Drove the Accent...

"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
08/11/2018 at 21:50 • Filed to: Kinda necessary car shopping with fhrblig

... hilarity ensued.

First off, the pictures don’t do it justice. This car had the SHIT beaten out of it by hail. Poor thing. I can’t believe the windows are intact. The windshield isn’t. It has a few cracks. In Colorado, everyone ignores this. I’ve never known anyone to ever get a ticket for it. I have a hook up, though, so I’ll probably get it replaced on the cheap. The mirrors... holy shit. They definitely broke during the hail, but their replacement is the material they use on toy cars. It’s like having blurry funhouse mirrors. They are useless. But I think I can fix it, and use it as a bargaining chip along with the windshield.

The interior is in great shape. In the picture in the earlier post, they looked really dirty. They actually aren’t. It was just some dust. The black fabric Hyundai uses just shows the dirt more. It seriously is the opposite of the exterior. It’s a Chameleon XLE!

The guy goes to start it and CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK. Ok, fine. A bad battery isn’t a deal breaker. The first thing he says when he goes to get the jump box is that they will replace the battery for free. They hook it up and it fired right up. They pull it out and I hop in and away I go by myself.

First thing I notice is the clutch feels perfect. The engage point is right where it should be, though it is a tad light. That’s how I remember the new one I drove a few years ago. It’s got plenty of pep and it sounds great. The car tracks straight, and even in a panic stop the car doesn’t pull in any direction. I’m absolutely surprised. I expected some issues since it was so cheap, but this thing runs like someone babied it. Even better, turns out it DOES have A/C and it works great.

Halfway through the test drive, I started to have some... issues. As in, the countdown has started. No big deal, pulled into a gas station, take care of it. Maybe some of you are seeing where this is going. I come back out, get into the car, and CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK. Dammit. Totally my fault. Oh, and it almost started, too! It might have if I hadn’t left the A/C on.

I’ve picked the most deserted gas station in Denver. There’s one other car and he doesn’t have cables. So, I wait a bit. I go inside and see they have some cheap cables for sale, and I know it’ll be easier to get someone to help if I actually have the cables, so I bought them. I needed a new set to replace the old set from my partner’s car anyway, no big deal.

Some dude in a Subaru Impreza pulls up and was nice enough to help. We get it all hooked up and after letting it sit for about 10 minutes it starts. I think there was a reason those cables were so cheap. Either that or the battery really does need to go.

The rest of the test drive was uneventful. Mechanically, it’s pretty well sorted. Other than the glass, mirrors, and battery, the only other issue is the TPMS lights are on. The standard exclamation mark in a cauldron and also a plain “TPMS” light. I think there’s a bad sensor in one of the tires.

I like this little thing. I think once the battery is replaced it’ll be a good little beater. Holy balls it looks like hell though. Once the CU gets my gap payment (which should be sometime this week) I can then talk to them about arranging the extremely short term loan. Hopefully it’ll still be there, and I think it might given how sad it looks.

DISCUSSION (14)

LOREM IPSUM > fhrblig
08/11/2018 at 22:01

If the hail damage is that bad, you pretty much have to get

Kinja'd!!!

Vinyl'd onto it.

fhrblig > LOREM IPSUM
08/11/2018 at 22:04

That’s a great idea. I may have to do that.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > fhrblig
08/11/2018 at 22:18

But it’s an Accent. Have you not noticed it’s an Accent yet?

fhrblig > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/11/2018 at 22:25

YOU’RE AN ACCENT

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/11/2018 at 22:34

I like my little Accent! :(

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > fhrblig
08/11/2018 at 22:44

Hon hon hon oui oui baguette

I once drove a ma nual Accent of the gen prior to the one you posted and it was possibly the most miserable car I’ve ever been in. Most cars in that size class are cheap and cheerful. This Accent didn’t get the “cheerful” part right.

fhrblig > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/11/2018 at 22:50

I owned one of those, and you're not wrong. It was not made well. This one is a major improvement over its previous generation. I actually like these more than the generation that followed, too. These are peppy and kind of cheerful to drive.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > fhrblig
08/11/2018 at 22:51

If it’s a stick, did you try bump-starting it without jumper cables? My battery died a few months ago and I managed to get it rolling barely fast enough to start it up and get home! :)

Sad to hear it’s suffered a crap ton of hail damage, but at least it drives well and A/C is a big bonus considering my Accent doesn’t have it! As for the mirrors, are they manual or power? Assuming manual, but why not hit up a local Pick-and-Pull salvage yard and grab some replacements from a car there? Cheap and should be easy to pull off and install, plus OEM parts would be better than the funhouse replacements you say they fitted. The instructions to remove and install them should even be in the info I linked to you! :)

No TPMS on my car...wasn’t it a mandated thing in the US? It never was here so luckily I don’t have it! You sure the battery is the culprit and not the alternator? Maybe hook a voltmeter up and make sure it’s putting out charging volts (i.e. somewhere around 14v).

Also, an odd note on this gen of Accent, the user manual says to check the oil when the engine is at operating temp, not when it’s cold like most cars that I know of or else the reading is apparently wrong. Make sure you check the oil when it’s warm to make sure it’s filled properly if you haven’t checked it yet!

Also, told you the clutch was light! The hail damage may be terrible, but in a way it gives the thing personality - think of it like taking in a cat with one eye? :P

fhrblig > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/11/2018 at 23:04

I would have push started it, but there wasn’t a whole lot of space before entering the highway.

The hail damage doesn’t bother me in the least. In fact, it’s a plus because I’d have to park it on the street and we live in a sketchy neighborhood. Anything that makes it unappealing is good. The mirrors are manual and it looks like the mechanisms are intact, they just need new glass. I live near a junkyard so I’ll be able to keep an eye out for mirrors.

It seems like the battery to me. It almost had enough juice to start after only driving for about 5 minutes. Plus the battery light on the dash isn’t coming on. Usually that happens when the alternator is acting up. I can ignore the TPMS stuff for a bit.

That’s good to know about the oil. I checked out after it was running and the oil wasn’t even that dirty. Another good sign!

This little beast was so charming to drive. Like a puppy at a shelter that really wants to be adopted. I'm hoping it is still there when the time comes.

MonkeePuzzle > fhrblig
08/11/2018 at 23:19

lol yeah, in colorado a broken windshield is almost a point of pride.

its an accent though. boring, simple, but do run for ever

LOREM IPSUM > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/12/2018 at 00:01

I rented one of those and drove it from Vancouver to Kelowna, via the C oquihalla (aka: the Highway Thru Hell) during torrential downpours. There was probably an inch of running water on the road, and those little pizza cutters made for one hell of a scary ride. Also, it was so gutless it was sad. It would wind out, upshift, bog like mad, downshift, wind out, bog like mad, rinse, repeat.

Terrible mountain climb vehicle.

shop-teacher > fhrblig
08/12/2018 at 00:25

Sounds like a good solid beater :)

pip bip - choose Corrour > fhrblig
08/12/2018 at 05:39

nice one

hail damage is no big deal

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > fhrblig
08/12/2018 at 07:45

Hopefully it’s still there, if it’s got that much damage, you might e able to get it a tad cheaper even still - hope you get it, then the Accent Army will grow to two! :P