2nd Feb 2010, 12:17
All the car manufacturers fit low-resistance tires to their cars to improve their mileage. The tread compound is very, very hard and creates less friction, thus needing less power to move the car. Get some good used steel rims for the same year Accent (first have them checked for straightness and cracks) from a salvage yard and mount some good winter tires on them. Have those tires siped as well. If this is too expensive, then consider getting some studded tires. It'll cost a little bit of money, but at least you won't have any more $4,000 accidents!
3rd Apr 2010, 12:16
Traction on ice/snow has nothing to do with car capability; it's about the tires!
15th May 2010, 19:18
Weight has a lot to do with it too. I had a Metro (FWD) which had no traction in the winter, but the Tacoma plodded along (RWD only) just fine.
16th May 2010, 16:51
The Accent goes for about $9,000 brand new. The sport model, about $12,000. It amazes me how much this guy complains about a car that only cost him about $12,000 or so. It's an econo-car buddy. And the cheapest one on the road at that. Oh and the fact that it cost $2,000 to fix the bumper surprised me until I read that it also damaged the airbag sensor. Obviously that's going to be expensive. Did he even test drive it?
17th May 2010, 14:53
Although I flatly refuse to buy ANY car not built by a U.S. company, I do feel that the Accent is a very good car. My best friend bought one new in 2005, has dogged the living daylights out of it and has not had a single problem in 100,000 miles. That's almost as good as a Ford or GM car.
18th May 2010, 03:48
Yes, the Accent is among the cheapest of the cheapest, and the car seem to be made of tin foil and flimsy plastics. They really are cheap to purchase new, and I understand why people think it's weird to pay almost half the cars value new for a new front bumper and an airbag sensor, but that's how it is. I too have the same experience with small compacts (not only the Accent) and they really are fragile. But the Accent may last for a long time if treated gently.
2nd Feb 2010, 06:04
I have a 2006 Accent and have found similarly that it is a poor performer in winter. It slips and slides at the least provocation, and I get stuck in parking spaces when there's only a few inches of new snow. I had to be towed when there was rain over snow, while my neighbors managed to get out with no problem. I thought maybe it was rear-wheel drive, but it's not...