Overview & Reviews
Air conditioning becomes standard equipment on GS and GL models. Otherwise, Hyundai's bargain-basement car soldiers on to 2002 with no changes in store.
- Smooth ride, low price, impressive powertrain warranty.
- Unrefined demeanor, lack of standard equipment and amenities.
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 121.00-
13 years & counting!! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By Jim Hoth - September 27 - 12:49 amI bought my Accent L new in early 2003. It was a carryover 2002 model, so an additional $500 was taken off of the already low $9,495 window sticker. I was not after a car with a lot of bells & whistles... in fact, I liked that it was a bare bones base model as I felt there would be far less to wear out when it got older. 13 years later I have 77,000 miles on it & can truthfully say its been the most reliable car Ive ever had. its started in -21F with wind chills of near -50F, its idled in 102 degree heat with the temp gauge never leaving the midway point. It handles decent on wet roads, fair in the snow, & excellent on dry pavement. I have done very little to it except routine maintenance, which I have done everything at their recommended intervals. The engine is smooth, I can shift the 5 speed manual transmission with one finger, & the original paint looks like new yet. The only items I have had wear poorly are the shifter boot, the door panels faded very easily, & I am now needing to have the foam rubber inside the drivers seat replaced. The exhaust flex pipe developed a hole in 2010, but it was covered by the 10 year / 100,000 mile warranty. The gas mileage is far above what the window sticker rates it at. I consistently get 40-43 MPG in the Summer & have even topped 50 MPG once on a trip with all highway miles @ 55 MPH. I use Bosch triple platinum plugs, full synthetic oil, & run mid-grade unleaded. I plan to have this car for many years yet.
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Great first car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By Batoutofhe11 - September 24 - 8:02 pmthis is the cheapest little car you can get, it has very little put into it interior or electronics wise, but it makes up for all that by having an average of 40 miles to the gallon. which even modern cars have trouble doing. this car is surprisingly good in snow, getting me around in as much as 6 inches of snow as long as i braked real early and kept it in third gear or below. the interior sucks, but i really couldnt care about it since it was my first car. the only big problem is that the car is made for an average sized male, meaning if you are shorter than say 5"5 like me then youre seat belt will always get stuck on the seat back support adjuster. there is no electronic or power anything, my girlfriend hated that dis-feature about this car but seeing all those cars get hacked i liked the dis-feature. this car model has a glitch in the programming that will show the check engine light sometimes, and the problem will read engine cylinder 1 or 2 random failure. leave that be, its nothing. if you want to do anything switch out the spark plugs and wires, dont go crazy on repairs. the battery hook wires rot off at around 80,000 miles
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At least they are cheap. - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By irclark - January 10 - 2:25 pmPros: Cheap. Lots of interior space and head room. Good on gas. Actually did well in a freeway accident with a dump-truck. Cons: Very small and poor breaks (never balanced properly between front a rear causing rear breaks to lock up way before the fronts) Really scary in slippery conditions. poor handling (both body roll, and the suspension wore out quickly). Transmission (manual) would clunk or grind into gears between 1st and 2nd gear. Water leak into trunk which was found under warranty but they failed to fix it twice. Then the warranty expired and they said that I would have to pay for it. They did end up fixing it for free, but not without a fight.
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Not a very good car for the money. - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By pnpain - June 9 - 11:19 amGood little car for most people though mine was poorly made. Had to have brakes put on constantly and I am NOT hard on brakes. One year I had 4 sets put on because the calipers kept breaking and the break would stick to the wheel and burn it up, then the rotor would be unusable. Safety Hazard!! No air conditioning, no power anything. If I could go back in time I would have purchased the Kia.
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Excellent Value! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By aair13 - January 31 - 10:38 pmAs a Honda guy i wasnt very fond of getting a Hyundai. Bought in 2011 with 163000 and boy am i glad i did. Gets me 39mpg all highway. I drive it about 50 miles daily. I have the 4 door with the 1.6L auto. Mine does have a small noise in muffler but mechanic told me this was common on that year. Plus i dont mind cause it sounds cool, lol! Great car! Parts are easy to find and cheap. I recommend it!
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As Good as an Aerostar - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By mikehs2 - October 25 - 10:29 amBest car Ive ever owned. 133,000 miles, 40 mpg, yes 40! on the highway. I checked it 3 times! No oil burn. Only service issue was the rear brake cylinders which Hyundai happily replaced. Have to service the car every 7,500 miles and due the proper maintenance. Make sure you change the timing belt at 90,000, and if you have an auto transmission, it has to be serviced every 30,000. Dont be shy to buy one used, if its the 5 speed manual. Im sure ours will go at least 250,000.
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Aging through the ages... - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By squirts - April 5 - 11:07 pmAll, I bought my 02 Accent new. Since then, Ive racked up 115,000 on the odo with 80% highway driving of 75 miles/day Monday-Friday. To date, I really cant complain. Beyond normal wear items, Ive replaced both back wheel cylinders ($15 ea) and the (dreaded) flex pipe and pipe extension ($45) due to rust-through. The car still gets great gas mileage and doesnt burn oil. Ill need to work on the front end (I think some bushings are worn as there is a "clunk" over pot holes), but, knock wood, its holding up well.
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THIS LITTLE CAR IS AMAZING - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By sanzabartrust - February 28 - 10:17 amLet me say it seems like ive been a car a year Im 22 and this is my 5th car (the others were $1000 buckets. Im in college so reliability was key in my decision. Saw this car at a wholesale dealer for $1800 and jumped at it after I test drove it with only 115,000 miles. Ive just got scheduled maintenance on the car and it has been very good to me. The only major (haha) repair has been a corroded flex pipe which make my little car sound like a monster truck (luckily its a $30 part and got it installed/welded for $60) The inside is clean and standard which I was going for. Upgraded all the speakers they burst when I put a new radio in. All and all good car for me as a college student.
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Great Hyundai! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By hyundai2002 - February 19 - 7:49 pmI honestly dont understand all these reviews. I guess their previous owners didnt take care of their little Hyundai because my car runs great and is in great shape. The transmission and engine runs great. I dont understand the comments on the handling. The brakes could be better, but they have no problem. People need to realize that Hyundai was still not a very large company when the 2000-2004 Accents came out. And the Accent was Hyundais least expensive car. The interior scratches easily and the paint gets dings and scratches easily as well. But this was meant to be a realible INEXPENSIVE car for people that want a decent car and have money to put gas in it too. =]
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Buyer beware - 2002 Hyundai Accent
By No Hyundai - September 17 - 2:00 amHad car for under a year, replaced O2 sensor, brakes, battery and tires. Next year battery (only 1 kind available) O2 sensor. Next year, belts, water pump Brakes O2 Sensor. Every year I had to replace at least 1 of the O2 sensors, speed sensor and trans sensor of some sort (since year 3) None was covered as it is normal wear and tear (!@#$). Gas pedal stuck after 5 years and now my trans is failing. Will never buy again, bad warranty, bad price and cheap, cheap car (not in price just in quality)
