1995 Hyundai Accent Test Drive
With a significantly revamped Sonata introduced in 1994, Hyundai began reconquering a market where it was strong for a few brief years. In 1995 the focus was the lower end of the product line and the uninspiring Excel was replaced with another inexpensive car, the Accent, available at a price so low that rivals were few and far between. This front-wheel drive mini sedan was in the same class as the Ford Aspire, the GEO Metro, Toyota Tercel, and the Dodge Colt. Marketed as two or four door models and in two versions the L, or the GL, this small-size model had a lot in its favor to win the hearts of those out to buy their first car. Its strengths included a high safety level, with dual airbags available as an option for less than $1K, anti lock brakes at around the same price, and doors with side impact panels that already meet the 1997 standards. The quality of the construction and its resale value didn’t put it on par with the Toyota Tercel, but this mini Hyundai was still attractive given its price.
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I always liked these but never see them anymore I do still see a ton Geo Metro’s and Toyota Tercels running around here
Not so many Aspires though
The price is higher in 2013 dollars than what a new 2013 Accent 4 door lists for which has MORE equipment standard than this 1995 model even had as options. The 2013 Accent is even a larger car to boot!
That value in the 1990s would be a rip off today.
My aunt had one of these new in 1999. Apart from a dashboard that cracked in the middle (a common problem with these in this harsh tropical climate), a slight rust problem in one of the weld seams in the trunk and exterior door handles that broke after a while, It was solid mechanically. She bought a new Accent in late 2011 and for a while had both the first and current generation parked next to one another. Talk about model bloat: the old one literally looks like it could fit inside the new one.