How was your personal experience with a Hyundai Accent?

Question

Is it reliable?

What parts are likely to fail?

Is it safe?

What is its lifespan?

How did you like it?

Was it fun to drive?

Answer 1

me and some buddies rented one while down in Mexico for a week, it did well, was cheap on gas with 4 of us riding in it about 100 miles each trip from town to town. It even ran great on the gas we bought in Mexico ( they say not to but who cares )  

The trunk was kinda small, we could only get 8 cases of of beer in there with all our gear for the trip

Answer 2

I have had a Hyundai Accent for a little over a year.  It's a 2005, which I bought used.  My experience with it so far has been great!  To answer your specific questions...

1)  Reliability - I have only had one issue with it in the past year, in which it would not start one day for reasons that are still not known.  It required no mechanical intervention - it just started working again about 20 minutes later.  This is the only time that I have considered it to be "unreliable" - at all other times it has been very reliable.

2)  Parts that are likely to fail - I have had no parts fail so far.  After a quick glance around the internet, it looks like you can expect to replace the normal wear and tear parts on this car (tires, muffler, etc.) just as you would on any other, and it seems like some people have had a lot of problems with their Accent, while others have had none at all.  Sounds like every other car I have driven.  =)

3)  Safety  - the Accent comes with a lot of safety features that are standard.  There are front airbags on both the driver and passenger sides, as well as side impact airbags on both sides.  There are side-impact bars built into the frame to withstand a pretty significant crash.  It has anti-roll bars (which I don't even know what those are!).  It has ABS brakes.  All around, it earned good safety ratings from the NHSTA, which you can check out here:  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/4229....

4)  Lifespan - Again, I think this varies from person to person.  Obviously, any car's life span is going to depend on how well it is taken care of, and whether or not it is ever in an accident, etc.  There are a lot of people out there driving their Accent for many years, and are still quite happy with them!  The earliest edition of this car was introduced in 1995, so the high-end for the lifespan of this car is 13 years (so far).  And yes, there are still plenty of 1995 Hyundais on the road.  

5)  Do I Like It? - Great question.  I didn't like it at first - I bought it because it was affordable, it got great gas mileage, and it has a good warranty.  What I didn't like at first was its speed (it can accelerate slowly, especially in the cold weather), and, quite frankly, that it was a Hyundai, which I have always associated with cheap cars and therefore I thought it carried a kind of social stigma with it.  It didn't help that everyone I was working with had recently purchased high-end cars - but a year later, I am the only one who doesn't regret my purchase, because it is GREAT on gas and very reliable.  

5)  Fun to drive - Yes and no.  As I said, it can accelerate slowly, but once it gets warmed up (after a minute or so) it's as "zippy" as any other car I have driven.  It's tiny, so you can quickly and easily pass other cars, fit into spaces where other cars can't go, etc.  I have actually really enjoyed driving it, and I will be driving it for a long time to come.  

Now, if you're looking for a sports car, this isn't it.  But it's a good way to get from point A to point B, it's cute, it's reliable, and it's surprisingly powerful and roomy.   And while gas prices keep going up, it's also a pretty smart choice at the moment.  

Good luck!