2002 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6 DOHC

Summary:

A cheap mode of transportation

Faults:

The car has already had engine repairs to stop the ticking noise, which unfortunately is still evident.

After the above repair, they forgot to put in a bolt for the alternator causing a scraping noise on hard acceleration.

The rear lift-gate supports are extremely weak.

The clutch has chattered since I pulled it off of the lot. I even had them look at it when I was done road-testing the car. They said it was normal.

The car is full of weird rattle and squeak noises.

General Comments:

The car has quite a bit of pep to it, but only in first gear. The car is very weak when going over 20 MPH.

The Air conditioning strains the engine.

The interior is much larger than it look from the outside. Even the rear seat has a comfortable amount of room.

The car is cheap! Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and cheaply built.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th May, 2003

29th Dec 2004, 11:26

I'm constantly amazed that people buy the cheapest of the cheap new cars and complain that the car is cheap...

Apparently no one remembers what real cheap cars USED to be like. In the case of a car like the Accent, it's supposed to be very basic, with a few features that used to only be on luxury cars. In order to make it economical, it has to have a small engine, but in order to be even reasonably peppy, it has to be light. The trend in people complaining about light, cheap cars has created the 3000-3500 lb family sedan that gets 19mpg with a V6. And that's not what an economical car is supposed to be about.

21st Jul 2006, 09:41

I couldn't agree more with the above comment. The Hyundai Accent IS a cheap car (though I prefer the word "inexpensive"). Even at that, it is, basically, a very well built inexpensive car. I recently drove my best friend's 2005 Accent on a fairly long road trip and was absolutely amazed at how smooth, quiet, peppy and comfortable it was. I found it to be every bit as comfortable as the grossly overpriced Toyota Corolla and almost as comfortable and powerful as my mid-sized American car. ANY inexpensive car is going to lack the neck-snapping acceleration of a $30,000 sport sedan, the silky smooth ride of a 10mpg luxury barge and the quiet interior of a Lincoln Town Car. They will, however, do just exactly what they SHOULD do: Provide very good transportation at a very reasonable cost while delivering awesome fuel mileage. On the trip I took in my friend's Accent we got an amazing 40mpg.

2002 Hyundai Accent

Summary:

An excellent performance at economy price

Faults:

This is a recent purchase for me. It came as a used vehicle (greatly reduced price though) with tinted windows. In the US, law enforcement officials prefer a lighter tint or no tint for safety reasons (for the officers)... This isn't an item which is "wrong" with the vehicle, as it was an add-on feature of the previous owner.

General Comments:

I've owned a 1998 Hyundai Sonata. It was a beautiful vehicle in terms of quietness, handling and comfort in the interior. I thoroughly enjoyed that car until my spouse decided he'd rather upgrade to a Honda than fix the few items on the Sonata (belts, distributor and rotor).

In finding a vehicle I could afford on my budget, this 2002 Hyundai Accent was perfect. It's a five-speed transmission, with A/C, rear defroster and a cassette/AM-FM radio.

The clutch depresses easily and the shifting is smooth with this transmission. I'm impressed with the quietness and roominess of the interior. I think this car may be more quiet than the Honda Civic LX I owned previous to this purchase.

The factory stereo and speakers are rather nice, although I'm no audiophile.

The Accent takes the hills I traverse in my commute very well. Little reduction of speed and passing uphill is not a chore for this car!

To this date, I'm highly satisfied with the purchase of my 2002 Hyundai.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th April, 2003