General Comments:
Wanted to share information/review on my new 2011 Hyundai Accent stripper/base model... I was looking for a car to supplement my getting old 1989 Honda Civic hatchback DX model... which was starting to get noisy and I did not trust it as much on long drives... saw an ad in the local paper for a a Hyundai Accent for 7590.00... which is what I was looking for... a cheap car under 10,000 dollars... also I noticed that they advertised 5 of them at this price... so I had a better chance to get one... it also stated that it had rebates and discounts on the car... the discounts and rebates were as follows:
MSRP... 11,295 (which wasn't correct; the 11,295 was their mark up sticker they added to the window... the actual MSRP from the manufacturer was $10,705.00.. I told them that... but they stated that that's the way they worked... so it was take it or leave type situation.. I will file a complaint with Hyundai later...)
-1805.00 dealer discount from their MSRP of 11,295.
-1000.00 rebate/discount if you go through Hyundai finance... luckily I qualified for this... every little bit helps.
-500... military rebate... did not qualify for this... must be active duty...
-400... recent college rebate... did not qualify for this...
I qualified for 2 of the 4 discounts/rebates for a total of around $2805.00... did not qualify for 900.00 on the other two rebates.
Now I was down to about 8490.00 on the car...
Now for the cars... as for the 5 cars available... only two were left... they said they sold 2 the night before... which I find funny since the ad cars did not come out til Friday morning... the morning I was there... there was a black one and a blue one... no radio... no A/C... just basically a car and that's it... now I knew from past experience... this is were the famous bait and switch mojo kicks in with the salesmen... I did let him show me one with A/C... but that comes in at about 12,000 to 13,000.. with a different trim/package level... and I would lose some of those rebates/and discounts that the base model had... now I had to re-focus and go back to the black and dark blue stripper models... copy of my license and off for a test drive...
The driving manners of the car were simple/functional and straightforward... if you are an old fan of economy cars of the 70s (VWs)... 80s (Toyotas, Hondas, Mazdas, etc)... and early 90s... you will feel right at home in this car... My only complaint is that the car is not as exciting as those little cars from the 70s/80s/early 90s...
This car is very simple and straightforward... If you are tough on cars, or like to rev up cars or have multiple drivers, this car might not be for you... The materials... and quality of the car are not as good as those old Japanese and German cars of those bygone years... but to get you from point A to point B, this is a great little car... just don't expect too much... and if you could find a real clean Honda/Toyota of a earlier time period... you would get no argument from me... I love those old fun cars...
Also they found a white Accent for me... not sure where it was, but it was not the lot when I got there... I live in the desert... and being in the desert with a dark car that doesn't have A/C doesn't sound like fun... here is a list of small standard items on this base model:
6 airbags... front/side/head.
Tire pressure system.
Even though it has no radio... it has the plumbing set up for you with speakers/and antenna already installed... already bought my 60.00 pioneer radio/CD at Best Buys...just got to figure out how to take apart the dash...
Plumbing set up for air conditioning... but I am pretty sure they will clip you real good at the dealership if you want them to install the A/C kit and labor to do it... kinda of payback for not buying the higher trim level Accents...
Intermittent wipers.
Clock.
Tachometer (this plus the airbags is what I have always wished for my little Honda Civic hatchback).
Also another nice little feature... is that it turns off the headlights for you when you turn off the engine... another feature I wish my little Honda had... I don't even have a chime/reminder..
Also has a long warranty on the car... but you need a degree to figure it out..
Final breakdown on the car:
Document fee.. 55.00.
California sales tax 930.64... (California is broke so they could use the extra money)
Optional DMV electronic filing fee.. 28.00 (I guess nobody uses stamps anymore)
License fees.. 109.00.
Registration fees.. 87.00.
California tire fees.. 8.75... (everybody has to get their cut... hope those people on food stamps enjoy their steak dinner on me)
Than finally after all this:
-1000.00 rebate for financing through Hyundai Accent.
Final price is 9708.39.
Final thoughts... good little car in basic form... also the prettiest color is baby blue... they were on the more expensive trims on the lot... not sure if they have that color on the base model...
Also, would I pay more than $10,000 for this car in the higher trims and models? I don't think so... There are just too many better makes and models out there when you go into the 11,000 to 16,000 range.....the Honda Civics.. and Fits... the Nissan Versas... the Kia Forte... the Toyota Yaris models... the little Mazda 3 models.. And a lot of others...
On some websites, this Accent rated 30th of of 33 small cars available... but for a car under 10,000 OTD you can t beat it... Also the financing through Hyundai finance is 4.99%, which is average for financing, but the 1000.00 helps out...
Also, will I sell my old 1989 Honda hatchback DX... no way... it has A/C...and with global warming paying us a visit in the California desert every year....I need that car......
Also Hondas are so so much fun to drive... it feels like you are driving a large go cart... But I must admit that the little Accent is a more of a reliable and steady, if not boring car... that gets me there and back... with peace of mind that the Civic can't do as well as it use to......
14th Feb 2011, 11:12
Update on my review...
Put the radio in the car on Sunday... you have to have on a skill level from 1-10... at least a 3 mechanically and a 3 on the electrical skill scale... my level is about the minimum above, and I would rate this project as hard for me.. It took about 4 hours to do it... people with higher skill levels would have no problem with this... so if you have a skill level like mine.. you might want to have it done by a professional...
First get the stereo, or you can take apart the dash, then go get the stereo... I bought the Pioneer model DEH-1300MP model from Best Buy for about 61.00; with tax it was 66.92.. It's a good basic unit... with 4x50 watt range.. they have plenty of power for the already installed speakers... but like a lot of these Chinese made units, you have to adjust the bass down to 0.. -1.. or -2... -3, because they just put out too much bass for the stock speakers they put in these economy cars... Use the audio button on the stereo unit and the arrow button to lower it... Too much bass causes the speakers to rattle and distort at the higher volume levels... Also I adjusted the treble down to 0... but the treble is not as important as the bass...
You will also need an adapter that fits the Hyundai Accent model... if you buy it at Best Buy it is a Matra Turbowire kit; comes in a gray and clear small plastic bag, the coding on it is 70-7303 Hyundai with Infinity sound (not sure what the Infinity sound is).. It costs about 19.99, and with tax it's 21.94... You can get that adapter in the store, or in my case they had me go to the installer outside the building on the site to get it..
Best Buy (at least at this location).. has audio/alarm/stereo/etc installers on site... also you might want to go there first to see what they would charge you to install it.. but make sure you tell them.. all the plumbing is there under the dash.. including the antenna feed... which would be very hard to install, because the antenna is on the rear roof of the car.. I must thank Hyundai for doing the hard work of installing the speakers and antenna already... you can get the stereo and adapter anywhere... and it's a good idea to call around to find a good deal on a stereo unit and the adapter... Also, keep your receipt in case there is a problem with the unit.. make sure you inspect the boxes/packages the stuff comes in, so they don't give you a returned or used product...
You will need the following items to do the job... wire cutters/strippers... electrical tape, or if you are more advanced, those plastic female pieces that you use to put two stripped wires together... towels/rags to protect the dash and panel from touching anything, because they scratch easily.. 2-3 screwdrivers.. extra fuses in case you touch wrong wires together... painter paint/duct tape/masking tape...
Read the instructions in the stereo booklet, and the instructions on the plastic adapter package the night before... and when you start taking this panel off... it has 5-7 plastic males that pop into the dash... you have to tape everything up around the dash... tape up the screwdrivers and use towels to protect the dash as you use leverage to pop out (slowly and gently) the panel.. Hyundai really put that panel in solid, and it takes some finesse and strength pop it out... also, this is the point you might want a professional to do the job, because the panel and dash scratch so easily... so use every trick in your book to protect the dash and panel... using taped screwdrivers and towels, and taping the outer edges of the dash around the pop out panel.. anything you can think of... the whole panel pops out...
Also the stereo adapter and the aftermarket adapter do not have wires color coordinated like they should... so take your time... also try to have a couple of fuses on hand... I blew out one fuse... the fuse box is located near your left knee on the driver's side... I am pretty sure it's a red 10amp fuse... also in the fuse panel, there are two locations for audio.. so make sure you put the right one in... I must have touched one wrong wire together when I was putting the wires together... Also check the stereo unit also.. It also has a 10amp fuse on it... but you shouldn't have any problems with fuses.. it was my error for letting the wires touch each other...
There are two cubby holes in the panel metal holder... it's best to put the stereo unit in the top cubby hole.. it is attached with 4 screws, and leave the other cubby hole on the bottom...
Good luck... my stereo sounds great, and with those 4 speakers, really can take a lot of sound.. As long as you turn down the bass on the stereo unit...