it should be as it has a very small engine).

It would work OK as a commuter car within a big city, but it is really not meant to be a highway cruiser. Overall, I feel a good used car would be a better use of your money.