Faults:

At 8k miles the check engine warning came on. Scans showed a faulty post O2 sensor. It was replaced free of charge.

The same thing happened 3 more times. Being a mechanic myself, I was patient. The problem ultimately turned out to be a faulty wiring harness. It was corrected at 32k miles. No problems since.

At 65k miles, the T.P.S. (throttle position sensor) failed. The 1st portion of the warranty expired at 60k miles. The new T.P.S. cost me $60, and I replaced it myself in 2 minutes. No other problems until 111k miles.

1- Front struts failed (replaced them myself for $120).

2- At 121k miles, the alternator failed (replaced it myself for $129).

3- At 134k miles, the A/C compressor leaked (replaced it myself, along with the the receiver drier for $195).

4- At 139k miles, the radiator developed a small pinhole leak (replaced it myself for $115).

General Comments:

Great (for what it is)!

It's been well cared for, and looks like it's 4 years old instead of 14 years old. It doesn't burn oil, and still handles and stops as good as new! (well, almost)

It's a breeze to work on for the novice and pro alike!

Faults:

The master and slave cylinders on the manual transmission gave out at 92000 miles. Other than that, very little over ten years.

General Comments:

I bought an Accent hatchback brand new in 1999, a stock manual with no air conditioning, and I kept it for ten years with no real mechanical problems. I would have kept it longer save for a wreck that totaled it.

It has a stated mileage of 28/37, but the reality was more like 33/40. My model, as stated above, was no frills, which left very little in the car to break. I wish I still had it. It was no sports car, but you can park it like a Mini, it was very quick off a light in 1st gear, and you could stuff an incredible amount of stuff into it (I had the hatchback) with the seats folded down. I drove it across North America more than once with the car loaded down so much that the body was two inches off the ground; it did fine.

The engine is a paltry 92 horses. It's actually pretty peppy on the highway with one driver, though, because it only weighs 2300 pounds. You will notice the lack of power primarily when more than 2 people are in the car, if you're loaded down, or if you have the automatic (which ruins a pretty good little car in my opinion).

Faults:

When the car had less than 3000 miles on it, it started to rust.

After 3 years the fan went and exhaust pipe had to be fixed.

With the second set of brakes, new rotors were needed.

At 4 years a new alternator was needed.

And at the 5th year, the oil pan was rusted through, the exhaust manifold fixed and the transmission went.

General Comments:

Although the interior of the car was great and easy to upkeep and there was a lot of space in front and back for passengers, it seemed as if I was constantly putting money into the car.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is one of the best cars I've ever had. Even at 50,000 miles and not one tune up I still consistently get 350 miles to the 11 gal. tank. This car is a true champ!!!