In September 2000, I bought my first new car, a 2001 Hyundai Accent GL Hatchback with a manual transmission for about $9000. Since then, I have been more than satisfied with this little car. Because I spent less than $10,000 for a spanking new car, I didn't have the high expectations I would have if I had chosen a more expensive vehicle. I wanted a dependable ride that would last me at least five years with no maintenance problems, and at 51,000 miles, my Accent has never left me stranded and is still running great.

What I like about the Accent:
Not only does this little car get great mileage (I average around 33 mpg), but I can park it almost anywhere. For urban drivers, this is a major plus. I can easily zip in and out of traffic and claim parking spaces in which most cars wouldn't be able to fit. I like the sporty profile, and the moderately roomy trunk. With the 60/40 split backseat, I can fit even longer cargo comfortably in the trunk. I've used this car to move the contents of my apartment across town, and I was amazed at how much I could actually fit in there. I do a lot of driving (weekend trips back and forth from D.C. to Philly), and I've never been concerned about being stranded on the highway. The warranty is great and it even comes with roadside assistance for five years.

I like the sporty profile, and if the Hyundai logo wasn't visible, I would think it was a more expensive car (Volkswagen, Saab, maybe?). People that see my car for the first time often say how cute it is. I'm too practical to have the pride thing when it comes to my vehicle, although I do wish the Hyundai name wasn't synonymous with 'cheap'. What can I say, I'm practical and frugal.

What I don't like about the Accent:
I like to drive pretty fast (er, officer, I mean, I always drive the speed limit), and the Accent really doesn't like moving faster than about 80 mph. I'm sure I could push it, but it's obvious that this car prefers to drive the speed limit (I'm probably better off, anyway). The pick-up is pretty weak, even with the best shifting of gears, but once it gets going, the power is decent. In other words, don't pull out into quickly moving traffic unless you've got some room to accelerate.

The interior is rather small, and while I'm certainly not cramped while driving, my backseat passengers are. It's not very often that I have a full load, but when I do, the Accent's suspension is working overtime. Avoid potholes, or suffer the painful thud when it bottoms out.

I was a coffee drinker and cigarette smoker when I first bought my car, and one of the first design flaws I noticed was that when the cup-holder is in the out position, the ashtray is inaccessible. Also, on rainy days when I'd crack open my window to smoke, a fairly steady stream of water would drip on my left arm. It seemed to me that the Hyundai designers were obviously not smokers. I've since quit smoking, but these were big inconveniences for me while I still did.

There were other annoying, relatively minor problems, too. My low-gas warning light works intermittently, at best. It sometimes comes on briefly as I reach a near-empty level, but it doesn't stay on. One of the plastic pegs holding the hatch-cover in place broke off after 2 years, and has been a pain to have replaced. It's such a small part that every time the service department at the Hyundai dealership orders a replacement, they lose it right away. I could probably just glue it back on, but it's the principle. The bumper to bumper warranty covers this repair, and I shouldn't have to fix it myself. Lastly, the front passenger seatbelt tends to 'trap' my passengers. It slowly constricts such that after just a few minutes, my passenger needs to take it off and put it back on. This doesn't happen on the driver side, so it's not too much of an inconvenience for me, but I wouldn't pick up a date for fear that they'd think I was trying to trap them in my car. I've had the belt replaced, but the new one does the same thing.

Overall, the Accent is a reliable, economical vehicle that I plan to keep for several more years. Aside from a few annoying flaws and a weak engine, the car hasn't given me anything to complain about. With the Accent, you get what you pay for.
Amount Paid (US$): 9000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001