2005 Hyundai Accent 5spd GT Hatchback review from North America

Only thing that went wrong was my fault... I was pulling into my neighborhood and I had to go to the bathroom really bad and I hit the curb and popped the tire! So I had to buy two new ones so they'd match.

First let me say that I do A LOT of driving--my car will be two in July, and I already have 54,000 on it. Let me say that my little Hyundai hasn't missed a beat, and I'm very pleased with it.

No weirdness in the engine, brakes, clutch, trans, nothing. I drive in NYC, Philly, up and down 95, the parkway, the turnpike and I move right along with everyone else. I am pleasantly surprised at how much FUN this little economy car is (gotten it up to 100 a couple of times). (Ain't no Porsche, but, I couldn't afford that, now could I).

Also couldn't afford a Civic or Corolla new, and based on the fact that my cousin had to replace the trans on her used Civic, I didn't want another used car. That and the Toyota Echo was so much uglier looking than my car--I really think it's kind of sporty-looking for a base-level car and cute, too.

The only weird thing is the back wiper, sometimes it gives out, but, I'm not much of a complainer, haven't been to the dealer and that's the ONLY thing that might be weird. (As a general rule, you should avoid going to a dealer unless it's a warranty issue... they cost a lot more and they can be devious. Lucky for me I have a certified mechanic who works out of his house on the weekends if I really need something done).

I hope to drive it another two years or so and get another one. Even though my loan is for 6 years. That's what bad credit will make you do.

One encouraging thing is that Hyundai's reliability has really improved, and I'm going to be optimistic about it based on what I've read, and what I've seen with my car.

Betty Jo rules. (That's her name, Betty Jo, I named her that because I tend to get nervous like my cousin Betty when I do major thing like buying a car. So glad I did).